Work-family-life balance for MBA students

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Many MBA students at Saint Rose work full-time in addition to attending classes on a part-time or even full-time basis. Balancing your various priorities can be stressful as you try to meet commitments at work, school, and home.

According to this mba.com article, “In today’s economic and employment climate, professionals are looking to not only accelerate their career through education but work experience as well. Even aside from career advancement, MBA students generally have busy lives as it is – adding a full course load does not make things any easier.”

MBA students at Saint Rose have flexibility to schedule their classes according to their availability. Many MBA classes are offered in the evening, allowing students to fulfill their work obligations during the day.

The MBA program offers three scheduling options:

Part-Time MBA: The Part-Time MBA program allows students to complete the degree at their own pace. A typical course load for a currently employed student is one to two courses a semester. However, students may enroll in additional courses if they do not have full-time work obligations.

Full-Time MBA: It is possible for students to complete the MBA program in less than two years while still employed. Though a student may take up to five courses in any semester, to retain eligibility for the Graduate Internship, the “full-time” student must maintain a minimum three-course load (9 credits per semester) in each semester enrolled.

One-Year MBA: The One-Year MBA program is designed to be completed in one academic year of full-time study and combines career development opportunities with intensive course work. Students may include an internship as part of this program option. The One-Year MBA begins in August, and students complete the capstone course (MBA 690) and optional internship the following July. Courses may be offered during the day or evening. Because of the intensive nature of the One-Year MBA program, make sure you meet the prerequisites prior to applying.

Here are some perspectives from current Saint Rose MBA students:

“Balancing work, school, and family life can be a challenging task at times. The fact that the College offers many different evening, online, and hybrid courses makes this challenge a much more feasible task. The key for me is making sure I designate certain times throughout the week that are dedicated strictly to my coursework, while making sure I also designate times that are strictly for family and work. I find that if I abide by these rules, I am able to achieve a good work, life, and school balance.” – Kenan Forrester

“Prioritizing and scheduling are probably the two most important factors when it comes to having a work-school-family balance in graduate school.  Planning out a schedule for coursework time is just as important as making sure you schedule time for some fun and relaxation.  One thing that I have found to be helpful in keeping a manageable coursework schedule is before the start of each semester I will usually read the first couple of chapters of the assigned textbook for a course.  Doing so usually helps give you a basic understanding of the topics that will be covered during the quick eleven-week semester and makes for a smoother transition into the workload for the term.” – Megghan Holz

“I couldn’t be happier with the MBA program at Saint Rose. From the fact that Saint Rose is on a trimester schedule, which allows students a way to finish their degree earlier, to offering classes in the evening, it is a very convenient and accessible program. Having a full-time job and trying to juggle classes could be very difficult. However, if you are able to put in the needed time for your classes and studying, it is a program that can work very well for professionals looking to advance their education and careers.” – Robert Moriarty

If you are interested in applying to the MBA program, click here for more information. If you have any questions about the admissions process, please call Graduate Admissions at 518-454-5143 or email grad@strose.edu.

Preferred Deadline Approaching for Fall Admissions: June 1

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For students who are planning to apply for Fall admission, the preferred deadline for graduate applications is this Friday, June 1. This deadline applies to all programs except School Psychology, Communication Sciences and Disorders, and Counseling and College Student Services Administration.  (The deadlines for these programs is earlier in the year.)

You should note, however, that Saint Rose will still accept graduate applications after June 1.   Most programs continue admitting students on a rolling basis, as long as space is available in their courses. The earlier you apply and receive a decision, the better the likelihood that you will have sufficient time to register and prepare for the Fall semester, which begins August 27.

The general application requirements are available here. If you have any questions about the application process, please call the Office of Graduate Admissions at 518-454-5143 or email us at grad@strose.edu.

Best of luck on your application!

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Meet Communications graduate, Kayla Germain!

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Communications alum Kayla Germain earned her master’s degree in at Saint Rose in 2011. But, her student experience doesn’t seem to have satisfied her desire to be here.  Kayla now works at Saint Rose, as a staff member in the Office of Public Relations.

Germain, from Greenwich, NY, is the Saint Rose e-media coordinator. In this position, Germain manages the College’s social media platforms. In addition to earning her master’s in Communications from Saint Rose, she also earned her bachelor’s from SUNY Fredonia in 2009.

