Sawyer Announces High School Summer Program, US News Rankings and More – Boston News
Let’s explore some of the most interesting stories that have emerged from Boston business schools this week.
New Summer Program for High School Juniors and Seniors – Sawyer Business Blog
The Suffolk University Sawyer Business School recently announced the launch of its Stepping Stone program, which gives 11th and 12th-graders the opportunity to study with faculty, work in Sawyer’s Trading Room, Center for Entrepreneurship, or Innovation Lab, work on projects or visits to companies.
Sawyer’s director of honors programs Kim Larkin writes:
“This is a great opportunity for high school students to study at one of the area’s top business schools. Whether they’re interested in finance, international business, leadership, sports marketing, or entrepreneurship, students will discover the program is a great first step into the world of business and a wonderful way to experience campus life before they go to college.”
The program is slated to run July 9-20, 2018.
Learn more about the program here.
MIT Sloan Tops U.S. News List for Production/Operations, Information Systems – MIT Sloan Newsroom
The MIT Sloan School of Management revealed its impressive showings in last week’s U.S. News & World Report 2019 graduate school rankings. The school, which made its usual top five appearance among full-time MBA programs, came out on top in the production/operations and information systems MBA specialties.
MIT Sloan maintained its “respective second and third place rankings for supply chain/logistics and entrepreneurship specialties.” In addition, Sloan boasted an outstanding average starting salary of $148,000 for its 2017 MBA class, as well as one of the highest post-graduation employment rates at over 84 percent.
Read more about Sloan’s U.S. News accolades here.
Carroll School Surges to #25 in New Part-Time MBA Rankings – Carroll School of Management Blog
It was clearly a good week for Boston MBAs in the rankings last week as U.S. News & World Report ranked BC’s Carroll School of Management’s part-time MBA 25th—an unprecedented 21-spot climb from last year—and 48th on the full-time MBA list.
Andy Boynton, the John and Linda Powers Family Dean at Carroll, explains that the school’s online course offerings and “increased focus on part-time MBA students has led to substantial curricular changes, including a stronger emphasis on skills such as data analytics, which are heavily in demand by employers. We’re building a program around the needs of these students, with much greater flexibility in our offerings.”
Learn more about Carroll’s part-time MBA here.
BC Talks About the Wealth Divide, and More – Boston News
Let’s explore some of the most interesting stories that have emerged from Boston business schools this week.
The Wealth Divide – Boston College Magazine
With the wealth gap in the United States wider than at any point since the Great Depression, the discussion about income inequality has been hitting closer and closer to home for many. The ever-reaching effects of inequality can start right at the beginning of someone’s life, according to research from Boston College Carroll School of Management assistant professor Sean Martin.
Martin’s 2016 research in The Academy of Management Journal explores the link between social class and leadership. Entitled “Echoes of Our Upbringing,” Martin and his coauthors, University of Toronto’s Stéphane Côté and West Point’s Todd Woodruff, uncovered “connections between how much money leaders grew up with, their narcissism, and negative reviews from their subordinates” among 299 recent West Point graduates,” according to Boston College Magazine.
“To the extent that people grow up wealthy, they’re more likely to exhibit narcissistic tendencies, and narcissistic tendencies lead people to engage in fewer leadership behaviors that we would consider prototypical and more effective. And as a result, their performance suffers.”
“My own understanding is that we’re kind of in some real trouble here.” – Carroll Assistant Professor Sean Martin on the current state of income inequality.
You can read more about the study and Martin’s experience from living in his car, to earning his Ph.D. at Cornell here.
What Opening a Nonprofit Grocery Taught the Former President of Trader Joe’s – MIT Sloan Newsroom
As part of MIT’s recent Sustainability Summit, Trader Joe’s president Doug Rauch discussed how his new venture, Daily Table, attempts to tackle “food insecurity” and still keep prices low by sourcing “its food from farmers, factories, and supermarkets, through donations of excess food, ‘imperfect’ food, and reduced purchase prices.” Rauch shared some of the lessons he gleaned after receiving community feedback on his new enterprise:
“I’m told over and over again, how good they feel: I’m providing this for my family. I can now finally come in, buy the foods I’m supposed to be eating, I feel good about what we’re feeding our families. It is so fundamental to the human need we all have, which is for respect for dignity.”
