Poets&Quants

The McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University

Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business launched its Master of Science in Management program in the fall of 2019. Three months into 2020, the world imploded.

“We are a Covid baby,” says Evelyn Williams, founding academic director of the program and teaching professor of management at the McDonough School.

The fledgling master’s program persevered. Then it thrived. From its first graduating class of 36 in the spring of 2020, the McDonough MiM this year graduated nearly 100 students, more than half of whom are women. The program’s fourth class was 41% U.S. minorities, and 38% members of under-represented groups.

Evelyn Williams: “We are looking for students who are driven, curious about the world, and ready to commit to an accelerated course load”

To Williams, another number deserves equal attention: the program’s volume of international enrollment. Though U.S. master in management programs are under-appreciated in existing rankings and continue to live in the shadow of the more established and popular MBA, they are catching on in a big way, she says — and Georgetown is in the vanguard, drawing significant numbers of its yearly intakes from abroad. Forty-two percent of Georgetown’s MiM Class of 2023 are international citizens, hailing from 31 countries, while 54% have lived, worked, or studied abroad. Twenty-nine languages were spoken across the cohort.

It’s the domestic side that needs to catch up, Williams says. And they will. She says U.S. students, and particularly first-generation college students, are beginning to appreciate the master in management as a more accessible “bridge to the world of work” than the two-year full-time MBA.

“Demand is growing in the U.S.,” Williams says. “I think the domestic numbers have not grown as exponentially as international. We could fill the class with international students.

“Right now we are at parity with international students because a lot of U.S. students aren’t aware of MiM programs. But they are becoming more aware. It’s been a really good diverse class.”

That class is young, with an average age of 23, which means it naturally has less work experience: the class average is just 0.6 years. It’s strong academically, with an average undergraduate GPA of 3.6, mostly carrying degrees from the liberal arts/humanities/social sciences (39%), followed by business/finance (29%), STEM (18%), and economics (14%).

In Georgetown’s STEM-designated MiM program, these young future business leaders assimilated not only foundational management, technology, and innovation skills valued by employers but also practical applications and realistic implications of technology and innovation. Across five seven-week modules and 10 months, they not only interacted with business leaders on site visits and drew lessons from today’s innovative global companies; they also learned programming languages such as Python and R and completed “a signature global business experience focused on innovation that begins as a classroom consulting project and is capped off with one week in an international location,” where they delivered client recommendations in-person. The full-time, five-day-a-week program is structured to allow students to participate in a part-time internship, as well.

The Class of 2022 took all these lessons and secured high-paying jobs across consulting (40%), finance (33%), tech (11%) and a range of other industries. Ninety-three percent reported receiving a job offer within six months of graduation, and 91% reported accepting; but the international cohort was even more successful, with 100% of international students getting offers and every one of them saying yes. Overall, the class reported an average base salary of $84,030 ($83,077 for U.S. students and $86,889 for international students) and an average signing bonus of $10,722 ($11,107 U.S. students; $9,375 international students).

“Beyond academic and professional achievements, we are looking for students who are driven, curious about the world, and ready to commit to an accelerated course load,” Evelyn Williams says. “This 10-month program is specifically designed for recent undergraduates from all backgrounds who are interested in launching their business careers. Georgetown McDonough looks at the whole person when considering applications — we want to learn more about you and what you hope to bring to the Georgetown community, the values you hold, and how your background will help contribute to your experiences in the MiM program and beyond.”

“Don’t be afraid to ask for help, take risks, and step out of your comfort zone. And remember that time management is critical to success in such a fast-paced program”

“I look forward to applying the skills I’ve gained at Georgetown to professional projects that have the potential to make a real impact on society and the world. From my improved communications and relational skills, analytical skills from case studies, and my technical skills, I feel confident that I am well equipped to succeed in the next phase of my career and to tackle complex professional projects.

