MSM student Mason Ross
Mason Ross, BS’24, MSM’25, knew he wanted to earn a master’s degree after completing his BS in Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation from the Kelley School. Now the Bloomington native will earn two degrees in just four years. Read this Q&A to learn about his experiences with the Accelerated Master’s Program, the MS in Management, and more.
If you are interested in consulting, HR, or any type of management, I think the MSM is a great option. The classes are much more specialized than what you experience in undergrad and will be incredibly useful to people who want to become leaders within any organization. It gives you a more well-rounded experience compared to other master’s programs and the knowledge learned can be applied to a variety of different careers. I greatly appreciate the career flexibility that it is providing me.”
Why did you choose Indiana University and Kelley?
Being from Bloomington, I always planned on going to IU, especially with my interest in business. I grew up going to a lot of IU Basketball and Football games, so I have a very strong connection to IU sports and greatly enjoy being able to watch my favorite sports teams so easily—and from the student section.
Why did you begin the new MSM?
As I was nearing the completion of my bachelor’s in entrepreneurship and corporate innovation, I became more interested in getting a master’s. I was incredibly interested in getting a master’s degree after my bachelor’s. When I heard about the MSM Program, I thought it was a great opportunity to expand my leadership and management skills, learn how to apply those skills, and gain more real-world experience to prepare me for my career. I’m incredibly excited to learn in the more specialized classes such as Management Consulting, New Venture Planning, Cloud-Based Analytics, and more.
Can you talk about being an undergrad and starting your MS? Do you think your graduate student experience is different from students who have completed their undergrad?
Within my cohort, four students are participating in the Accelerated Master’s Program. My experience isn’t much different than students who have already completed their undergrad because I have essentially completed my undergrad—meaning we all have similar experience. I did not have many credits left at Kelley for my senior year, so I could have either added co-majors or picked up the MSM degree. The latter seemed like the much better option for my future career.
What has been your favorite part of being a Kelley student?
My favorite part is how professors, career coaches, and peers are always willing to help. Everyone has so many different experiences, backgrounds, and insights. You just have to be willing to ask questions and learn as much as you can. By talking to my professors and career services—who have all been incredibly helpful—I have been able to narrow down different careers that align with my goals. Additionally, being around other very driven students has been a great learning experience. I’m very excited to take more classes with my cohort.
What are your goals and aspirations?
I’m still trying to narrow down exactly what I’d like to do, but currently, I have been looking into consulting and rotational leadership programs. I am extremely interested in learning as much as I can about all business functions. Over the summer, I had the opportunity to learn more about project management, product management, and sales, and I want to explore rotations in those areas. I’m also incredibly interested in working in many places throughout the country. I would love to travel and experience as much as I can.
Tell us about your hands-on experiences in the program.
This fall I will be participating in the Turnaround Management intensive course. In this class, MSM students will be working alongside MBA students on a four-day project to learn about how to change the trajectory of an underperforming firm. One feature of the class is that we will be working with a real company, and I am incredibly excited for this experience. It will be incredibly useful as I prepare for a career in consulting.
What do you hope to take away from this experience?
I hope to continue to take advantage of as many of the hands-on experiences offered as possible. Whether that is through Turnaround Management, the MSM Practicums, or GLOBASE, I am incredibly excited to apply what I have learned in undergrad and what I’m currently learning in the MSM program to real-world situations. This will be integral in preparing me for my career and providing me with actionable experiences to talk about in recruiting. Additionally, I hope to build lifelong connections with the people in the program. I’m excited to see the great things that everyone accomplishes!
What is your advice to students who are considering applying to the new MSM program or are currently going through it?
Talk to as many people as possible. Your professors, career coaches, and peers are so willing to help and give advice, but you must be curious and ask questions. I have been able to learn so much in only the beginning. If you are interested in consulting, HR, or any type of management, I think the MSM is a great option. The classes are much more specialized than what you experience in undergrad and will be incredibly useful to people who want to become leaders within their organization. It gives you a more well-rounded experience compared to other master’s programs and can be applied to a variety of different careers. I greatly appreciate the career flexibility that it is providing me.
Talk about the career services you’ve undergone at Kelley.
The career coaches have been incredibly helpful in helping me narrow down jobs and positions that I’m interested in. With their help, I’ve been able to reflect on my values and to see what positions and companies align with those. Additionally, career services have been very available. I have met with them many times already to get advice on networking, resumes, and cover letters, and answers to many other career-related questions.
Tell us about student life on campus. How do you stay connected in the community?
I’m a big fan of IU sports. I go to all the IU Football games, and I go to as many of the basketball games as I’m able to. Currently, as a senior, I am a Kelley-to-Kelley peer mentor. Throughout my experience in Kelley and at IU, I have had a lot of people give me useful advice. I hope to use this mentorship experience to give back to future Kelley students and help them become the best version of themselves.
How do you like living in Bloomington as a college student?
Bloomington is a great place to live, especially as a student. Many people I know are worried about living in Bloomington if they are from Bloomington or nearby, but I think that living here as a student is much different than living in Bloomington as a resident. There are many parts of campus that I never went to before I was a student at IU. Also, I think the city of Bloomington and the campus are separate. To take full advantage of campus, though, you need to be open-minded and fully immerse yourself. The people that you meet at IU are from all over the country and around the world, which gives you a chance to learn about many different experiences and cultures.
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