Emerging Business Leaders Hero

Preparing tomorrow’s leaders – today

The Emerging Business Leaders (EBL) program at Gies College of Business is a summer program designed for high-achieving Black, African-American, Hispanic, Latinx/a/o, and Native American students entering their senior year of high school.

Program Dates: June 23 - 28, 2024

Apply Now ›

Program Activities

  • Interactive discussions featuring Gies Business staff, students, and alumni around career possibilities in business and the Gies student experience 
  • Work in groups to solve business problems
  • Learn about college admissions
  • Have fun and make new friends

Application Criteria

The EBL Program is open to underrepresented students entering their senior year of high school. You must have:

  • 3.2/4.0 GPA or higher
  • Demonstrated leadership through extracurricular, volunteer, or work experiences
  • Ability to attend the entire program (June 23 - 28, 2024)


Program Benefits 

All students who successfully complete the Emerging Business Leaders Program will receive a University of Illinois application fee waiver. Students who apply, are admitted, and enroll into Gies Business will qualify for a renewable scholarship up to $5000 to help cover their academic costs.

Admission to the Emerging Business Leaders program does not guarantee admission to Gies Business and/or the University of Illinois.

Gies News and Events

How can a Master’s in Technology Management help bridge the gap between STEM and business?

Dec 2, 2021, 11:19 by Aaron Bennett
Gies' one-year, STEM-designated MSTM degree trains students in business management and analytical skills and gives them a firm understanding of technology strategy that will ensure strong and sustainable growth for an organization.

In the highly competitive and technology-driven world we live in today, there is high demand for managers who are able to look at technology through a business lens. Gies College of Business has designed a one-year, STEM-designated Master of Science in Technology Management (MSTM) degree to train students in business management and analytical skills and give them a firm understanding of technology strategy that will ensure strong and sustainable growth for an organization.  

“When you graduate from the MSTM program, you are market-ready for the world,” said Sarvesh Giri (MSTM ’21), who earned a bachelor’s degree in electronics and telecommunication in 2015, a law degree in 2018, and ultimately switched careers to specializing in business privacy, security and third-party risk. 

Two-thirds of recruiters in the technology sector agree that leaders in their organizations tend to have a graduate business school education, according to the Graduate Management Admission Council’s (GMAC) 2021 Annual Corporate Recruiters Survey. 

The MSTM is themed in innovation and business leadership. It aims to develop future managers who are able to look at technology through a business lens and implement enterprise-wide business solutions to lead businesses to success in the highly competitive and technology-driven business world of today. Fifty-four percent of recruiters agree that business school graduates tend to have a fast-track to upper-level positions in their organizations. 

Deloitte’s 2021 Technology Industry Outlook also advises companies to actively seek out and develop “translators” who understand what a business wants and how technology can best deliver the solution. 

As a recently hired Technical Account Manager at OneTrust, Giri works on its privacy offerings, working with product and engineering teams to develop technical roadmaps and workflows. 

“The best part of my Gies education is that I had the opportunity to work with real-time clients on real- time projects and come up with real-time solutions,” said Giri. “I’ve been able to immediately apply the concepts I’ve learned.” 

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