How working professionals are advancing their education

Somewhere along the line, success interrupted Toby Haggerty’s plans.

As he finished his bachelor’s degree in business at the University of Vermont, Haggerty envisioned working for a few years then going to graduate school full-time. But he hit a groove in commercial banking, rising to a vice president at EagleBank.

“I think full-time is good for someone who feels they really need to hit reset on their career or otherwise a life change, but at this point the opportunity cost of a year or two of lost pay is far greater than the cost of tuition,” Haggerty said.

That’s why he decided to enroll part-time in the MBA program at George Mason University. Doing so allowed him to stay on track professionally but still broaden his skill set.

For Janelle Ciarfardoni, an online option in the Johns Hopkins University biotechnology program gave her the flexibility to take classes at a time when she really needed to be home more often for personal reasons.

People such as Haggerty and Ciardardoni—adults who have jobs and often families as well—are why flexibility is common now at schools across the country. In the D.C. area, there are myriad options for people who want or need to work while they pursue advanced degrees.

At the Virginia Tech National Capital Region campus, 45 graduate degree and certificate programs are geared toward that type of student. Kenneth Wong, associate dean for the graduate school, said most classes meet only once a week because it’s hard for professionals to commit to three nights.

There’s also online technology that helps students whose jobs sidetrack their studies. “It’s not meant to be a permanent solution,” Wong said. “We know they’re going to be back on campus, but maybe their company sent them somewhere for a couple of weeks.”

The university has implemented other changes to aid the person Wong calls the distracted student, always juggling school, family and work.

Virginia Tech is developing a Web dashboard where students can see their progress at a glance. They’ll know what they need to complete next and what information they need to submit.

This would replace a people-driven process: getting the information from a coordinator during office hours then discussing the next steps. “But sometimes our students have free time only at 6 a.m. or 10 p.m., when no one’s around,” Wong said.

Executive MBAs began mostly as on-site programs for advanced working professionals—in this case, usually seasoned managers with a decade or more of experience—who could immediately apply what they learn on the job.

At the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, the program is short—19 months—and intense, Assistant Dean Gary Cohen said. Classes meet every other weekend with only a short break around the winter holidays. “It takes a strong commitment, but our EMBA grads look back and consistently tell us this is a phenomenal experience,” Cohen said.

At the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, the EMBA curriculum is about two-thirds on-site and a third online, Associate Dean Ron Wilcox said. There’s also online backup for those who can’t always make it to on-site classes.

Still, no matter how easy the access or schedule, it’s still up to the student to make it work.

“Truly making the most of every waking minute was imperative,” said Nick Kaywork, who holds a master’s in management of secure information systems from George Mason.

His schedule involved work and homework Monday through Friday and classes Saturday. He declared Sunday’s family-only time. He multi-tasked when he could, reading research or drafting papers on the Metro.

He knew he had to stay fit to handle the load, and he found a way to squeeze that in, too. “I became a regular at the George Mason gym in the evenings after putting my kids to bed,” he said.

BIOS:

NAME: Toby Haggerty

AGE: 30

HOMETOWN: Stowe, Vt.

PREVIOUS DEGREE: University of Vermont, bachelor’s in business

CURRENT PROGRAM: George Mason University School of Business, MBA program

CURRENT JOB: Relationship manager, vice president in commercial lending, EagleBank