The customization options at the heart of Stonehill’s program were built around the idea that virtually any career path can be strengthened by an MBA.
When Stonehill College designed its recently launched Master of Business Administration (MBA) program, the goal was to push beyond the sometimes calcified view of the MBA and create a program that has the flexibility and customization options that allow it to serve a broad field of interests and the many demands on students’ time.
“Our MBA provides the flexibility to focus your degree on what will offer the biggest benefits for your career,” said John Duggan, dean of Stonehill’s Leo J. Meehan School of Business. “Our focus is on helping our students reach their goals – through whatever path they choose.”
For Jackson Ogren ’25, who began his MBA as an undergraduate student through Skyhawk Accelerated Dual Degree, that path centers on his passion for marketing. Ogren’s journey started when an elective financial accounting class awakened his interest in business.
“Financial accounting sounds like it would be the most boring class of all time, but I had a blast,” said Ogren. “The professor helped me see that business was right up my alley. I owe a lot to that class.”
With his passion for business established, Ogren began by exploring an undergraduate management degree before landing on his final choice: marketing. “I took a marketing principles course and said, ‘This is it. I love it.’”
Our MBA provides the flexibility to focus your degree on what will offer the biggest benefits for your career. Our focus is on helping our students reach their goals – through whatever path they choose.
While pursuing his MBA, Ogren will be able to build upon that passion and advance his marketing expertise through the program’s marketing specialization. In the process, he will gain a competitive advantage through leadership experiences and expanded skills in innovation, problem-solving and strategic thinking.
The program offers six specializations — in digital marketing, entrepreneurship, healthcare management, international business, strategic data analytics and strategic marketing — so students can refine their experience to support their individual career goals. They also can design their own specialization with a custom set of electives.
According to Elizabeth Stringer Keefe, dean of Graduate & Professional Studies, the model used in shaping the program – combined with the Meehan School’s exceptional faculty and career resources – offers students a distinct competitive advantage.
“Our MBA utilizes a core of key courses that are essential for anyone who wants to stand out in business,” she said. “The design of our program – with key foci in leadership, strategy, creativity and innovation – comes at a moment when the world needs better business leaders.”
Duggan notes that this approach allows the Stonehill MBA to be agile in reacting to emerging trends in the marketplace.
“Our connections with employers provide valuable insight to in-demand skills that prepare graduates for success, ensuring our students have a competitive edge,” he said.
Another standout feature of the Stonehill MBA is its residency program, which is also offered in the Meehan School’s other business master’s degree programs. It gives students who are not already employed an opportunity to gain hands-on, real-world business experience with one of Stonehill’s corporate partners.
During residencies, students complete full-time internships with businesses in the Boston area, working approximately 30 hours per week while attending their MBA classes in the evenings. Residencies subsidize tuition costs for graduate students while offering practical opportunities to apply theoretical concepts.
Professor Kristin McGillicuddy, director of Graduate Business Administration, said the residencies are integral to the Meehan School MBA.
“It’s a problem when students graduate with an MBA without ever having set foot in an office,” she explained. “We have built opportunities for students to get that experience directly into our program.”
“Often they are hired at the end of their residencies,” she added. “And even if they don’t end up with a job with that business, they have still gained unbelievably valuable experience.”
Brandon Cancilla, who is completing a residency at Citizens Bank as part of his graduate marketing degree program, says the experience has been a game-changer.
“It enhances what I'm learning in my classes and allows me to apply my new knowledge and skills in a corporate setting,” he says. “The value this adds to my M.S. in Marketing degree is incredible and will jumpstart my career!”
We offer every graduate student in the Meehan School of Business mentoring, support and encouragement to assist them in reaching their goals. We take pride in the personal approach we take to student success.
As a native of Conway, New Hampshire, located in the rural White Mountains, Ogren planned to return home after earning his undergraduate degree. This made finding a program that offered flexibility in how students can attend classes a priority for him. Stonehill’s MBA program has both part- and full-time options as well as a range of online and in-person courses.
“I’m not from an area where there are colleges everywhere like near Boston,” he said. “My parents asked, ‘Why don’t you look closer to home?’ I told them, ‘I love your optimism, but there aren’t any MBA programs in the mountains.’”
He added, “I’m so thankful Stonehill has an online option.”
In addition to having attributes that will appeal to anyone seeking an MBA, there are specific benefits to Stonehill’s undergraduate population, who, like Ogren, can apply through the Skyhawk Accelerated Dual Degree program. This allows students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in as little as four years, take two free classes, and benefit from special tuition rates – also available to alumni.
Currently, Ogren has his sights set on a career as an entrepreneur and small business owner, but he’s confident that his Stonehill MBA will be a valuable asset for whatever path he chooses.
“The MBA will give me the skills to succeed if I decide I want to open a small business,” he said. “But if I choose to go into the corporate world, it can help me position myself for the C-suite opportunities where you have to have an advanced degree. It has the versatility to help me in any direction I choose.”
For Stringer Keefe, success for students in the MBA program, like Ogren, will be measured not just professionally — but also personally.
Stonehill offers every graduate student in the Meehan School of Business mentoring, support and encouragement to assist them in reaching their goals,” she said. “We take pride in the personal approach we take to student success.”
Stringer Keefe continued, “I’m grateful for our expert team of faculty and staff as we launch the MBA, and I look forward to preparing business leaders who will leave the ‘Stonehill mark’ — leading with courage to create a more just and compassionate world.”
The Master of Business Administration program in the Meehan School of Business allows aspiring business leaders to broaden their business knowledge and hone their skill set and apply them both in ways beneficial to their organizations and society.
The Skyhawk Accelerated Dual Degree is a pathway for Stonehill students to efficiently earn two degrees and make a seamless transition from their undergraduate courses to graduate study.
Join us for a virtual information session or drop-in session to learn more about our master’s degree and certificate programs.
