On January 11th, the Professional Science Master’s (PSM) program gave a warm, virtual welcome to our new students! Although we faced tumultuous weather in New Jersey, that didn’t stop us from inviting our students to connect with faculty, staff, alumni, and each other.
The night started with an energy check from PSM Assistant Director and Executive Coach Abbe Rosenthal. Students also heard from PSM Executive Director Deborah Silver and Life Sciences Coordinator Beth Murphy. They were joined by faculty members Jay Golding, Karen Bemis, and Rupa Misra. MBS alumni also joined!
We started off the night by connecting students via breakout rooms. Attendees got to know each other through icebreakers, sharing their goals in pursuing the Master of Business and Science (MBS) degree.
The Master of Business and Science Degree
Students broke into groups and completed an exercise: they had 30 seconds to say as many phrases describing them starting with the words “I am” as possible.
The MBS degree, said Dr. Silver, helps students get from “I am” to “I want to become.” The MBS degree helps students identify their goals and build an actionable path towards success. Here are some of our value-adds, designed to help students succeed during their time in the PSM program—and beyond.
- Technical knowledge. Our program centers around providing students with cutting-edge industry and scientific knowledge.
- Business skills. Our essential courses provide students with valuable business acumen.
- Academic advising. Academic advisors meet with students 1:1 or in groups to provide invaluable guidance.
- Leadership and communication. Principles of Communication and Leadership is one of our signature business courses. Instructor and MBS executive coach Kathleen Cashman teaches students how to apply business and science skills to their careers. This course also provides essential networking opportunities.
- Design Your Life. A cornerstone of an MBS education, executive coaches use the DYL framework to guide students in achieving their goals—and how MBS can help. (Abbe Rosenthal will host a DYL workshop in February—register now to save your spot!)
- Alumni network. We have a robust alumni network spanning across industries and geographic locations. We invite alumni to all our events to facilitate connections with our students.
- Executive coaching. Executive coaching is an essential part of MBS. It’s built into the course Principles of Leadership and Communication, and it’s also available to all MBS students at any time.
- Networking. We host many networking events—both in person and virtual. Additionally, our classes invite industry professionals to speak to students.
- Experiential learning. We provide our students with many opportunities for experiential learning. This includes our internship program, externship experience, events, and even class trips.
- Capstone. Our capstone is the equivalent of a master’s thesis. In this course, students showcase the business and science skills they learned throughout their MBS education. To prepare, we recommend attending capstone presentations before it’s time to take the class to see what is expected.
Leading Your Own Ship
We ended the night by giving students a taste of Odyssey Path creation. In this exercise, students map out three different pathways for their future. They examine the skills and opportunities needed to reach each goal, and how to best use their time at MBS.
As the night ended, students had the chance to meet with faculty and advisors in breakout rooms.
To all new MBS students, welcome to the spring 2024 semester! We can't wait to embark on this exciting journey together.
Don’t miss our upcoming events! You can also stay up to date by following us on X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
- The Scents of Success: An Introduction to the Creative World of the Fragrance Industry
- Virtual Friday: Welcome New MBS Students
- MBS: Movie Night!
- Designing Your Life: 2-part workshop
