Santa Clara Earns High Honors from U.S. News & World Report
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Santa Clara University and the Leavey School of Business, based in the heart California’s Silicon Valley, has earned some high praise from U.S. News & World Report.
For the first time in the publication’s “National Universities” category of its 2020 “Best Colleges” ranking, Santa Clara placed in the top 15 percent of the near-400 U.S. universities at 54th overall. The “undergraduate business education” at the Leavey School of Business also earned high honors, placing 66th overall (among 504 universities).
In a recent statement, SCU President Kevin O’Brien says, “We are extremely gratified that the hard work of Santa Clara University’s faculty, staff, and students is being recognized through strong rankings in U.S. News and elsewhere.”
Lisa Kloppenberg, Interim Provost of Santa Clara University, also adds:
“Santa Clara has long focused its resources and effort on recruiting and retaining top students from a variety of backgrounds, placing them in small classes with renowned educators, and helping them successfully complete their studies as reflected in our stellar graduation rate.”
The Leavey School of Business also earned high praise for its undergraduate business specialty programs in entrepreneurship (12th overall), management information systems (15th), and its accounting program (37th).
Caryn Beck-Dudley, Dean of the Leavey School of Business, adds, “I am excited to be leading an exceptional academic institution whose innovative and entrepreneurial offerings prepare our students to go anywhere from here. At the Leavey School of Business we collaborate with the most brilliant minds in entrepreneurship, ethics, innovation, and theory. And we do it all from the most prolific business environment on earth, Silicon Valley.”
Speaking with MetroMBA, Toby McChesney, the Leavey Sr. Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs, says, “We at the Leavey School of Business have a very strong undergraduate business program. It is great to see that U.S. News & World Report ranked us highly in several areas that point to our stellar faculty, students and programs. Santa Clara University is in the heart of Silicon Valley and continues to innovate the undergraduate and graduate programs.”
In addition to SCU’s rise in the national rankings, the school was also recognized as one of the best value’s in the U.S., placing 96th overall in the “Best Value” category, and tied for 27th overall in the “Best for Veterans” category.
Learn more about Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business here.
New Bay Area Tech Jobs Emerge for MBAs
As every aspect of our lives increasingly becomes tangled in the tech’s tendrils, we have seen many opportunities for professionals from a wide swath of backgrounds accompany the rapacious growth of the industry.
MBAs, long ago personas non-grata in Silicon Valley, are now in high demand at iconic brands like Apple (CEO Tim Cook is a Duke Fuqua alum), Facebook (COO Sheryl Sandberg graduated with a Harvard MBA in 1995), and Microsoft (CEO Satya Nadella is a Chicago Booth alum).
This week’s new openings are largely found in California, with a litany of Bay Area Tech jobs ideal for MBA graduates who want to work in an environment where they can “move fast and break things,” to quote Mark Zuckerberg.
The Online MBA: Which Programs Matter?
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to earn your MBA online? We wanted to take an in-depth look at the advantages of an Online MBA program and what it looks like to complete your graduate business education online—how long it will take, what activities will be available to you, and how it will enhance your career.
To that effect, we interviewed the admissions staff at some of the top brick and mortar business schools with leading Online MBA programs: CMU Tepper, Indiana Kelley, Michigan Ross, UNC Kenan-Flagler, and USC Marshall. Here’s what we learned:
CMU Tepper School of Business Online MBA
The CMU Tepper School of Business Online MBA program is a hybrid program, meaning students attend live, interactive online classes two evenings a week (for 70 minutes each) and then work the rest of the time offline, at their own pace. Students take the same rigorous curriculum as full-time students and are taught by the same faculty and staff.
- Duration: Flexible program duration
- Travel: Six times a year, students meet in-person for Access Weekends in Pittsburgh, Silicon Valley, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.
- Workload: You’ll attend two, 70-minute live class sessions every week with an additional 3-5 hours of offline assignments.
