Living in Williamsburg and Our Cohort
descriptions of experiences
Orientation
Jumpstart your job search during Orientation with three days of events that introduce you to the curriculum and give you lessons in how to navigate career fairs as well as a chance to refine your skills with mock interviews and “Speed Networking" events. You will bond with your classmates with fun activities including our popular Ropes Course. You will leave orientation excited to begin your MSBA journey and cultivate relationships that will strengthen over the duration of the program.
|
Field Experience
Corporate Treks: During your fall and spring breaks, we offer optional, free trips to the DC area to visit key high-tech employers and organizations such as Salesforce, Amazon Web Services and Ellucian to hear about the latest trends and how analysts are applying their skills to support organizations across a diverse set of industries.
Capstone Projects: To demonstrate your accumulated knowledge at the end of the program, each MSBA student completes a comprehensive business analytics project, from start to finish. Real business problems and data sets are provided by multiple clients with the goal of representing multiple functions and industries. Each capstone team chooses a project, defines and frames the complex problem, develops a systematic approach to solving it using analytics, generates an innovative solution and persuasively conveys that solution using data visualization techniques and communication skills.
|
Advanced Skill Sessions
In the field of analytics, there are constantly new tools to add to your tool-kit. To keep abreast of the latest techniques, the MSBA program offers co-curricular training in a variety of subjects like Alteryx, Tableau, AWS, Github, Regex with Python, etc.
|
Tech Day
Each fall, Tech Day brings students and leading business organizations together for a day-long event focusing on trends in data science, analytics and the latest innovations in Artificial Intelligence. You’ll have the opportunity to network with potential employers and attend industry panels during this special day dedicated to Tech.
|
Conferences & Competitions
Grace Hopper Celebration: The Mason School proudly supports women in technology and annually sends outstanding MSBA candidates to the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing which is the largest gathering of female technologists in the world. Registration and travel scholarships are available.
Career and Analytic Conferences: Throughout the year, there will be opportunities for students to participate in career conferences like NBMBAA and Prospanica as well as specialized conferences dedicated to analytics.
Case Competitions: In the spring, the MSBA program sends a team of students to compete in a regional analytics competition for cash prizes.
|
MSBA Council
The MSBA Council is an arm of the student government in the business school and is integral to your student experience. The MSBA Council organizes events throughout the year to support community initiatives and boost morale. From Thanksgiving potlucks to food drives to intramural sports teams, the MSBA Council brings students together to support one another in the Raymond A. Mason School of Business.
|
Executive Partners
The Executive Partner Program is a unique mentorship program only available through William & Mary's School of Business. You'll have access to a network of active, semi-active and retired C-level executives from a broad range of industries all located in the Historic Triangle. EPs are available for career advice, mock interviews, and resume reviews. You will also find EPs supporting a variety of academic and professional development events throughout the year.
|
International Events
Our community includes a diverse group of faculty, students, alumni, Executive Partners, and corporate leaders who share a common interest in creating a stimulating, personalized academic and professional environment. With a growing emphasis on management issues that span the globe, international students add valuable insight to the experiences shared in student teams and classroom discussions. Approximately 30 percent of our current MSBA student body hails from outside the United States.
Global English Program: In partnership with the Reves Center, the MSBA program offers an optional 4-week intensive preparatory program for incoming international graduate business students. This summer program combines advanced English language training, academic skills and visits to regional businesses.
International Go Program: In the fall semester, the MSBA program offers an optional series of luncheons designed to offer additional support to international students with topics including conversational strategies, presentation skills, team dynamics and job search techniques.
International Celebrations: Throughout the year, the International Student Association plans fun cultural events like Diwali, Chinese New Year and more.
|
Living in Williamsburg
The Raymond A. Mason School of Business MSBA Program will no doubt be a tough academic challenge but it isn’t all about the coding and analysis.
The historic William & Mary campus takes visitors through more than 300 years of history and tradition. Our campus is located in the heart of Williamsburg, where you will find students reading, playing Ultimate Frisbee in the Sunken Gardens, running through the scenic trails surround Lake Matoaka, kayaking on the James River or walking next to the horse carriages in Colonial Williamsburg.
At night, you can walk across the street to meet your classmates at a café or head to Virginia Beach, Norfolk, or Richmond, each about a 45-minute drive away. We are just over two hours from Washington D.C. and a half a day from New York City.
Yes, the MSBA program will be demanding. Yes, you’ll spend a lot of time coding, running models and simulations, while at the same time preparing to interview and network with visiting executives. You will also make lifelong friendships and have more fun than you imagined.
Our Cohort
Our goal is to cultivate a cohort with a wide set of backgrounds to enhance your educational and personal development experience. Typically, 25% of our students are William & Mary alumni and 30% of our students are international. Students come to our program from universities all over the greater United States, and more broadly, nearly every continent in the world. 25% of our students come from STEM backgrounds while our remaining students typically majored in business, economics or the liberal arts. With this cohort, you’ll be exposed to a global perspective, new cultures and diverse perspectives.
