Sahil Bakhai spent six years at a small engineering firm in India, working his way up from operations manager to COO. He was technically strong but knew he needed to build on his business strategy and problem-solving skills.
The MBA stood out as the best next step. While researching the ideal programme, he had the chance to speak with graduates and ambassadors from the Iowa State University’s Ivy College of Business. These conversations convinced him to take the leap and choose the The Ivy College MBA.
He has since thrived academically, both in and out of the classroom. “The Ivy College of Business gave me the resources to learn and grow once I knew what I needed from my MBA,” says Bakhai, who specialised in supply chain management and business analytics. “This level of freedom to choose how I wanted my MBA to be was so refreshing that it pushed me to do more.”
With that flexibility, Bakhai made the most of every opportunity. He competed in the ethical leadership competition, a national case competition, before interning at Ricoh USA as a global marketing and operations intern. He then spent eight months as a supply chain management intern at Musco Sports Lighting, a leading provider of sports and architectural lighting solutions. That internship later turned into a full-time role as a supply chain analyst.
Bakhai’s journey is just one example of the college’s focus on career-readiness. Iowa State ranks #3 in the US for students employed at graduation, thanks to its strong career support and STEM-designated curriculum. This combination prepares students for real-world experiences and successful employment.
Graduate Career Services at Iowa State University provides guidance to plan your job search, improve applications, prepare for interviews, build networking skills, and negotiate job offers. Source: Iowa State University
Unlimited access to career and student services
Behind that #3 ranking is a support system that starts as early as a student’s first advising session through to their first day of employment. Graduate Career Services provides one-on-one coaching, resume and interview preparation, employer recruiting pipelines, and career fair access — with no cap on how often students use it.
On the academic side, Graduate Student Services provides academic advising, onboarding support, assistantship coordination, and guidance on day-to-day matters. With these in place, students can spend less time figuring out administrative processes and more time focusing on coursework.
In fact, Pratikshya Tripathee leveraged this to not only earn one but three degrees. She graduated in December 2024 with an MBA, a business analytics certificate, and a Master of Finance.
When Tripathee arrived from Nepal, an early meeting with Sarah Wilson, Director of Professional Master’s Student Services, gave her a sense of footing before classes even started. “She took the time to patiently walk me through the most fundamental concepts, such as how course credits work, things I had never needed to think about during my undergraduate studies back home,” she says.
International students have a shorter time to apply for jobs than their local peers, and generic job search advice doesn’t account for visa sponsorship requirements. Tabatha Carney, Director of Graduate Business Career Services, worked through that with Tripathee directly.
“Career services was intentional about tailoring guidance and job opportunities to international students’ visa requirements,” Tripathee says. “I still remember sitting across from Tabatha Carney as she patiently guided me in identifying roles and companies that actively sponsor and hire international students. It was a clear reflection of a team that consistently advocated for and supported international students.”
Today, she works as a financial analyst at Frontier Airlines, a role she converted from a summer 2024 internship. Carney played the same role for Bakhai — helping him sharpen his CV and prepare for interviews, which led to him securing the internship at Ricoh USA.
Iowa State University-Ivy College of Business is among the top 2% of business schools worldwide with AACSB accreditation in both business and accounting. Source: Iowa State University
STEM designation and the path into deep tech
Support alone wouldn’t be effective if a graduate’s degree did not meet the requirements of today’s employers.
The Ivy MBA is STEM-designated, as are four additional full-time residential graduate programmes: the Master of Business Analytics, Master of Finance, Master of Science in Information Systems, and Master of Financial Technology.
For international students, the STEM designation extends Optional Practical Training eligibility from one year to three — a crucial advantage when you enter a competitive US job market. For employers, it signals that a graduate has completed a curriculum built around quantitative rigour and the analytical depth that the finance, technology, and operations sectors are actively recruiting for.
Tripathee specifically sought out the STEM-designated MBA when evaluating programmes. “The curriculum structure, faculty strength, and availability of assistantships further confirmed that Ivy was the right choice for me,” she says.
As for MBA students who aspire to be entrepreneurs, the Deep Technology Venture Creation programme is a great way to transform scientific breakthroughs into scalable businesses. It is an interdisciplinary course where MBA students pair with STEM PhD researchers from across Iowa State to co-create venture-ready businesses. Past teams have launched startups spanning agricultural AI, biomedical devices, and sustainable materials science.
“This course gave me a solid foundation for working on deep tech ventures,” says MBA student Sophia Galley Quarshie. “Whether I continue developing AgriScope or pursue new opportunities, I feel better equipped to operate at the intersection of innovation and entrepreneurship.”
Learn more about Iowa State University-Ivy College of Business.
Follow Iowa State University-Ivy College of Business on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube