The 2020 Top Business Schools in Pennsylvania
If you are searching for the top 2020 Business Schools in Pennsylvania, look no further. MetroMBA has provided a list of the best graduate business programs that prospective applicants should consider. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh offer diverse industry opportunities for someone attempting to re-locate, researching, or expanding their career opportunities. Additionally, you can utilize the MetroMBA Program Search Tool if you are looking to compare these schools and programs side-by-side. The tool allows you to sort by categories that include tuition and GMAT/GRE requirement.
University of Pennsylvania – Wharton School of Business
The Wharton full-time MBA is one of the most prestigious MBA programs globally, consistently ranking in the top 3 per major publications. The campus is located in Philadelphia, with the opportunity to study for one semester in San Francisco by an application. The program takes roughly 20 months to complete, including a 3.5-month internship, which is recommended by Wharton. Students have the choice of 18 majors, with approximately 40% of students completing their degree with two majors. Upon graduation, students earn a starting salary range between $130,000 to $165,000 per year. In addition, Wharton MBA’s have an average signing bonus of $30,000, making this one of the most lucrative post-MBA compensations for graduates.
All MBA programs at the Wharton School of Business:
Carnegie Mellon University – Tepper School of Business
The Tepper School of Business is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They offer three MBA programs including the Full-Time MBA, the Part-Time Hybrid MBA, and the Part-Time Flex MBA. The Tepper Full-Time MBA recently became a STEM-designated program, which provides students the ability to lead at the intersection of business and technology. The full-time MBA at Tepper consistently ranks among the top 20-25 MBA programs according to major publications. Full-Time MBA graduates earn an average starting salary of over $126,000 according to the class of 2019, with 94% of their class securing job offers within three months of graduation.
The Part-Time Hybrid MBA is ranked as a top 5 online MBA program according to U.S. News. Additionally, this program is also STEM-designated, offering students a unique online convenience of learning from anywhere, coupled with in-person experiences. This program focuses on an unmatched emphasis on analytics, leadership development and strategic decision-making, designed to prepare students for a long and successful career as an agile leader in a world driven by innovation and technological advancements.
All MBA programs at the Tepper School of Business:
Full-Time MBA, Part-Time Online Hybrid MBA, Part-Time Flex MBA
The Penn State University – Smeal College of Business
The Penn State Smeal MBA ranks among the top 20 public MBA programs in the nation according to various news outlets including Bloomberg Businessweek, The Economist, Financial Times, Forbes, and US News & World Report. In addition, the Smeal College of Business also offers an Executive MBA located in the heart of Philadelphia, which only takes 17 months to complete. The Penn State Smeal EMBA is the highest-ranked Philadelphia-area program and one of the top programs in the Mid-Atlantic according to the latest assessment from The Economist. The Full-Time Residential program is located in State College, Pennsylvania also ranking among the best in the world according to the latest assessment from The Economist. Average starting salaries for the class of 2019 received $109,000 in compensation, making the Smeal College of Business a top 6 program for pre-MBA salary increase.
All Programs at the Penn State University – Smeal College of Business:
Full-Time Residential Program, Executive MBA in Philadelphia, Penn State Online MBA
University of Pittsburgh – Katz School of Business
The Katz School of Business is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school is known for providing a strong, wide-based foundation in business fundamentals and empower students to tailor a program that builds on their unique strengths and goals. The Katz School of Business was ranked #1 in “Years to Payback” an MBA Investment among All U.S. Universities according to Forbes Best Business Schools Ranking in 2019. Additionally, they also received the #3 ranking in Corporate Social Responsibility among All U.S. Universities according to the Financial Times MBA Ranking in 2020. The Katz School of Business offers a wide-range of MBA programs including the One-Year MBA, the Two-Year MBA, the Professional MBA, the Jount & Dual Degree MBA and the MBA with Business Analytics.
All MBA Programs at the Katz School of Business:
One-Year MBA, Two-Year MBA, Professional MBA, Joint & Dual Degree MBA, MBA with Business Analytics, Executive MBA
Lehigh University – College of Business and Economics
The Lehigh University College of Business and Economics is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It is roughly one hour from Philadelphia and 90 minutes from New York City. This makes Lehigh an ideal destination for prospective students. Lehigh is best known for its online FLEX MBA, which is ranked as a top 20 online MBA according to US News & World Report in 2020. The Flex MBA is ideal for those who want to earn their degree part-time. Both on-campus and online options are available.
All MBA Programs at the Katz School of Business:
Additional Resources
Comparing The U.S. News Full-Time and Online MBA Rankings
When it comes to business school rankings, U.S. News & World Report issues one of the most comprehensive annual lists. The annual rankings includes separate lists for the “Best Business Schools” and the “Best Online MBA Programs,” but deciding which format is right for you can still be tricky. Continue reading…
Notre Dame Mendoza Team Takes Top Prize in Annual International Case Competition
A team of Notre Dame Mendoza School of Business MBA students won first place and a cash prize of $5,000 in the 22nd Annual International Case Competition (ICC). The competition was held earlier this month at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business and was organized by Tepper’s Operations Management Club.
The competition provides student teams experience in organizing and prioritizing issues, applying decision-making skills, working in teams, and developing innovative solutions—all under the pressure of competition, according to the Operations Management Club. The competition unfolds over two rounds—a 20-minute presentation followed by a 10-minute Q&A session in the first round, and a 30-minute presentation to the judges in the finals.
The Mendoza team was made up of Christopher Kunnen (’18), Austin Gilbertson (’19), and Zachary Kozak (’18). They beat out 10 teams from top universities across the country, including MIT Sloan School of Management and Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business.
