College of Management

Uncertainty often prevents people from getting started. Philosopher Lao Tzu said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Taking one small action, though often daunting, can propel you toward success.  Procrastination is defined as putting off intentionally the doing of something that should be done. Though it’s challenging, small steps taken over time have the potential to grow exponentially.

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain

“The only man who never makes mistakes is the man who never does   anything.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Success is not an event, it is a process. Once you gain the awareness that you’d like to begin striving for more, you can make choices each day that aid in attaining your goals. It can be helpful to map out the circumstances that you need to create, to gain momentum. List action items that are as tangible as possible. This will assist in motivating you to continue forward. As your momentum builds, remain focused and accountable. Track your actions to gauge what has resulted in success and what we can learn from, or not repeat in the future.

Often, life long learners feel hesitant to return to the scholastic environment because they’ve been away for so long.  We’re here to assist with the process if you’re looking to take the next step in your educational goals.

Enrolling in graduate business school is a huge decision. One place to start is to consider their accreditation; specifically with the AACSB.  The AACSB or  Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International is a voluntary, non-governmental accrediting agency that oversees the standardization of collegiate schools of business and accounting nationwide.

Gaining AACSB accreditation, is no joke! It’s not just something that a school checks off the list. Accepting and pursuing this approval is a long-term commitment made by the institution to provide the highest level of quality education deliverable to its students. It’s tracked and quantified and re-reviewed every 5 years in order to stay relevant.

By attending a school that is AACSB accredited, you’ll know that engagement, innovation, and impact are at the forefront of the curricula and learning environment; these are the three pillars.

It’s been shown that this honor, increases students chances at landing a valued, and often higher paying job. Employers are more inclined to recruit students who they know have ultimately gained the necessary skills and knowledge needed to be productive and innovative in the workforce.

UMass Boston’s MBA (Master’s of Business Administration) is an immersive management program at a Tier One business school. Our MBA maintains strict AACSB accreditation. Our flexible program is a 12 course streamlined curriculum, with no prerequisites, designed to develop the skills you need to make complex, real-world business decisions. Lets get you started as a part of the engagement, innovation and impact being fostered within the UMass Boston College of Management.

One facet of the scholastic experience that can at times be discounted is the institutions multiculturalism. Attending a university that values diversity, better prepares it’s student body to take part in an ever expanding global society.

Sure, attending business school is about covering topics like- the ‘Break Even Point’, Profit Margins and the Accounting Equation, but steadfast wisdom is built when we strengthen our ability to recognize perspectives outside of our own and weave that knowledge into our daily practices.

Group polarization is a theory that states; if you’re only surrounded by those who share your same opinion, as a group you become more and more extreme. If all of your friends agree with you all the time, it’s probably time to make a few new ones. By interacting with people of different backgrounds, experiences, and opinions, we can take inventory of our own judgements from a more unbiased perspective.

One of the best things about about college is that it’s a convenient spot to find multitudes of people to disagree with you! Collaborating with students who might have a different perspective, enriches your educational experience, promotes personal growth and a healthy society, strengthens communities and the workplace and enhances economic competitiveness.

UMass Boston was voted the most diverse student body – measured by ethnicity, gender, age, sociocultural background, professional aspiration and disability—among regional schools accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

A faculty member in the College of Management, teaching Computer and Information Systems shared: ” In spite of the diverse student body in this relatively large class, practically everyone was involved in class discussions. In the end, the class was unified in spirit and enthusiasm. On the last day of class, students on their own, brought in food to share and we had a going away party, of sorts. I was very pleased. In addition, considering this is a gateway course into the program, and in spite of varying degree of completion in the MBA program, they insisted on a group picture- very fun.”

We encourage you to continue to explore ways to progress on the path to further education in scholastic, professional and personal environments!

“Networking is gaining visibility for yourself or your organization, and not just when you need a job or a favor,” says Debra Fine, a former engineer turned speaker and trainer.  It’s about building and maintaining long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with people you meet throughout your career. According to a study by human-resource advisors Drake Beam Morin, 64% of  people surveyed said they found their new jobs through networking.

Not only does it aid in obtaining that newest, desirable role, networking can help you to enhance your skill set, connect with mentors and clients and gain access to the necessary resources that will advance your career.

In a perfect world, your organization would ensure that your employee development is at the forefront of their strategic plan. In reality, we exist is in what Carter Cast, author of  “The Right (and Wrong) Stuff: How Brilliant Careers Are Made,” refers to as “the era of do-it-yourself career development.” Cast details that the responsibility falls to you, to propel yourself forward.

