Interdisciplinary Product Development (IPD) at UIC is a two-semester curriculum that integrates the latest technologies and best practices for innovative product development. The course combines Industrial Design, Engineering, and MBA/Marketing students from all three colleges to work together in cross-functional teams to research and develop new product concepts. The course focuses on the early stages of the product development process, from identifying market opportunities through initial prototyping. Eschewing the old sequential model of product development, in which a design idea originates in a business unit, is given visual form by industrial design, and then passed off to engineering, this course teaches current best practices of true integration of all three disciplines from the very earliest stages of product development.

UIC has signed new corporate partners for the Interdisciplinary Product Development program for the coming academic year (2013/14). New this fall, MBA students can chose the IPD section most aligned with their professional aspirations and industry preferences:

Mondays: 1-4pm

Corporate Partner: Baxter

This section is BioEngineering-focused.

Tuesdays: 1-4pm

Corporate Partner:  Dunkin’ Donuts and Prince Castle (equipment manufacturer for DD among others) are sponsoring jointly

This section provides a unique opportunity to work with a leading Quick Service Restaurant firm (DD) and one of their equipment suppliers (Prince Castle). This joint sponsorship allows students a unique experience of the value chain (i.e., B2B and B2C) and how to innovate across this value chain.

Thursdays: 12-3pm

Corporate Partner: Morningstar

This section is focused on innovating digital solutions. The opportunity to work with a leading global financial provider of independent financial investment research is of particular interest to MBAs focusing on finance and the financial sector, as well as those students who are looking to hone their skills in digital products.

Note: There is one more section that runs parallel on Thursdays, for which the corporate partner is SteelSeries (a gaming component company). That section is designated for undergraduate business students.

All sections are taught in the Innovation Center, 1240 West Harrison, Chicago, IL 60607. See the IPD Web site for general information and prior years’ corporate partners. 

MBA students interested in any of the IPD sections to contact Professor Jelena Spanjol first with their section preference, their updated resume, and list of classes completed as well as planned for Fall 2013. 

Here's what others have said about the IPD program: 

Marisa Randle

2010-2011

IPD (Cobra Electronics)

Current Position: Market Manager, Walgreens

The Interdisciplinary Product Development experience at UIC Liautaud is beyond textbook, and that is what really sets it apart. Not to mention, the Innovation Center is definitely my favorite space on campus! More importantly, we had the opportunity to make a real impact on a real brand and business. Students who take this class get a truly functional business experience that they can eventually talk about in front of prospective employers. IPD directly had an impact on my career path and that of many of my peers who also took the class.

Also, I think almost every job description I ran across in my post-MBA search called for cross-functional leadership, which is one of the most exciting skills that you will pick up in IPD. Getting to work with fellow students from different professional backgrounds and educational levels in order to innovate and produce is what its all about. If you are planning a career in marketing, business strategy, or innovation, I would say this is one of the highest value courses you could take during your MBA investment at Liautaud.

Ahmed Mujovic

2010-2011

IPD (Cobra Electronics)

Current Position: Senior Consultant, Protiviti

The IPD program, along with Tech Ventures, was the highlight of my MBA studies. IPD provided me the opportunity to lead and collaborate with a true multidisciplinary team, working on an actual concept - from analysis of market opportunities to design and prototyping - I lived the Liautaud motto 'where theory meets practice' for a year and can honestly say I earned the MBA inside the Innovation Center.

Dena Nejad

2010-2011

IPD (Cobra Electronics)

Current Position: Product Manager, Robert Bosch Tool Corporation

I joined the MBA program at UIC with the hope that I would come across a path that would make it clear for me what I would like to do with my career. While an Engineer I was not happy and desperately wanted a change but I was not sure what that change may look like. To be honest with you the IPD program was my light bulb. It was the class that really cleared up for me what my path should be and what I wanted to do next with my career. I really appreciated the richness of the class, the quality of talent amongst the students, the available resources and the freedom to push the limits and to enhance the experience the way we felt best fit. The program demonstrated a real world experience.

What I learned in IPD helped me tremendously with my career transition. Once I started at Bosch I realized how much I have learned during IPD. I was not lost at all and I felt that the learning was directly applicable. IPD also created great networking opportunities for me. I met my current colleague at Bosch at my IPD final presentation which lead to my interviews with them and my current position. I was also offered a position by the company we worked with during IPD.

Once again, the best class offered within the MBA program.

Megan Sparks

2010-2011

IPD (Cobra Electronics)

Current Position: Associate Brand Manager, Kraft Foods Group

IPD is a course I would highly recommend to any student. The ability to take ownership of a project from ideation to commercialization provided an environment to develop cross functional skills and execute against them. The interaction with industry experts combined with the engagement level of sponsoring companies intrinsically provides meaningful networking opportunities to increase points of connections within the professional world.

The open structure of the course allows students the freedom to creatively conceptualize ideas while providing the necessary support to ensure success. Maybe one of the best takeaways is the lasting relationships you will build not only with your professors and mentors but with those on your team.

Adrienne Nadeau

2011-2012

IPD (Coinstar/Redbox)

Current Position: Research Analyst, Technomic, Inc.

There were several important take-aways from the class. It gave me an opportunity to participate in the development of a project from beginning to end and really take ownership of an idea. I got a LOT of practice negotiating team relationships and, since I was one of the MBAs, leadership experience as well. While college students can be a difficult demographic, it was pointed out to me that there was a very good chance that in my first job out of grad school I would likely be supervising 20-something college grads, so IPD was valuable hands-on learning. Also, it gave me the opportunity to create and build on an idea in a very "safe" environment (no multi million dollar R&D or marketing initiatives to worry about here) and that allowed me and my team to take risks and try new things. A very rare opportunity indeed. I also loved getting my hands dirty with field work -- something that business people don't always get to do!

