When Nicholas Hartley of Huntsville, Ala., was preparing for his next step after earning his bachelor’s from The University of Alabama, he realized everything he wanted in a master’s program was still available through UA Online.
Nicholas lived the undergraduate college experience in Tuscaloosa. He was a Presidential Scholar, maintaining a high level of academic rigor as a computer science major through the Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering. He was active on campus, trying out several student organizations to find his fit.
He also made the most of Engineering’s robust cooperative education program, pursuing a competitive co-op position with the Huntsville-based company Adtran. He excelled in his new role and was offered a full-time job after graduation that could launch his career with the company.
But Nicholas was due to return to Tuscaloosa to complete his MBA as part of the STEM Path to MBA at UA. The uncertainty was stacking up.
Should he finish school first or go to work now?
Would he be wasting this opportunity if he went back to Tuscaloosa?
Could he find a different university closer to Huntsville?
With tough choices before him, Nicholas weighed his options and found a smooth path that let him accept the job and earn his master’s degree.
Through UA Online, Nicholas earned a Master of Science in Operations Management without needing to change schools.
“UA makes stuff easy. There’s no jumping through a bunch of hoops. I hopped on a call with Jennifer Nunnelley in the master’s program, and she said, ‘Here’s what you need to do.’ It was a couple of quick, easy steps, and then — bam! I was signed up for online classes.”
Nicholas was surprised to discover that not only was continuing at UA his best academic option, it was also his most affordable. He still had existing scholarships, and he received additional funding through the Manderson Graduate School of Business.
The University of Alabama’s avenue for STEM students to pursue a business graduate degree sets up our graduates for success in their industries.
“There was a lot of advice to have an engineering degree and a business degree, because it shows you have a deeper understanding of your workplace. Which was pretty true. A lot of the things I was doing at work came up in my master’s classes.”
It’s advice that has continued to pay off for Nicholas. He’s able to walk the line between the technical world of engineering and the acumen of business management, often serving as a sort of translator between customers and other developers, tailoring his communication to match the role of his audience.
“In meetings, sometimes you need a really technical answer, but you have to answer it the right way,” he said. “A good answer from an engineer intimately familiar with your solution tends to have a lot of extra detail. Ther person you want to sell your solution to doesn’t need to be intimately familiar with your product; they just need to know it is going to solve their problems.”
He has transitioned roles and companies, now employed at a small avionics software company based out of a hangar at Huntsville International Airport. His office overlooks the runway where they fly the airplanes running their latest software. It’s a coveted role for many in the aerospace industry.
Nicholas nods to his master’s degree for his success in landing a dream role.
“I feel it gives me weight and authority. If you just have a bachelor’s, you’re just a general engineer, but as soon as you earn your master’s, you’ve put in some real work.”
UA Online can make your education work for you! Learn more at online.ua.edu.