W. P. Carey Forward Conference gives students an inside look at master's programs

In order to spread the word to Arizona State University students interested in business graduate programs, the school hosted the first W. P. Carey Forward Conference in February at McCord Hall.

The decision of whether to pursue postgraduate education is one most college students ponder, even if just briefly. In an ever-evolving global economy, obtaining a graduate degree can make a huge difference in your career.

The W. P. Carey School of Business offers a range of specialized master's degrees that can help anyone, regardless of their undergraduate degree, achieve their career goals. In order to spread the word to Arizona State University students interested in business graduate programs, the school hosted the first W. P. Carey Forward Conference in February at McCord Hall.

Students from W. P. Carey and other schools at ASU came to hear from the graduate recruitment team, who gave brief overviews of each business master's program and insight into the application process.

The recruiters were followed by representatives of the Program Operations team, who spoke about guidance and advising services, engagement opportunities, career services, and other student resources.

• The W. P. Carey graduate programs office has a dedicated advising team to help students with choosing the right program for them and their career goals.
• There are many student organizations for business students, and W. P. Carey events throughout the year provide additional opportunities to network with other students.
• The W. P. Carey Career Services Center hosts networking events with major companies throughout the academic year and helps students connect with potential employers before graduation.

One of the students in attendance was Ryan Hoey, a finance and financial planning junior. As someone considering a master's degree from W. P. Carey, he appreciated hearing about the resources available to students.

"I really like how much support they give the students," he says. "Coming from undergrad, you think it's just going to be more classes over and over again, but it sounds like the master's programs create a community."

The event finished off with guest speaker Ann Thomas (MS-BA '23), who shared her journey to W. P. Carey. Thomas started at ASU as a pre-medical student before switching her major to anthropology. While assisting with a research project coding ethnic disparities across the globe, she found a passion for working with data and analytics.

After a conversation with her sister, who had been a part of the Master of Science in Business Analytics (MS-BA) program the previous year, Thomas reached out to W. P. Carey for more information.

"I contacted [a member of the recruitment team] and said, ‘Please tell me more about this. I don't know if this is for me, but I would love to know more,'" Thomas says. "He was so helpful, outlining the whole program, and he sent me a lot of information. I looked over it and decided this was for me."

First-year accountancy student Lianai Gaxiola also hopes to find her calling, and leveraged the conference as an early chance to explore what's possible.

"I really liked learning about the different types of careers," she says. "I didn't realize there were so many careers and programs, and different options like 9-month or 16-month degrees. That was really helpful to learn about."

Are you a current student interested in learning more? Even though this year's event has passed, there are many ways to move your career and life forward at W. P. Carey. Current ASU undergraduates are welcome to explore the program, join us for a future conference, or contact our graduate recruiting team to learn more.