I think the experience would be particularly valuable for students who are recently out of college or who have never really done project management before or who are switching careers. Since I was coming from the artistic/non-profit world, I didn't have a lot of corporate experience. In every interview I went on, I mentioned IPD. No matter what the question was about -- marketing projects, project management, team work, leadership, field work, research, conflict resolution -- I always had some anecdote about working for CoinStar/Red Box.

Since my current job is as a market research analyst/consultant for the foodservice industry (I actually just finished a project for Morningstar), I am constantly drawing on experiences from IPD. Regular responsibilities at Technomic include secondary research, understanding the competitive landscape, I even did grocery store intercepts for a project on grab-and-go food, which is something Scott and I did while looking at the possibility of a snack kiosk. IPD is an experience that I am consistently drawing from.

Dominic Blank

2011-2012

IPD (Coinstar/Redbox)

Current Position: Cofounder & Chief Customer Developer, savvo digital sommelier solutions

I strongly believe that among the most valuable things a business school can do is to equip their students with the tools and concepts necessary to have maximum success in the workplace. Interdisciplinary Product Development (IPD) teaches students how to effectively approach, discover, execute and manage product development opportunities and challenges using a hands-on, team based approach. What stands out about the program is that it does not simulate real life scenarios but assigns real life projects with real life companies (corporate sponsors), people (team members and mentors) and expectations (deliverables). This provides for a highly complete and relevant learning opportunity acting as perfect preparation for students' professional careers. Today, I am working on two startups of which I cofounded one. Tools and concepts first taught in IPD including problem and solutions interviews, lean startup, agile product development, insight-driven iterations and team building (!!) do not only find daily application in my professional career but are critical necessities.

Thanks to the lessons learned from IPD my startup steered away from a "not so good idea" to one that has now enabled us to gain considerable market traction and paying customers within only a few months. Not only has the program given me a jump-start on being a more successful entrepreneur, but it has revealed my passion for team-building, design and product development. Influenced by my experiences during IPD my startup is now in the same industry as the program's corporate sponsor (at the time, Redbox) causing my mentor from back then to join my company as a key adviser and door opener! I strongly encourage those interested in anything involving entrepreneurship, innovation, product engineering and team building to take this class; anything else would be a missed opportunity.

Scott Green

2011-2012

IPD (Coinstar/Redbox)

Current Position: Manager of Business Operations, LOQUUS 

From an MBA perspective, the IPD program provided me tremendous experiences in team-oriented projects. Realistic professional environments include working with colleagues with different skill sets and training; IPD captures this by teaming business, designing, and engineering students.

 Learning how to effectively communicate and understand each other’s skill sets required time, but was essential to achieving our goals.  These challenges and accomplishments we’re significant experiences that have made me a better project manager.

Hello everyone! My name is Diane Ginajlo and I am the Admissions and Records Officer here at UIC Liautaud. I work behind the scenes, so you may not have met me in person, but I work with many of our applicants through email and phone. I’m the person who will send you an email letting you know what documents are missing or answering your admissions questions. I thought sharing a few notes may help make the admissions process a little smoother for you. 

First thing’s first: access our online application where you will complete our UIC Liautaud application, the supplemental university application, and pay the $60 application fee. Please note, when directed to the supplemental university application, please create a new account log in. Once these three parts are complete, your application can be submitted. If you have additional documents that need to be added to your application after it’s submitted, please upload them by logging back into your application or email us your documents as PDF attachments. If you are emailing us documents, please include your full name and birth date to verify your information. Please only include the required documents. We are using a paperless process, so please do not mail any hard copies to our office. Once you are admitted, you will be asked to submit Official sealed documents to the University Office of Admissions, which most students submit during their first semester.

Official GMAT, GRE, and TOEFL score reports must be received directly from ETS to process your admissions decision. Please list University of Illinois at Chicago, Liautaud Graduate School of Business, and the name of the program you are applying to, as the recipient.    

Tips for International applicants! Please make sure to include all your marksheets/transcripts, as well as your degree certificate. Please note, we do not accept the examination certificate. We can accept a Provisional certificate if you graduated less than a year ago; otherwise we do require a degree certificate. If you have a Bachelor's and Master's degree, please submit a degree certificate for each. You can check to see what documents are required based on the country you studied in, by checking this site.   

Attention all applicants! You can check on your status and documents by logging back into your application. Please disregard the “unofficial/official” status next to documents. You only need to submit documents that display “not received.” 

If you have any other questions, please feel free to email me. I am here to help and look forward to working with you! 

MS-MIS Alumnus 2012

Concentration: Management Information Systems

Industry/Field of work: Cleantech/Software

Undergraduate degree in: Bachelor of Technology in Electrical Engineering

Undergraduate School: Vellore Institute of Technology University, Tamil Nadu, India

Organizations involved with: INFORMS

LinkedIn Profile

What is your current role?

I currently work as an Associate Professional Services Engineer at Opower, constantly voted as one of the best in Cleantech company rankings. In my role, I’m responsible for getting data right as we as a company do analytics to promote Energy Efficiency.

What prompted you to return to school to achieve your master’s degree?

While working for Tata Consultancy Services as a Systems Engineer in their ‘Software as a Service’ Small and Medium Business unit, I was curious to learn more about the business aspects of the IT Industry. 

Why did you choose UIC Liautaud for your graduate study?

