Market to US Military (Operation MBA)
Find military personnel with leadership skills that will benefit your graduate management program.
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The military represents a large market of untapped candidates for you to reach.
Of the more than 200,000 career officers leaving their branches of the US armed forces, many have exceptional leadership and team-building skills that would fit well with the strategic and analytical education that schools like yours provide. GMAC developed Operation MBA to offer military candidates information about why and how they should pursue graduate management education. Combine our successful Operation MBA program with your unique military marketing campaign to reach thousands of new candidates.
“Military officers are increasingly well educated. An advanced degree—especially an MBA—creates a competitive advantage. More importantly, it enhances the contribution one can make to national defense.”
Dennis M. McCarthy, Lt. General, US Marine Corps (Retired)
Market to Military Candidates on mba.com
Promote your school and military-targeted events on mba.com to recruit military personnel. The website features a dedicated section for military candidates where they can view our Operation MBA Planning Guide and see other students sharing their graduate management experiences through profile pages.
Case Studies
Recruit military candidates for your program by:
- Designing a new graduate management program to meet the needs of career military candidates.
- Using military alumni to attract individuals who plan to leave military service.
The Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University: Designing a New Degree Program
The opportunity: The Whitman School partnered with the US Department of Defense and Syracuse’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs to develop a joint degree program for the Master of Business (MBA) and an Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA). This unique MBA/EMPA in Public Administration program is designed exclusively for career military personnel.
Students learn essential tools for private and public sector business practices and gain the ability to analyze and develop public policy. Both skill sets are critical to Department of Defense efforts to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its business management. Students complete the 60-credit-hour program in just 14 months.
The results: The success of this joint degree program has depended on establishing close relationships between the school and Department of Defense counterparts and on combining faculty from two different graduate programs. Many of the graduates have reached the pinnacle of their profession. They've served in the most senior comptroller positions in the Army, defense finance, accounting service, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
The Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis: Using Military Alumni to Showcase a Program
The opportunity: Olin Business School used a mix of advertising, personal recruiting, website listings, and networking to attract military personnel to its program. The school launched its military recruiting efforts after a West Point graduate joined Olin’s graduate business program and became a class leader and role model. Olin staff convinced him to help recruit others with military experience.
Olin's most effective strategy involved enlisting alumni with military experience to recruit their military colleagues at job and education fairs. They showcased the ways in which the school provides veterans with both financial and moral support. In addition, Olin created a veterans’ association to provide mentors and offer a network of current students, alumni, and recruiters with military backgrounds.
The results: Olin Business School has gone from having an occasional student from the military to attracting approximately five percent of its graduate business students from individuals with military backgrounds. The school expects to see further growth. This strategy is also useful for attracting military candidates who will remain in the military.
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