From Side Hustle to Strategy: How an MPAc Builds Business and Accounting Skills
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From Side Hustle to Strategy: How an MPAc Builds Business and Accounting Skills

An entrepreneur’s experience with career growth and CPA-aligned coursework

Is an MPAc worth it? Double Aggie Mia Hildebrand shares how accounting, CPA preparation and hands-on experience create career growth while supporting her entrepreneurial goals and long-term business success.

The Next Wave of AI Security Is Opening Doors for Data Professionals
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The Next Wave of AI Security Is Opening Doors for Data Professionals

Google DeepMind Engineer offers UC Davis MSBAs advice on building a career in today’s AI-driven landscape

MSBA student Spencer Holsinger shares how Google DeepMind Engineer Vaibhav Tulsyan brought AI to life in the classroom, turning complex concepts into real-world insights students could see, question and understand.

Balancing the Beam and Business School
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Balancing the Beam and Business School

How I manage Division I gymnastics and the Master of Management

Master of Management student Sierra Muns sticks the landing at UC Davis, turning a season-ending injury into a new routine balancing Division I gymnastics and business school while gaining skills and connections. Read blog and view video.

Full-Time Career. Full-Time Mom. MBA in Progress.
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Full-Time Career. Full-Time Mom. MBA in Progress.

Three lessons I’ve learned balancing my marketing career, motherhood and the UC Davis Part-Time MBA

What does it take to balance your career, parenting and business school? UC Davis Bay Area Part-Time MBA student Harcharan Kaur shares three lessons from navigating motherhood, marketing leadership and pursuing her degree.

I Managed Projects for Years. My MBA Taught Me to Lead People.
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I Managed Projects for Years. My MBA Taught Me to Lead People.

An engineer’s shift in mindset through leadership coursework and the Integrated Management Project

From engineering consulting to the MBA classroom, Nabarjun Vashisth discovers leadership isn’t about control or titles, but coaching with intention, practicing emotional discipline and guiding teams through uncertainty.

How I Got a Deloitte Offer Without an Accounting Background
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How I Got a Deloitte Offer Without an Accounting Background

What UC Davis MPAc taught me about standing out

He almost skipped the Deloitte table. Chris Ngan MPAc 26 walked into Meet the Firms convinced his background disqualified him—until one conversation reframed everything and changed his career trajectory.

From Michoacán to MBA: Intentionally Redefining Entrepreneurship
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From Michoacán to MBA: Intentionally Redefining Entrepreneurship

Inside the MBA Residential: Where community fuels innovation, networks and real-world strategy

From her family’s small-town businesses in Michoacán to debating strategy with startup founders, Sacramento Part-Time MBA student Stephanie Martinez discovers entrepreneurship is legacy, community and courage.

Engineering Taught Me How. My MBA Shows Me What to Build.
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Engineering Taught Me How. My MBA Shows Me What to Build.

Bridging technical expertise with business strategy

Full-Time MBA student Marianna de Lima Freitas had the technical expertise, but not the strategic visibility she wanted. Her MBA became the turning point from execution to product leadership.

Asking “Why Not Me?” Before Business School
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Asking “Why Not Me?” Before Business School

How SIEML led me to the UC Davis Master of Management

Emmanuel Durojaiye MM 26 arrived at UC Davis unsure of his next step. Two weeks on campus pushed him to rethink business school, decision-making and how management skills shape technical careers.

Slice of Life Video: Master of Management
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Slice of Life Video: Master of Management

Where collaboration fuels confidence

Future leaders from every background come together in the UC Davis Master of Management. Watch this Slice of Life video to see how community, career support and curiosity shape what’s next.

Learning to Lead When Strategy Changes
Natalie Webster
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Learning to Lead When Strategy Changes

Lessons from a data-driven pivot in our Integrated Management Project

When the data blew up her team’s original plan, MBA student Natalie Webster led a pivot for a nonprofit client—no safety net. Her IMP experience shows UC Davis MBAs make evidence-based calls under pressure.

Putting Data Analytics to Work to Improve Agentic AI User Experience
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Putting Data Analytics to Work to Improve Agentic AI User Experience

MSBA practicum project gauges user behavior—and how to keep them coming back

What happens when MSBA students take on the evaluation of a cutting edge new AI app? MSBA students Vedant Patel and Yvonne Shan share how their practicum project with RoloScan turned user feedback into design changes that shaped engagement.

From Sales Rep to MBA Leader: My Biotech Journey to Commercial Leadership
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From Sales Rep to MBA Leader: My Biotech Journey to Commercial Leadership

“The investment you make outside the 9-to-5 is the investment that builds your future.”

A new baby and a plateaued career pushed Jason Bartus MBA 26 to pivot. This is how he balanced fatherhood, a full-time biotech job and an MBA.

 

Musician to MPAc: Why I Chose Accounting After Building a Creative Business
Katya Fomin sitting on a stool on a stage, playing a guitar.
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Musician to MPAc: Why I Chose Accounting After Building a Creative Business

Turning artistic passion into financial confidence

Running a thriving music business revealed a critical gap—not in creativity, but in financial knowledge. MPAc student Katya Jane Fomin shares how accounting elevated her creative career. 

Why I Chose UC Davis MPAc Before Starting My Big Four Career
Three UC Davis MPAc students, including Mia Hildebrand on the right, stand together and smile at a networking event indoors.
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Why I Chose UC Davis MPAc Before Starting My Big Four Career

"I deferred my KPMG audit offer to focus on CPA exam preparation."

Mia Hildebrand MPAc 26 postponed her KPMG start date to join UC Davis MPAc, prioritizing CPA exam preparation, faculty support and an accelerated path toward licensure. 

Why I Chose UC Davis as a First-Gen, Creative Entrepreneur
Melissa Sanchez Robinson
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Why I Chose UC Davis as a First-Gen, Creative Entrepreneur

Building a stronger business foundation while raising my daughter and teaching photography

First-gen photographer and working mom Melissa Sanchez Robinson shares how UC Davis’ Sacramento Part-Time MBA is helping her scale her creative business, build confidence and open new doors for her family’s future. 

Speed Networking in the City: Building Bridges from Tech to Business
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Speed Networking in the City: Building Bridges from Tech to Business

Career insights from Adobe, TikTok, Visa and Walmart alumni

At the UC Davis GSM Speed Networking event, students met alumni and industry leaders from top companies for fast, meaningful conversations that revealed how analytics drives careers—and how real connections shape professional growth.

Is the UC Davis MSBA Right for Engineers?
Talha Amin stands on an outdoor terrace at Google’s San Francisco office, with the Bay Bridge and blue sky in the background. He’s wearing a white polo shirt, light pants and sunglasses, surrounded by lush green plants.
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Is the UC Davis MSBA Right for Engineers?

"I’ve come to see analytics as the bridge that connects the engineering world with the business world."

From the moment he arrived in San Francisco from Pakistan, MSBA student Talha Amin hit the ground running, including meeting alumni from Adobe, TikTok, Visa and Walmart at the Speed Networking event and learning how data analytics bridges business and engineering.