A closer look at the MSx students on campus.
The Class of 2022 arrived at the Knight Management Center in July to begin the one-year MSx Program. | Elena Zhukova
The members of the Stanford MSx Class of 2022 arrived on campus in July from 31 countries to begin the MSx program, a one-year accelerated master’s degree program designed for mid-career leaders seeking personal and professional growth.
This year, for the first time since the program launched in 1957, two MSx cohorts are on campus at the same time due to the pandemic-delayed Class of 2021 matriculation, which took place in January of this year. This expanded MSx community will allow participants additional opportunities for collaboration with leaders from diverse backgrounds, as the two classes will experience some overlapping core courses, student governance, and extracurricular programming.
In addition to taking core management courses, students in the MSx program customize more than half their schedule with electives that align with their interests and career objectives. | Elena Zhukova
“The MSx classes of 2021 and 2022 are unique in the context of the program’s history,” said Mike Hochleutner, director of MSx admissions. “Leaders are facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities due to COVID-19, and more than ever before, our students are seeking to embrace disruptive change. The diverse experiences of each cohort create a community of leaders who have the potential to develop initiatives that address pressing needs and shape how organizations evolve as a result of the pandemic.”
Multinational diversity is a hallmark of MSx cohorts. Of the members of the Class of 2022, 67% are from outside the United States, and more than half of U.S. students identify as people of color. Countries with the highest number of class members include India, China, Brazil, Colombia, and Japan. The pandemic led to travel and visa restrictions that created barriers for some, which contributed to the lower number of international students in the MSx Class of 2022 than in previous years.
MSx students are selected not just for academic strength, but also for their demonstrated impact as established leaders in and outside their organizations. The median GMAT score of incoming students is 700, the median GRE verbal score is 163 and the quantitative median is 165, and the median TOEFL score is 109. In addition, MSx students have experience in 22 unique industries, with the highest representation in the fields of finance, technology, government, and health care. Students have, on average, 12 years of professional experience, and nearly 50% have an advanced degree.
The members of the Class of 2022 all have significant experience in managerial roles, while their areas of expertise vary widely. Class members include former elected representatives of national legislatures, Olympic athletes, surgeons, space program engineers, cybersecurity specialists, health care and banking executives, principal investors, active duty military officers, high school principals, architects, and several entrepreneurs.
In the MSx program, which when successfully completed results in a master of science in management degree, participants take core management courses in subjects such as finance, strategy, and operations, and they customize more than half their schedule with electives from Stanford GSB and other schools across Stanford University. The career objectives of graduates vary, and include career advancement, entrepreneurship, and career change. No matter their goals, MSx students and graduates are supported by staff at Stanford GSB’s Career Management Center and as members of the broader Stanford GSB alumni network around the world, now more than 31,000 strong.
Two MSx cohorts are on campus together for the first time in the MSx program’s history, creating new opportunities for students to connect and learn from each other’s experiences. | Elena Zhukova
MSx students also form strong bonds of their own. A unique part of the degree program is the tight-knit community created at the Knight Management Center, which is enhanced by the presence of students’ partners and families. Among the Class of 2022, 61% of students have a spouse or significant other, and 37% have children (33 kids in all, ranging in age from newborn to 17).
“We designed the MSx program with our students’ personal and professional well-being in mind,” Hochleutner says. “Our community is enriched by the partners and families who join us on campus, and we want their lives to be enriched by our community too.”
The unique living and learning environment on campus allows students in the MSx program to form a tight-knit community. | Elena Zhukova
From 1960 to 2013, the MSx program’s name was the Stanford Sloan Program in recognition of founding support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. In honor of the program’s origin and those alumni, students in the program are called Sloan Fellows and MSx students.
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