Carlson, others recruit veterans for MBA programs

As the U.S. military reduces its forces and sends active-duty soldiers home, the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management and other higher education institutions across the country are actively recruiting veterans for their master of business administration programs.

Currently, the percentage of unemployed Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is two points higher than the rest of the population, the Star Tribune reported.  

Carlson’s program for veterans includes an on-staff retired military coordinator, scholarships and an experiential learning program, the Tribune said. Now, nine of the school’s full-time MBA students are veterans, and the school hopes to have 10 to 15 in this year’s recruitment class.

The program stresses how leadership, problem-solving and other military skills can be applied to the business world, according to Carlson’s website.

“This is a population we’ve long identified we want to help out with as underserved,” Philip Miller, assistant dean of the full-time and part-time Carlson MBA programs, told the Tribune. “It changes the complexion of the class.”

Other colleges and universities are recruiting veterans, too, the Tribune said. For example, Syracuse University, State University of New York-Empire State College and the University of South Florida-St. Petersburg are developing MBA programs that grant veterans credit for their military experience.