With the application deadline approaching for San Diego State University’s (SDSU) Meeting and Event Management Master’s program (July 1; this fourth cohort will begin classes in August), we reached out to a couple of meeting professionals who have been or are currently going through the program to share some added insight.
The 21-month-long program involves San Diego-based, in-person classes at the beginning and end of the program plus eight online classes. You will be in great company—it’s also extremely exclusive program, limited to only 30 students on the meetings side.
Lori Pugh Marcum (MPI North Florida Chapter) was in the very first cohort of the SDSU master’s program, graduating in December 2020.
“I was having a hard time moving up from the manager level to the director level and needed a way to stay ahead of the competition,” Pugh Marcum says, explaining why she decided to sign up. “I have a true passion for learning and continual improvement and this program was a way to help me achieve my goals.”
Brooke Eder (MPI Washington State Chapter) began in the program in Aug. 2021 with her sights set on graduation this December.
“In August of 2020, I faced unemployment for the first time, and it gave me the opportunity to re-evaluate the direction of my career,” Eder says. “I worked in B2B software sales for 10 years and was ready to move away from sales. Planning and connecting people have always been my strengths and I have always enjoyed planning company events, sales events and fundraising events. I began networking within the event industry and signing up for various webinars and training courses to explore this career path. My networking efforts had introduced me to MPI, and I began exploring their educational offerings as well. I began exploring graduate programs and discovered that MPI partnered with SDSU in creating the Meeting and Event Management Master’s program. The program overview looked amazing and I set up an informational meeting with Candy Flynn, SDSU Student Experience Manager, to learn more. Candy also connected me with a current student in the program to learn about her experience. The program’s focus on leadership skills through the lens of meeting and event management was very appealing and I decided to enroll.”
Understanding the life and world of meeting professionals, the program itself is very flexible. In fact, many of the projects can be based around what students are already doing in their day jobs.
“Going back to school while working full time is a balancing act that requires a lot of time management,” Eder explains. “The program begins with this in mind, and the first two classes have a strong focus on leadership skills, time management and personal growth to help students get the foundational skills to succeed in the program as it becomes increasingly challenging. This foundation has been very valuable to me as I continue to move through the curriculum.”
Pugh Marcum notes that in her cohort, the content within the program actually adjusted in order to reflect the challenges meeting professionals are experiencing today.
“COVID rocked our world and our industry while I was in the program,” Pugh Marcum says. “It changed the lens on almost every topic we were learning and the instructors rose to the challenge of pivoting and adding to the curriculum and assignments.”
She says that completing the master’s program has already had an “incredible” impact on her career.
“It hasn’t even been two years since I graduated and I am celebrating my one-year anniversary at my new job,” she says. “In less than two years, I have recouped my tuition cost in full with my new salary.”
While Eder is roughly halfway through her SDSU program, she says she’s already realizing the value of the education in her career.
“I have been able to immediately apply the leadership skills, professional development and strategic planning that I have learned so far,” Eder says. “The coursework has been very relevant to programs that I am working on for my full-time job and I have been able to add a lot of value to my company. The program also offers valuable networking opportunities through the mentorship program, instructors and classmates. The program provides meeting planners with a strategic approach to idea generation, problem-solving and executive conversations that are relevant and crucial in today’s industry.”
Both meeting professionals are eager to recommend the SDSU Meeting and Event Management Master’s program to their peers.
“While there is no perfect time to take on a new endeavor, I urge planners who are on the fence about joining to take a leap of faith,” Pugh Marcum says. “It’s time to invest in yourself and your future. “Time and money are usually the biggest challenges that meeting professionals face in pursuing industry education—and I know that as in-person meetings are growing rapidly, adding time to your week seems difficult. But if you can devote one or two hours a day to the program, you can succeed. Just think about how much time the average person spends scrolling through their social media that could be used to further their career. I am proof that the SDSU Master’s program is worth the investment and will pay off sooner than you expect it to.”
Eder echoes the time challenge while offering some additional insight.
“Meeting professionals do not work a typical 9-5 job and juggle a lot of different priorities at once,” she says. “Finding the time to get everything done is challenging but rewarding; getting buy-in from your employer is also a challenge. If I did not have support from my employer, it would be a lot more challenging to go through this program.”
Want to learn more about the San Diego State University’s Meeting and Event Management Master’s program that kicks off in August? Visit the program’s site or sign up to attend upcoming webinars (May 19 and June 8) to get full details and discuss the program with some of its instructors, who all actively work in the industry. And don’t forget, the application deadline for the next cohort is July 1!
