While many engineers are happy to spend their careers working in a lab or a cubicle, Jeremy Wallace wanted to be in the boardroom, and knew Penn State's online iMBA could help him get there. "The question I've always wondered about is how do you manage the interaction when you bring engineers together?" he says. "In the back of my mind, I thought I would pursue a management track."

Jeremy didn't have much experience in the business world when he started the program, but was quickly able to apply what he was learning to his job. "There were immediate payoffs from translating what was happening in the "classroom" to my work. My understanding of the business was growing, and my responsibilities were changing as a reflection of that."

Jeremy was also drawn by the residency experiences offered as part of the online curriculum. "The residencies were ultimately one of the deciding factors in choosing Penn State. Whenever I'm asked about why I chose the iMBA program by colleagues, I always mention the quality of the residencies."