CA: How do your Online MBA students take advantage of extracurricular activities (e.g., can they join a finance club, organize a tech conference, what are the similarities for an online program with the full-time program)?
“The Tepper School part-time Online Hybrid MBA is structured to provide maximum flexibility without sacrificing the extra-curricular experience, which is an essential component of an MBA program. Our online students have access to various campus activities, including student clubs, speaker events, and career treks that enrich the academic experience and provide opportunities to connect with colleagues, alumni, and potential employers. We also have a TepperBot (picture attached), which is a great way for students to actively join campus activities remotely. They can control the TepperBot’s movements from their phones, adjust the height, roll through spaces. It’s an excellent way for online students to be part of the on-campus experience.
Throughout their Tepper experience, online MBA students actively participate in student club activities; leadership coaching and workshops; corporate presentations and recruiting; and all that business school has to offer. Our online students have an active student leadership organization, and even started a virtual Friday afternoon happy hour!
CA: How do your Online MBA students take advantage of career resources. Do you offer the full-time MBA equivalent of on-campus recruiting?
“Our part-time Online Hybrid MBAs have access to the same career resources as our full-time students, including on-campus recruiting, corporate presentations, career treks to visit employers around the country, and connections to jobs at premier companies. Our top-ranked Masters Career Center provides career coaching from seasoned professionals to help them successfully manage career opportunities.”
IU Kelley School of Business Online MBA
The IU Kelley Direct Online MBA is delivered completely online. Students must complete 54 units to graduate—27 credits of core courses and 27 credits of electives. Courses are taught by the same faculty that teach the full-time MBA, but students have the flexibility to fit the coursework into their busy schedule. You can either participate in live lectures with your classmates or watch recorded lectures on your own schedule.
- Duration: Two to four years
- Travel: Students attend two Kelley Connect Weeks, which are intensive seven-day, in-person experiences on IU’s Bloomington campus.
- Workload: Live weekly classes are around 75 minutes in length in addition to prep work and additional study.
CA: How do your Online MBA students take advantage of co-curricular activities (e.g., can they join a finance club, organize a tech conference, what are the similarities for an online program with the full-time program)?
“Effective November 1, we have re-branded student services to the Office of Student Services and Advising. That unit is now responsible for co-curricular and experiential activities. What is true about an online MBA student is that they want to build a set of experiences that complement what they do in the classroom, but there is a lot of variability in terms of what they want to build.
Our co-curricular experiences have been divided into various buckets.
- There are four-credit experiential learning opportunities. Specifically, there are global learning courses that offer two types of experiential learning. There is a consulting course where they work on a live project, and then there’s an exploratory course where students spend a few weeks in a different country working with and learning from high-performing corporations outside the U.S.
- We also offer a robust suite of affinity groups—both identity-oriented groups and functional groups. As an example, there are several events for online MBA students, including virtual happy hours and excursions to visit Warren Buffet in Nebraska.
- Third, twice a year, we have a Global Connect Night where students get together and have refreshments with each other all across the world. Students entirely coordinate these events.
- Finally, we have a high-impact suite of offerings from our Career Management Center and one-on-one career coaching.”
CA: How do your Online MBA students take advantage of career resources. Do you offer the full-time MBA equivalent of on-campus recruiting?
“We have a five-phase career development model for our online MBA students that begins before a student’s very first Kelley Connect Week. They are sent access to a website that allows them to begin pre-work on their career goals and what they’re hoping to get out of their online MBA.
We recognize that most students in our program are primarily seekers looking to change their function, industry, or location, or they are career navigators looking to move up in their organization. So, as a first-year student, we ask them to complete career work early and then come to campus for a two-hour content session led by the Career Center to gain more insight into their options.
Then, our online MBA students have touch-points with their career coaches throughout their time in the program. Not only do they have access to the Career Center online, but they can check-in with their coach in person as well; it’s up to the individual. Our career office also sends out regular communications with career tips, job offers, and more. Students can also participate in several 1.5-credit hour courses offered by our career office for job seekers, career navigators, consultants, and more.”