As you invest your time with your colleagues,  and more importantly professionals outside of your field, you will build connections with varying experts. In addition you will continue to develop the soft skills which in today’s professional arena are imperative.

Opportunities such as Speed Networking at the Pioneer  on July 30th, offer a chance to practice these skills. This fun 3 hour event will allow you to introduce yourself and what you’re about to everyone around you as well as meet and connect with other professionals…can’t beat that!

As always, life-long learning and immersing yourself in the growth mind-set is never a bad thing. We encourage you to visit the UMass Boston College of Management website for further information on our graduate programs which will assist in surrounding you with peers and colleagues looking to expand their networks to include you.

At the present time, there are approximately 7,718,013,622 people inhabiting the planet, with this number growing exponentially each minute. As we know, the resources afforded to us are limited and continue to decline. The need for environmental awareness and management increases by the second.

Though this is the case, there are many things that we all can do personally and within our places of business to prioritize environmental awareness.

To enhance and support efforts to propel sustainable practices forward, The College of Management at UMass Boston offers MGT671 Introduction to Environmental Management for the Fall 2019 semester. This course takes a deep dive into the details of creating competitive advantage by implementing environmentally sound practices in support of business goals and the welfare of our surroundings and each other. We encourage you to explore this and all of our course offerings to develop hands-on experience and the skills to implement environmentally aligned business goals.

“The essence of life is to serve others and do good.”- Aristotle

76% of career advisors agree that professional candidates with volunteer experience on their resume are more likely to get their preferred job. In addition, volunteerism improves health by strengthening the body, improving mood, and lessening stress in participants.

According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, individuals between the ages of 35 and 54 are the most likely to volunteer their time and those who volunteer regularly have a 27% better chance of gaining employment. 92% of human resource executives agree that contributing to a nonprofit can improve an employees leadership skills.

Managers say that skills-based volunteering experience, especially international, builds vital skills:

Collaboration: 93.8%

Communication: 97%

Emotional Intelligence: 89.3%

Grit: 80%

Innovation: 70%

Leadership: 90.3%

Problem Solving: 90.3%

There are more than 1.8 million active nonprofits in the United States alone (the ability to volunteer is endless). If volunteering feels like a good fit for you, be sure to approach the opportunity strategically by taking a quick inventory of what you’re hoping to contribute to and gain from the experience.

In addition to investing in others, it’s beneficial to invest in ourselves by the continuation of life long learning. UMass Boston offers multiple graduate business certificates .  One such opportunity is the Health Care Management  Certificate which features Social Enterprise and Poverty Alleviation. To supplement any volunteer experience this course emphasizes blending defining elements of the business and nonprofit models. Social Enterprise aims to fill a particular social deficiency or correct a certain market failure associated with poverty. As opposed to maximizing shareholder value the way a prototypical business does, a social enterprise may retain its surplus to further its social mission.

We encourage you to explore these opportunities and to engage with your community members  as we support each other along the journey to progress.

“Being busy is not the same as being productive. It’s the difference between running on a treadmill and running to a destination. They’re both running but being busy is running in place”.- Peter Bregman

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? With the exception of a job interview, how often do you think about your future self? In today’s professional climate, we often fall into the trap of the daily grind. We trudge forward to instant gratification, trying to ensure that everything gets accomplished by end of business, today. We often succumb to the cycle of every day, rather than checking in with ourselves to gauge how we’re truly feeling. Though this is often the case, Hal Hershfield, assistant professor of marketing at NYU’s Stern School of Business, has found that when people can realistically imagine their future selves in a clear and positive light they are increasingly able to make choices that will benefit that future self.

Here are a few tips that might be valuable to ensure that you’re living as your best future self!

In addition to these, we encourage you to check out the Masters Degree options at University of Massachusetts, Boston. Taking the first step to your future self today, will set you on a great path to move toward tomorrow.

Bloomberg is a global provider of 24-hour financial news and information, including real-time and historic price data, financials data, trading news, and analyst coverage. It also provides general news and sports updates.  The Bloomberg Terminal, is an integrated platform that streams together price data, news and trading data to more than 300,000 consumers. It delivers fast and deep access to news, data and insights and its technology powers much of the financial markets.

The Bloomberg Terminal goes beyond the graphs and charts that we see on TV. Also known as the Bloomberg Professional Services, the Bloomberg Terminal is a software system that gives financial professionals the ability to analyze global news in real-time. The Bloomberg Terminal assists in facilitating communication and trades between large institutional investors and is a fantastic resource to include in any generalist’s professional tool box.

