The Columbia SPS Master of Professional Studies in Insurance Management program welcomed its fifth cohort to its first of two on-campus residencies, where students built new relationships with each other and with faculty that will carry them through the next 16 months and beyond.
“A student's success in the program hinges on their ability to communicate and collaborate as they work towards the personal goals they want to achieve,” said M.P.S. in Insurance Management Program Director Teresa Chan. “The community we build around the students through intentional course content, interactive assignments and introduction to vast University and insurance industry resources starts during the residency and is reinforced throughout the program.”
Over the past five years, the program has consistently drawn a diverse group of professionals who represent each facet of the insurance ecosystem. The environment created by the composition of the cohort is one that replicates the real world and the coursework simulates the challenges students will face.
“This has, and will continue to, make their education and experience incomparable.”
The 2026 Insurance Management program cohort with Program Director Teresa Chan (center)
(l to r): Insurance Management Program Director Teresa Chan; Teresa Dryden Smith ('23SPS); Megan Miller, Executive Director at Spencer Educational Foundation; and Karibeh Ibeh ('25SPS). Both Teresa Dryden-Smith and Karibeh Ibeh are Spencer Scholarship Recipients
Insurance Management Program Director Teresa Chan with keynote speaker Aartie Manansingh, head of private equity and transaction solutions industry group WTW
Insurance Management faculty and members of the Corporate Advisory Network
Insurance Management residency reception at Faculty House
The 2026 Insurance Management program cohort
The 2026 Insurance Management program cohort on the steps of Butler Library during the Columbia University campus tour
About the Program
The Master of Professional Studies in Insurance Management is for career professionals who want to accelerate their advancement to leadership positions or broaden their expertise in the industry. It accommodates both professionals already working in insurance and those looking to make a career change. The program is part-time, online, and instruction is asynchronous to accommodate working professionals.
