Online MBA
The Online MBA Program at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of business removes barriers to a fantastic business education by creating a global classroom for its community of digital learners.
Our online MBA students are worldly professionals who average eight years of work experience in business, government, science, engineering and more. When the student body shares such a diverse collection of real-world experiences, it can create sophisticated leaders with perspectives that go beyond their areas of expertise.
Online MBA Career Coaching and Curriculum
Our curriculum and program calendar have been strategically designed to help you build your core MBA career content as efficiently as possible and to offer opportunities to practice storytelling, networking and interviewing techniques that are critical to your MBA advancement. Smith's Office of Career Services (OCS) will take you through a phased approach to creating your core career portfolio, complemented with next-level learning and capstone experiences. This entire career development protocol repeats each year so that you can get what you need when you need it.
Core
The core career development curriculum builds in seven phases to establish key techniques and get you ready for employer interactions, either inside your current company or with a target employer.
| Phase | Month | Core Activity |
| 1 | Oct | The Accomplishment Chronicles |
| 2 | Oct | Map the Market |
| 3 | Oct | Your Value Proposition and Storyware |
| Jan | TMAY Peer Practice | |
| Feb | Tell Me About a Time When (TMAATW) | |
| 4 | Feb | Networking at the Next Level |
| 5 | Feb | MBA Job Search Planning |
| Feb | Cover Letter as an Intro to the Interview | |
| 6 | Feb | Preparing for the 30-minute MBA Interview |
| 7 | Jun-Aug | Negotiating from the Same Side of the Table |
Complementary
Additional seminars take your core work further, by deepening your insights and strengthening your position.
| Semester | Complementary Activity |
| Fall | Pre-Conference Workshop |
| Spring | Advanced LinkedIn |
| Spring | Alumni Mock Interviews |
| Spring | Alumni Networking |
Capstone
As you refine your MBA stance and strategy, Super Days can connect you with the Smith network.
| Month | Capstone Activity |
| Oct | Marketing Careers |
| Oct | Finance Careers |
| Jan | Consulting Careers |
| Jan | Analytics Careers |
The Coaching Partnership
Your career coach is dedicated to meeting you where you are in your career journey and facilitating your way forward through our co-active approach to MBA career development. The coaching relationship is confidential and tailored to your specific needs in order to aid you in reaching your highest potential.
The Coaching Team
For your convenience, each campus has two full-time career coaches who can help with the unique career development needs of working professional students like you. They are:
- Julie Neill - jneill@rhsmith.umd.edu (Students with last names that begin with letters A-M) - Shady Grove
- Erika Harrigan - eharriga@rhsmith.umd.edu (Students with last names that begin with letters N-Z) - Baltimore
Your coach is happy to meet with you by telephone or Smoogle (Smith Google) Hangout. If you work or live near the Baltimore or Shady Grove campus and prefer in-person coaching sessions, you are welcome to meet with whichever coach is most convenient to you.
Coaching Hours and Scheduling Appointments
The Online MBA coaching team strives to provide maximum flexibility to accommodate our working professional students' busy schedules and career development needs. Coaching availability typically begins during the lunch hours and ends at 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday with earlier hours on Friday.
To schedule an appointment with a career coach, simply visit HireSmith to create your initial student profile and upload your resume. You will then have 24/7 access to the Online MBA coaches' schedules and can reserve an available date and time that's convenient for you. If you experience any technical difficulties, please contact your career coach or OCSservice@rhsmith.umd.edu.
Career Conversation Topics
| Career coaching is not just for those seeking new jobs. Your coaches are here to assist you with all your career development needs, whatever they may be. Topics can include: |
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