On August 12, the College of Business at the University of Nevada, Reno hosted its annual Executive MBA (EMBA) graduation ceremony for the 27 graduate students at the University, who were recently awarded their EMBA degree.

This ceremony marked the 11th graduating class from the EMBA program at the University. According to the U.S. News in 2023, the Online EMBA program was top-ranked as #51 out of the 344 online MBA programs across the nation.

“The 2023 Executive MBA graduating class presents an incredible cohort of students with significant professional and academic credentials,” Kambiz Raffiee, EMBA director and associate dean of the College of Business, said. “They exemplify the depth and tradition of excellence the program has established. We are so proud of the 2023 EMBA graduating class and their accomplishments in the program.”

“We are always excited about the graduation ceremony for the Executive MBA program,” Greg Mosier, dean of the College of Business, said. “The hard work of the students and the faculty in creating the program and its culmination in this event highlights the world class quality of what we do in building a legacy of globally competitive business leaders.”

Students from six states participated in this program, with graduates from California, Colorado, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington. The graduates have an average of 14 years of work experience, and their employers include Northern Nevada Medical Center, MGM Resorts International, Microsoft, Netflix and BJ’s Restaurants.

In addition, three of the graduates have their graduate certificate or professional degrees. One veteran graduated from this cohort as well.

Liv Moore, one of the cohort's graduates, elaborated on how her success with her current job in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles aligned with the structure of the EMBA program at the University.

“I always knew I wanted to pursue my master’s, but I wanted to have some substantial career experience before entering the program,” Moore said. “Working in entertainment, I have lots of hands-on experience, and I felt that experience should be amplified from what a business program can give me; I always wanted to pursue a degree at the University of Nevada, Reno and I had zero interest of applying anywhere else.”

Katie Feser, another cohort graduate and a current senior sales manager at Moeller Aerospace, was encouraged by her colleagues to pursue her EMBA at the University.

“Being a student, in general, was always something that I thoroughly enjoyed and any opportunity to grow and learn was one of the biggest factors that led to me joining the EMBA program, regardless of being a little intimidated at first,” she said. “Since starting the EMBA program, I was recruited and given better career opportunities while juggling school; overall, making the decision to earn my master’s degree shows my resilience and perseverance to learning.”