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Connected With Experienced Faculty in Concordia's MBA Program

February 03, 2017 - 2 minute read


Peter Smith smiles in his graduation cap and gown

Peter Smith, MBA '14

When Peter Smith was considering earning his MBA, he was thinking about the outcomes that would impact the course of his career: learning and growing in relevant business, finance, and leadership skills. He knew he needed to find an institution that would not only focus on academic ideals, but also on real-world, experiential knowledge. He found that at Concordia University Irvine (CUI).

Smith was impressed that almost every professor at Concordia had their own business at some point or had spent time in the industry that they were currently teaching. “I wanted to be connected with a faculty that knew what it took to be successful in the business world and also what was important in the current job market.” The opportunity to study under professors who had tangible "real world" business experience was the determining factor for Smith to begin his MBA journey at CUI.

Since completing his MBA, Smith has seen a shift in his career as he applies newly acquired skills. Hard skills he learned in accounting and finance courses, “help me understand how to plan, record transactions, and read financial information,” says Smith. “But it’s the skills I gained in my communication, interviewing, and sales courses taught by Professor Mundt and Professor Scott Sorrel which have helped me secure employment, drive sales, and work well with the people I manage and who manage me.” The relevant, real-world education he received at CUI helped him to take those skills out of the classroom and into the workplace.

Concordia truly helped me build my professional network...yet I also forged some great relationships with my peers and professors. I owe a lot of my successes to the Concordia family.

After working for Target Corporation where he managed the logistics and operations of a $32 million a year store in Vista, CA, Smith now works in corporate finance as a financial analyst at Qualcomm Inc. in San Diego, CA, managing the budget of the intellectual property departments.

He credits the MBA program faculty with giving him the skills he needs to plan, forecast, provide analysis, and offer recommendations. “I utilize these skills in my job every day,” remarks Smith. “This was achieved because most of my professors could provide me with practical application of course content, which I find invaluable now that I have a career.”

Smith’s experience at Concordia has left him with a deep sense of gratitude along with those invaluable skills. While his personal goal was to grow as a businessperson through earning his MBA degree at Concordia, he found that he also obtained meaningful connections and real-world experience. “Concordia truly helped me build my professional network...yet I also forged some great relationships with my peers and professors. I owe a lot of my successes to the Concordia family.” Smith’s journey through CUI continues to shape and influence his career, and for that, he is grateful.

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