MBA + MS Design Innovation (MMM Program)at the McCORMICK SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING and KELLOGG SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

Why did you choose MMM?

I was actually not considering the MBA path until I found MMM, I was looking for a degree in design. I had been searching for grad programs in product design when MMM came up. While it’s not a “product design” program specifically, MMM stood out to me in that it could ground my design background in a highly applied skillset. More applied than any design program, but still more innovative and creative than a traditional MBA.

Before Kellogg, I was working at a very small startup working on everything from sales to marketing to product. With an undergrad degree in physics, and no experts on the team to learn from, everything I did on the job was self-taught. Ultimately, I wanted to get a more formal education in areas that I planned to continue my career, and between Kellogg’s excellence in marketing and MMM promising to guide us through the product innovation process, I knew it was the right fit for me.

What is life like as a MMM student?

When you get to the Hub as a MMM, you’ll immediately see handfuls of students in your cohort standing and chatting. Being in MMM is like having 65 built-in friends, so if you’re looking to kill some time before class, there’s always someone to chat with. Class itself is a mix of typical MBA courses, focusing on business strategy and whatever you choose to focus on in your electives, and highly creative courses on the process of innovation and design thinking. After class, you’re meeting with clubs to plan social, practical, or educational events for your fellow students. Anything from throwing a school-wide party to getting an iconic guest speaker to planning a creative competition that will allow students to flex the skills they’ve been building. Odds are you have an SGD planned, but if not you’ll have friends who are down to grab dinner or cook together.

What have you loved about your MMM experience?

Summer in Evanston was an amazing experience. Not only do you get to experience Chicago at its best, the city is alive and there are constant events both in Evanston and downtown, but you also have a chance to get to know the Kellogg experience and your fellow MMMs before school starts for everyone else. By the time the chaos of fall sets in, you’ll already have your core friends, be in the rhythm of classes, and know what you need to about recruiting.

I also just want to emphasize how amazing the MMM community is. Not just the students, but the professors and staff as well. It’s been amazing to be in a space where everyone is truly rooting for each other’s success, and where we all are devoted to working through the design process, brainstorming together, and thinking creatively.