Poole Class of 2021 Spotlight: Muhammad Yadudu

Muhammad Yadudu, Ph.D. in economics

As a husband and father of two young children, master’s candidate Muhammad Yadudu has his hands full – literally. While pursuing his master’s degree in economics at the Poole College of Management, he wasn’t exempt from the issues many parents have to face. Like the time in 2019, when his wife and young daughter were out of town for the day and he had no childcare for his four-year-old son.

“I had a very important lecture that I couldn’t miss,” Yadudu remembers. “Thankfully, Dr. Will Phan was kind enough to let me bring my son to class.” 

That kind of support will stand out in Yadudu’s mind when he thinks back on his time at NC State after he graduates in May. 

My class was very diverse, and as such, I have come to learn more about very different cultures – Turkish, Libyan, Ecuador, China and, of course, Americans.

“My class was very diverse, and as such, I have come to learn more about very different cultures – Turkish, Libyan, Ecuador, China and, of course, Americans,” Yadudu says. “Dr. Phan, Dr. Tom Vukina and Dr. Richard Ellison were particularly impactful in my journey.” 

Yadudu, who is from the city of Kano in the northern part of Nigeria, received his bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering from Georgia Tech. After graduation, he moved back to Nigeria where he began with a mandatory National Youth Service Corps for a year, and later started a job with the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria – subsidiary of the Central Bank of Nigeria.  

His desire to continue his educational journey brought him back to the United States. As Yadudu considered going back to graduate school, he wavered on which master’s program would best serve his needs and interests.

“I initially wanted to pursue a degree in financial mathematics but decided not to for financial reasons,” he says. “I then realized that the financial economics track overlaps with a lot of the courses covered in the financial math program.”

The decision to pursue his master’s in economics at the Poole College of Management, Yadudu says, was a good one.

“Over the course of the program, I have learned Python, SAS, R and Stata. I am knowledgeable in agricultural contracting, financial analysis and risk management,” he says. “I am currently in the job market seeking employment as a data or financial analyst, but am also considering pursuing a Ph.D. With these tools, the sky is the limit for me.”