The Master of Applied Professional Studies (MAPS) program at The Graduate School at UNC-Chapel Hill is designed to help students obtain an interdisciplinary education tailored to their career aspirations. Whether their interests lie in business, journalism, or any other field, MAPS provides the flexibility to integrate courses from multiple departments into a cohesive and practical curriculum. The program is ideal for students seeking a graduate education that aligns with their professional goals.
For former Tar Heel basketball players Paxson Wojcik and Duwe Farris, MAPS provided the perfect academic foundation to launch their global sports initiative. By customizing their coursework to merge business, leadership, and their love of basketball, they successfully founded FW Sports Group, an organization dedicated to using sports as a bridge between cultures.
When asked what drew him to the MAPS program, Farris said: “For me, it was such an exciting opportunity because I studied a blend of business and political science courses [for my undergraduate degree]. The nature of the MAPS curriculum is that you can design your own course load. I hand-selected which courses I wanted to take, and it became an extension of my undergraduate courses. The main difference was that I also took some MBA, master’s policy, economics, and political science courses, so it was a cool opportunity.”
With MAPS allowing students to shape their education to best suit their ambitions, Wojcik and Farris took advantage of this flexibility by selecting courses that would equip them with essential entrepreneurial and leadership skills. Their coursework included BUSI 500 (Entrepreneurship and Business Planning) and EXSS 430 (Leadership and Group Dynamics), two classes that played a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of their careers.
“Duwe and I had been talking about our plans after graduation. We had some uncertainty, but we both loved playing basketball and had a passion for business. We had this conversation and asked, ‘Why not start something ourselves?’ The flexibility of the MAPS program allowed us to work on founding our LLC while we were still enrolled in the MAPS program, something we’re still working on today,” explained Wojcik.
Farris shared similar sentiments about the courses in the MAPS program. “In our entrepreneurship course, we learned about the ideas of iterative improvement; making your product better incrementally and the minimum viable product for a company. Before taking this course, when Paxson and I looked at starting a company, it seemed like a big obstacle. This course, and some of the things we learned throughout the MAPS program, made it a little bit easier for us to break down this problem of creating a company and what we wanted to accomplish into smaller pieces. In MAPS, we also learned about professional development. Understanding how to make ourselves as legitimate as possible was huge in building our brand and securing some of the opportunities we’ve had following our graduation,” said Farris.
With the foundation laid by their MAPS education, Wojcik and Farris launched FW Sports Group, an organization that uses basketball as a catalyst for cultural exchange and global engagement. This past summer, they took their first major step by traveling to Hong Kong to run a basketball camp for boys and girls ages 8 to 13 years old. While there, they partnered with multiple local charities and nonprofits to support community initiatives.
Their efforts don’t stop there. Wojcik is currently pursuing a professional basketball career in Poland, while Farris recently relocated to Rwanda to work with Shooting Touch, a nonprofit that leverages basketball to provide healthcare and unite communities. Despite being on different continents, they remain committed to FW Sports Group’s future and continue to refine their vision for its growth.
For those looking for a master’s program that adapts to their specific career goals, MAPS is an ideal choice. As explained by Dr. Laura Kuizin, Director of the MAPS program: “The MAPS program is all about allowing students to align their education with their career goals. We know that success doesn’t follow a straight path, so we designed MAPS to be as flexible and dynamic as the students in it. Paxson and Duwe are a perfect example of how powerful that flexibility can be. They took what they love—basketball and business—and built something meaningful out of it. Their journey shows that when students have the right tools and the ability to design their path, they can turn their passions into real, impactful careers.” Whether students are interested in entrepreneurship, global initiatives, or interdisciplinary fields, MAPS provides the tools and flexibility to create a curriculum that works for them.
For Wojcik and Farris, MAPS was the key to bridging their love for basketball with their professional aspirations. Their journey proves that with the right academic foundation, students can turn their passions into impactful careers.
For more information on how MAPS can help you design a graduate degree tailored to your professional ambitions, visit the MAPS program online today.