MBA Alumnus Takes His Degree to New Heights

Kate Menzies

Document Type

News Article

Publication Date

2-16-2018

Campus Unit

College of Business & Public Administration

Abstract

From ten thousand feet above, to the plains of Grand Forks, ND, the University of North Dakota MBA program has taken Trevor Woods to new heights. Trevor, an alumnus of the UND Aviation Management program, joined the MBA program to further hone his business acumen. As the current Director of Safety for the Northern Plains Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site, Trevor saw the MBA program as an opportunity to develop key leadership skills.

“An element of my position is working with external people, as well as internal, in collaborating and helping achieve some pretty lofty goals at times. The MBA program has benefited me in helping to develop skills and confidence in understanding what the leadership, as well as influential people within organizations, are thinking and assessing when they are evaluating the use of UAS in their respective business environments,” said Woods.

The UND MBA program contains four core learning modules. The modules include executive management, business analytics, financial and economic analysis, and strategy.

“The UND MBA program exposed me to communication, leadership, and strategic thinking skills that I think are valuable to me today. But instead of just developing a skillset from the program, I more learned that these skills are continually in need of assessment and improvement as an individual,” said Woods.

The program also provides students with concentration opportunities so that they can customize the program to fit their specific learning goals. Trevor enjoyed have the option to select courses that could apply directly to his position. His favorite course in the program was ECON 503 Business & Government. This course provides students with the opportunity to learn about the intricate ways in which business and government are tied together. The course also includes an experiential learning component, as students take a trip to Washington, D.C. and meet with prominent leaders in the U.S. government, as well as private and public entities.

When asked about one of his memorable moments from the program, he immediately pointed to this experiential learning opportunity. “Oh by far the trip to Washington, D.C. was absolutely memorable for the Business & Government elective class,” said Woods.

In addition to experiential learning opportunities, a unique component of the MBA program is the way in which the courses are delivered. The MBA program is a synchronous program whereby distance and campus students can attend courses live through web-conferencing technology. This allows students to form meaningful connections with their peers across the globe, as well as professors. Trevor appreciated how this format provided him with a degree of flexibility.

“The hybrid format made the program very flexible to accommodate my work schedule, especially since I have to travel on occasion for my job,” said Woods. “Knowing what I know now, I am unsure how I would have been able to do it without having this ability to join virtually from anywhere.”

This hybrid technology allowed Trevor to network with his distance peers in the Business & Government course.

“The class was taught in a hybrid format, so as an in class student I got to learn and develop relationships in a virtual environment. When we all finally met in D.C., it was funny that I already knew my online peers, but yet it was actually the first time meeting them in person,” said Woods.

Aside from the valuable learning experiences the program is able to provide, the MBA program is also highly ranked and accredited. The MBA Program is accredited by AACSB International, which only about 5% of business schools worldwide have achieved. In 2018 the online MBA program was ranked #36 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Additionally, the online MBA program was recently ranked #5 by Poets & Quants.

The program left a lasting impression on Trevor and he is quick to recommend the program to others.

“When you factor in the cost of the program, the ranking of the program, the educational experiences you will receive, and then factor in the intangibles such as the University as a whole, the College and their priorities for continually improving the program, you will not find a better return on investment for your time and money,” said Woods.

The UND MBA program is open to students with a wide variety of educational backgrounds and industry experiences. Skills taught in the MBA program can be applied to a variety of career settings. If you are interested in learning more about the MBA program please visit http://business.und.edu/academics/mba/index.cfm or contact Kate Menzies at kate.menzies@und.edu.

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