Keep your career while earning an MBA in just a year

Binghamton University’s Professional MBA (PMBA) program gives New York City-based professionals the unique opportunity to maintain a career while earning an MBA in only one year. With classes held only on Saturdays in midtown Manhattan, the program allows students to continue working full time while advancing their education.

Because of this, students are able to take what they are learning on Saturday and begin applying it when they go back to work on Monday.

Two recent alumni of the program, Alex Bendernagel, MBA ’17, and Trevor Smith, MBA ’17, found this to be especially helpful.

Bendernagel is a commercial real estate underwriter with Capital One, while Smith is a district sales manager with Mazda North American Operations.

They shared insights on how Binghamton University’s PMBA program had both a personal and professional impact on them.

Why Binghamton University’s PMBA?

Trevor Smith: “I had initially moved to Binghamton to earn my MBA at Binghamton University, but was offered a job with Mazda only three weeks into the program. I wanted to take the job, which was in Bridgewater, N.J., but was determined to finish my MBA through Binghamton. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to do both, and that’s when I found out about the PMBA program in New York City. It was literally the best of all worlds. I was now able to start my career, as well as finish my MBA in only a year.”

Alex Bendernagel: “A few of my colleagues had done the program, and they all spoke very highly of it. I really wanted to earn my MBA and keep my full-time job, but I didn’t want to take classes online, and I didn’t want to take night classes during the week. I wanted the in-classroom experience, which this program provided, and classes were only on Saturday. It fit my criteria of what I was looking for, and I knew it was the right choice.”

Classes on Saturdays only

Bendernagel: “Taking classes on Saturday was much easier than taking night classes during the week. When I’m done with the workday, I don’t really want to go back to doing even more work. I never really thought of it as giving up a day because what I was doing was worthwhile.”

Smith: “You’re in a class with people who are dedicated and want to be there. Sure, it got tiring here and there, but you’re in a class with people who are constantly challenging you and bringing their individual experiences to the table. It was a very motivating environment to be in.”

Working in groups

Smith: “You’re working in groups for most of the program, which pushes you to cooperate and work as a team. Group work is a very practical skill to bring to the working world, and this helped me develop that skill. But you end up becoming close with your classmates, as you’re all going through this experience together, and that makes the group work enjoyable.”

Bendernagel: “I learned so much from working in groups that I’ve been able to transfer to my job. I learned the importance of setting expectations from the beginning of a project, as well as the importance of defining clear roles for everybody involved. This allows things to run in a much more organized fashion.”

Immediate return on investment

Smith: “Every Monday I would go back to work and find a way to apply what I had just learned on Saturday. The program had both immediate and long-lasting impacts, which gave me confidence both during and after finishing the program that I had made the right choice.”

Keeping up with change

Bendernagel: “A lot of the coursework concentrates on making sure you’re able to give a concise and well-researched presentation or argument, which is so important. I don’t think there’s any reason not to take a presentation class, no matter what field you’re in, because at some point you’ll have to use those presentation skills. One of the courses also focused on negotiations, which taught me a number of effective tactics to use in different situations.”

Smith: “The coursework is 100 percent tailored to the working professional. We took classes in presentation and leadership that taught me techniques that I have used successfully in my job. It’s so much more than being able to look at data and know what’s going on — we learned how to deliver an effective message and story based on the data.”

The value of a Binghamton education

Smith: “It’s the best ROI college. The cost is nominal compared to some of the other programs I looked at, and it’s already paying off. I’m finding that I’m bringing value to the table when I have conversations with people in my organization. It goes beyond just the three letters you’re adding to your LinkedIn profile when you earn an MBA — for the rest of my life I have that education, and it’s helped me immensely.”

Bendernagel: “I was able to earn my MBA in such a short amount of time for such a reasonable price. And I got a great education from a great institution. You really can’t go wrong.”