The MiM search that is quietly shrinking your school list

Sep 15, 2026

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Master in Management. MS in Commerce. Master of Management Studies. You are probably reading those as three different degrees.

They are not. Duke, UVA, Chicago Booth, Northwestern Kellogg, LSE, Cornell, INSEAD, Michigan Ross, and London Business School each offer its version of the same thing: the pre-experience MiM.

A former admissions officer told me recently she wishes the schools used one name, because the confusion costs applicants real opportunities. I see it every cycle.

Here's the fix. Forget the name and ask two questions.

Is it pre-experience? Built for people with zero to two years of full-time work, where more than that makes you ineligible.

Does it cover the broad business toolkit? Accounting, finance, strategy, marketing, leadership, statistics, and operations, rather than going deep on one area.

Yes to both, and you are looking at an MiM, whatever the diploma says.

Unfortunately, you can't assume a program called a 'Master in Management' is pre-experience. Stanford's MSM calls itself a one-year master's in management. It requires eight years of full-time, post-college work experience. Harvard has no pre-experience MiM at all.

So search "pre-experience business master's," not "master in management," and compare programs on what the name cannot tell you: internships, length, alumni network, and post-study work visa rules.

The full breakdown is in this week's video.

Watch it → HERE.

That’s it for this week.

Keep showing up, keep cheering each other on — and as always, happy applying! 💛

Caitlin Andersen

Admissions Coach & Oxford MBA

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The MiM search that is quietly shrinking your school list

That’s it for this week.

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For ambitious professionals and students navigating the world of master's-level business admissions. MasterPlan delivers sharp, honest insights on programs, applications, and strategy — so you can make better decisions, faster.

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