Michigan Ross School of Business Online MBA
The Michigan Ross Online MBA (OMBA) is a flexible format that includes live class sessions, self-guided study, and leadership development training on the Ross campus. To graduate, students must complete 57 credit hours including 27 credits of core curriculum, 18 credits of electives, nine credits of in-person residencies, and three credits for an action-based learning project (MAP). It’s a highly flexible, self-paced program.
- Duration: Two or more years
- Travel: Students must attend three in-person residencies on the Ross campus that take place Thursday through mid-Sunday.
- Workload: Each 2.25-credit course requires students to participate in four live classes via the online platform.
CA: How do your Online MBA students take advantage of extracurricular activities (e.g., can they join a finance club, organize a tech conference, what are the similarities for an online program with the full-time program)?
“We will work with club leadership to devise ways to accommodate these students, knowing that this will be an enriching experience for both the online students and the clubs. We are planning on using technology for students to participate remotely in events.”
CA: How do your Online MBA students take advantage of career resources. Do you offer the full-time MBA equivalent of on-campus recruiting?
“Online students will be able to take part in the formal recruiting process if they wish. We have a career professional dedicated to our PT students, who is familiar with their specific needs and common career paths. OMBA students will have access to comprehensive career development services to prepare them for recruiting. These include resume reviews, networking guidance, interview practice, and negotiation advice.”
UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School MBA@UNC
The UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School MBA@UNC is an online MBA program where the teaching and coursework are delivered online. Students must complete a total of 62 credits, including a broad business foundation and an emphasis on strategic leadership. Weekly, students meet face-to-face online for collaborative sessions that build on coursework and foster stronger connections. However, using the mobile learning platform, students can complete coursework 24/7 from anywhere in the world.
- Duration: Anytime between 18 to 36 months, as it fits their work/personal commitments.
- Travel: Optional three-day intensive Global Summits are available every quarter, and students must attend two prior to graduation. Summits are held around the world and students can choose the location and term that best fits their schedule.
- Workload: Throughout each week, students complete interactive assignments on their own time comprised of case studies, video simulations, group projects, and reading materials. Students then meet each week in a webcam-based online classroom of no more than 15 students to discuss the week’s material with classmates and professors.
CA: How do your Online MBA students take advantage of extracurricular activities (e.g., can they join a finance club, organize a tech conference, what are the similarities for an online program with the full-time program)?
“Yes! Online MBA students at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School students engage in our many and very active student-led MBA clubs. Some use online social media channels for communication and promotion, while others hold virtual meetings and webinars. In some cities, they have regularly scheduled in-person social outings.
They also participate in events on campus–in-person or via live-stream–including speakers and conferences. Conferences include Carolina Women in Business, Careers with Impact Forum, Real Estate Conference, and Healthcare Club Conference.
For those students who join our in-person orientation, their networking/relationships begin before classes start. Then it occurs organically through group projects in courses, but they also use “cyber-rooms” (where they study with classmates and work on group projects) to run happy hours.
At our in-person summits (four per year – two in the U.S. and two in other countries), students spend a great deal of time creating and strengthening their networks and relationships. Many plan personal trips together before or after the summits.”
CA: How do your Online MBA students take advantage of career resources. Do you offer the full-time MBA equivalent of on-campus recruiting?
“Our students take advantage of the school’s many career resources, including:
- Every student participates in a 360 Multirater process at the beginning of the program and conducts a one-hour debrief with an Executive Coach to help understand their strengths and areas for improvement as a leader.
- Our Career & Leadership team conducts over 400 additional (optional) individual, one-hour personalized coaching sessions annually for our online students on a variety of topics, including developing a personalized action plan, assistance with job search, working through leadership challenges with their team, onboarding into a new role, etc.
