Durel E. Dolford
“The best thing about taking this degree online is that it provides flexibility with my travel schedule, and the morning classes on Saturdays really don’t bite into too much of the weekend. Not having to go to campus is a plus because I work in Washington, DC. Going to Durham every weekend throughout the program would be more of a burden and add more stress to life. The online experience has been great!”
MSQM: Accelerated Business Analytics
Industry:
Prior Education:
Southern Methodist University
MBA, 2023
Reflections
The biggest surprise so far has been the group aspect of the program. I have been in other online programs, and the bonding aspect of the program was not as strong as that of my Accelerated Business Analytics (ABA) group. We are building a genuine bond, and everyone is understanding and bought into the mission to complete this degree. I wouldn’t have expected this based on previous experiences, but this has been the best and most surprising thing about the ABA program thus far. We are supportive of each other and have gotten to know each other personally, which adds value to the program outside of the classroom.
Before Fuqua
I am currently a lead analyst at Technomics, Inc. I create dashboards mainly using Tableau to provide data insights to the Department of Energy (DOE) for their government-funded projects.
After Fuqua
I want to use this degree to climb the ladder at my job. I think it aligns perfectly with what I am doing now at work. I want to use the skills I learned in R and at the Data Visualization Intensive Weekend in my day-to-day because these are the skill sets my company uses daily, so these skills are extremely valuable.
Advice for Prospective Students
The best advice I would have for a prospective student is to keep an open mind and be disciplined. It is easy to get distracted by things in life, but this program is set up to have a consistent schedule with work and life, so adjust accordingly. Keeping an open mind is also essential because it may seem like you’re beginning to be overwhelmed at times, but that just means you’re learning. If it was going to be a breeze, how impactful would the program be in real-world application? It’s worth it, trust me.
MSQM:HA students "meet" in Durham without leaving home
Global Executive MBA
Top Areas of Career Focus
Financial Services (20%)
Consulting (5%)
Sales/Business Development (5%)
Energy/Chemical/Gas (9%)
Marketing/PR/Advertising (6%)
Consumer Goods (3%)
Average Age
Average Work Experience
Countries Represented
Women
Non-US Citizenship
Master of Management Studies: Duke Kunshan University
Undergraduate Majors
Business/Accounting (51%)
Economics (22%)
Liberal Arts (14%)
Engineering/Natural Sciences (10%)
Other (4%)
Average Age
Average Work Experience
Countries Represented
Women
Non-US Citizenship
Master of Management Studies: Foundations of Business
Undergraduate Majors
Liberal Arts (33%)
Business/Accounting (24%)
Engineering/Natural Sciences (18%)
Economics (17%)
Other (8%)
Average Age
Average Work Experience
Countries Represented
Women
Non-US Citizenship
Weekend Executive MBA
Top Areas of Career Focus
IT (16%)
Financial Services (14%)
Health Care/Health Services (10%)
Manufacturing/Operations (9%)
Sales/Business Development (8%)
Consulting (8%)