Bloomberg Certification creates a bridge between what students are learning in the classroom to real world investment practice. Experience with the Bloomberg Terminal establishes a competitive edge and adds to marketability in the financial arena.

The Bloomberg Lab at UMASS Boston provides students with access to the same information platform used by leading decision makers, asset managers and policy architects in business, finance and government around the world. There are a number of benefits to becoming Bloomberg Certified:

• Access to Bloomberg Alumni, a great networking opportunity
• Access to perform thorough research on a company to prepare yourself for an interview
• Upload your resume, increase your employment opportunities
• Participate in national championships.

Bloomberg Market Concepts is a 10 hour, self-paced e-learning course that provides an interactive introduction to the financial markets. The BMC course consists of four modules that cover the essentials of the financial market and integrates more than 70 Bloomberg Terminal functions.  At the end of the course you will receive a certificate of completion. It will enhance your knowledge of Data-driven marketing. You will learn how to pull Bloomberg data (industry data, social media data etc.) to develop business (or marketing) strategy. In conjunction, you will cover Social Responsibility data. Detailed and reliable Environmental, Social and Governance data helps decision-makers in corporate sectors and government to build a sustainable business and society. Hence knowing how to collect and understand those data becomes crucial for students who are interested in working in those entities.

On July 2^nd and July 9^th from 4:30-5:30pm, an introduction to the Bloomberg platform (and certification) is available at the Bloomberg lab.  Hugh will be your Bloomberg mentor and can be reached at helpwithbloomberg@gmail.com. One to One mentoring is available every week through July and August. We encourage you to take advantage of this invaluable opportunity!

According to a Harvard Business School survey, 94% of service professionals put in 50+ hours of work per week. Long hours might be necessary, but study after study shows that when a balance of professional obligation and personal life is not struck, there can be many negative outcomes.

We realize of course, that a 50-50 work-life balance is not a reality, it just doesn’t work that way. In a survey conducted by the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) 54% of women said they found it challenging to manage time or delegate work to find a better balance . One recent study noted, Generation X and Millennial women seem to be losing ground compared to Baby Boomers at the same phase of life.

The Economist recently published an in-depth look at some of the research into how men perceive and utilize parental leave and other professional flexibilities. It was found that one of the largest hurdles to men taking a considerable role in their family life is that they’re afraid to take leave or work less.

The Conference Board reports that 53% of Americans are currently unhappy at work while American workers forfeited nearly 50% their paid vacation in 2017. Nearly 10 percent take no vacation days at all. According to a study by Glassdoor, the fear of falling behind is the number one reason people aren’t using their vacation time.

Though this is the case and you may feel stuck; there are some steps that you can take:

Prioritize

You may have a to-do list with 50 tasks on it, so you need to prioritize those tasks into four categories:

• Urgent and important
• Important but not urgent
• Urgent but not important
• Neither urgent nor important.

Plot some personal time

When personal issues arise, it can be tempting to bury yourself in your work. Don’t do it If you don’t make time for your personal life – your “me” time, including your family and your health – you won’t have a business to go back to. Set work hours for yourself and stick to them.

Manage your time

Create a timeline of your activities. Specific computer programs can help with this, or you can customize your own Excel spreadsheet or Word table. Include family commitments – such as holidays, birthday parties, etc. – so you don’t forget that you are unavailable for work on those days.

Tap into technology

Instead of driving to a meeting, use Skype or conferencing technologies. But remember to switch them off.

Be realistic

At the end of each working day, perform a little self-analysis. Ask yourself what worked today, what didn’t, what went wrong and how the issue can be fixed. Remember there are thousands of businesses just like yours learning the same lessons every day. Don’t forget to tap into the valuable resources around you.

Take a break

Remember to take time out throughout your day. Some tasks are easier than others, so if you find yourself with an hour up your sleeve, be realistic about whether you can “afford” to rest or not.

Additional education is also an invaluable tool to propel you forward to a career that you’re passionate about. You can now complete the UMass Boston MBA entirely online.

Take the necessary steps to find your balance!

Failure isn’t about the outcome, it’s about not trying- Sara Blakely, Founder of Spanx

Only 14.2% of the top five leadership positions at the companies in the S&P 500 are held by women, according to a CNNMoney analysis. Forward momentum is projected to be slow, without educated, capable women in the pipeline or the critical support from professional advocates who are willing to actively campaign for their progression.

In 2013 women held 16.9% of the board seats in the Fortune 500, up from 11.7% in 2000, according to Catalyst. That’s important because these directors are the ones in charge of hiring CEOs and identifying future leaders in the pipeline.