- We conduct nearly 100 Career & Leadership programs (in-person events, webinars, networking forums, etc.) annually on topics ranging from leadership development to industry education and preparation sessions, to tactical career search elements. We deliver many of these ourselves; well also offer them in collaboration with national experts when appropriate.
- We offer a complementary suite of recruiting activities for our working professional students. These include virtual career fairs, networking events with employers, student, and alumni panels, and two in-person career fairs per year, in addition to the MBA National Conferences, which provide company networking and interview opportunities as well.
- We participate in a wide variety of national MBA career fairs (Forte, Prospanica, MBA Veterans Conference, ROMBA, National Black, etc.) where we provide on-site support.
- The long history of the MBA@UNC program and UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School has helped us grow a strong student and alumni base at top companies. Students have exposure to this network through industry/functional panels; our 17-city alumni networking summer series; and ongoing, informal events throughout the year at our various alumni chapters both nationally and internationally. We have about 37,000 alumni living and working in 86 countries.”
USC Marshall School of Business Online MBA
The USC Marshall Online MBA offers a unique, integrated curriculum designed for the online platform. Each class is taught weekly via live, interactive class discussions and asynchronous coursework. To graduate, students must complete 51 credits to graduate or six courses: Role of the Manager; Fundamentals of Business; Opportunity Recognition and Implementation; Managing Inside the Firm; Managing Outside Firm; and Business Environment & Leadership.
- Duration: 21 months
- Travel: Students must participate in a one-week, on-campus residency
- Workload: Every course requires two meetings per week for about one to two hours for each live class meeting—typically, Monday through Thursday from 5 pm to 10 pm. On average, students are expected to spend between 20-30 hours per week on coursework.
CA: How do your Online MBA students take advantage of extracurricular activities (e.g., can they join a finance club, organize a tech conference, what are the similarities for an online program with the full-time program)?
“The Marshall online MBA students may join the student organizations, attend all campus events, and participate in USC and Marshall alumni events. They are fully USC Marshall students. Some have attended alumni events in their region. Similar to the residential program, students may serve as cohort ambassadors, graduate with all of the residential MBA students and with the same diploma. Some have engaged in entrepreneurship competitions. Many attend the monthly virtual conversations with executives.”
CA: How do your Online MBA students take advantage of career resources. Do you offer the full-time MBA equivalent of on-campus recruiting?
“Because 100 percent of the students are fully employed–meaning they also cannot pursue internships–and nearly 40 percent are financially supported by their employers, and because the average work experience is 10+ years, OMBA students have a different set of career resource needs than our residential MBAs. When the Marshall admissions committee interviews final candidates, we explain the career options to avoid any later disappointments. Our Online MBA students consistently make appointments with the Online MBA career coaches for individual career counseling, most use the Marshall alumni network, and some attend on-campus job fairs. A few have even hired cohort-mates, and four OMBAs started a new company together.”
This article has been edited and republished from its original source, Clear Admit.
Top MBA Recruiters: Airbnb
One of the great clichés of the tech industry is the notion of “disruption.” As in, nearly every app, website, or program will disrupt the way we previously conceived of our environment. All this talk of disruption in tech often amounts to a lot of hot air, but not so for Airbnb.
Initially founded as a way for two guys to earn a bit of extra income to cover astronomical San Francisco rent, Airbnb has become a leader in peer-to-peer property rental. Millions of people use the service each year to find temporary lodging in virtually every nook across the planet
As Airbnb’s popularity soars and the company continues to expand its services—it recently acquired HotelTonight, a discount hotel booking service—MBAs with interest in hospitality should consider these Airbnb careers.
Why MBAs Love Airbnb
Airbnb is a young company, launched in 2008. In that short time, it has established itself as a power player in the hospitality industry. With an IPO in the pipeline this year, the company is working to shore up its future. This means further expansion into new markets and new services to maintain company profitability. MBAs who long to play a vital role in the expansion of an already hot brand will find opportunities in spades at Airbnb.