“One of the most valuable lessons I learned during my time at Georgetown is the importance of balance. With the program spanning just 10 months and each module running for only six weeks, the pace was very fast. However, I discovered that maintaining a sense of holistic well-being across multiple domains — including spiritual, emotional, relational, intellectual, and financial — was crucial to thriving in such a demanding environment. At Georgetown, we are students, but ultimately, we are people first.

“My biggest piece of advice to future Georgetown MiM students would be to embrace exploration – explore, explore, explore. Use this awesome opportunity to explore new subjects, cultures, hobbies, and most importantly, different aspects of yourself. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, take risks, and step out of your comfort zone. And remember that time management is critical to success in such a fast-paced program. Every second counts, and the year will fly by before you know it.”

“The concept of caring for the whole person is the most important thing I’ve learned here at Georgetown”

“I was looking for a one-year program that would give me the technical skills to succeed in business environments, and Georgetown’s MiM program was the obvious choice because it focuses on developing data analysis and problem-solving skills within the context of a manager. Also, the program provides students with consulting experience through the Global Business Experience.

“Balancing the workload required me to focus on building healthy habits more than anything. I had to plan out when I would study, work out, or meditate, and remain disciplined enough to stick to that plan. It was a push the first few weeks, and then it became a routine.

“The concept of caring for the whole person is the most important thing I’ve learned here at Georgetown. I have always focused on being a well-rounded individual, but this concept is beautifully articulated in the saying ‘develop the whole person.'”

Vivien Koester: “The ability to discuss ideas in internationally composed groups can lead to flashes of inspiration that can take an idea to the next level”

On her Global Business Experience in Singapore working with Jakarta Smart Port as they responded to global challenges in the container terminal business industry, identifying new opportunities to make the company more sustainable and profitable:

“Traveling to Singapore gave us the opportunity to gain an understanding of social, environmental, and technological conditions and meet with the key stakeholders of the project. During the Smart City conferences, we had the unique opportunity to meet ASEAN-grown tech startups which showed us the existing breadth of technology in the Asian market. Moreover, conversations with engineers and government officials gave us a further understanding as to which implementations are feasible and which factors matter most to the citizens.

“My biggest takeaway from working with Jakarta Smart Port was how conversations with people of different knowledge and cultural backgrounds can lead to flashes of inspiration that take an idea to the next level. Gaining new knowledge during these conferences gave us an opportunity to refine our project and align our project goal with Indonesia’s local needs.

“The trip showed how important it is to be exposed to different cultures and people of different knowledge backgrounds to drive new ideas. Developing projects in collaboration with international stakeholders provides the opportunity to leverage different scientific states and business perspectives. Going back to my key takeaway, the ability to discuss ideas in internationally composed groups can lead to flashes of inspiration that can take an idea to the next level.

“The GBE project gave me an opportunity to gain firsthand experiences developing a meaningful strategy to drive a country’s economic improvement and establish a network of people in Southeast Asia. Working for an international management consulting firm, I am now able to leverage my learnings from the GBE project and contribute my insights to the team I am currently working with. The GBE trip inspired me to participate in an office rotation program with Singapore to learn more about Asian business opportunities.”

Lauryn Lewis: “The great thing about participating in an accelerated master’s is that I’ve had the opportunity to complete classes in various subject areas, expand my skill set, and pursue career paths I hadn’t previously considered”

“One of the things I love about the MiM program is that it’s catered toward recent grads from any discipline. I felt confident that the program would provide the foundational business and technical skills I needed to increase my capacity for innovation and transform the way I approached my career. This, coupled with Georgetown’s centrality to one of the most influential cities in the world, was also a huge plus.

“Going into the MiM program, I don’t think I quite understood the magnitude my experience at McDonough would have on my professional goals. The great thing about participating in an accelerated master’s is that I’ve had the opportunity to complete classes in various subject areas, expand my skill set, and pursue career paths I hadn’t previously considered. Following my graduation in May, I want to continue my track record in the tech industry by transitioning into project management or client success.

“One of the most important lessons I’ve learned throughout my time at Georgetown is to reconceptualize my comfort zone as an area for growth and improvement. Stepping foot on the Hilltop after coming from a small women’s college of approximately 2,000 students was a massive upheaval in terms of what I knew as ‘normal.’

