Master’s in Management Q&A: Pennsylvania State University, Smeal College of Business

To find out more about the master’s in management program available at the Smeal College of Business at Pennsylvania State University, we spoke to the program’s associate director of admissions Ben Webb.

Webb is involved in the admissions process for the school’s MBA program as well asw it’s master’s in management & organizational leadership, corporate finance, and real estate analysis & development.

Key facts

• 30 percent of applicants for the school’s management program are accepted by the school
• Average starting salary for the school’s Management & Organizational Leadership graduates is $66,289, with a signing bonus of $6,250
• Graduates of the school’s management program typically go on to work in the following roles:
  • Management and Technology Consultant
  • Leadership Development Associate
  • Associate Operations Manager
  • Cognitive Solutions Consultant
  • Business Transformation Consultant
  • Consulting Analyst

How can your master’s in management help me become a CEO? 

Our Master of Management and Organizational Leadership is designed to be a career accelerator for students with less than two years of work experience. Further down a student’s career, there is a potential these students can become a CEO depending upon their career choices.

What’s the difference between an MBA and a master’s in management?

The core difference between the Smeal MBA and Smeal’s master’s in management & organizational leadership programs are the work experience and subject matter expertise.

For our MBAs, a student typically has between five and seven years of experience and they are looking to gain new subject matter expertise in one of our four primary concentrations: marketing, consulting, finance and supply chain management.

The Management and Organizational Leadership program is designed for students with less than 24 months of post-graduate full-time work experience who are looking to accelerate their careers above an entry-level role while also diversifying their skill set into business roles in STEM areas. 

Can I pursue a master’s in management without a background in management?

Yes, that is one of the unique features of our program. It is designed for STEM students who would like to transition into client-facing roles in the STEM world such as consulting, tech sales or leadership development programs. Typically, our students will have zero experience in the business world.

For more information about Penn State's online MBA program click here.

Lead image: Jonathan Ah Kit (Flickr)