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Darla Moore School of Business

Professional MBA program equips entrepreneurs with skills to successfully launch and run their own companies

Now more than ever, an MBA is a way to move forward. Whether you are seeking advancement within your company, a career change or the opportunity to launch your own business, a comprehensive MBA education is one of the best ways to get there.

For Moore School alumna Nancy McCartney (’15 MBA), her MBA skills proved to be an invaluable asset when she started her own business.

McCartney is the owner and president of HR Bridging, an established human resources firm that offers companies assistance with human resources practices such as compliance and best practices, policies and procedures as well as performance management.

Before starting HR Bridging, McCartney enrolled in the Moore School Professional MBA program to build upon her preexisting business skills and open the door for more career opportunities.

“My focus was to drive my personal development goal, and while I graduated from the program at age 49, everything about the program was inclusive and engaging,” she said. “I gained a tremendous amount of knowledge that is key to my success today.”

When it came time to choose a Professional MBA program, McCartney said she chose the Moore School because of the curriculum and reputation. She said the valuable skills she gained from the program encouraged her to start HR Bridging.

“I gained many skills that were foundational in developing and running my business as an entrepreneur as well as providing me not only with the confidence, but more importantly tools and resources, in running my daily operations as well as strategically plan,” she said.

The flexibility of the Moore School PMBA program allowed McCartney to continue working full time and excelling in her career path while also furthering her education in business.

“With my challenging work and travel schedule, it was important that I have options if my work demanded more of my time during certain periods, which it did, and while it took me a few months longer to complete, it allowed me the flexibility to do adjust,” she said. “Other advantages included learning and participation options. Whether in the classroom, which I attended for the majority of my program to keep me focused and driven, having the option to log in and still participate was necessary at times. Keeping my focus on the end results and knowledge gained, it was worth every minute and penny.”

McCartney said that learning from professionals who were practitioners in their fields was key to not only receiving the information but also examples on how to apply such knowledge in the workplace.

Having the ability to collaborate with professors and other professionals from a variety of industries allows students to gain a deeper understanding of how business is applied in different fields.

Moore School clinical assistant professor Juliana Iarossi teaches entrepreneurship and corporate strategy courses for the MBA and Professional MBA programs. Iarossi said that having a diverse mixture of professionals in the PMBA program enriches classroom learning.  

“Learning with and from others who have different skills and professional backgrounds only serves to enhance classroom learning by adding the experience and knowledge of other students to the strategy toolkit,” she said. “The relationships built through networking with other students in the program may open other possibilities for collaboration and exchange of resources.”

Iarossi said that the knowledge and experiences that students gain from the MBA and Professional MBA programs provide entrepreneurs with the practical knowledge necessary to start their own business.

“Many courses in the MBA/PMBA program can provide an entrepreneur with a broader strategy toolkit quicker, perhaps at a lower cost than learning through trial and error alone and networking to find experts and advisers,” she said. “Practical experience, learning by doing (even if we fail) and networking are critical, but we tend to follow the pack and do what others have done, which could limit the outcome of our efforts and be costly in terms of time and money.”

The Moore School Professional MBA program helps prepare professionals with the necessary business and management skills needed to be an entrepreneur and successfully run their own organizations.

-Claire McGrath


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