University of Southern California’s Master of Business for Veterans Program
The MBV program first came on my radar when I just started running the blog. My initial thought on the program was not positive. In general I am skeptical of one year “executive style” programs for a variety of reasons. The biggest reason is that I feel like universities use these specialized programs as cash grabs. They are aimed at people who either did not know about 2 year MBA programs or were unable to attend for a variety of life lessons. In general they do not offer scholarships, and do not provide post program salary data, job placement % or career outcome information.
Wow, with that really negative lede in let’s actually talk the MBV program. FIRST OFF IT IS A GOOD PROGRAM AND SERVES A FINE PURPOSE. I am not knocking the MBV program of the above faults. What I want everyone to do is understand the role that business school programs play in the wider ecosystem of education. Remember, Universities are a business.
The MBV program is a 1 one year program that is specifically designed for veterans and active duty. It is tailored to help fill the skill gaps that veterans experience when they exit the force. It is also a program that aims to keep the camaraderie that veterans experienced. It taps into the powerful network of southern california and the USC school system.
The program has received attention before I cast my sauron (lol) like gaze upon it. It has been profiled in Business Insider and CNBC. Which is great, but honestly who cares. The news media loves a feel good story about veterans. It’s like a puppy dog, impossible to not like.
I talked for about an hour with James Bogle, the head of the MBV program. James has a pretty interesting background, He was a FA officer turned FAO, and got the opportunity to spend a lot of time in Europe and DC, which I think is pretty cool.
A good profile of the program and its origin are available on the Business Insider article. I don’t really like repeating pro forma stuff. It’s an interesting history and shows the power of an individual state to create a program. Moreover, big props to James and the state of California for making this happen.
Overview of the Basics
The program was started in 2013.
1 Year Master Degree. Confer’s a Master of Business for Veterans degree. Which apparently is a thing
The program will not replace an MBA. Executive Director James Bogle says that this well recognized and well understood. I believe him.
They take credit cards and your GI Bill, Total cost is about $56K. No scholarships are provided.
7 years in existence. About 500 alumni.
Originally the MBV program was created to supplement the USC Executive Program in San Diego. It was noticed that a lot of the nearby military guys would go do the EMBA program. While laudable, this might have actually not been the best fit for those servicemembers. EMBA programs are speciality education programs made for people who are Director’s or Vice President’s. Because these individuals know the basics and have a more fundamental knowledge of business a lot of the basics are skipped or assumed. The career development is not as robust since these individuals already have extensive personal business In general EMBA programs are about instruction in how to think strategically and motivate people. Which is great and all, but most veterans benefit most when they are exposed to the basics first (in my opinion).
The feedback that the USC System received was that there was a need for a program that was a more down and dirty business course. Straight to the basics, cut out the B.S. of normal MBA programs (which there is a lot) and tailor the program to support veterans. The intent of the program is to facilitate a career pivot and not a lateral move. This is more in line with what an MBA program does, instead of an eMBA program.
Another concern that a lot of military folk have is age. MBA programs in general trend young (25-29) and mid to late 30 year old veterans might not fit well into a younger crows. I definitely think an MBA program can be a shock for someone who stopped getting wild and crazy several years ago. It’s a college party environment but with money and big career ambitions at stake. It’s also a bit of a screw fest, with young, smart, attractive and talented people mixing together. Do the math.
Curriculum
What distinguishes the MBV from an MBA program is that the program teaches year 1 of a standard MBA program. MBV students do not specialize in finance, corporate strategy, etc. The full curriculum can be found here.
FALL SEMESTER (12 units)
The first semester is focused on understanding organizations and measuring effectiveness from the perspective of:
Financial accounting and performance
Competitive market analysis
External communication
Labor, customer and financial markets
Statistical and decision analysis
Analysis and evaluation of new enterprises and new ventures within large organizations
Managerial Accounting
Operations
Marketing
Human Resources Management*
SPRING SEMESTER (13 units)
The second semester is focused on strategy, growth and implementation of organization from the perspective of:
Formulation and implementation of different strategies
Financial growth strategies
Comparative management
Product development and new market strategies
Organizational leadership and communication
Macroeconomics*Real Estate and Contracts Law*
Real Estate Finance*
Corporate Strategy
Strategy Capstone Project**
In general most students in the program are working. The program’s schedule is built to resemble an EMBA program in how classes are delivered. The class is geographically dispersed across California with most students physically separated during the week. However, there is no teaching online. The classes take place on the weekends.