Germain’s passion for Communications began in high school when she dreamed of being a news anchor. After she enrolled in her undergraduate classes, she realized that she wanted a profession with a better job outlook and more normal business hours. Germain turned to public relations, and thoroughly enjoyed her classes. “I like public relations because it pulls from different skills – writing, business, creative, and more. I could have changed majors for my graduate degree, but I decided to stick with Communications because it’s the field that I love and what makes me happy,” she says.

As Germain looked for a graduate school to pursue her master’s degree in Communications, she was attracted to Saint Rose’s M.A. program. “I preferred Saint Rose over other institutions because of its hands-on nature. Rather than spending my time extensively studying communication theory, I knew at Saint Rose I would be working on real projects that would build and add to my professional portfolio,” she remembers.  “And that’s exactly what happened.”

Many of Germain’s professors made a significant impact on her educational experiences at Saint Rose. Germain says that Dr. Cailin Brown taught her about the important distinctions between journalism and blogging. “Dr. Brown’s feedback on my journalism assignments has made me a much better writer than I was before. She also made me very interested in the field of journalism – I had always favored PR, so I never would have thought that previously. Now when I read the paper I have great respect for journalists and their practice.”

As e-media coordinator at Saint Rose, Germain applies many of the skills she learned during her graduate studies on a daily basis. One of the classes Germain took focused exclusively on social media, where she learned how to use new editing software, fine-tune her writing skills, and explore how social media are used in public relations. “I use social media every day and apply what I learned about how to connect with audiences and how to track data all the time,” she explains, “Thanks to my media classes, I feel very comfortable using a video camera. and recording and editing video, and have produced several videos for the College’s YouTube channel. My job might sound specific, but I do a wide variety of things.  Aside from managing our social media sites, I also write copy for our website, take photos of events around campus, aid departments in specific objectives, and more.”

Germain says what she enjoys most about her job is working in an engaging, vibrant community. “There is always something going on, and my job is to share what’s happening. I get to attend events and take photos or record videos to share with everyone else. I love talking to students on campus and sharing the great things that are going on around here.”

For people considering the graduate Communications program, Germain advises taking advantage of any opportunity offered in the program and at Saint Rose. “Go above and beyond what is asked of you as a student or a graduate assistant. I graduated Saint Rose with an awesome portfolio thanks to class materials and what I had done in my graduate assistantship. Saint Rose offers plenty of opportunities if you are willing to take advantage of them.”

If you are interested in learning more about the MA in Communications program, click here for more information. If you have any questions, please contact Graduate Admissions at 518-454-5143 or email grad@strose.edu.

Commencement 2012

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This Saturday, May 12th, recipients of Saint Rose undergraduate and graduate degrees will attend the 2012 Commencement ceremony at the Times Union Center. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. and end at around 12:45 p.m. The doors to the Times Union Center will be open by 8:30 a.m. A reception following the ceremony on the College campus will begin immediately after the ceremony and end at approximately 2:45 p.m.

The Board of Trustees will honor Saint Rose president, Dr. R. Mark Sullivan, and his wife, Kathleen, during the ceremony. Dr. Sullivan will step down as president on July 1, 2012. Both Dr. Sullivan and Kathleen Sullivan will be presented honorary degrees. In addition, Dr. Sullivan will deliver the Commencement address to the graduating students.

Dr. Sullivan is the eighth president of Saint Rose and has served in that role since August 1996. He holds a Doctorate in Education from Harvard University, a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Rhode Island.

Over the course of Dr. Sullivan’s 16-year presidency at Saint Rose, the College has invested over $100 million in new campus facilities; raised $42 million in capital gifts; tripled applications; doubled first-year enrollment, and increased the size of the College’s endowment seven-fold.

Dr. David Szczerbacki, currently the College’s provost and vice president for academic affairs, will succeed Dr. Sullivan as the ninth president of the College on July 1st. In a recent article in The Chronicle, Szczerbacki says, “I’ve had the luxury of working with Mark Sullivan for eight years now. So in that close working relationship, I know what outstanding leadership is. I’ve had a very good mentor and colleague as a friend.”

Admission to Commencement will be by ticket only. Each graduate is entitled to 10 tickets for guests. Graduates can pick up their tickets the week prior to Commencement (May 7-11). More details are available here.

If you are unable to attend the event, the ceremony will be available as a live broadcast online. Access the live broadcast at: http://assets.strose.edu/its/commencement/, noting that the link will not be up and running until a few days prior to Commencement. If you have any questions concerning the live web feed, concerns or technical issues, please contact the ITS Helpdesk at (518) 454-2190 or helpsupport@strose.edu.

Congratulations to the class of 2012!