Smeal College of Business, Penn State University

Smeal College of Business at Penn State University is one of the largest business schools in the United States and is accredited by the AACSB. It has academic departments in Accounting, Finance, Management and Organisation, Marketing, Risk Management, and Supply Chain and Information Systems and is home to major research centers in the areas of supply chain management, business-to-business marketing, and corporate innovation and entrepreneurship.

The business school was founded in 1953 and has an alumni network of over 73,000 students.  It is located in the middle of Penn State University’s campus in the “Business Building”, a modern, state-of-the-art learning center that is technologically advanced and creates an environment of openness, innovation, and collaboration for students. In 2008, Smeal created a strategic plan until 2013 that is directed towards the commitment to providing outstanding education, creating research with an impact on society, building a dialogue with society, and fostering a community with distinction. During this process, the themes of learning, international business, integrity, and development have emerged.

The MBA Programme at Smeal College of Business gives students a teamwork-focused environment that stresses collaboration and working together to formulate business solutions. The programme offers concentrations in Strategic Leadership, Finance, Business-To-Business Marketing, and Supply Chain Management. It also provides students with first-hand exposure to businesses in developing economy and explores international business perspectives. The curriculum is presented in a modular format with the first set of courses taught in the first seven weeks, followed by a one-week immersion course and the final set of courses in the remaining seven weeks.

The programme focuses on principled leadership, functional expertise, a total business focus, and developing a global perspective in students. It begins with an intensive, two-week orientation that helps prepare students for the programme.  Some differentiators of the programme are the applied professional experience programme (APEX), a global immersion trip, a leadership communications programme, an executive panel case competition, and a complete 360 degree assessment. Below is a diagram provided by Smeal that shows the structure of the curriculum.

The Executive MBA is 21 months long and occurs on alternate weekends. The programme provides executives with skills needed for the next steps in their careers and has a targeted curriculum focusing on the skills of principled leadership, strategic analysis, and financial management. The first and third segments also contain six-day residencies at Penn State’s University Park Campus and the final segment includes a global immersion experience. The curriculum was developed in consultation with industry leaders and the courses are continually updated based on the latest trends in business. Smeal has designed the curriculum so that substantial business challenges are presented and students are provided with the basic fundamental knowledge needed at higher management levels. These courses are presented in the first year, and then students take courses in the themes of executive leadership, management, marketing, and finance in the second year.  They also receive personalised mentoring throughout the entire educational experience.

The business school also offers Open-enrollment Executive Education Programmes in the areas of leadership, strategy and innovation, and supply chain management along with custom learning initiatives and strategic-thinking innovation courses. The programmes are designed to help executives leverage the knowledge of a broader global perspective and prepare them to become leaders in their organisations and achieve their strategic goals as executives. The open-enrollment programmes offer learning experiences that consist of practical learning and coaching with new industry knowledge and perspectives. It also exposes them to leading faculty members and executives and gives them the opportunity to work side-by-side with peers from a wide range of industries and organisations.

Although Forbes and US News do not rank MBAs globally, they were included for their impact in the US

• Forbes Rank – 26
• Financial Times Rank – 77
• US News and World Report Rank – 49
• Bloomberg Businessweek Rank – 44
• The Economist Rank – 68

According to Bloomberg Businessweek’s International Business School Ranking: High:  86%  job offer three months post-graduation.

Smeal College of Business, Penn State University, 220 Business Building, University Park, PA 16802, United States 

t: +1 814-863-0474 

w: www.smeal.psu.edu