Learn more about Rauch’s plans for Daily Table here.
Those Taxing New Tax Laws – Sawyer Business School Blog
The Suffolk University Sawyer Business School recently published an interview with professor of taxation Michaele Morrow, Ph.D., CPA, who offered a nuanced analysis of the changes people can expect as a result of the recent tax reforms. She writes:
“Congress is only focused on short-term effects. In fact, the tax cuts for individuals are scheduled to expire in seven years, so this isn’t true reform. First, Congress limited the dollar amount of state and local taxes that can be deducted to $10,000. At the same time, Congress increased the standard deduction to $12,000 for a single person and $24,000 for a married couple. Essentially, this means that fewer people will have expenses that exceed those standard deduction amounts, so many more will itemize.”
You can read more about Morrow’s take on the new U.S. tax reforms here.
MIT Students Heading to the Vatican, and More – Boston News
Let’s explore some of the most interesting stories that have emerged from Boston business schools this week.
MIT Students Heading to Rome for First Ever Vatican Hackathon – MIT Newsroom
The first of its kind VHacks will take place in Vatican City from March 8-11, bringing in 120 students from various universities around the world to the city-state of the Roman Catholic Church.
“This is not just for the church,” said Sophie Liao, MIT Sloan MBA ’18, in an interview with Meredith Somers from the MIT Newsroom. “This is more about breaking boundaries. Everyone is a migrant, everyone should be involved in this discussion no matter what country they come from.”
“While this is the first event of its kind at Vatican City, using technology to address more than just science isn’t a new thing for the sovereign state’s most famous resident. In a TED Talk last year, Pope Francis suggested how ‘wonderful it would be if the growth of scientific and technological innovation would come along with more equality and social inclusion.'”
Pope Francis made a surprise Ted Talk in 2017, discussing the importance of humility / Photo via Ryan Lash, TED
You can read more about the upcoming VHacks event in Vatican City here.
Sawyer Introduces New Master’s in Marketing – Sawyer Business School
The Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University has announced its new Master of Science in Marketing degree, which prepares students to “approach complex marketing problems, analyze information, and develop high-quality strategic and tactical solutions.”
“Most master’s-level programs in marketing give the qualitative tools pretty short shrift,” says Professor Elizabeth Wilson, chair of the Department of Marketing. “But knowing how to do that kind of research and understanding the whole spectrum of social science research methods is something every employer will value.”
Product management is one of the three concentrations offered in the new Master’s of Marketing program at Suffolk / Photo via nbbj
Three concentrations will be offered as part of the new Master’s program, including: product management, global marketing, and market research and customer insights.
“’I’m excited to see the new MS in Marketing program. The marketing landscape is constantly evolving, and the way brands need to talk to their customers is evolving as well,’ says Victor Davidson, MBA ’12, senior vice president of analytics at SavingStar. ‘The new degree program will empower students to stay on the forefront of these changes and position themselves as top marketers.’”
You can read more about the MSM here.
How News Coverage is Impacting ExxonMobil’s Social Responsibility – Simmons School of Management
Simmons School of Management professor Edward Vieira recently co-authored a study that analyzed ExxonMobil’s corporate social responsibility messages over a 12-year period, from 2002-03, to “determine if there was a relationship between news coverage and subsequent CSR efforts.”
“Corporations that don’t live up to stakeholder expectations may experience a decrease in credibility, reputation, and legitimacy. It’s beneficial for an organization to consistently communicate its CSR actions as well as address culturally relevant events. Therefore, it’s logical that as the world’s fourth largest oil producer, ExxonMobil’s CEO’s letters delivered CSR messages that focused on major external events.”
Read more about Professor Vieira’s research here.
