Masakazu Hasegawa, senior general manager for Tokyo-based Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp., has worked in international banking for more than 35 years. When he was 58 years old, he decided to go back to school for his MBA.
鈥淢y wife, who has her MBA, said, 鈥榃hy don鈥檛 you try something instead of playing golf on the weekend?鈥欌�� Hasegawa recalls with a smile.
Based in London at the time, Hasegawa discovered that he could earn an from UMass Lowell鈥檚聽Manning School of Business聽through its partnership with聽, an executive education firm based in Tokyo.
鈥淓verybody knows UMass, so it was very attractive. And it was important that it was accredited by the AACSB (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business),鈥� he says of UML鈥檚 online MBA, which is聽聽nationally by Fortune.
Hasegawa was among 67 Abitus students 鈥� the largest contingent ever 鈥� who traveled nearly 7,000 miles from Japan to participate in the university鈥檚 2023 Commencement exercises.
鈥淚 feel accomplished 鈥� very proud,鈥� says Hasegawa, who completed the degree in two years. 鈥淚t was a big commitment, but it鈥檚 never too late to learn.鈥�
Since launching in 2012 with 30 students, the Abitus partnership has grown steadily, with 91 students earning their MBAs this year. Overall, more than 700 students, mostly midcareer managers and executives, have completed the program 鈥� which has nearly 450 students enrolled for the fall 2023 semester.