On August 31, 2026, the Rutgers Master of Business and Science (MBS) degree program welcomed new students to the fall 2026 semester during our in-person orientation. For those who could not make it in-person, we welcomed them online earlier in August. The event brought together MBS students, faculty, staff, and alumni for an evening focused on building connections and planning for professional growth.
Kathleen Cashman Walter, instructor of the MBS course “Principles of Communication and Leadership,” opened the night by encouraging students to reflect on where they are now, where they want to go, and how the Master of Business and Science degree can help them achieve their goals.
The Rutgers MBS degree prepares students to apply scientific knowledge in business settings while developing the leadership, communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills needed in science- and technology-driven organizations.
Building a Professional Network from the Start
Over the course of our online and in-person orientations, students met members of the MBS faculty and staff, including Executive Director Deborah Silver, Abbe Rosenthal, Jay Goldring, Lars Sorensen, Rupa Misra, Raquel Mura, Braun Kiess, and Karen Bemis. MBS alumni also attended the event to provide guidance and insight to new students, including alumni Somanna Meriyanda, Adhisha Chandra, Jeremy Katz, Kshitij Bhausaheb Pawar, Queency Agrawal, Shreeya Tokekar, Safiya Nazarali, Samruddhi Ghare, and Laura Gordon. Many thanks to all our alumni for your support!
Students mingled, introduced themselves, and shared their reasons—or their “why”—for pursuing a graduate degree in business and science.
The conversations highlighted the diverse backgrounds, industries, and career goals represented in the MBS community. Cashman Walter encouraged students to build relationships with classmates both in their fields and across industries.
The MBS degree program offers concentrations across life sciences, engineering management, and computer and information sciences. Because professionals in these fields often collaborate within the same organizations, cross-disciplinary relationships can help students expand their networks and explore new career paths.
Our in-person events are open to online students. During our in-person orientation, we welcomed students from far and wide—including from California and Tennessee!
"I'm excited to hone my business skills," said Christy Pradjinata, a new MBS student with a concentration in Personal Care Science who traveled for the event. "That's what I'm here for." She described this as the perfect program to strengthen both her science and business skills.
From “I Am” to “I Want to Become”
Executive Director Deborah Silver explained that the evening’s activities were designed to help students identify where they are and where they want to go. The process of moving from “I am” to “I want to become” begins with understanding one’s strengths, experiences, interests, and professional goals.
The Rutgers MBS degree program supports that process through:
- Science-focused courses and industry-informed concentrations
- Business education in leadership, teamwork, communication, marketing, finance and accounting, and more
- Academic advising and more available through Navigate360, our student success app
- Executive coaching and alumni-student mentoring
- Designing Your Life workshops based on Stanford’s design-thinking framework (MBS executive coach Abbe Lynn Rosenthal, MA, PCC, DYL Certified Coach & Facilitator, will host a DYL workshop in September.)
- Professional events, colloquia, and networking opportunities. All MBS students are welcome to join us for the MBS Grill and Greet and America at 250 lecture series!
- Internships and externships with real-world organizations. Internships can help students gain experience in a new field or within a division of their current organization. The Externship Exchange Program offers another opportunity to gain hands-on experience, meet professionals, and explore potential career paths
- Hands-on projects, field trips, and other experiential learning opportunities across our classes
- A project-based Capstone course focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology commercialization
These opportunities reflect the MBS approach to graduate education: combining classroom learning with professional experiences.
Connecting Education to Career Goals
Graduate Director Jay Goldring asked students to consider the knowledge, skills, abilities, competencies, and experiences they will need to achieve their professional goals.
During an exercise, students reviewed job descriptions, identified the skills employers are seeking, and considered how they could develop those skills through MBS coursework, networking, and experiential learning.
The evening ended with continued conversation and MBS swag bags, including red journals—for leaders to write down their thoughts and ideas.
To all new MBS students, welcome to Rutgers and to the Master of Business and Science community!
