Class of 2022: From UCalgary main campus to Munich

Every day at 11 a.m. and again at noon, the 110-year-old glockenspiel in the tower of Munich’s City Hall plays its 43 bells for about 15 minutes, while life-size mechanical characters re-enact a medieval jousting tournament and a royal wedding as tourists and the occasional local look on. For those who live in the Bavarian city, the tower and the tunes are familiar, pleasant background sights and sounds as they edge their way around the crowds and go about their busy days.

Jay Kinden is one of those residents now, occasionally passing through the square as he heads to or from his classes at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) School of Management.

Even though it’s a far cry from his hometown of Roddickton, Newfoundland, and even further geographically from the UCalgary campus, he can’t think of another place he’d rather be right now.

Kinden won’t be on hand to receive his Master of Management degree from the Haskayne School of Business this week as he’s just begun a program at TUM that will lead to a second degree from the well-known, top-ranked school in Germany.

Haskayne Master of Management leads to second degree offering

Only 10-months in length, the Haskayne Master of Management (MMgmt) program is designed for recent graduates with a non-business bachelor's degree. Students with a variety of backgrounds each bring their own perspectives to the cohort; Kinden majored in geology and minored in management and society through Haskayne.

Through a combination of that minor concentration, being in leadership positions within a fraternity, and founding his first business during his undergraduate studies, Kinden discovered his passion. “I knew I wanted to take my career in a more business-oriented direction,” he says, “and the Master of Management provided me with the best path to get there.”

Kinden credits the MMgmt program with providing a solid business education that combines well with his scientific background. “The coursework pushed me to grow so much personally and academically in a short amount of time,” he says.  “I think it prepared me most by showing me that I am truly capable of anything that I set my mind to.”

While in the MMgmt program, Kinden found out about the new dual degree offering which would allow him to get a second degree, a master of science, from the top-ranked university in Germany in only one extra year. “It was one of those things that as soon as I read about the opportunity, I knew that it was something that I was going to do,” he says. “I guess you could call it intuition.”

The program is quite competitive due to TUM’s reputation and the small cohort size; Kinden’s class is only 34 students, and they come from all over the world. This is done to create a more collaborative and effective learning environment.

While he’s only been in Munich a month, he says the experience has been amazing; he’s made new friends and met interesting and successful entrepreneurs. His cohort has already been exposed to innovative technologies, including applied artificial intelligence, autonomous mobility, quantum sensing, and clean energy tech.

He says that so far the most challenging aspect of the program has been getting into the more technical aspects of some of the technologies. “For my project work,” he explains, “ I have been paired with an innovative German company that is working to take a recently developed  technology to market. Over time, with the support of my supervisors, I’m excited to learn how advanced technologies and business combine to create new solutions”.

Global experience both required and desired

One thing Kinden says he knows right now is that in today’s world of globalization and interconnected markets, a businessperson needs to be able to think globally. “Experiencing first-hand how business is conducted in other countries will give me a new perspective and a more diverse skillset, which I know will help advance my career. Experiences like this can shape who you are as a professional and increase the amount of value that you can deliver in the future.”

And his advice to anyone thinking about applying for both the Haskayne MMgmt and subsequent opportunity with TUM?  “Just do it, there is never any real growth in life without stepping outside of your comfort zone.”

“Who knows? Maybe the next great business venture will belong to you!”