Airbnb compensates MBAs well for their contributions. According to Glassdoor, MBAs who arrive as program managers can earn an average of $117,299 in base salary and $18,868 in a cash bonus. Those who receive stock bonuses can earn an extra $32,669.
In addition to the salary, Airbnb careers have excellent benefits. Employees will find health care, dental care, 401(k), life insurance, and a complimentary snack pantry on pair with most Silicon Valley startups. However, Airbnb offers a few other unique perks.
To start, the company provides stipends to its employees to cover cellphone bills, continuing education, and commuting, whether by bike or by public transportation. In addition, Airbnb provides its employees with a $2,000 travel stipend to stay in any Airbnb property in the world, which essentially gives Airbnb employees gratis accommodations wherever they travel during their three weeks of annual PTO.
Life at Airbnb
One might gather that Airbnb encourages its employees to maintain a healthy work-life balance, which many employees have remarked is actually quite easy. Airbnb employees also seem to enjoy the company of their coworkers, who are often described as thoughtful, intelligent, and nice.
The company has a lenient telecommuting policy. However, most employees come into the office because the provided spaces are worthy of spreads in Architectural Digest. Airbnb hires local architects to customize each office to its city. The employees have noticed; many note that the gorgeous offices are a major benefit of working for the company.
Airbnb Careers
The firm has four core values:
- Champion the Mission
- Be a Host
- Embrace the Adventure
- Be a “Cereal” Entrepreneur
Successful candidates will be able to explain how their skills and talents fit with these core values.
The interview process for the product manager position starts with a phone interview. If approved, candidates will venture to the Airbnb office for a full day of interviews and examinations. This includes case study presentations and multiple interviews. If the company considers you a fit for its company, it will extend an offer.
As noted above, cultural fit is extremely important at Airbnb. The company encourages candidates to set aside some time to consider how they might contribute to the culture at Airbnb. The company recommends making contact with a current employee to help gather information on what Airbnb expects regarding its core values.
The 5 Top Paying Tech Companies for MBAs
Everyone knows business school costs a pretty penny, which makes ROI one of the major deciding factors when pursuing both an MBA program and post-graduation employment.
At one point, MBAs were practically personas non grata in Silicon Valley. Today, tech is on par with traditionally lucrative fields of banking and finance in terms of MBA employment—likely due to the whopping salaries associated with the industry. IT management positions, for instance, boast a reported average salary of $113,000 USD.
5 Top Paying Tech Companies for MBAs
After being outpaced by Apple in the early part of this decade, Microsoft has made an impressive comeback in recent years. In addition to software development, the company has made significant strides in cloud computing, AI, cybersecurity, and gaming as well. Microsoft employs MBAs in a wide variety of positions with mobility across the company and no set career path. The company’s reported average starting salary is $116,473 and total compensation is even higher. Microsoft also boasts a better employer satisfaction rating than most of its high-paying tech peers.
Google has leveraged its access to user data in order to become a dominant force in online advertising technologies and cloud computing. The online search titan is known for its frighteningly competitive application pool and in-depth hiring process. For the MBAs that make the cut, the average starting salary of $121,979. Positions include sales and marketing, product management, finance and operations.
IBM recently made headlines when it acquired open-source software firm Red Hat. Whether or not this historical corporate buyout will help IBM get a leg up on the cloud computing market share, the company nonetheless offers MBAs an average starting salary of $124,714. With leadership development tracks for MBAs in consulting, product management, finance, and strategy, they can also opt to pursue the General Manager Leadership Development Program, designed for “top MBA graduates from leading global universities hired into IBM on an accelerated path to General Management leadership.”
Despite the Cambridge Analytica scandal’s huge blow to consumer and investor confidence, Facebook’s market share rebounded in just a few months after the news broke. The social media torchbearer continues to steadily grow its user audience and tally of digital tech company acquisitions. The common path to employment at Facebook is through its internship program. With an average starting salary of $126,292, potential MBA hires will need to be ready to develop relevant, hands-on leadership skills in order to take on the increasing AI and AR/VR focus of this company.