“Since starting the program, I’ve grown in ways I didn’t think were possible, whether it was through interacting with people in my MiM cohort, putting myself out there for opportunities, or participating in a consulting project through Global Business Experience.”

Jesper Evensen: “The ability to experience the culture firsthand was a game-changer. It allowed us to put our lessons into practice and interact with our stakeholders in person”

On his Global Business Experience traveling to Singapore to work with Smart City Network Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as they work to implement smart and sustainable urban development to improve the lives of ASEAN citizens:

“This consulting project was a great opportunity to get exposure to an industry and geographic region I was initially unfamiliar with. Being able to compare and contrast ways of conducting business in two vastly different parts of the world seemed very intriguing to me. The ability to experience the culture firsthand was a game-changer. It allowed us to put our lessons into practice and interact with our stakeholders in person. In turn, it enhanced our final deliverable of the project.

“The biggest takeaway was learning how to navigate the cultural differences with a mutual end goal. We discerned that we had different ways of working, which was sometimes challenging. However, we were able to learn from each other and gain more clarity on the final objective and provide a great action plan.

“This trip made me more aware of how to factor in cultural differences when working with global clients, and as a result, how to leverage those differences in our favor.

“The Global Business Experience made me more keen on working with global clients and gave me a better understanding of the impact I want to make as a professional.”

Edward Millet: “The 10-month program throws a lot at you and goes by quickly. Having a community to share the good and bad times with was critical for me. I’m grateful that I got to explore and enjoy a new city, as well as a new academic path, with a kind community”

“My favorite memory from my time at Georgetown revolves around the community that the MiM program has provided me. After the final exam for our Leadership Communications class, the MiM cohort received an email about our Global Business Experience placement. Because we received the email together, it was a uniquely shared moment of excitement and joy. For me, I have always wanted to work abroad and that moment felt like the start of a dream coming true. Sharing that experience with my friends made it even better, and being one of 100 people celebrating the same thing at once is quite special.

“While I’ve truly grown my business expertise and hard skills, the program’s commitment to collaboration has unexpectedly enabled me to grow my creativity, openness, and adaptability while working on complex issues. I’ve also gained extensive knowledge of different cultures, languages, personalities, and perspectives from the diverse MiM cohort. Applying the diversity of perspectives and collaborative spirit to the hard cases that our curriculum presents is something that I’ve deeply valued while at Georgetown, and will continue to take with me throughout my career.

“Professional and personal advancement should be looked at as a marathon, not a sprint. The MiM program, like other things in life, has required patience, perseverance, commitment, and careful planning, as well as a bit of luck. I believe that my personal and professional journey will be similar. In my life, I’ll always have to navigate experiences and circumstances — the unexpected and the expected — over time. I will continue to be dedicated to a growth mindset and allow myself the space to fail or fall short, knowing that the race is longer than the short moment. For me, a growth mindset was revolutionary because it completely changed how I thought about a career. It’s not just the fastest mile that counts, it’s the perseverance and dedication to the entire journey.

“Be open, curious, and kind. I came into McDonough with a very specific career goal that I didn’t end up pursuing because my classes and cohort experiences made me realize that I had a passion for international business. Because I was open to new curiosities, I ended up pivoting my focus. Today, I am very happily pursuing a new dream. I’d also encourage future MiM students to intentionally build their community. Get to know your professors and peers; they have immense experiences and valuable knowledge to share. With an open mind, you can achieve a lot at McDonough. Lastly, it has been so important for my experience to care for others around me and spread kindness. The 10-month program throws a lot at you and goes by quickly. Having a community to share the good and bad times with was critical for me. I’m grateful that I got to explore and enjoy a new city, as well as a new academic path, with a kind community.”

Next Page: Poets&Quants’ Q&A with Georgetown McDonough’s Evelyn Williams.

Georgetown photo

AND DON’T MISS SPOTLIGHT ON U.S. MiMs: THE MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MANAGEMENT AT GIES COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

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