The graduate program in MS in Management Information Systems at UIC Liautaud offers the right blend of technical, management courses in a flexible manner. The Capstone Project Experience, which helps in augmenting the skills learnt by practical application, is impressive and makes the program a convincing proposition.

Whhat has been the most unexpected gain the program has given you?

Wider perspective and network.

Which class/professor has been your favorite thus far and why?

Prof. Ranganathan Chandrasekaran’s class on Information Systems Strategy and Management was my favorite. I was fortunate to get a chance to take the course in my very first semester at UIC. This was the class that helped break my single dimensional thought process as a techie and helped me gain perspective and analyze IT business problems effectively. Also, the case discussion based approach helped learn to present to a wider audience.

What is your favorite aspect of the UIC campus and why?

It’s diverse. You get to meet different people. That’s important as any workplace today is diverse and knowing and learning cultural differences can make a difference in effective networking.

How would you define the Liautaud student?

A Liautaud student is someone who’s not textbook. We’re practical. We’re flexible. We’re keen to learn and try different things.

What advice would you provide to incoming UIC Liautaud students?

Being at UIC Liautaud is like working at a start-up. We’re young. We’re not stereotypical. We’re flexible. We explore. Be inquisitive. Learn so much that while walking out as a UIC Liautaud graduate, you’ve tried and tasted so many different courses that you can truely understand what J. Robert Oppenheimer meant when he said, “No man should escape our universities without knowing how little he knows.”

We are pleased to announce and welcome two new team members to the UIC Business Career Center, Justin Lall and Nicolas Bernal, the new Associate Directors of the Corporate Engagement Team.

JUSTIN LALL

Connect with Justin on LinkedIn

Justin comes from an IT staff augmentation background. In previous positions, Justin was a preferred staffing partner to companies such as Deloitte Consulting, KPMG, CapGemini, CSC, ExxonMobil, General Atomics, Lockheed Martin, and many others. Prior to his work in staff augmentation, Justin worked in the financial sector with US Bank. Justin will focus his efforts to bring quality opportunities for students in Masters of Science in Management Information Systems (MIS) and undergraduate majors in Finance and IDS fields of studies. Justin's goal is to provide student with access to full-time positions that grow into a long term career. 

NICOLAS BERNAL

Connect with Nicolas on LinkedIn

Nicolas has worked at the University of Illinois at Chicago for the last 8 years initially serving as an Academic Advisor. Most recently, he worked as the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Programs for the College of Business Administration - managing and supervising a staff of 5 academic professionals - where he was charged with ensuring student satisfaction and continuity of service.

Nicolas looks forward to making a positive impact on campus in his new role. He will be forging new and maintaining previous relationships within the business community in an effort to secure more internship and full-time opportunities for our students in the Managerial Studies disciplines. He will strive to get our corporate partners and alumni back on campus to provide UIC Business students with insider knowledge and practical insight into the workplace. The Managerial Studies Engagement Team plans to provide quality, relevant career advising and programming to better prepare students for any and all opportunities on the horizon.

Nicolas has an intimate knowledge of the campus, UIC Business, and our students and is excited to represent our students and alumni to the Chicagoland business community.

Professional education prepares students to assume professional roles. Effective professionals in all fields demonstrate expertise beyond their academic training, expertise that they develop through experience, exposure to new situations and challenges and awareness of the demands and opportunities in the environment. In business, developing professional skills is critical to successfully launching and developing a career.

Knowing that the ROI for investing in graduate business education is landing a professional position that offers the opportunity to use and further develop one’s skills, UIC Liautaud is offering experimental two-credit professional development courses this fall. These courses are designed to prepare students to successfully navigate the transition to a new professional opportunity, and they are most valuable early in a student’s experience at Liautaud.

Coming This Fall MBA 590 Course Offerings for Fall 2013

Applied Consulting, Wednesday 10/23-12/11.  Instructor:  John Fyfe

The Applied Consulting course is an introduction to the client-consultant engagement process typically used by consulting and professional services firms.  Students who aspire to go into the consulting industry will particularly benefit from this course, as will those who intend to serve as an internal consultant or operations analyst within any public or private sector organization.  However, since most public and private sector management personnel end up working on projects for their organizations at some time in their careers , this course will be of interest to all MBA students.

The class will be conducted as a guided workshop for students to work in a professional consulting role to address a real life client problem as a case study. Each student will work in a team with some other students (depending on the number of students enrolled) working as consultants to create, manage and execute a client engagement that addresses their problem. Each week, each team will work on producing some interim deliverable, such as they would to a real client. Each team will then produce a final project report with recommendations, which they will present during the last class

Creating Careers That Count, Tuesday 8/27 – 10/15.  Instructor:  Dave Kreischer

In a highly dynamic, well-educated and globally competitive marketplace, relevance has replaced loyalty as a basis for relationships—which includes the contract between employee and employer.  Since the marketplace dictates what is relevant, you are free to create a career that really counts for you as long as it counts for the marketplace.  This eight-week course will explore the three steps to creating a career that counts for you and for the marketplace:

·       Defining your difference-making strategy

·       Discovering your marketplace relevance

·       Demonstrating and delivering your difference-making capability with highly relevant impact.

Introduction to Business Analytics, Tuesday 10/22-12/10.  Instructor:  Murad Gharibeh

The tools of statistics and data analysis are increasingly more important for business managers, and this course is designed to provide those who have not previously studied in these areas with tools that they will need both for their MBA studies and in addressing analytical challenges in their work.  The course covers basic tools of statistics:  distributions and relationships, probability and sampling distributions,  hypothesis testing, regression, etc.  In working with data analysis, it covers collecting and organizing data, sort the distractions from the truth, find meaningful patterns, draw conclusions and predict the future, and present findings.