How Boston Business Schools Help Low-Income MBA Applicants
Anyone planning on earning a postgraduate business degree knows that MBA programs cost a lot of money. In the Boston metro, where the cost of living is already high, the annual cost of an MBA program can reach upward of $100,000 … Ouch! Continue reading…
Philadelphia or Boston? Where’s the Best Place to Earn a Part-Time MBA
If you are interested in pursuing a degree in a diverse East Coast city, want to be surrounded by history and culture, and still immerse yourself in growing business community, two main cities come to mind: Philadelphia and Boston.
Both cities are at the center of U.S. history, and continue to be some of its largest centers of commerce and academia, with numerous opportunities to put its stellar education to work.
Surrounded by so many possibilities for professional development, an MBA student in a city like Philadelphia or Boston may not want to put their career and income on hold to pursue a full-time degree.
Thankfully, many of the business schools in Philadelphia and Boston offer part-time MBA programs, allowing students more flexibility as they kick off their careers in these exciting cities. But how to decide which one? We’ll take a look at some of the top part-time MBA programs in each metro to help you choose the right city for you.
Location
Once the capital of the United States, Philadelphia has never stopped being a center of both business and history since the time it played host to the country’s founding fathers. Home to some of the oldest and best universities in the country, Philadelphia has experienced a renaissance in recent years as young talent has become priced out of more expensive metros like New York City and Washington DC. The cost of living in Philadelphia remains fairly low, while the ever-growing business scene in the city offers the opportunity for high earning potential. This year, 14 Philadelphia-area companies made the Fortune 500 list.
Like Philadelphia, Boston has been a center of commerce and trade since the days of the Boston Tea Party. Today, the city is home to nine Fortune 500 companies, including major established firms like GE (13th on the Fortune 500 list) and newer but thriving businesses like Wayfair. However, Boston has a much higher cost of living than Philadelphia. The city currently ranks as the third most expensive city in the country.
Programs
Between the Wharton School of Business and the Harvard Business School, Philadelphia and Boston offer two of the most highly regarded MBA programs in the country. However, both of these schools only offer full-time MBA programs. Students looking for more flexibility in their schedules still have a number of stellar programs to choose from.
Most of the part-time MBA programs in the Philadelphia metro work on a hybrid structure, allowing students to take a combination of classes both online and in person. Many programs also offer students the chance to select majors or concentrations in which to specialize their business education. With a variety of possible concentrations at some of the most highly-ranked part-time programs in the country, students from these programs have gone on to find employment at major firms like DuPont, KPMG, and JPMorgan Chase.
Part-Time MBA Programs in Philadelphia Include
- Lehigh University College of Business and Economics
- Fox School of Business – Temple University
- La Salle University
- LeBow College of Business – Drexel University
- Lerner College – University of Delaware
- Rohrer College of Business – Rowan University
- Rutgers School of Business, Camden
- Villanova School of Business
- West Chester University
Like Philadelphia, Boston’s part-time MBA programs offer more flexibility for students to complete their degree on their own time. Most courses are offered in the evening or on weekends, and can be taken over the course of just two years or up to seven. Programs like the MBA at D’Amore-McKim also give students the opportunity to concentrate in fields such as Corporate Finance, Corporate Renewal, Entrepreneurship, and more.
Part-Time MBA Programs in Boston Include
- Carroll School of Management – Boston College
- D’Amore-McKim School of Business – Northeastern University
- F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business – Babson College
- Questrom School of Business – Boston University
- Sawyer Business School – Suffolk University
- Simmons School of Management
Cost
The tuition costs can vary from program to program, and can also be cheaper if the part-time program is competed online. On average, programs in the Philadelphia metro area can range from $45,000-$65,000 for the degree. The range of costs in Boston can be slightly higher, with some students spending up to $95,000 over the course of their degree.
Jobs
Although the cost of an MBA in Boston may be slightly higher than Philadelphia, the difference in average salary between the two cities may even out concerns of cost. In Boston, the average salary for someone with an MBA degree in a field like finance is $112,000, whereas in Philadelphia it is only around $90,000 per year.
