Berkeley College’s MBA program helps earn ‘military friendly’ status; ‘They really push you,’ says veteran grad

NOTE: Recently, Military Matters published a list of 15 New Jersey educational institutions named “military friendly” and the thresholds they met to earn the distinction. One of these military friendly institutions was Berkeley College.

In a state that boasts iconic educational institutions such as Princeton and Rutgers Universities and technological stalwarts like NJIT and the Stevens Institute of Technology, Berkeley College continues to chart its own course of success. 

One of the most notable planks of Berkeley’s success has been its MBA program, which just celebrated a 10th anniversary on April 10.  

“We consider the military to be one of our primary constituencies,” said Professor David Glazer, Director of Berkeley’s MBA Program which is offered at the Larry Luing School of Business. “About 10 to 20 percent of our MBA program students are military.”  

The college has a long tradition of working with and supporting the military. That support is anchored by Berkeley’s Office of Military and Veterans Affairs. The main goal of this office is to help military students acclimate to their civilian and professional lives. 

Further, Berkeley offers Yellow Ribbon Scholarships to all eligible veterans. These scholarships cover one hundred percent of tuition and fees not covered by federal and state grants. In some circumstances, Berkeley will offer credits to military students for their training and experience (not all colleges and universities do that).  

“Our MBA program is different from the typical university MBA in that our faculty are hired for their practical experience in industry,” explained Glazer. “Job number one for Berkeley College is the students and their education. We limit class size. We don’t have auditoriums full of students. Our students receive individualized attention and mentoring from the professors.” 

Berkeley has graduated more than 700 students during the 10 years of its MBA program.  

One of them is Scott Lloyd.  

Lloyd served in the U.S. Army for two years as a military police officer. He was stationed in Alabama and South Korea during his service. After transitioning, he served the New York City Police Department for two decades as a narcotics detective and as an instructor. He had not earned a college degree.  

“I worked for most of my career and college was not something I wanted to do,” Lloyd said.  

That changed one night after an annoying encounter with a somewhat snooty academic.

“A colleague of mine was an instructor at John Jay College, and one night when he was called away, I filled in for him,” said Lloyd. “After the class, a professor who attended the class asked me why I didn’t work with my other colleagues and teach here. I told him I didn’t have a degree. He kind of put his nose in the air when he heard that. It pissed me off.  

“Around the same time, I heard Berkeley College was one of the schools looking to align with the NYPD for educational opportunities and they were offering first responder scholarships.” 

Lloyd wound up taking advantage of the alignment and enrolled at Berkeley College. He earned his bachelor’s degree, graduating with a 4.0 grade point average. Shortly thereafter, Lloyd heard that Berkeley also offered educational opportunities for veterans.  

“It was their MBA program,” he said. “I knew in the back of mind, that if I ever wanted to teach, I needed to have a Masters. I had never thought of doing this before. I had spent my career with the NYPD as a door kicker – you know –  the first guy through the door. 

“Now, all of a sudden, I am enjoying teaching, and I need to have the Masters. So, it all clicked for me at the right time.” 

Glazer estimates the Berkeley College MBA program currently has 167 active military students. He sees a distinct difference in the military students he teaches. 

“What I see is many of the military students are more mature – not just physically but emotionally,” Glazer said. “They are more likely to accept the responsibility of the graduate student work. 

“Our military students are very well disciplined,” he continued. “One of the things you have to deal with in the course is deadlines. Military students get that. They are very self-disciplined. I don’t have to worry about them not knowing what has to be done or not knowing when it is due.” 

There are several electives in the Berkeley College MBA program. Glazer says Health Care and Human Resources Management are the most popular choices. 

Lloyd, who chose Law Enforcement Management as his elective, has always been grateful for his time in the service. 

“The military gave me a sense of purpose,” Lloyd said. “My time in the military opened my eyes to a lot of things. It showed me I could push myself and what I was capable of.” 

Lloyd also sings the praises of the Berkeley MBA program. 

“The people running the program really care about their students and they do a lot more than just get you in the program,” he said. “They push you. They make sure you show up. They encourage you and point you in the right direction. Then, what you do with what you learn is up to you.”

Read more:

N.J.’s top ‘military friendly’ institutions — and how they got that way