University of San Francisco Masagung Graduate School of Management Launches Interactive Platform to Help Students Predict ROI
MBA Blog / 22nd April 2022
The University of San Francisco’s Masagung Graduate School of Management, ranked 21st in the nation for both business analytics and entrepreneurship by U.S. News & World Report, has announced the launch of a new career advising initiative that will use data science to help prospective and enrolled students forecast the value of a graduate business degree in the labor market. In collaboration with AstrumU, a Seattle-based data services firm, the program is pioneering the use of a new data-driven career advising tool called ReadySet that helps students understand the return on investment from its graduate business programs at the front end of the enrollment process.
“As the landscape for graduate business education continues to grow more competitive, prospective students want to have a clearer picture of how the educational experiences translate into the needs of employers and a fast-changing labor market,” said Dr. Charles T. Moses, dean of the School of Management. “This work is about infusing a greater degree of transparency into the admissions and career advising process to help prospective and current students understand the real-world return on investment of graduate business programs.”
Nearly two years into the pandemic, graduate schools of business continue to operate in an increasingly competitive landscape as they respond to the needs of career changers and other working adults. Using AstrumU®’s ReadySet tool, students will gain access to an interactive tool that helps them visualize their potential earnings and advancement potential after graduation based on how alumni with comparable career backgrounds and goals fared in the career or industry of their choice. For example, career-switchers and students seeking promotion can receive a personalized estimate for the career boost they will receive from that program.
The ReadySet technology enables business school leaders to use sophisticated data science and predictive modeling to match course-level outcomes, academic performance, and extracurricular experiences with salary and job placement outcomes from data verified by employers. In parallel, staff and administrators at the School of Management can now analyze labor market, alumni, and employer data to demonstrate how the skills earned through the USF MBA translate into economic and career opportunities for students and alumni. Using the same data, admissions counselors can personalize their communications with prospective students and provide more detailed information on how USF degree programs match educational and career aspirations.
Full-time students at the Masagung Graduate School of Management generally see strong career outcomes following graduation, with 80% finding a full-time role within six months of graduation. In addition, the school’s MBA students observe, on average, a base salary increase of 29% after graduating from their program.
“Just as career paths are seldom linear, the connection between educational experiences and career success can’t be attributed solely to a student’s GPA, test scores or resume,” said Adam Wray, founder, and CEO of AstrumU. “We need to help students gain a new level of insight into the complex—and often surprising ways—that curriculum, internships, and experiential learning combine to help them advance in their career paths.”
Rooted in the principles of Jesuit education and headquartered in the cultural, creative, and technological hub of San Francisco, the Masagung School of Management’s graduate programs bring students to the forefront of dynamic industries located in Northern California and the Bay Area. With strong ties to the community, the school designs curricula, experiential learning, and internship programs that connect students to prospective employers from national non-profits, fast-growing startups, and many of the 38 Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the Bay Area. The program is available in full and part-time formats, offering a pathway designed for students transitioning to STEM-focused careers.
The University of San Francisco Masagung Graduate School of Management is among the first graduate schools of business to pilot ReadySet. A total of twenty universities will form an initial cohort of pioneering institutions that will gain early access to the tool to boost student enrollment and retention using insights from the platform’s analysis of millions of student educational and career journeys.
