NSU Opens MBA Doors to Palm Beach Employees

NSU knows a strong and talented workforce is critical to South Florida’s business community and is committed to fulfilling this need. So when it heard employees from NextEra/Florida Power & Light (FPL) were asking for a local Master of Business Administration (MBA) program, it sprang into action.

The NSU H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship began designing a program on NSU’s Palm Beach campus that would cater to employees at NextEra, as well as other organizations, while offering affordability, convenience, and flexibility. Students would be able to finance the program through their corporate reimbursement allowances.

Tshoy Stewart, a senior GIS specialist/senior development technology specialist with NextEra Energy Resources, leaped at the Palm Beach MBA opportunity when it was brought to her attention by her employer. Stewart has previous bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Florida State University.

A St. Lucie County resident, Stewart has been employed by NextEra since 2020. She is one of the 60 students enrolled in the program, and one of the 52 students working for NextEra/FPL.

“So far, I have enjoyed the program, and it will help improve my managerial skills,” she said. “I’m no stranger to managing schoolwork and my career. This time, though, it feels more manageable than my prior experiences because of NSU’s accelerated semesters.”

With NSU’s program format, a typical four-month semester is broken into two-month semesters. Instead of taking the traditional route with three to four classes over four months, students take one to two classes for two months at a time. This makes the course load easier to manage, Stewart said.

Working with the faculty and advisers at NSU has also been a plus.

“I so greatly enjoy and appreciate the graduate advisers that have been working with me this school year,” Stewart said. The Palm Beach MBA program appeals to working adults who are looking to advance their careers. Current students come from diverse professional backgrounds, including fields such as engineering, finance, human resources, city government, law enforcement, and more. Based on the success of this initiative, a new cohort MBA program will be planned for the future.

“Programs like this are crucial because they enable us to collaborate with local organizations to develop future leaders and support their leadership succession planning,” said Millicent Kelly, the director of graduate admissions at NSU’s Palm Beach Regional Campus. “Additionally, the program is designed with the needs of working adults in mind, offering flexible course structures that accommodate their various roles and responsibilities.”

Stewart says she wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the MBA program to others.

“I think it is great that my company supports their employees to continue education to learn new skills and elevate themselves in that manner,” she said. “The graduate team at NSU are amazing and that has made this experience easy, educational, and fun.”