Action | Student News

Chasing a Master's Degree Online p.3

How was the rapport between the students?

Gef: I think the group projects were really the mechanism that had us work with each other and find out about our different personalities and mannerisms. I really think that was the primary tool for us to gel as a class.

Joele: Getting together the first week of the semester was great. We’ve all learned a lot about each other. I feel like we’re all in this together—we all help each other out.

I couldn’t be at the get-together in December [Because of the recent birth of her daughter]. It’s a credit to the program that the professors are dedicated to making it work. They had me call in on a conference call, so I still was able to contribute to talking with the other students about the group projects.

What does your employer think of your participation in the program?

Kathy: My boss is very supportive of me being in this program. First of all, he’s an MEM graduate from Duke, so that helps, but also he understands the value that this degree will give me and bring to the company.

Christopher: I had to do some work to convince my company that this education would be worthwhile, but the VP of Environmental Health and Safety has totally embraced it—he’s actually going to be my adviser on my master’s or thesis project.

Julie: They are supportive. We have a number of MEM graduates working for the firm. As a result, I get class and professor recommendations around the water cooler from time to time. I’m looking forward to the day that I can bring something new into the firm that will be beneficial to my job and to our products.

Tell us about the technology part of the program.

Kathy: First I thought it would be a very impersonal experience, and that is not the case at all—I’ve gotten to know my fellow students very well. I certainly wouldn’t want anyone to be afraid of the program because of the technology. It’s very easy to use, the professors do a great job organizing the classes, and we’ve all done it and not had any technology problems.

Christopher: The technology is great. I don’t necessarily embrace the online chats, but about halfway through the semester we went to a teleconference approach, which was great. Four of us worked on our group projects by teleconferencing with each other.

Julie: I think if you have a really basic understanding of how the Internet works, it’s not really that difficult. ... I think you just need to be able to type and navigate the Internet well.

Is there anything in particular that you think it would be important for a prospective student to know?

Kathleen: It’s a lot of hard work, and it’s really a prestigious program, a full-blown master’s degree. It’s not an on-line degree. People enrolling in this program should be prepared, because it’s like being a full-time student and a full-time employee, no doubt about it. It’s consuming. You have to be committed.

What’s your favorite thing about the program?

Susan: My favorite part of the experience is the learning. I’ve been with the EPA for 20 years now, so getting to learn about things that I wouldn’t have read about. It’s stimulating. ... I think it’s made me more enthusiastic.

Kathy: My favorite part of this program has been meeting the seven other students in the program. … figuring out what it is that they do, what problems they run into and how they handle those problems. It’s been a valuable experience.

Gef: The best thing about the program is the integrated approach. I’m really excited to be chasing my Master’s in Environmental Management through Duke.

page 1 | 2 | 3