No GMAT, No Problem: How These Schools Help MBA Applicants
There’s little joy in agonizing over less-than-stellar GMAT scores, wringing your sweaty hands over a looming GMAT appointment, and/or simply trying to sidestep the standardized nightmare, full stop. Slow down! Go easy on yourself!
For starters, there are plenty of schools that offer GMAT/GRE waivers or weigh other parts of your application more heavily than what you were able to half-remember one random Saturday morning.
Many schools acquiesce that it’s difficult parse out the ideal applicant from a test score and they eliminate many worthwhile candidates in the process. So, are there students who might do just fine in the application process skipping the GMAT rigmarole altogether?
If you have 5-7 years of high-quality work experience, it will certainly carry a lot of weight for applicants without GMAT scores, as will exceptionally high undergraduate GPAs. Applicants who can demonstrate aptitude in a related field can likely get away without GMATs. Candidates with post-graduate degrees in an unrelated field can also have the GMAT waived—let us know your secret for avoiding standardized tests all across the board, by the way.
On the flip side, if you don’t have significant work experience, didn’t graduate cum laude, and can’t demonstrated related (or unrelated) aptitude, you may have to claw tooth and nail to pass that GMAT with flying colors.
For those applicants with the right stuff, let’s take a deeper dive into five Metro-covered schools that don’t require GMAT for admissions:
Suffolk’s Sawyer School of Business
Sawyer School of Business applicants sans GMAT need not fret. Full-time MBA candidates with three years’ work experience and part-time MBA candidates with 5-7 years of experience can apply for waivers. Here are the other potential credentials that can take the place of a GMAT. In all cases documentation is required:
- If you’ve passed the CPA; CFA, Level 1; or the FRM, Level 1 exams
- If you’re a second-semester senior business or economics major or Berklee College of Music music management undergrad with a cumulative GPA of 3.3.
- If you have 2 years of relevant full-time professional work experience and a 3.4 undergraduate GPA; a 3.3 GPA and four years of experience; or 3.2 and six years of experience.
- If you have a MSA, MSF, MSBA, or MST from an AACSB-accredited b-school.
- If you are an ABA-approved law school graduate.
- If you’ve completed any SBS graduate certificate programs with a cumulative 3.3 GPA.
DePaul’s Kellstadt School of Business
If you apply to the Kellstadt School of Business in Chicago without GMAT scores, here are some alternatives that will help you make the cut. Along with an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution, Kellstadt applicants that do not take the GMAT need:
- Five years’ consecutive work experience that demonstrates management and quantitative aptitude.
- JD, MD, Ph.D., MSF degrees.
- 160 LSAT Score.
- Pass the CPA and/or PE exams.
- Any alumni from DePaul’s Driehaus College of Business with 3.2 GPA or higher and two years’ work experience.
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Rutgers Business School
Holders of a Ph.D., MD, JD, and PharmD, as well as applicants with 3.0-plus undergraduate GPAs are not required to present GMAT scores. Rutgers Business School part-time MBA and Professional Accounting MBA applicants with 10 years’ full-time experience (or 8 if they have a Master’s degree) can apply for GMAT waivers. Other related degree paths that do not require GMAT or GRE scores: The MA in Taxation, the MA in Governmental Accounting, and the MS in Supply Chain.
Pace’s Lubin School of Business
Prospective Pace Lubin School of Business MBAs with a 3.50-plus cumulative undergraduate GPAs or those already in possession of business-related post-graduate degrees can request GMAT waivers. CPAs, CMAs, or practicing lawyers can request GMAT waivers if they apply for the MS in Taxation. Applicants with three years of managerial human resources experience can request GMAT waivers for the MS in Human Resources Management.
Golden Gate University’s Ageno School of Business
The following Ageno School of Business candidates may apply for a GMAT waiver:
- Master’s degrees in unrelated fields.
- Applicants with professional licenses earned by passing a nationally recognized US exam e.g. CPA, CMA, CIA.
- Applicants with cumulative 3.50-plus undergraduate GPAs.
- Applicants with five years’ managerial experience.
- Practicing CFAs, physicians, or attorneys