As the commanding leader of online retail sales in many parts of the world, not to mention major competitor in cloud computing, media streaming services, and mobile devices, Amazon is one of the top employers of MBAs across all sectors. Amazon offers multiple pathways to management, from mainstream internship opportunities to dedicated programs that groom MBAs to take on specialized leadership positions within the company. With a reported average starting salary of $123,970, Amazon shows no signs of slowing down when it comes to recruitment. The company’s income tripled from 2016 to 2017 and it consistently reinvests most of its money, which has spurred rapid, continual growth.
Strong Hiring Numbers Highlight Banner Year for NYC School – New York News
Let’s explore some of the most interesting stories that have emerged from New York business schools this week.
Strong Hiring Proves Employers Crave Stevens’ Blend of Business, Technology Skills – Stevens Institute of Technology SOB Blog
The class of 2018 at the Stevens Institute of Technology’s School of Business recently posted a 98 percent placement rate, earning salaries of $72,480; far above NYC and national averages. The Stevens MBA focuses on how data and analytics are changing the way professionals work and how technology creates new opportunities while solving complex problems.
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies Dr. Ann Murphy notes, “We enjoy close relationships with managers in financial services, accounting, technology and media, which keeps us ahead of the rapid changes in industry. That real-world input influences our curricula, which helps our students get better internships and the jobs they want upon graduation.”
Seth Kirschner ’18, who majored in Business & Technology before accepting a position as a cyber risk advisory consultant with Deloitte, asserts, “The industry expertise of the faculty at Stevens comes through so clearly in the classroom. You’re learning from professors like Dr. Kevin Ryan, who have patents and years of experience in the telecom industry, or a turnaround strategist like Dr. Murad Mithani, who teaches you how to change a failing company. As a student at Stevens, you’re surrounded by excellence.
You can read more about the Stevens’ Class of 2018 here.
The Social Benefits of Candid Photos – NYU Stern School of Business News
New joint research from NYU Stern Professor Alixandra Barasch finds that candid photos elicit a more favorable response in certain social situations because they are seen as more authentic.
Barasch co-authored a new paper with Wharton’s Jonah Berger entitled “A Candid Advantage? The Social Benefits of Candid Photos,” which uses five experiments to determine how candid photos increase interest in observers in the realm of friendship and dating.
Barasch and Berger’s research finds that more candid, “real” photos are seen as favorable than staged ones, even in professional settings.
Barasch and Berger write, “People often assume that a curated, polished version of the self will generate the most favorable responses—that by smoothing rough edges and presenting one’s best side, others will like and want to interact with them more. But this assumption is not always correct.”
Barasch continues, “In some cases, viewers prefer an unvarnished picture because it seems more genuine. People value authenticity because it feels more accurate.”
You can read more about the research here.
Journalism Class Supports Lehigh’s West Coast Connections – Lehigh College of Business and Economics News
Launched in January 2017, the Lehigh@NasdaqCenter offers immersive learning experiences to six Fellows each year, offering a West Coast campus extension for Lehigh students based in Silicon Valley. This program is just one way in which Lehigh builds an academic bridge from Bethlehem to the innovation ecosystem of Silicon Valley.
Samantha Dewalt, managing director of the Lehigh@NasdaqCenter, describes the interdisciplinary program:
“The media fellows report on programs and events at the center, interview featured entrepreneurs and produce multi-media stories across a range of platforms about the risks and rewards of entrepreneurship. We work together to select projects the students are excited about and ones that will benefit both Lehigh and Nasdaq Center communities.”
Entrepreneur Craig Gordon, ’76, founder and Managing Director, Blueshift Research remarks, “I think this is a great example of Lehigh innovating in a course where there is nothing like it anywhere in the country. The enthusiasm was unbelievable. You want that at any experience you have at any university.”
You can read more about the Lehigh learning experiences here.