Managing Enterprise Data and Analytics, Monday 8/26 – 10/14. Instructor:  Kyle Cheek

Enterprises are increasingly turning their attention from the capture and maintenance of business data to a focus on very sophisticated analysis of that data. This shift is motivated by a belief that the vast quantities of data created through transactional, operational, web, and other sources contains valuable insights into customer behavior, market trends, and new operational efficiencies. This course will provide a survey of the emerging practice of business analytics, covering topics including: business data, its sources, its potential, and its challenges; a comparative view of analytic practices and maturity across industries; and critical considerations in the management of analytics within a business.

Personal Financial Planning, Wednesday 8/28-10/16. Instructor:  Sid Blum

Personal financial planning touches the lives of all individuals and households. It includes the planning for accumulation of assets and debts. Budgeting and planning for income and costs to maintain a lifestyle desired during one’s life and for live events such as education, housing, risk management, marriage, family, personal goals, and death. The course will touch on all areas of financial planning that a professional financial advisor is required to be knowledgeable in order to advise their clients and be part of a professional practice. The course is designed to help individuals understand the financial planning process and the areas covered in a typical financial planning engagement and some of the compliance, ethics and business requirements that a fee only financial planning entity would encounter.

Project Management, Wednesday 8/28 – 10/16.  Instructor:  John Fyfe

The project management discipline is a twenty-first century core business process because it enables profit generation by maintaining tight controls on expenditures with a proactive view of project events, allowing organizations to manage initiatives with predictable outcomes, in terms of costs, time and other resources.

This course provides an introduction to the project management discipline, and specifically to the concepts inherent in the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification process.  The course focuses on real-world cases to build the foundational skills for students to be able to participate effectively in projects and ultimately to manage them.

Social Entrepreneurs Leading Change, Monday 10/21-12/9.  Instructor:  Anna Lloyd

This course focuses on the integration of social enterprise tools into traditional business curriculum, an  essential component of a business school curriculum:  some students will pursue direct employment in this area; others will remember the curriculum as they decide to join a nonprofit board or serve as the director or chief operating officer of a service delivery organization.  This eight-week course is one that looks at integrative leadership, the development of business skills with public policy and philanthropy skills, which support cross-boundary, multi-sector entrepreneurship and enhance our ability to build teams and attract investment.

Web Analytics, Monday 10/21-12/9.  Instructor:  Doug Lundquist

This course presents tools for understanding Internet traffice and website effectiveness. 

For more information about the MBA 590 courses, please email us. 

I just returned from participating in one of Liautaud's study abroad trips: KNOW EUROPE. This month-long trip included four countries in four weeks. It was a lot to take in. But with the help of 36 fellow students from multiple universities and a generous onsite staff, not only did I have a great time, but our team won the 2013 Know Europe Award.

We spent time in Brussels understanding how the pieces of the European Union fit together to benefit and position Europe for the 21st century. We were provided with insider lectures of the EU Parliament, Commission, and Council. Additionally, local scholars presented on the EU from a variety of different perspectives (governmental, marketing, economics, etc.). The overarching theme of all of the lectures drove toward preparing us for our month-long project: creating a marketing presentation for a US product being brought to a specific market in Europe. We were divided into groups on the first day and given our product (either a beer, wine, or liquor product). My group's product was a seasonal sweet, white wine from the Duplin Winery in North Carolina. After researching the different markets, we decided to craft our pitch around introducing the wine to Amsterdam.

In Amsterdam, in addition to riding bikes and visiting the Anne Frank House and Van Gogh Museum, we visited several different wine stores to better understand the market we were considering. The first-hand marketing research we did was not only invaluable for our project, but also allowed other members (more interested in the in-person experience than in the actual project) an opportunity to shine. With our project on-pace, I took an afternoon off exploring and enjoyed several beers at Brouwerij 't IJ, a microbrewery, and had a wonderful time talking with other tourists from Texas. We also toured the amazing marketing efforts that are The Heineken Experience as an example of understanding your target market and communicating effectively with them.

In France, we had time with advisors and our group to gel our plan and begin crafting the presentation. Prior to the trip, a previous winner of the Know Europe Award and Liautaud 2012 alumna, Adrienne Nadeau, fielded my big and small questions about this trip, both academic and experiential. She prepared me for the nascent skills my undergraduate classmates would come to this project with. My teammate and Belmont MBA candidate, Liz Moore, and I knew that we would shoulder the design and execution of the project. We asked our undergraduate teammates for targeted feedback and specific research that allowed for them to contribute to the project while also recognizing their current skill set. We wanted everyone to be a part of the project and deliver a high quality product. Liz's great logo redesign and research into Dutch culture that led to our campaign was pivotal to the success of the project. I headed up strategy, research structuring, campaign roll-out, and wine name change. It was a great team experience with a quick and good working relationships developed under deadline pressure that mirrored real-life project management and team project work.

Paris provided a nice respite from our projects (since we weren't looking at the French market) and well, as these smiles from Victoria, Benoit, and Tori show, it was fantastic. We rode our Velib bike-sharing bikes across Paris (not bad since several of us did not ride bicycles in our own much smaller towns). We visited tourist spots, shops, and restaurants on both banks. We happened to be there on the longest day of the summer, which Paris celebrated with every type of music on every corner across Paris, be it a jazz quartet or full salsa band. It was incredible.

