Why MMS? Q&A with Master’s Candidate at The Fuqua School of Business Maximilian Moser

Maximilian “Max” Moser (T ‘20) discusses his experience partaking in the MMS Certificate Program in this interview with MMS Student Ambassador and senior undergraduate student Bryan Edwards.

Moser grew up in Bregenz, Austria and played soccer for the U-19 Austrian National Team before joining the Duke Men’s Soccer team in 2016. He made the ACC Academic Honor Roll all four years and graduated with a Political Science (Economics focus) degree alongside a minor in Sociology and the MMS certificate. Upon graduation, Moser continued his consulting role with KPMG Austria and worked in international sales with RedBull before enrolling in the Master of Management studies program at the Fuqua School of Business where he is currently a Master’s candidate in international business.

Why did you decide to do the MMS certificate?

The flexibility that comes with the certificate, especially the course offerings and how applicable they are to many different areas is one of the biggest reasons why I decided to do it. You can take so many classes that are cross-listed and it gives you the most flexibility of any certificates at Duke.

So, for me, that was really attractive and I also enjoyed the experiential learning through projects or working with clients while I was at Duke. I'm also doing a full consulting project on the side at Fuqua right now so having those experiences, and the ones outside the classroom, were parts of the MMS certificate that I really appreciated.

What would be your advice to students that are just starting the MMS certificate but don’t exactly know what they want to do or how to apply what they’ve learned to future opportunities?

Getting started with the MMS certificate, definitely explore as many different classes as you can and don’t restrict yourself to one area, such as finance, but instead, also explore economics or brand management. Just enjoy the variety of classes that are offered. And then also, if you can, find classes that are project-related and give you experience outside of the classroom. That's definitely something that gears you towards anything that you're going to approach after graduation.

How did you apply the skills and concepts you learned throughout the MMS certificate towards your internships and postgraduate opportunities?

I think the program definitely helped in terms of knowing what to do in certain positions and sharing my experiences with interviewers, such as a marketing plan that I did in class or similar projects. So, I feel like the certificate was really applicable to the jobs I was interested in and it definitely made interviewing way easier. And the certificate also helped me start in the positions because I was somewhat used to what my employers expected me to do.

What is the program that you are taking at the Fuqua School of Business and how is it different from the MMS certificate?

While the MMS certificate provided me with a great foundational skillset to tackle real-world business issues, the Master’s degree at Fuqua has allowed me to gain a more in-depth and hands-on experience through solving case studies and working on projects with an international team of students.

The Master of Management studies program at Fuqua provides several benefits that other similar programs do not. Graduates of the program have the opportunity to apply and return to Fuqua for an accelerated MBA (1-year only), and Duke undergrads may not have to take the GMAT to apply. Fuqua also offers plenty of opportunities to discover various career opportunities, extend U.S. work authorization through additional STEM classes, and engage in extracurricular activities and networking opportunities via consulting projects and clubs.

With many companies requiring applicants to have a Master’s degree in Europe, the 10-month program offered the perfect opportunity for me to gain valuable business experience, make progress towards an MBA, and bridge the gap between my undergraduate degree, internships and a full-time position.

What is one class that you took during the MMS certificate that you think prepared you the best for internships and your time at the Fuqua School of Business?

I would say Grody’s class called Marketing Across Borders, Cultures, and Demographics. That was a great class because it had so many different components that were very hands-on. It was based on a simulation where you built and followed a marketing plan while partaking in consumer research. And I enjoyed the way he taught us how to apply the concepts from the simulation to the real word: how to serve consumers, how to interview them, and how to use templates to make a consumer report. That was really valuable, especially for me, because I wanted to go into consumer goods. His class was one where I was like, “Wow, everything I do in this class is hands-on and will help me after graduation.”