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The 5th Year MBA at Curry College

00:00
[Music Bed]
 (Zoltan Eross - Class of 2020)
The five-year MBA program is something that any student can easily transition into in the current world. It's not always enough to have a bachelor's degree and the plus that you can get from an MBA in the long run is really highly valued. The way it's laid out with a five-year MBA program I think it's really convenient for all business majors at Curry College.

:24
So, I'm a senior but I also have one more year after this of eligibility for hockey. So the 5 year MBA just all fell into place that it requires only one more year after my senior year to graduate the MBA program. In that one year I can still play hockey. It's definitely a step above the undergrad courses, the work that we're doing on the graduate level.

:48
Getting an actual problem from a business and then you got to go in, you got to analyze the company and give you recommendations, which I think is really close to how the professional world operates. And the professor's are the same that you have throughout your major core classes, so you know the requirements, you know how to work with them. No matter what difficulties you're running into, you always know where look for help.

1:15
My favorite faculty member I would say is my advisor Dr. Petrizzo. She's not just a great teacher with tremendous industry experience, she's a great advisor. She's being really supportive of me not just with school but also with hockey. She really does care a lot about the future and the success of her students and her advisees. She introduced me to the idea of the 5th Year MBA program.

1:39
It can really make a difference in your life if you get the MBA right now.

Gaining Hands-on Business Experience in the 5th Year MBA Program

For Zoltan Eross ’20, the decision to continue graduate school at Curry in the 5th Year MBA Program was a “win-win-win” decision. Getting a Master of Business Administration degree meant he would expand his job prospects, advance his collegiate ice hockey career, and gain new training from his favorite faculty mentors.

“The 5th Year MBA program works perfectly for me. I transferred to Curry as a sophomore, which allows me one more year of eligibility to play hockey, all while pursuing graduate school,” he says. “If I left school after graduating this year, I’d never go back into the classroom. By completing both my undergrad and grad programs in five years, I’m able to stay in the same academic rhythm, save on tuition, and finish in one year after graduating. The MBA will be a huge asset for me when I begin my career.”

From Budapest, Hungary, Eross can speak Hungarian, Romanian, and English and hopes to start a career in international business following his dream of playing hockey competitively in Europe. This year, Eross returned home with the Curry Men’s Ice Hockey team for a European exhibition tour. The Colonels competed against professional teams in Hungary and Slovakia while taking in new cultural experiences in some of Europe’s largest capital cities such as Budapest, Bratislava, and Vienna. “It was an exciting experience to share my home and my culture with my teammates.”

On the Milton campus, feeling at home at Curry was a smooth transition for Eross. Both his teammates and teachers created a level of support and encouragement that is a hallmark of Curry’s close-knit community. The genuine relationships with faculty are also part of what motivated him to continue with the 5th Year MBA program. “My favorite faculty member is my advisor Dr. Debra Petrizzo. She’s not just a great teacher with tremendous industry experience, but also a great advisor. She is extremely supportive both with school and hockey. She cares a lot about the future and the success of her students.”

Eross's graduate courses offered him practical hands-on learning opportunities. “The higher-level curriculum builds on the skills and knowledge you have as an undergrad while also allowing you to apply it to current events and complex business situations,” says Eross.

Employment of business and financial operations occupations is projected to grow seven percent from 2018 to 2028, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. For some industries, an MBA can be required to advance or transition from a specialized role to managerial or leadership positions. The degree has also proved valuable for consultants and small business owners. Moreover, the potential long-term return on investment for an MBA graduate is estimated at roughly $400,000 over ten years, even after subtracting the tuition and related costs of attending a U.S. or international business school, according to a 2018 report published by Quacquarelli Symonds.

“Our graduate work is a step above the work we do in our undergraduate courses,” he adds. “In some fields, it’s not always enough to have a bachelor’s degree and I know the MBA will make a difference for me.”