Barcelona provided not only a change in climate but also language: Finally I could speak to people without asking first if they spoke English! Indeed, the quick Castilian Spanish of the region, not to mention Catalan, proved challenging. It was nice to speak people and hear the pride with which they loved their region and town. The quick ease with which they were eager to recommend their favorite restaurant or shop to me that I might not have otherwise know about showed that Barcelonian want visitors to get to know the tourist spots as well as the local Barcelonian places. While we visited many different sites and museums (and several excellent charcuteries) in Barcelona, my favorite activity ended up being a hike along the foothill outskirts of Barcelona. As you can see from this photo, we were able to see the entire town.

Of course, we had too many tours and times to name in this blog post. But if you have the opportunity, I would highly recommend the Know Europe program to supplement your Liautaud experience.

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Catherine Jefcoat, MBA/MPH 2014 candidate, recently led the team that won the Know Europe's 2013 Know Europe Award. The month-long study abroad trip culminated in an extensive marketing plan/presentation competition. Her team competed against nine other projects from around the US. Want to see more pics of the trip? Check out fellow MBA student Jason Deno's Flickr album.

Attend a live MBA class session online this Thursday to learn more about UIC's Entrepreneurship program, hosted by Professor Maija Renko. UIC Liautaud’s nationally recognized entrepreneurship program prepares students for pioneering careers. Students develop an understanding of the skills and processes involved in venture development and how to foster their own business plans. Many participate in national competitions and start their own businesses as a result.

In this webinar, you will learn about some of the main tools and methods that entrepreneurs use. Dr. Renko will also discuss the characteristics of the entrepreneurial mindset, the rising field of social entrepreneurship, and more. 

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER!

Entrepreneurship | MBA Live Webinar

Hosted by Maija Renko, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship

Thursday, August 1

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (Central Standard Time)

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

This session will moderated by Director of Recruiting and Enrollment, Caroline LaTorre, and followed by an open Q&A with participants.

Can't make it to the webinar? Join us at a different event! We have a full line-up of admissions events this fall designed for you. Check out the full listing of events here.

We look forward to connecting with you!

Arthur Anderson

Concentration(s):  Finance and Entrepreneurship

Undergraduate degree in:  Chemical Engineering

Undergraduate School:  Illinois Institute of Technology

Pre-MBA Industry/Field of work:  Pharmaceutical and Food

Organizations involved with:  GFIN, MBAA, NABA, and NSBE

Post MBA Industry/Field of work:  Construction Machinery Manufacturing

Current Employment:  Finance Analyst II at Caterpillar, Inc.

 

Undergraduate degree in: Linguistics

Undergraduate School: Harvard University

Career Goal: Currently exploring many possibilities

LinkedIn Profile

What prompted you to return to school to achieve your master’s degree?

When I graduated with a degree in linguistics, I was considering a career in academia. I spent a year as a researcher in Berlin, Germany, and that experience, while rewarding, dissuaded me from continuing on the academic track. Job prospects for liberal arts PhD’s were (and remain) too uncertain. I moved to Chicago, and started my post-academic life. In the asset column: the skills I honed in the study of linguistics--critical reasoning, clear communication, and inter-cultural competencies; and in the liability column: my obscure college major, limited work experience, and a lack of clear career goals.

After a short job search, I landed a very pleasant position in customer service. I enjoyed my time there, but I didn’t feel challenged. I didn’t see any opportunities for meaningful advancement, much less a career. I was stuck. After talking with people from several fields and doing extensive research, I found myself drawn to accounting. Accounting requires careful thought and  rewards continuous learning.  This is what I missed about academia. But in order to enter the profession, I needed a tangible asset on my balance sheet: the MSA degree. I applied for the program in March and was enrolled in classes by June.

Why did you choose UIC Liautaud for your graduate study?

I plan to continue to live and work in Chicago, so I value UIC Liautaud’s connections that with the business community here. Tuition is also an exceptionally good value. Since I have no business background at all, I need a program which can get me up to speed quickly. I need to be prepared for the CPA exam at graduation. In this area, Liautaud gets results.

We all know that people pursue graduate school to increase their business knowledge, but since you have started the program, what has been the most unexpected gain the program has given you?

Even though I only started the MSA earlier this summer, I’ve received a lot of attention directed at making sure I’m on the right track. The program is only two years, so time is of the essence.  I’ve got a team helping me to make the most of every minute.  I knew I’d be learning a lot in my courses, but I just wasn’t expecting to accumulate so quickly knowledge of the world of business outside the classroom.

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For more about the UIC Liautaud Master of Science in Accounting program, click here. 

UIC Liautaud is doing some very cutting edge work in the fields of futures, derivatives and financial markets.

Our International Center for Futures and Derivatives brings to campus the who's who of financial trading and engineering from across the US and abroad to exchange ideas. Our faculty are creating new ways of thinking about how financial markets work, market structures, models of price discovery; limit order model, liquidity and price impact, time effects; and, how electronic traders use these ideas to improve trading and research. We collaborate with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on a guest speakers series featuring renowned speakers such as Peter Carr, Managing Director at Morgan Stanley with 15 years of experience in the derivatives industry, Robert Engle, 2003 Nobel Laureate, and Andrei Kirilenko, Chief Economist with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

In the CME Market Training Lab, students explore innovative trading strategies through technology that simulates trading floor dynamics. That's right, we have a virtual electronic trading floor on our campus! Our students use Standard and Poor's and other industry software that make them marketable and job ready for finance careers. 

