{"395411":{"#nid":"395411","#data":{"type":"news","title":"MBA Pathway Program Enabling Tech Students to Earn Admission, Work Two Years, Then Start Degree","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EShannon Mehl, BSBA 2014, says she jumped at the chance to gain acceptance into Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business\u2019\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca title=\u0022MBA\u0022 href=\u0022http:\/\/scheller.gatech.edu\/degree-programs\/mba\/index.html\u0022\u003EMBA Program\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;as she was preparing to graduate last year.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENormally, prospective MBA students are required to gain at least a few years of post-grad work experience before even being considered for Scheller College\u2019s Full-time and Evening MBA programs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut through Scheller\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca title=\u0022MBA Pathway\u0022 href=\u0022http:\/\/scheller.gatech.edu\/degree-programs\/mba\/mba-pathway\/index.html\u0022\u003EMBA Pathway Program\u003C\/a\u003E, Tech students like Mehl can get ahead by earning deferred admission, working for at least two years, and then starting their MBA (Full-time or Evening).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMehl, who is now a key accounts support representative at Georgia Power, says that for her, the MBA Pathway Program was a \u201cno-brainer.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou are studying for the GMAT while you are already in the study mode and applying for the program while you are already used to filling out applications,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s such a relief to graduate knowing you can start your MBA Program in two years and have to do no additional work in that time period because you are already accepted.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMehl, who will start the Evening MBA Program in August 2016, notes: \u201cPeople at Georgia Power are very impressed that I not only know I want to pursue my MBA, but that I have already been accepted to a program. It shows that you think long-term and are interested in investing in your future. Employers really enjoy helping to develop people who plan for their future.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECreated in 2014, the MBA Pathway Program enables Georgia Tech undergraduate students from all disciplines to plan ahead for career advancement. Qualified students can secure admission during their final year of undergraduate students.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThose admitted through the Pathway Program to date have earned degrees in a range of fields, from business administration and computer science to aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe next application deadline is August 1, 2015. To apply in 2015 (to be eligible to start the MBA in 2017), students\u2019 graduation date must be December 2014, May 2015, or August 2015.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech undergrads interested in the MBA Pathway can learn more and apply at\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/scheller.gatech.edu\/MBAPathway\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/scheller.gatech.edu\/MBAPathway\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;or contact the Graduate Office for more information at\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:mba@scheller.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emba@scheller.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou can start planning today to position yourself for leadership roles requiring greater understanding of the functional areas of business,\u201d says Paula Wilson, Scheller College\u2019s director of MBA admissions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECaleb Kirksey, a computer science graduate who\u2019s also been accepted to start the MBA in 2016, says his long-term goal is to start his own company, so he wants to complement his technical knowledge with a firm foundation in business.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow a software engineer with Salesforce, Kirksey says, \u201cI\u2019m going to gain greater breadth and depth of business knowledge, including how to finance a new start-up as well as understand acquisition strategies. The MBA will be very useful for eventually starting my own business.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe adds: \u201cThe Pathway program has allowed me to focus on the pivotal first two years of my career knowing that the MBA is waiting for me. Taking the GRE before even starting to work has enabled me to focus on my career so that I can make a smooth transition into graduate studies.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHis future MBA classmate Shannon Mehl says, \u201cAs a full-time employee, the promise of the MBA Pathway Program gives my work at Georgia Power an interesting perspective as I often think, \u2018I can use this as an example in my MBA class.\u2019\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor more information, visit the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca title=\u0022MBA Pathway\u0022 href=\u0022http:\/\/scheller.gatech.edu\/MBAPathway\u0022\u003EMBA Pathway page\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"MBA Pathway Program Enabling Tech Students to Earn Admission, Work Two Years, Then Start Degree"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EShannon Mehl, BSBA 2014, says she jumped at the chance to gain acceptance into Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business\u2019\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca title=\u0022MBA\u0022 href=\u0022http:\/\/scheller.gatech.edu\/degree-programs\/mba\/index.html\u0022\u003EMBA Program\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;as she was preparing to graduate last year.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"MBA Pathway Program Enabling Tech Students to Earn Admission, Work Two Years, Then Start Degree"}],"uid":"27271","created_gmt":"2015-04-10 15:12:17","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:17:58","author":"Brad Dixon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-04-10T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2015-04-10T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"395421":{"id":"395421","type":"image","title":"MBA Pathway","body":null,"created":"1449246346","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:25:46","changed":"1475895112","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:51:52","alt":"MBA Pathway","file":{"fid":"75659","name":"mbapathway.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/mbapathway.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/mbapathway.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":595764,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/mbapathway.jpg?itok=j5gRpS5P"}}},"media_ids":["395421"],"groups":[{"id":"1274","name":"Scheller College of Business"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBrad Dixon, Communication Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E404-894-3943\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:braddixon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ebraddixon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["braddixon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}