UC Davis Master of Management Program Provides New Opportunities for Graduate Aggies  

By David Collins, Director of Athletics Communications

Not every college athlete turns pro, so UC Davis prioritizes preparing student-athletes for life after sports. A new collaboration between UC Davis Athletics and the UC Davis Graduate School of Management (GSM) is creating a new pathway that extends student-athletes' collegiate careers while preparing them for post-competition success.

Out of that collaboration came the Master of Management (MM), a one-year program that evolved over time as UC Davis looked to refine an ever-changing post-collegiate landscape.

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While the athletic department was looking for a way to offer undergraduate Aggies a chance to continue their time at Davis, the MM degree also offered an avenue to easily bring in graduate student-athletes from other top programs in the country—including the likes of Harvard and Dartmouth.

"When we started the program, we saw our market as people graduating from UC Davis where job opportunities were not immediately apparent so a master in management would provide an introduction to management and new opportunities in the job world," said Michael and Joelle Hurlston Dean and Professor of Marketing H. Rao Unnava. 

"But over time I had conversations with [Director of Athletics] Rocko [DeLuca] and with UC Davis being a place where the scholarly part of 'student-athlete' is focused on an opportunity to provide for student-athletes looking to continue their education presented itself."

Mastering the Game—On and Off the Field

This past season, 21 Aggie student-athletes took part in the first-year MM program, including football, baseball, men's golf, lacrosse, men's track and field, volleyball and women's tennis. And of that list of 21, there were eight who transferred in from other institutions to continue their education at Davis. In addition, two other football players and a men's basketball player enrolled in the GSM's two-year Full-Time MBA program.

"It's a real easy recruiting pitch when you're telling a young man he could get his masters paid for at a university like UC Davis," said football head coach Tim Plough.

"The pitch is that you can help us win a championship and we can help you further your career beyond football. Having a master's degree from UC Davis is a life-changing occurrence and playing football at UC Davis allows you to compete for a championship."

— Tim Plough, Head Coach, UC Davis Aggie Football

On the gridiron, several graduate Aggies who took the program played a pivotal role in the team's historic 11-win season that saw UC Davis football finish No. 5 in the nation following a deep Football Championship Series playoff run.

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Graduate transfer David Meyer was a multiple All-American who led the team in total tackles and interceptions, and he even sealed an Aggie win early in the season with a pick-six, returning an interception for a touchdown.
 
The MM program also allowed quarterback Miles Hastings to play one more season in the blue & gold, putting together a season for the ages. Hastings, who was a Walter Payton Award finalist and multiple All-American, became the first Aggie to throw for over 4,000 yards in a season while also chucking 38 touchdown passes to lead a historic Aggie offense.

Beyond Sports: STEM Success

The STEM-designated graduate business program pushes students to absorb concepts quickly then immediately put them into action, and where it truly shines is equipping students with a strong foundation in the functional areas of business, such as accounting, economics, finance, marketing and strategy.
 
It's a tight-knit program that is supportive and helps the student-athletes balance their roles in the program along with their time and dedication needed to be a Division I student-athlete.

Solia Valentine, a graduate member of UC Davis women's tennis, is one example of a student-athlete who was looking to further their professional aspirations while continuing to compete at a high level. Valentine came to the Aggies after getting her undergraduate degree at UCLA in computer science and jumped at what the master of management offered.

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"I had a computer science undergraduate degree, and I am interested in potentially doing product management, so I thought the program would help strengthen the managerial skills needed to excel as a product manager," said Valentine.

"At the same time, I felt that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to build the foundational skillset for my career while playing college tennis."

Valentine earned All-Big West honorable mention this season, collecting 20 wins between singles and doubles helping the Aggies snag a win at the Big West Championships with a singles victory at No. 2 over UC San Diego.

Graduate Alex Agnew (lacrosse) also was able to return to the field thanks to the MM program. Battling back from injury, Agnew enrolled in GSM program and was able to finish out her career properly. Agnew set record for career assists this year, and shared the field with her freshman sister Tory as the Aggies battled to the Big 12 tournament.

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Where NIL Meets ROI

The Master in Management also provides value in a world of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), giving UC Davis a competitive advantage in the recruiting world of transfer portals and ever-moving athletic goals.
 
"We compete with the conference we are in, and we compete with other schools on our level of funding," said Unnava.

"So this program acts as leg up on others who might have access to more money for incoming student-athletes, we are giving them an opportunity to be successful after playing. We can attract high-quality athletes who see this program as a compelling option for them because of how it will affect them in the long term not just in the moment."

Together, UC Davis Athletics and the UC Davis Graduate School of Management have created an avenue of success for Aggie student-athletes to better prepare themselves for life after athletics. And in return UC Davis has positioned itself to better compete on the highest levels of competition while maintaining a dedicated commitment to academics and the futures of Aggie student-athletes.