Our curriculum goes beyond the typical classroom experience. UIC Liautaud faculty are major influencers and thought leaders in the world of finance. They bring their new knowledge and industry leaders into our classrooms with unique courses that are not found elsewhere:

- Market Microstructure and Electronic Trading

- Commodities, Energy and Related Markets

- Applied Equity Investment Management

- Islamic Banking and Finance

- Theory and Structure of Options and Futures Markets

- Meet the Exchanges

I invite you to experience our finance courses first hand. Please contact me directly to arrange a classroom visit this fall. I hope to see you on campus soon!

Many business leaders have the technical skills and acumen to rise to the top, however, their careers are made or limited by a somewhat elusive set of qualities that can collectively be called “executive presence.” Executive presence is a combination of verbal and non-verbal abilities that are recognized as a poised, authentic communication style, particularly in spontaneous or impromptu interactions. This kind of “style”, however, is not superficial - it is critical to one’s productivity and effectiveness.

Business managers can profit greatly from the training received by some of the world’s experts in spontaneous, creative communication: improvisational theater actors. Malcolm Galdwell, the author of the bestselling book, Blink, identified the improv actor as a model of the poised, sophisticated and infinitely adaptable speaker. “Spontaneity isn't random,” he said, “How good people’s decisions under the fast-moving, high-stress conditions of rapid cognition is a function of training and rules and rehearsal.”

Returning to this fall's curriculum offering is the extremely popular MBA 590 course, Improvisation and Leadership. Using improvisational theater techniques taught in workshop exercise of graduating difficulty, this course creates a safe laboratory for students to experiment with the elements of their own executive presence. This is a “presentations course” where students study how to present themselves in a variety of executive communication modes: networking, interviewing, creative team leadership and impromptu speaking situations, like client interactions or expert panel discussions. The course is taught by Michael Popowits, a 20-year faculty member of the UIC College of Business Administration, and an executive communications coach who worked with executives in dozens of industries in the US, Europe, and Asia. Professor Popowits has also studied the art of improvisation for years and currently teaches weekend classes and directs student ensembles at the Second City Theater in Chicago. Read more about Michael Popowits' exciting course by clicking HERE. 

This fall's listings are as follows:

Improvisation and Leadership (CRN 27234)

Meets August 26 – October 18

Wednesdays from 6:00-8:30pm

Improvisation and Leadership (CRN 27235)

Meets October 21 – December 6

Wednesdays from  6:00-8:30pm

Professor: Michael Popowits

Due to the popularity of this course, interested students should register as soon as possible to secure placement. For more information about the MBA 590 courses, please email us.

Attention Spring 2014 International applicants! Next Thursday, August 15, is the deadline for all supplemental documents. In order for your application to be considered for the spring 2014 term, you must submit all documents and scores by this date.

To check on your status and to see what documents are missing, please log back into your application. Please only be concerned with the status “not received.” Documents that show a status of “received unofficial” or “received official” have been submitted and you do not need to worry about these. If you have any missing documents to submit, you can log back into your application and upload them, or you can email us the documents as PDF attachments by August 15.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns by emailing me, I look forward to working with you and I am here to help!  

Concentration: International Business, Management

Pre-Degree Industry/Field of Work: Information Technology

Post-Degree Industry/Field of Work: IT and Telecommunications

Undergraduate Degree: BS Computer Engineering

Undergraduate Institution: Kurukshetra University

Current Employer: Senior Analyst, Supplier Management at Motorola Solutions

Contact Meet! LinkedIn, meet.mehta@ymail.com

Why did you return to school to obtain your Graduate Business Degree?

After completing engineering education and gaining some professional experience, I had realized that, while technological knowledge is important to succeed in the business world, there is an imperative need for business leaders who have a well-rounded edification, rather than those with merely ‘one-dimensional’ skills. I felt that a blend of technical and management knowledge, will serve well to help me realize my future professional goals and equip me with the skills required to progress my career at a faster pace.

Why did you choose UIC Liautaud?

I had several reasons for pursuing an MBA: International exposure and cross cultural experience were primary, and during most of my pre-MBA discussions with several UIC Liautaud students, I found out that program had a truly diverse student mix, not just in terms of ethnicity, but also educational background and professional exposure. Also, the fact that the business school is nicely located in the city of Chicago and is well integrated in the business community helped me make the decision.

What has been the most unexpected gain resulting from your Liautaud degree?

I entered the program with the expectation of having a deep and broad understanding of international business and strategy but I have learnt much more, especially in the areas of finance, operations, and marketing. It has helped me have a logical view of how multiple groups in a company come together to make a business work while also giving me the subject matter expertise in the areas of my choice.

How has your Liautaud experience influenced your career to date?

My Liautaud experience, both inside and outside the class, has taught me a slew of skills and virtues that have helped me shape my career. Amongst them is analytical cross-functional thinking, ability to take hard and quick decisions, and value driven leadership. It has changed the way I approach business problems and I have learnt to see every challenge as an opportunity.

Which course or professor was your favorite and why?

Negotiations with Dr. Shelley Brickson, was one of the courses that provided great learning opportunities especially with the in-class Negotiation exercises that gave a look and feel of real world experience. Regardless of what career direction you are choosing, negotiation is one skill that will help you.

What was your favorite aspect of the UIC Liautaud program? 

My favorite aspect is the global network, friendships, and business relationships that I have built during the program.

How would you define the Liautaud student?

I had the opportunity to know some outstanding students who are willing to work hard and make a mark in the business world. On the whole, UIC Liautaud students are ambitious, innovative, and willing to help each other.

Now that you've graduated, what advice do you have for current or prospective Liautaud students?