Exactly a MBV degree is awarded. In order for an MBV program to be successful you need to come in with a large set of accomplishments. In the end, people get hired as a senior consultant. Banking seems to vary pretty significantly. Bank of America scooped her up and brought her into a senior level.
Admissions
Each cohort program runs late July through May
September 1 - MBV starts accepting applications
December 1 - Notification of admission begins
May 20 - Application deadline
May 30 - Final deadline for receipt of official transcripts
Note: MBV applicants can request to waive the $155 application fee by completing the form from the link below. Applicants must submit a copy of their DD214 or military order.
The request for waiver must be completed first prior to submitting the application. Click here for details on how to complete the fee waiver.
Candidates are encouraged to apply early, as the USC Marshall School of Business Master of Business for Veterans (MBV) is a competitive and selective program.
Admission Requirements
The Admissions Committee assesses each candidate on a number of dimensions including prior academic performance and professional leadership experience. We seek students with the intellectual and interpersonal abilities to contribute to the classroom experience, to excel academically, and who possess the leadership potential to succeed.
Eligibility for the MBV requires:
Four-year undergraduate degree from an accredited school.
A minimum of three years military service, with verifiable leadership or management experience on active or reserve forces duty.
Verifiable academic or work-related math skills.
Official sealed transcripts and formal resume.
Letter of recommendations.
Interviews are a requirement of the MBV application process for those candidates who meet the program requirements and will be conducted by invitation only after a completed application has been reviewed. USC Marshall School of Business conducts most interviews with candidates by telephone or online platform.
The program looks at professional experience instead of GMAT/GRE. As such no GMAT or GRE is required.
Career Development
Career development, or as I like to call it “the only thing that fucking matters” is the #1 reason you drop $60K on a degree program. If you want business connections just go join a country club and get loaded at the bar on an NFL sunday. Seriously.
The main idea behind career development at the MBV program is to give transitioning service members a warmer start in networking and connections than your normal MBA student. This means having senior decision makers who are receptive to the idea of hiring veterans and want to help. This is combined with very targeted business education to affect career development and acceleration.
The MBV program accomplishes this using a “Board of Counselors”. Essentially well accomplished business executives throughout the country who have a desire to help veterans succeed and advance. They provide mentoring, advice and most importantly, connections.
Normal MBA career development revolves around resume reviews, interview prep, hosting company visits, alumni participation, campus career clubs and on campus recruiting. The MBV program offers some similar assistance, most notably in the form of resume reviews, interview skills and one on one counseling. There is some support from the career resource center at Marshalls, though James did not provide much information on what that support details.
In general the program is designed to help students get out there and develop relationships. They have a website facilitates connections between the board of counselors and students. They also maintain some corporate relationships. Referrals and connections from alumni rounds out the rest of the career development program.
Career Outcomes
Everyone goes to a business program to affect some kind of career outcome right? So what about the career outcomes at the MBV program.
James says that unlike most business programs, the MBV program does not release career outcome data in the form of salaries, job placement etc. James noted that because the MBV program has such a wide range of students in age and goals, it does not make sense to compile and release career statistics.
He did mention that they have had success with the following industries
Finance
Tech,
Real Estate
Disney
Non-Profit
Aerospace and Defense
Program Costs
The approximate overall cost of the program is $54,600. Costs cover the tuition, textbooks, classroom materials, parking, and other mandatory university fees. Lodging is not provided and calculated in the overall program cost.
Loans and Financial Aid
The USC Marshall School of Business does not offer scholarships or fellowships for any students in our fully employed programs. However, many employers participate in tuition assistance programs and there are a number of additional loan options available. Three types of loans are available to finance your MBV - Federal Stafford Loans, Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans, and private loans.
For more information about applying for financial aid, please visit USC’s financial aid page.
My Overall Opinion
I think this program is best suited for senior Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers who want to work in California. For most younger officers the unstructured career nature of this program could make the job search harder than necessary. This is not a knock on the MBV program, but rather an acknowledgement of the type of applicant an MBA looks for during the admissions process.
But the best way to find out is to ask the students and alumni yourself! Below are some video testimonials provided by the MBV website. You can also find alumni and current students on LinkedIn. Ask them questions about the program and their opinion. The MBV website has some great video testimonials from veterans. Take a look at those and think about what questions you might have.