Former marketing and communications intern, Diamond Thomas, sat down with us to tell us why she decided to take part of the BBA to MBA program at TU. Tiffin University offers MBA classes that count as dual credit towards both your undergraduate business degree and a master of business degree. Undergraduate business students, who have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, have the opportunity during their senior year to take up to four graduate courses. This opportunity allows students to finish their graduate degree program faster and will save them money in the long run. After completing these classes, and upon undergraduate graduation, students will be able to complete their MBA in less than a year (only 45 weeks). At that time, students will also qualify for the alumni tuition discount.
Here’s what Diamond says about the program.
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Diamond Thomas, and I am a senior marketing major from Austintown, Ohio; and my mother, Tamara Thomas, raised me. I attended Austintown Fitch High School, and I ran track and cross country all four years. Tiffin recruited me to run for them back in 2017. I chose marketing because I knew that I liked to be creative and develop new ideas to execute. I want to be in a career where it is not the same thing every day, and I am happy to work. I am currently looking into the Professional Development Associate with People’s Bank, and I feel like that would be an excellent fit for me because of its rotation within the industry.
Tell us about the BBA to MBA program.
The transition from BBA to MBA was reasonably smooth. The coursework is roughly the same, but it is more project-based, which I like since I am more hands-on with learning. One significant difference is that the class can be four hours long, but professors usually allow us to leave early once everything is covered for the day.
What are your cost savings? What about time savings?
I am not exactly sure what the cost savings are since I let my mom handle the financials. I do know that dual degree students eligible for the alumni discount, which is cool. Since the classes are once a week, I have plenty of time to get the work done and relax once it is finished. I like working on my assignments early in the week, so I have time for myself and friends.
Why did you do this?
I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to build more professionalism and give myself a competitive edge once I finish the master’s program. I did not have much of a plan for myself finishing with my undergrad. The dual-degree program is allowing me some more time to work things out as far as finding career options.
Why is this such a good program?
Since the program is still new, there is plenty of time for it to grow. However, it is an excellent program because it gives you a push to get your master’s degree if you were not already considering it. It also allows you to finish the program sooner since you get a head start on it.
What do you like most about the program?
I like how welcoming and excited the professors are to see undergraduate students taking advantage of this opportunity. It is also cool to meet new people from other schools to get their master’s here.
What class(es) are you taking? Do you like them?
Last term, I took Marketing Management with Bonnie Tiell, and that is my favorite class so far. I was the only person in the class that was from the United States, so it was interesting to be around so many different backgrounds and cultures. I am currently taking Quantitative Business Analysis & Research with Perry Haan, and so far, the concepts we are learning are interesting, regarding survey research and how they affect results.
Tell us about you – year, major, hometown, what you want to do, etc.
My name is Diamond Thomas, and I am a senior marketing major from Austintown, Ohio; and my mother, Tamara Thomas, raised me. I attended Austintown Fitch High School, and I ran track and cross country all four years. Tiffin recruited me to run for them back in 2017. I chose marketing because I knew that I liked to be creative and develop new ideas to execute. I want to be in a career where it is not the same thing every day, and I am happy to work. I am currently looking into the Professional Development Associate with People’s Bank, and I feel like that would be an excellent fit for me because of its rotation within the industry.