Business in the Metaverse

The start of August means Round 1 MBA applications are just around the corner! 

Harvard and Wharton are two of the earliest deadlines — both due on September 7^th.  A week later (12^th-16^th), several other top schools including Stanford, Kellogg, Stern, and Yale have their deadlines.  And the week after (19^th-23^rd) is Ross, Booth, Haas, and Johnson.  Finally, the last week (26^th-30^th) of September brings the deadlines of Tuck and Sloan.  With just a little over a month remaining to finalize Round 1 applications, be sure to follow our blog for posts on essay guidance for many of the schools listed above. And contact us for expert guidance as you finalize your Round 1 applications or prepare your application package for Round 2.

Business in the Metaverse

In this month’s newsletter we’re also featuring Wharton’s recent announcement of its six-week online certificate program, Business in the Metaverse Economy.  With it, Wharton becomes the first Ivy League business school to launch a course on the metaverse.  The program focuses on associated metaverse technologies, economic and technological elements that will drive the metaverse’s development, and how firms and creators can gain value through the metaverse in the future.  Coursework contains six industry case studies that aim to align theory with practice and give students the tools to engage in a business context with the emerging technologies empowering the metaverse such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).  Case-study topics will have wide breadth – ranging from large, legacy enterprises leveraging metaverse technologies in B2C and B2B settings to operational tactics companies can employ to ensure customer engagement within the digital world.

According to Fortune, investment bank Citi projects that the metaverse could be worth as much as $13 trillion by 2030.  Wharton developed the metaverse program in partnership with economic consulting firm Prysm Group.  Cathy Barrera, a founding economist of Prysm, is the certificate program’s industry leader and believes the time is now ripe to offer this course that helps executives discover how metaverse technologies can add value to their business.  Already, firms like consumer goods leader Procter & Gamble have begun using the new technology to interact with prospective customers to build brand engagement and loyalty.

Wharton’s online certificate program takes six weeks to complete and includes more than 50 lectures by a range of Wharton faculty and industry experts.  The program is asynchronous and can be completed at the students’ own pace.  Although the format is virtual there will be ample opportunities for group discussions, office hours with instructors, a capstone project, and networking events.  The first cohort starts in mid-September with an expectation of about eight-to-ten hours of work each week. The program costs $4,500 to attend.