Be focused, MBA program presents many supplementary opportunities that might be overwhelming at times. It’s important to take advantage of all that you are given while concentrating on the vital things that you want to acquire from the program.

As we prepare to begin the fall semester, we are excited to invite our new summer and fall 2013 students to the UIC Liautaud Orientation. Orientation will take place next Saturday, August 24, and it is mandatory for all new summer and fall 2013 students to attend this event. Orientation sets the tone for your future studies and is a great opportunity to meet and network with your fellow students, faculty, and staff. You will also learn skills and techniques to help prepare you for success as a UIC Liautaud student and will meet members from many of the Liautaud graduate student organizations.

We are especially excited that this year's orientation will feature alumni panels by program as well as several faculty who will present on the course highlights and unique offerings within our programs. We will also have an interactive improv-based session to bring all programs together and help our students start to build their peer and professional relationships. Accounting lecturer Michael Popowits (who is also an instructor at the Second City Chicago) will use his improv expertise to help students stretch their comfort zones to learn how to more effectively work with others and apply that knowledge throughout their graduate business experience!

New Beginnings @UICLiautaud | New Student Orientation

Saturday, August 24
Student Center East, Illinois Rooms

8:00am - Check-in and Continental Breakfast
8:45am - Welcome
9:00am - Orientation Breakout Sessions by Program
Noon - Lunch
1:00pm-3:30pm - Professional Development Workshop with Professor Michael Popowits
4:00pm-6:00pm - Social at Jak's Tap with current & new students, alumni, faculty, and staff

*** All students will need a laptop computer for the afternoon activity; please bring a laptop with you. If you do not have one please email us at your earliest convenience to let us know.***

INCOMING STUDENTS: If you have yet to RSVP, you can do so by clicking HERE. 

CURRENT STUDENTS: Plan to join us at Jak's Tap from 4:00-6:00pm next Saturday to welcome the incoming class at a complimentary happy hour.

Anyone who has questions about the upcoming orientation should contact UIC Liautaud Student Services.

We can't wait to meet all of our incoming students and wish you all the best of luck as you prepare to start classes this fall!

With our incoming Fall 2013 class getting ready for new student orientation this Saturday, always with an eye toward the future, the admissions team will hit the ground running with a full lineup of events designed to build the future Spring and Fall 2014 classes! 

Whether you are just learning about our professional master degree programs or are about to embark on the application process, I highly recommend that you join us on campus or out around town this fall. These events are a great way for you to meet our students, faculty, career and academic advisers and learn more about what our program can do for you. At these events, we also deep dive into the application process, sharing insights and advice from actual Admissions Committee members. Here's a look at our upcoming events for August and September: 

MONDAY, AUGUST 19 | Forte Forum, Downtown Chicago 

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21 | Liautaud Info Session - first admissions event of the season! 

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 | QS World MBA Tour, Doubletree by Hilton Magnificent Mile in Chicago

SEPTEMBER 10 & 11 | GMATCH Virtual Fair

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 | Practice GMAT Exam, hosted by Kaplan Test Prep - free!

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 | Liautaud Info Session

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 | Career Services Webinar, hosted by UIC Business Career Center Director, Jeff Wilson

For a full listing of admissions events this fall, please visit http://go.uic.edu/events. 

On behalf of the entire UIC Liautaud staff, I hope to see you at some of these events this fall to learn more about how we can help you take your career to the next level!

Joshua Punchur

MSA Candidate, Part-time student

Undergraduate degree in: Urban Studies/Urban Management

Undergraduate School: University of Pittsburgh

Organizations involved with: UIC Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, Moneythink, New Leash on Life Chicago

LinkedIn Profile

What prompted you to return to school to achieve your master’s degree?

After moving to Chicago to work for a non-profit small business development center, I found that many of our clients needed accounting assistance before they could obtain financial assistance. Obtaining an MSA seemed like a perfect opportunity to improve my communication skills so that I could help entrepreneurs make better business decisions.

What was the most important factor for you in choosing an MBA program (or factors you considered)?

Since I chose the MSA program instead of an MBA, I was most interested in finding an institution that would do a very good job for preparing me for the CPA exam.  Other factors that I considered were affordability and whether the school was located in a place where I would want to spend my free time.

Why did you choose UIC Liautaud for your graduate study?

Liautaud provides the best value for Illinois’ residents who want to study accounting in a big city setting. Liautaud grads have some of the best pass rates for the CPA exam in Illinois. I also always had great experiences working with Liautaud alumni, so I figured that my classmates would be fun to work with.

Since you have started the program, what has been the most unexpected gain the program has given you?

Taking Professor Kirschenheiter’s course on corporate valuation gave me a new perspective on how investors place value on business activities. This definitely has an impact on how I communicate with my pre-venture clients who come in to discuss their business ideas at the small business development center.

The UIC Liautaud professors are continuously involved in researching new business trends and innovations. How have you felt the professors have been able to integrate their theoretical knowledge into practical applications? 

My Data Mining class allowed students a lot of flexibility to search for new trends in customer behavior. Being on the cutting edge of predictive analytics also helped dispel old myths about how people react to particular situations.

Which class/professor has been your favorite thus far and why?

Ram Ramakrishnan can sometimes be difficult to keep up with, but I’ve always liked how accessible he is and how much he fosters conversation within the classroom. I expect that I’ll continue reviewing his course websites even after leaving Liautaud.

What is your favorite aspect of the UIC campus and why?

As an undergrad, I was most interested in studying how older industrial cities transformed themselves. UIC’s Chicago location and history is one of my favorite aspects of studying at UIC Liautaud. Being able to work out of the Rice building as a graduate assistant has also been a neat experience.

