Defining the "Made-to-Measure" MBA

When Isenberg Dean Mark Fuller was asked in a recent interview what makes the Isenberg MBA experience different, he didn’t hesitate to answer.

“We don’t do off-the-rack MBAs,” he said. “We do made-to-measure.”

You hear that phrase often at Isenberg, along with words you might expect to hear in a high-end clothing boutique. Bespoke. Tailored. Personalized. It’s part of the school’s DNA, and it means that students have the opportunity to guide their education for the greatest benefit to their careers.

“We can tailor things for the student,” says Fuller. “They can do a little bit in public health, they get high touch with advisors, we have boot camps where they meet with executives from State Street and McKinsey.”

In the same interview, current Isenberg Full-time MBA student Alexandra Maider ’16 echoed that sentiment.

“In my second year, I’m really looking to take electives that are more focused on my career path. [I’m taking] classes outside of the Isenberg School of Management, and I’m actually exploring the public policy sphere. I’m definitely handcrafting it to be what I want it to be.”

One of the ways Isenberg Full-time MBA students control their own destiny is through the Fellowship Program, which provides vital career experience and allows full-time students to fully fund their own education. There’s nothing more flexible than graduating with a fleshed-out résumé and possibly zero debt.

“We have [students] working in Google Analytics looking at the productivity of our marketing campaign,” says Dean Fuller.

This bespoke experience also helps explain why 23% of Isenberg online MBA students are physicians: they choose the subject matters that are most relevant to their careers, and can complete the degree at their own pace.

Dean Fuller noted that students value the ability to use their business education as an opportunity to grow and become leaders in their current careers. “Gone are the days when you can just practice being a doctor. You have to be a business person as well.”

For more information on Isenberg’s made-to-measure MBA, watch the complete interview above. Dean Fuller and Alexandra Maider speak with John Bryne of the leading business education website Poets & Quants about what Isenberg's unique culture means for its students and the future of the school.