It’s been proven that gender diversity in the work-place benefits all, including the bottom line. Companies with a high representation of women board members significantly outperformed those with no female directors, according to a 2011 Catalyst analysis of financial results at Fortune 500 companies. 

Unfortunately, men are more inclined to take risks than women and those who’ve made it big repeat; one of driving factors of their success has been taking risks. This finding has been reproduced in a wide range of studies with researchers pointing to economic and evolutionary reasons. A study by Mara Mather and Nichole R. Lighthall determined that these gender differences are intensified even further under stress. It’s been established that there are gender differences in brain activity involved in determining risks and taking action. As professional arenas often times are laden with stress, this could lead one to believe that women might be too cautious with their decision making.

Societal giants proclaim recurrently the importance of failure:

• “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” —Robert F. Kennedy
• “Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.” —Oprah
• “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill

The College of Management at UMass Boston is actively engaged in the support of gender diversity in the academic and professional environment. A study of our graduate student population determined the split to be 54% female, 46% male. UMass Boston offers a number graduate programs to support all prospective students in securing that raise or promotion and turning that ‘failure’ into success!

For many years graduate education, with a focus on management was centered upon the ever prominent Master of Business Administration (MBA). As new economic landscapes have emerged, so have postgraduate degree options. Many prospective business school candidates are moving away from the traditional path of an MBA to focus on specialized master’s degrees such as finance, accounting, business analytics or information technology. Let’s drill a bit deeper to help you decide on the best fit.

An MBA is often pursued by students who have spent at least a few years in the workforce. Most MBA programs require such professional experience. U.S. News & World Report publishes an annual survey regarding MBA schools and students. In 2016, they found that close to 90% of the new full-time MBA students had over four years of work experience whereas almost all of the executive MBAs had over 13 years of work experience.

An MBA will cover finance and economics, but is more general in nature with a focus on other business concepts that might include operations management, or organizational analysis. A benefit of a more generalized approach is acquiring a broad range of skills and understanding how multiple branches of an organization function. The UMass Boston MBA with specialization in accounting gives students broader coverage in business topics, such as operation management and marketing with a specific focus on the area of accounting. Additionally, the salaries for graduates of an MBA are huge (in comparison to those with a four-year undergraduate degree).

One guiding factor toward a specialized degree is the amount of exposure to more specific accounting subjects. For example the MSA at UMass Boston, is designed to provide in-depth coverage in accounting topics and to meet the needs of accounting professionals. Since the MSA at UMass Boston, is classified as Level One status by Massachusetts Board of Public Accountancy, students will be qualified to sit on the CPA exam upon the completion of the program. Students will develop specific skill sets that make them more attractive to employers who are in search of experts in the field.

Government statistics show that all business and financial occupations are projected to experience 9% growth from 2016 to 2026. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the median salary for all accountants in 2016 was $68,150. The top 10% earned in excess of $120,000 per year.

In summary, if you’ve decided on accounting as your future career and would like to take the CPA exam upon graduation, the MSA is likely the best choice. The MBA with specialization in accounting may be more suitable for those who want to understand different business perspectives in relation to accounting, or those who have already met the CPA exam requirements through undergraduate curriculum.

Graduate school is a challenge.  As a full-time, employed student, taking on additional coursework part-time doesn’t come without its challenges. We’re with you. That said, the end result is more than worth the effort. This is absolutely the case for any class but especially an industry research practicum course which is structured differently than others.

This academic work is a fantastic opportunity to distinguish yourself amongst  peers and colleagues. Not only will you gain valuable research skills, but you’re in a position to potentially be included in a future publication which is a great resume builder, especially for those that want to focus their careers in research or incorporate their research skills into their daily work life. It’s a test of time management, but absolutely doable with the right milestones and project planning set in place.

Besides gaining the chance to be in a publication down the road, you’re challenging yourself to reach new heights with research of your industry and pursue a topic of interest that will help elevate your career. This positions you to bring something to the table at your company and propels you forward. Depending on your subject matter, you can open new doors and aquire resources and skills that are helpful in building any sort of proposal or argument in the future. The principles of this course work help you to think of things from a different perspective and the structure of these courses allows for collaboration skill development, which is in high demand in today’s professional climate.

Academic research courses like the ones offered through UMass Boston’s College of Management help to expand understanding of your academic field, define your pursuits and interests, foster valuable connections with faculty, provide experience that will expand your resume, develop critical thinking and leadership skills and explore research techniques. All while earning academic credit that is directly applied to your masters degree. A phenomenal investment of resources!