Stanford MSx student

Career Change Path

If you aspire to pivot to a new job function or industry, the one-year master’s program will prepare you to shift into a new professional field or sector.

If this is your goal, you might aim to:

  • Network with classmates, alumni, and industry professionals
  • Join a related industry club
  • Broaden your general management skills
  • Take industry-specific courses to understand and enter a new field
  • Study advanced thought leadership in your desired industry
  • Enroll in electives across Stanford University

You will be able to take courses across the university, allowing you to study a range of topics rigorously and connect with faculty leading research in your field of interest. At the end of the one-year masters program, you will demonstrate an ability to actively engage in a new professional space.

How to Pivot Your Career: MSx Alumni Portraits of Career Change

Create Depth of Knowledge Through Industry-Specific Courses

If you want to deepen knowledge of a new industry, consider taking electives like the ones listed below.

Education
  • Disruptions in Education
  • Leading Change in Public Education
  • Mission and Money in Education
  • Presentation and Communication Skills for Academics
  • Transforming Education Through Entrepreneurship
Energy
  • Climate Tech for Rapid Decarbonization
  • Data Science for Environmental Business
  • Public Policy for Climate Innovation
  • The Technology, Politics, and Finance for Solving Global Warming
Finance
  • Angel and Venture Capital Financing for Entrepreneurs and Investors
  • Debt Markets
  • Modeling for Investment Management
  • Financial Trading Strategies 
  • Investment Management and Entrepreneurial Finance
  • Private Equity: An Overview of the Industry
  • Private Wealth Management and Personal Investing
  • Real Estate Investment
Healthcare
  • Health Information Technology and Strategy
  • Innovation and Management in Healthcare
  • Leading Strategic Change in the Healthcare Industry
Social Innovation
  • Impact: From Idea to Enterprise
  • Impact: Investing for Good
  • Impact: Taking Social Innovation to Scale
  • Impact: Assessing High Impact Business Models in Emerging Markets
  • Political Communication: How Leaders Become Leaders
  • Problem Solving for Social Change
Technology
  • AI and Data Science: Strategy, Management, and Entrepreneurship
  • Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation in Enterprise Software Firms
  • Strategies of Effective Product Management
  • Systems Leadership

*Based on 2023-2024 course offerings and subject to change.

Hear from MSx Alumni

Michal Bloch Ron
MS '24

"Taking a year off work mid-career allowed me to zoom out, reflect, and explore my interests, enabling me to find my sense of purpose. The program is one of the best gifts I gave myself, and it opened new doors in unparalleled ways."

Mudit Goel
MS '24

"The dreams that seemed impossible before coming to Stanford are looking a bit more within reach now. For a decade I worked in EdTech and was planning to continue on the same path post-graduation. However, the GSB experience naturally pushed me to explore more interests, and I am very excited about the new direction I am planning to take in my career."