Schools of Business announce three-fold increase in enrollment for MA in Management program

Enrollment for the class of 2010 at Wake Forest University Schools of Business MA in Management program increased more than three-fold over the previous year.

A total of ninety-one students arrived for orientation activities on Monday, July 20, and officially began their academic year last week.

The 2010 class represents 37 undergraduate colleges and universities from 18 states and two countries, including 36 students who earned bachelor’s degrees from Wake Forest. By comparison, the 2009 class was composed of students from 10 undergraduate schools representing seven states.

Schools represented in the 2010 MA in Management class include Stanford University, Brown University, Harvard University, Vanderbilt University, Emory University, University of Southern California, Davidson College and the University of Florida. In all, 30 different undergraduate majors are represented, from art to economics.

Women account for 42 percent of the 2010 enrollment, as compared with 36 percent in 2009. Forty-four percent are from traditionally underrepresented groups, as compared with 18 percent in 2009.

Charles Iacovou, Senior Associate Dean of Graduate Business programs, credits the substantial increase in enrollment and caliber of students to the tremendous job by the Schools of Business faculty and staff, who have worked diligently to evolve the MA in Management program at Wake Forest over the past several years, making it one of the top such programs in the county.

The 2010 class also includes eight MA in Management Corporate Fellows. Because of a strong commitment to build a student body that reflects the diversity found in the marketplace, the Schools of Business partnered with leading companies to provide merit-based scholarships and one-to-one mentorship opportunities to high-achieving students of diverse backgrounds.

Dean of Business Steve Reinemund, former chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, has made it a priority to promote diversity and inclusion at Wake Forest. One of his first orders of business was to create and implement more meaningful ways to increase diversity among the student body. The development of the MA Fellowship is one of those efforts.

“In a globalized economy such as ours, the most fundamental thing that business schools can do is turn out exceptional leaders who represent the diverse population of the United States and the world,” Reinemund said. We believe that all students receive a richer, fuller education and are better prepared for the challenges and sensitivities of the workplace when they are exposed to different backgrounds and points of view,” he added.

Companies involved in this year’s fellowship program are: Alex Lee, Inc., BB&T, Flow Automotive, Frito-Lay, Hanesbrands, Inc., Primo Direct, Reynolds American, and VF Corporation.

Among the corporate fellows is Najah Woodby, who earned her bachelor’s degree from Emory. She spent part of her afternoon Tuesday, doing homework outside the Worrell Professional Building on campus.

“I like it a lot so far,” said Woodby of New Jersey. “I was a psychology major, so it’s definitely a lot different from what I’m used to. I think it’s really interesting so far, and I think it’s good that they’re starting us with some introductory business classes to ease us into the process a little bit.

“I want to do some type of health-care consulting, but with just the psychology degree it’s kind of hard to get the job I actually wanted. I’ve had a few internships, with a pharmaceutical company as well as nonprofit health-care organizations, but they only hire (people with) PhDs, or at least a masters degree.”

The Wake Forest MA in Management is an intense 10-month program that transforms students into well-rounded young professionals equipped with the specialized knowledge and experience that companies actively seek. It is a pre-experience master’s program specifically designed for recent liberal arts, sciences or engineering graduates who want to learn business fundamentals before beginning their careers. The program was first offered at Wake Forest University in 2006.