Artur Kavaliov: My MBA Experience at CBSM

Artur Kavaliov is an MBA student who will be graduating in December. He shared his thoughts on his experiences over the past year in the UAF Master of Business Administration program.

Pursuing the Master of Business Administration program at the UAF College of Business and Security Management was by far the best decision of my educational career. After completing my Bachelor of Science in interdisciplinary studies with a minor in general business, I knew I wanted to further specialize in business and management. My undergraduate business courses impressed me with their quality and practicality, so I set a goal of beginning the AACSB-accredited MBA program in January of 2022 and finishing by the end of the year.

I began the program during spring semester with Organizational Theory for Managers, Quantitative Methods for Managers, Financial Markets and Strategy, and Marketing Management. Although all four courses were interesting and important, Organizational Theory for Managers and Marketing Management were my favorites. They are both writing-intensive courses that require students to create actual, unique business and marketing plans, which I enjoyed due to the creativity involved.

The summer semester had me taking Digital Storytelling with Data, Economics of Environmental and Business Sustainability, and Strategic Collaboration. The first two courses were crucial in strengthening my knowledge of data analysis and economics, but Strategic Collaboration was by far my favorite of the three. It is another course that is very heavily focused on writing, involving a number of written assignments and papers. It also helped me identify my management style, which will be important for any future leadership roles I hold.

Fall is already upon us, and I am again focused on graduate school as I work my way through Business Law and Ethics, Innovation Management and the MBA capstone course, Corporate Strategy. I am ready to finish these excellent classes and graduate in December. The previous months helped me to realize my passion for business writing, marketing, and entrepreneurship, and soon I will start applying for jobs that help me integrate all these areas of business. I strongly believe that an MBA degree helps set you apart from other professionals, and I will use this distinction to help carve my path in launching my own projects as an entrepreneur. I am confident that my MBA will help me become a high-level manager and business professional, and the overall confidence I have gained was another huge benefit of completing this program.

I have been able to take all my courses online with the most amazing and competent professors, which makes the entire process enjoyable and allows me to focus completely on learning and bettering myself. The world is becoming more and more digital, and doing well in online classes proves to employers that you have the skills to succeed in a world that is always progressing due to advances in technology.

To anyone interested in pursuing their MBA at the UAF College of Business and Security Management, I highly recommend this program and cannot say enough good things about it. I am truly loving my MBA experience and wish everyone the best of luck the rest of this fall semester!