MSBA Student David Diaz on How the MSBA Program Complements his Undergrad Experience

The Notre Dame MSBA program has done a great job complimenting my undergrad education. I first graduated from Notre Dame in 2014 with a double major in marketing and FTT, and went to work in the marketing department of a nonprofit theater in Chicago. There, I used the business fundamentals Mendoza had instilled in me to create reports that both tracked and projected sales patterns, among other things – shout out to Professor Robert Lewandowski’s IT Management class for teaching me the power and nuances of Excel! As time passed, I realized that I wanted to be able to take a deeper dive into the data I had access to, and thought that supplementing my Marketing degree with an advanced degree would be the best way to do that while also opening up new possibilities both personally and professionally. The first place I looked when seeking to expand my education was Mendoza’s website, and the MSBA program immediately piqued my interest. One of the most unique elective classes I took in undergrad was Marketing Analytics, taught by Timothy Gilbride. That class introduced me to a new way of thinking and new methodologies to analyze data that I wanted to dive deeper into. The MSBA seemed to be the perfect fit for my interests and desired skill set. Building on the basics that I had established in my Marketing coursework as an undergrad, while also introducing new technologies and frameworks to work within, I have been challenged and prepared for the future. I would be remiss to not mention one final, crucial aspect of both the MSBA and my undergrad years – the strength of the Notre Dame Network and family. From professional development opportunities offered by career services to the collaborative nature of the project groups that we were put in at the beginning of the program, teamwork and communication have always been front and center. That focus on collaboration, combined with the Notre Dame and Mendoza networks, has made the MSBA program an invaluable experience and one that I will remain grateful for as my career progresses.