Students often ask me, "What is the MS in Professional Studies program?" Conversation often tends to focus on what it is not. Therefore, I thought I would take this opportunity to talk about what it is.

The Master of Science in Professional Studies program provides students with the highly valued and sought after skills, such as writing, strategic planning, persuasion, ethics, intercultural consciousness, critical thinking and self-awareness, needed to collaborate, negotiate and lead effectively in today’s workplace. This is an applied degree driven by industry demands and designed for the working professional.

We take an interdisciplinary approach in our plan of study, so students can utilize their degree across multiple industries. Students take a blend of quantitative courses that focus on core business competencies such as Program Evaluation, Data Analysis, Policy Analysis, and Research Methods and Statistics. Students also take a core group of qualitative courses that focus on the skills sought after by employers. These include Communication for Professionals, Ethics for Professionals, Communicating in Virtual Teams, Leadership and Professional Development, Innovation in Established Companies, Creativity in the Workplace, and The Art & Science of Influencing Others.

Our students not only learn how to interpret data to make impactful and strategic decisions to boost the bottom line, but they also develop their emotional intelligence by honing skills like empathy, self-assessment, imagination and understanding. Laura Wilcox, the director of the management programs at Harvard Extension School, argues, that “emotional intelligence — the ability to, say, understand your effect on others and manage yourself accordingly — accounts for nearly 90 percent of what moves people up the ladder when IQ and technical skills are roughly similar.”

Students leave the MS in Professional Studies program able to clearly and effectively articulate mission and goals for themselves and the company; to use their influence with subordinates, peers, and superiors to achieve results; and to view the company and situations through the perspectives of others to be an empathetic and understanding colleague and leader.

The MS in Professional Studies program is fully online and is designed for the working professional looking to launch, change, or advance their career.

Essentially, this is the degree that prepares students to succeed in today’s workplace.

If you have any questions about the MS in Professional Studies program or would like additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Best,

Anne Converse Willkomm
Director of Graduate Studies
Goodwin College
Drexel University