How would you define the Liautaud student?

Liautaud students are pretension free so it makes it much easier to connect with them and get to work on the gritty details of business operations.

What advice would you provide to incoming UIC Liautaud students?

Seek out Professor Popowits for help with your professional presence. He’ll do a great job preparing you so that you can act comfortably in any situation.

Are you a non-profit looking to create a social venture? Streamline finances and accounting practices? Apply the latest IT technology to help you better meet your mission? Create a marketing campaign for a specific audience?

UIC’s InKIND project wants to work with you on projects like this for free!

The UIC Liautaud Graduate School of BusinessMBA Association and InKind consulting program are seeking applications from Chicago area non-profit organizations that are interested in receiving pro bono consulting services from UIC Liautaud students.

Piloted last year, students on InKind teams consulted two organizations about network security solutions and implementing a new social venture. Read about last year's final deliverables here.

UIC Liautaud students are ready to help your organization in a variety of capacities. Students possess expertise in: marketing, organizational development, research, finance, accounting, IT, information systems, and feasibility studies, among other expertise.

The project timeline occurs over the fall 2013 with a final presentation in winter 2013-2014 (depending on scopes and schedules).

Non-profit applications are DUE SEPTEMBER 20, 2013. The application cam be found here. If you have any additional questions, please contact Ali McDonald, VP of Consulting Projects.

If you are a student and wish to participate in InKIND, please email Christina Wright, VP of Consulting Projects.

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Nonprofit Application: 2013_inkind_npo_application.dotx

Welcome new UIC Liautaud students! With Fall Orientation behind us, today marks the first day of class for the Fall 2013 semester. I speak for all of us at UIC Liautaud in saying we could not be more excited to kick this week off with some great events to welcome new students and to reconnect with current students and alumni. We hope you can join us at one (or all!) of these exciting events this week! 

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Common Grounds: Coffee & Conversations Networking Events

MONDAY, AUGUST 26 & TUESDAY, AUGUST 27 

Join us for coffee, juice, and conversation with UIC Liautaud students on the second floor of Douglas Hall before class this week. UIC Liautaud students will have the opportunity to network with student organization members, Liautaud staff, current students, and faculty members from a variety of our graduate programs.

Douglas Hall, Second Floor, 5-6pm

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Business Bash Luau

THURSDAY, AUGUST 29

The UIC College of Business Administration invites all students, faculty, and staff to the Business Bash Luau this Thursday for food, drinks, music, games, limbo, raffles, and more! You must wear your UIC Business t-shirt to enter the event. If you don’t have one, come by University Hall room 2145 to pick one up between 9a-5p any day before Thursday.

Harrison Field (b/t Morgan and Halsted), 3-6pm

REGISTER HERE

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Students, we can't wait to connect with you this semester!  If you have questions or need assistance, please come see us in our new home on the 11th floor of University Hall or send us a note. 

Enjoy the first week of class!

UIC Liautaud students, welcome back to a new academic year! Although you have just started class this week, it's definitely time to start your internship and job search. Please note: The UIC Business Career Center has moved to 110 Douglas Hall. You can stop by to make an appointment with our Career Advisers, or you can make appointments online by logging into the Inner Loop.

START YOUR JOB SEARCH TODAY:  

1. Login to UICcareers.com with your username (complete UIC e-mail address) and password (UIN#).  UIC Careers has various job and internship opportunities with your name on it.

2. If you are a new user, complete your profile and be sure to fill in all the information you can. If you have been using UIC Careers, make sure to update your profile with your most current information. If you have problems with your UIC Careers account, contact us.

3. Check in frequently! Watch out for weekly updates for HOT jobs and internship on UIC Careers.

4. Be proactive with your internship and job search using LinkedIn and other online tools.

5.  Network, network, network. 

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Below are some Finance & MIS opportunities posted on UICCareers.com. Don't wait until the deadline - apply today!

FINANCE OPPORTUNITIES

Position Title

Company

Deadline

Client Services Manager for Institutional Equity and Credit Research

Morningstar, Inc

10/14/2013

Business Analyst

Morningstar, Inc

10/11/2013

Investment Banking Analyst

Marathon Capital, LLC

10/30/2013

Financial Analyst- Asset/Portfolio Management

Jones Lang LaSalle

9/8/2013

Finance Internship

Marketing Werks Inc.

9/10/2013

Analyst Analytics Outcomes

CVS Caremark

8/25/2013

Finance Intern

RCM Financial Services

10/28/2013

MIS  OPPORTUNITIES

Position Title

Company

Deadline

IT Intern - Wirtz Beverage Group Corporate

Wirtz Beverage IL

9/30/2013

Oracle HR Business Analyst/Developer

Sargent & Lundy, LLC

9/9/2013

Enterprise Application Support Internship

CME Group

10/31/2013

Oracle Business Analyst

WalkWater Technologies

9/27/2013

As I enter my first year as a Liautaud graduate student and begin my journey toward a Master's in Business Administration, I cannot be more grateful for the great experience I had at Fall Orientation. In short, the UIC Liautaud Graduate School of Business quickly showed me that they care about the success of their students. From the course presentations made by such prestigious professors to the icebreaker game introduced by Caroline LaTorre, which allowed us to know the successes of our peers, my orientation experience greatly impacted me. I now have connections with successful alumni, student organizations, and fellow classmates. To add, I have more confidence that I will be successful throughout this program. Most importantly, I now know without question that I have chosen the best university to pursue my MBA. It's only the beginning! Thank you!

Name:Ariana M. Taylor, MBA Candidate