Taking the MiM to MBA Pathway at Georgetown McDonough

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Georgetown McDonough makes the student journey from early-career momentum to MBA leadership faster and more flexible. Through a newly structured pathway, launched in 2025, graduates of the school’s STEM-designated Master’s in Management (MiM) program can apply eligible coursework toward a Georgetown MBA after gaining professional experience. This allows them to complete their MBA in one year (for the Full-time MBA) and approximately 1.5 years (for the part-time Flex MBA and Flex MBA Online). Doing so dramatically lowers the cost of the degree.

Joining us to discuss the MiM to MBA Pathway further is Professor Michael O’Leary, Senior Associate Dean for Graduate & Executive Degree Programs at Georgetown McDonough. Professor O’Leary worked in public policy and consulting and taught at Boston College Carroll School of Management before joining Georgetown’s faculty in 2009. He has won teaching and service awards at both BC and George­town, and has taught undergraduates, MBAs and other master’s students, PhDs, and executives.

From 2020 to 2022, he oversaw McDonough’s custom-designed non-degree programs run in partnership with large companies, government agencies/departments, and non-profits as Senior Associate Dean of Custom Executive Education. In July 2022, Professor O’Leary started his current role, while also co-directing Georgetown’s Small Business Corps and serving as Academic Director of the school’s Sports Business Program. An experienced global educator, Professor O’Leary has taught in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and South America, and in six of Georgetown’s master’s programs.

Read on for his insights into the MiM to MBA Pathway at Georgetown McDonough.

What is one aspect of the McDonough MiM to MBA Pathway that you wish applicants knew more about?

Applicants, who are Georgetown alumni, should know that we look forward to welcoming them back to the University so that they can build on their MiM degree and subsequent work experience with an elective-heavy curriculum in the MBA program. With those several years of work experience, they should have a better sense of their interests — and, thus, be able to choose electives that help advance their careers.

Who is the MiM to MBA Pathway best suited to?

Applicants should be graduates who did well in our MiM program, who have had several years of excellent post-MiM work experience, and are now ready to build on their core MiM knowledge with the freedom to shape their experience from the rich range of MBA electives.

What advice do you have for applicants considering the MiM to MBA Pathway?

Because they will be getting an expedited MBA degree and generally won’t have a summer internship before re-entering the job market, I encourage MiM alumni who are interested in the pathway to have early conversations with our great McDonough Career Center team to talk about how their choice of courses and activities while in school can position them for job-market success.

Why is Georgetown McDonough the ideal place to pursue an MiM and MBA?

Returning to Georgetown as an MiM alum to continue your education and get an MBA enables you to earn both degrees in less time, have a flexibility-focused experience in the MBA, and continue to benefit from the things that make Georgetown McDonough great for students in all programs — an unmatched perspective on the intersection of business and global affairs; a global orientation, mindset, alumni body, and footprint with our new international campuses; and an emphasis on values-based leadership where we are as interested in doing well as we are in doing good (for the community and society).

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Depending on when you finished your MiM at Georgetown, you’ll be returning to a University that is firmly grounded in its centuries-old values and traditions, but also always innovating and growing. You’ll find things that are familiar and comfortable, as well as things that are exciting and new.