Duke, Johns Hopkins, and Mizzou

Discussion in 'Business and MBA degrees' started by JoshD, Feb 27, 2020.

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  1. JoshD

    JoshD Well-Known Member

    Class begins on Tuesday for Term 2 but today, we are having a Zoom social with the entire cohort just to mingle and such before we jump into another stressful and busy term.

    The courses we are taking this term are:

    Applied Probability and Statistics
    Accounting and Finance
    Operations Management

    It appears that the courses utilize cases again to drive live lecture discussion. Coursework wise, it appears there are several group projects as well as individuals assignments. I will update with more detail as the term gets going and as I finish up!
     
  2. Dustin

    Dustin Well-Known Member

    I'm especially interested in how you find the Stats and Operations Management courses. I took an Operations Management course in my first semester in college, that focused mostly on supply chain management (forecasting inventory and that type of thing), I loved it.
     
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  3. JoshD

    JoshD Well-Known Member

    It has been a while since I have updated this thread but since I just finished my 2nd term, I figured I would give a short update!

    Yet again, I finish the term with a grade of "P" in all of my courses which means I have maintained a 3.0 GPA throughout the program. Given how intense the courses are and how intelligent my classmates are, I am rather pleased with my grades. Obviously, I hope for higher, but given their anti-grade inflation approach of no more than 25% of the class can get SP (4.0), no more than 40% can get a HP (3.5) and at least 35% have to get a P (3.0) or lower (under 3.0). This means in a cohort of 40, no more than 10 students can get a SP, no more than 16 can get a HP, and at least 14 have to get a P or lower. Maybe I fall into the lower end of the intelligence scale but at the end of the day, I am still proud of myself for the accomplishments that I am achieving.

    In regards to the courses:

    Applied Probability and Statistics - Phenomenal course but very intense. A ton of advanced Excel work that unless you have a lot of experience with Excel, it is very time consuming. The Professor was incredible though and I thoroughly enjoyed his live lectures, assignments, etc.

    Operations Management - Arguably my favorite course I have taken thus far. The course was a mixture of theoretical material and case studies. Everything from Projected Capacity Utilization to Six Sigma and Supply Chain Management was covered. The Professor was very passionate about the subject and the material which made live lectures more lively and interesting.

    Accounting and Finance - The course was the least intense of the courses I have had so far. Accounting was the study of financial statement analysis and Finance dived into time value of money, stock and bond valuations, etc. The course was great though because my Accounting Professor is in the Accounting Hall of Fame and my Finance Professor was just great overall.

    In a couple of weeks I start Financial Risk Analysis, Digital Marketing, and Data Analytics and Applications. Should be a pretty fun Summer 2021 term!
     
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  4. smartdegree

    smartdegree Active Member

    Nice update. Are you allowed to take courses on campus or transfer to the on-campus program during the Summer 2021 term?
     
  5. JoshD

    JoshD Well-Known Member

    I do not believe so. Since it is cohort based, everything is done the same. The on-campus MQM is only 1 year in duration and aimed at students with less than 2 years of full-time work experience. Im not sure we would benefit much from that except for being able to say we took class on-campus. Other than that, our professional experience makes for some phenomenal discussion and learning. Not sure we would get that in the on-campus MQM.
     
  6. Dustin

    Dustin Well-Known Member

    I'm loving those course descriptions! Sounds like exactly the kind of stuff I'd like to sink my teeth into. Glad you're liking it.
     
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  7. smartdegree

    smartdegree Active Member

    Are you already in the field of Analytics/Data Science? Or are you trying to pivot to that with this MQM degree?
     
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  8. JoshD

    JoshD Well-Known Member

    I use analytics in my job a little bit but I am looking to move into a more technical role. The Career Management Center has been awesome and several of my classmates have already pivoted into technical roles at large companies such as Microsoft, Facebook, etc. I am still in the “decide what I want to do” stage. Lol
     
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  9. JoshD

    JoshD Well-Known Member

    It has been a long time since I have posted in here. I figure an update may be nice.

    Last year, I took a (1) year leave of absence. One of my twin boys was diagnosed with pediatric epilepsy and we had a lot to work through. Thankfully, the admin team at Duke was incredible and was able to give me time away from studies to focus on my child and the help that he needed.

    Fast forward, we got his seizures under control and I reached a point I could return. I was placed with a new cohort and just finished Term 3 with (2) HP grades (equivalent to a 3.5) and (1) P grade (equivalent to a 3.0). It has been a whirlwind of a time.

    Excited for this next term where we are taking (4) classes: Navigating Organizations, Business Communication, Decision Models, and Fraud Analytics. At the same time, I will be a Pro-Bono Consultant for the Duke Advanced-Degree Consulting Club (DACC) working with (4) other consultants on a project for a tech startup. Super excited to dive a bit into the consulting world and working alongside a couple of other masters students and PhD students.

    Nonetheless, I know my update is not extravagant and filled with a lot of info, but I am always available for questions should folks have any. Screenshot_20220829-132307.png
     
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  10. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I'm so glad your boy got the help he needed, and that Duke was so supportive!
     
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  11. JoshD

    JoshD Well-Known Member

    It has been a few months since I have updated, so here it is.

    Term 4 is complete. So far, I have made a HP in Decision Models and a P in Fraud Analytics. Grades for Business Communication and Navigating Organizations will be posted by tomorrow evening. It was a incredible term with a tone of challenges but a ton of learning. In the end, I noticed I am now eligible to apply for May 2023 Graduation! There is a light at the end of the tunnel as I finalize my final degree.


    Eligible for Graduation.PNG
     
  12. JoshD

    JoshD Well-Known Member

    Ended up finishing with (2) HP and (2) P grades. I do not have the highest GPA in the world at 3.144 but given the quality of students, and the anti-grade inflation policies, I am pretty pleased with where I am at.

    The final semester begins January 6th and I am taking my final (3) courses:

    -Advanced Data Analytics and Applications
    -Empirical Analysis for Business Strategy
    -Ethical and Legal Issues in Business Analytics

    2E7F229E-AFC5-4CEF-A117-822629F1D249.jpeg
     
  13. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    And I'm very pleased as well, to see your progress, Josh... Admirable! Congratulations - and Merry Christmas to you and yours.
    Well done! :)
     
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  14. JoshD

    JoshD Well-Known Member

    Thank you so much, Johann! I appreciate it! Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to you and yours as well!
     
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  15. JoshD

    JoshD Well-Known Member

    Graduation is right around the corner! I could not be more excited! :)

    DEC22A0A-FCAE-4DB3-8F26-DCF19B7E9D8F.jpeg
     
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  16. JoshD

    JoshD Well-Known Member

    I have class the following days:

    Saturday April 1st
    Saturday April 8th

    These are my final two live sessions with courses coming to an end on April 17th. Barring anything crazy, I am a mere 2ish weeks from earning my degree from Duke.

    I know the cost of this program exceeds what a lot of DIers search for but I have zero regrets. Life long dream will be fulfilled.
     
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  17. JoshD

    JoshD Well-Known Member

    This morning I attended my final classes. What a bittersweet day as I finish being a student. Duke degree = done.
     
  18. Michigan68

    Michigan68 Active Member

    Congrats. You had quite a journey these past few years.

    My appreciation of you is not the degree, but putting your families needs ahead of the degree.
     
  19. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    I think both earning the degree and doing his best for his family show what a great guy we have here. Kudos for all of it, Josh! :)
     
  20. JoshD

    JoshD Well-Known Member

    Thank you! I sincerely appreciate that. :)

    Thank you, Johann! I truly appreciate all of the support from the DI’ers!
     

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