Meet the MSx Class of 2020: Global, Accomplished, Diverse

Image

Students in the Stanford MSx Program. | Elena Zhukova

Stanford Graduate School of Business this summer welcomed 85 new students to its MSx program, a one-year, full-time accelerated master’s degree program for experienced leaders.

The members of the MSx Class of 2020 are skilled leaders who bring a depth and breadth of experiences to the MSx Program and Stanford GSB community. The new students have an average of 12.9 years of professional work experience, and join the program from 43 different job functions and 38 unique industries. The top three industry categories are finance investment management, government, and internet services and e-commerce. Forty-eight percent of the 85 students came to the school with advanced degrees.

“This year’s class is made up of passionate, global leaders who have already made a significant impact in their careers and communities,” said Mike Hochleutner, director of MSx admissions. “Their real-world experiences inspire discussions in the classroom, and their diverse perspectives allow them to engage, challenge, and learn from one another in an immersive setting. These are purposeful leaders who drive change in their organizations and the world.”

This year, 31 of the students are women, marking the highest number of women enrolled in the program to date; mid-career programs have traditionally seen lower participation from women relative to programs that enroll students earlier in their careers. In all, women make up 36% of Class of 2020, up ten percentage points from 26% last year. Data for the MSx program shows gender diversity has improved percentage-wise over the last three years:

• 2020: 54 males, 31 females (36%)
• 2019: 59 males, 21 females (26%)
• 2018: 79 males, 25 females (24%)

Members of the Class of 2020 join the program in different stages of their lives: 15 new students are mothers (48% of the women in the program have children), and 60% of the class have partners and/or families living with them on Stanford’s campus. The MSx program provides an immersive living and learning experience for all students, and their partners and families by offering a multitude of resources, educational experiences, and activities to support and bring together the entire MSx community.

The incoming class is a highly diverse group. Nearly 62% of the class are international students, and the students hold citizenship in 30 unique countries around the world. The top three countries of primary citizenship are India (10), China (6), and Japan (5). U.S. citizens make up the remaining 38% of the class, of which 59% are U.S. minorities (Asian American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, Hispanic/Latino, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander) and 41% are white (including Middle Eastern). Overall, U.S. minorities make up 22% of the Class of 2020.

The newest members of the MSx program join a community of like-minded students who aspire to make a positive impact in their organizations and the world. In the classroom, students learn about the latest research and business insights from top faculty and business practitioners. Choosing more than half of their curriculum while at Stanford GSB, MSx students can tailor their degree to specific interests that align with their career goals after graduation.

From 1960 to 2013, the program’s name was the Stanford Sloan Program in recognition of the original donor, 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.