“Overall, case competitions are a great experiential component to the MBA experience,” Kozak said. “The competitions combine both real-world problem solving and simulating the time-constraint project management challenges that we as professionals will experience in the future.”
Mendoza’s MBA winners, from left to right: Zachary Kozak, Christopher Kunnen, and Austin Gilbertson/Photo courtesy of the Mendoza College of Business
The Notre Dame MBA team won thanks to their ability to identify the key issues in the case and its development of data-driven insights and recommendations that went beyond expectations.
“We employed a key take-away from one of our favorite professors, Dan Connors, who teaches the course Lessons from Turnaround Situations in the fall term,” Kozak said. “Dan, a former Bain consultant, conveyed to us early on to follow the strategy of ‘Listen, Deliver and then Add’ for any business problem. We replicated this approach when analyzing the problem and then building our presentation.”
ICC also connects leading operations talent with multinational sponsor companies for networking and recruiting opportunities, including Eaton, Amazon, and Emerson.
Finding The Right Online MBA For You
With so many amazing online MBA programs available throughout the country—and without location making the decision for you—it can seem nearly impossible to choose which Online MBA degree program is right for you.
With the increasingly available option to customize your degree in a particular area of emphasis—just as most full-time MBA programs offer—students can gain a competitive edge in their field without ever having to leave their house. In addition, the kind of specialization offerings at each program may help students narrow down the perfect Online MBA for them. Whether your looking to gain industry expertise in accounting or entrepreneurship and anything in between, understanding the areas of emphasis and structure of each degree can be a big help when confronted with such a vast number of impressive programs to choose from.
We take a look at most in demand concentrations available at each of the schools in MetroMBA’s new Online metro, finding what sets each program apart and may make it the perfect degree for you.
Fox School of Business – Temple University
At Temple University’s Fox School of Business, accounting is seen as much more than just calculating numbers—at Fox, it’s “the language of business.” It’s also the most popular area of concentration for students pursuing their MBA online.
The Department of Accounting at Fox focuses on an intense study of the field of accounting, providing students with several opportunities to gain “real-world” experience in the discipline. This sort of experience provides a competitive edge no matter what career path accounting students choose to pursue, which both include and go beyond public accounting.
In addition to students who choose to concentrate in accounting, the Online MBA at Fox is already strongly rooted in the accounting discipline, with all students being responsible for taking an accounting course as a key part of the degree and its curriculum.
Hough Graduate School of Business – University of Florida
If you are looking for a flexible degree that can expand your entrepreneurship knowledge, the Hough Graduate School of Business’ Online MBA may be the perfect degree for you. One of the four options in which students can focus their degree, Entrepreneurship skills are a core part of the Hough School’s curriculum.
Students looking for a more immersive or even global entrepreneurship experience can also take the courses for their concentration within just one week on campus in Gainesville, or taken during a one week international study trip. Of course, students who don’t have the ability to take a week off for this purpose may choose to pursue their Entrepreneurship electives online, as with the rest of the core courses of the degree.
Kelley School of Business – Indiana University
Students looking to focus their MBA in finance will find themselves in good company at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. Studying the discipline with the same highly ranked faculty who teach in the full-time MBA program, online students have the chance to round out their degree with electives that particularly focus on the financial applications of their MBA degree.
One reason the study of finance is so popular for online MBA students at Indiana University may be the opportunity to pursue a dual degree, combining their MBA with an online MA in subjects like Finance, Strategic Management, and Business Analytics, among other options. Such an interdisciplinary degree with a strong finance background will give Kelley graduates a competitive edge as they enter the workforce.
FOR YOU: Finding the Best Laptop for Business School
Kenan-Flagler Business School – University of North Carolina
The Online MBA@UNC provides students with a world-class MBA curriculum that allows students to specialize their degree within one of eight special areas. In high demand at UNC is the Management Consulting degree, which prepares students for positions as business consultants.
Even though online programs don’t typically scream “hands on,”the MBA@UNC is build this way, providing consulting students with ample experiential learning and guided practice to gain the necessary leadership and client management skills for success in the consulting field.
Tepper School of Business – Carnegie Mellon University
The Tepper School of Business, ranked as the second best Online MBA by the U.S. News & World Report, is a top MBA for students interested in specializing in Business Analytics.
Students at Tepper have the chance to set their MBA within a particular track, and with the decision to focus on Business Analytics students will be provided with the necessary skills to transform massive amounts of data into usable and analyses to improve the worlds of both business and technology. Graduates from the Business Analytics track at Tepper have accepted jobs from such companies as Amazon, Microsoft, IBM, McKinsey, and more.
W.P. Carey School of Business – Arizona State University
Students looking to specialize their MBA in Supply Chain Management/Logistics may find the perfect degree at Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business. With so many of the degree’s core courses centered around logistics- such as ‘Decisions, Market Structure and Games’ or ‘Operations and Supply Management’—MBA students can use their electives to even further customize their degree with courses like ‘Supply Chain Cost/Design Issue, ‘Suppler Management and Negotiations,’ among others.
Metro News & Notes: Paris Agreement, Harvard Memes And More
Good morning and happy Friday!
Here are a few stories you may have missed from the week that was …
Francisco Veloso Named New Imperial College Business School Dean
This month, Imperial College London named internationally renowned innovation scholar and professor Francisco Veloso as the new Dean of the Business School. Veloso is a prominent expert in innovation and entrepreneurship, where his research—including studies into the development of Silicon Valley—has mainly focused on how corporations and regions develop and use science and technology to promote economic growth. Continue reading…
