Go Ahead, Take Both Roads

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood for the traveler in Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken.” Both paths promise adventure, but only one can be chosen. We call this “opportunity cost” in economics, although the concept sounds more romantic in rhyme.

Opportunity cost is real, but sometimes the answer to an either-or question is “both.” That’s the promise of the Smith School’s dual degree programs, which combine the power of a Smith MBA with specialized knowledge in other fields.

The educational innovation works well for aspiring real estate professionals who want to build and manage the physical spaces that bring people together to live, work and play.

Massive commercial and mixed-use projects like the landmarks featured in this issue of Smith Business require leaders with significant industry know-how. But the same leaders also need hard and soft skills in finance, accounting, marketing and management.

A person planning a real estate career might feel like the solitary traveler in Frost’s poem, staring at an MBA down one road and a Master of Real Estate Development down the other. Fortunately, such a person can earn both degrees simultaneously through a Smith School partnership with the University of Maryland’s School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation.

That’s one of the competitive advantages of operating a business school at the University System of Maryland’s flagship institution. We are surrounded by excellence in all manner of disciplines, and we are eager to collaborate when it makes sense.

Other dual degree programs in our lineup combine the Smith MBA with a Master of Social Work, a Master of Public Policy and a Juris Doctorate at the University of Maryland’s Francis King Carey School of Law in Baltimore.

We are developing similar dual degree programs with all the other University of Maryland professional schools in Baltimore.

Students can also stay within the Smith School and combine their MBA with one of our specialty masters programs in finance, accounting, information systems, supply chain management, marketing analytics and business analytics.

Egyptian student Mohamed Boraie, MFin ’17, MBA ’17, took this path and caught the attention of two Fortune 500 companies in the food and beverage space. You can read about his Campbell Soup internship and Pepsico job offer on Page 30.

Boraie and many other Smith students rewrite the ending of Frost’s poem: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took both. And that has made all the difference.

Alex Triantis
Dean