The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Wharton School of Business was founded in 1881 by philanthropist Joesph Wharton.  It is the oldest business school in the U.S. and the first business school associated with a higher learning institution, the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania. In 1998, the Wharton Research Data Services was launched through the Computing and Technology department.  It was created to make it easier for businesses, faculty, and students to conduct research in the areas of finance, economics, and marketing.  The program has been licensed for use and become a valuable research tool at over 200 business schools and financial institutes, including Harvard and Stanford. Wharton’s main campus is located in Philadelphia and it also has a campus in San Francisco.  The San Francisco campus, located in Hills Brothers Plaza, serves as a hub for students, alumni, and businesses in the west coast.  It opened in 2012 for Executive MBA students and a small sample of MBA students.  The campus now accepts approximately 100 MBA students and 90 Executive MBAs each year. At the Philadelphia campus, a space is created that allows peers to establish connections with one another.  The system of companionship, learning teams, and student activities help students form friendships and connections within the large university.  Students are encouraged to participate in all activities and share their interests, give feedback, follow their passion, and revolutionize themselves. Wharton’s concept for learning is “knowledge for action.”  They have the largest amount of publishings among business schools globally, 20 different research centers, 10 academic departments, and the largest alumni base for business schools in the world with 91,000 members in 140 countries.   Wharton Business School consistently makes an effort to progress and refine current business techniques and develop new knowledge in the field of business and entrepreneurship. The educational program concentrates on the core business skills of handling stressful situations, making critical decisions, and showing leadership skills.  Outdoor trips called “ventures” help to aide in the development of leadership and entail adventures like mountaineering on the face of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. The diverse network of research centers gives students the opportunity to conduct research and explore new ideas within their fields.  Almost every area of business has a research center; some of the major categories are entrepreneurship, ethics, finance, management and leadership, real estate, and technology and innovation.

The Full-time MBA Program  lets students choose their own career path in a broad selection of courses, academic areas, programs, and interdisciplinary research centers offered at Wharton.  The MBA program consists of 18 different specializations, 10 different academic departments, and 225 world-renowned faculty members. Additionally, over 15 different interdisciplinary degrees are offered. The 2-Year MBA Program offers a core curriculum that covers the traditional management disciplines with a focus in accounting, finance, marketing, management, operations, statistics, and microeconomics. Also, leadership, ethics, and communication skills are constantly covered throughout the program.   A 3.5 month internship is required to be completed during the summer between years one and two. Wharton has recently updated its MBA curriculum to be more flexible by allowing students to take electives during the first year of classes.  Also, more emphasis has been directed towards analytics, classroom intensity, lifelong learning, global integration, leadership and teamwork, and continuous innovation.

The Executive MBA Program is designed to offer the same courses as the full-time MBA program, but classes meet on the weekends.  A 1-week international study trip is also included to broaden students global perspective.  Some classes are extended and run throughout the summer in order to cover all necessary materials. Online classes are also available. So if somoine can take your online class for you it will be a huge advantage. The program does not offer formal majors.  Instead, electives and independent studies help them explore their desired field of expertise and broaden their knowledge base.  Both Wharton campuses in San Francisco, CA and Philadelphia, PA offer the Executive MBA and Full-time MBA programs.

The Executive Education Program at the Aersty Institute of Executive Education has open-enrollment programs for executives in the areas of:

• Corporate Governance
• Finance
• Health Care
• Leadership Development
• Management Development
• Marketing/Sales
• Negotiation and Persuasion
• Senior Management
• Strategy/Management
• Industry Associations and member Organizations
• Accelerated Development Program

New programs are offered on a monthly basis. The MBA/MA Program from The Lauder Institute at Wharton serves as a joint degree program in international management with a Master of Arts in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Arts and Sciences combined with a Wharton MBA.  This two-year program trains students in international management, global leadership, advanced language, and cross-cultural changes.  A tight knit class of 50-70 students experience global studies and international management issues together and become part of a community. The 24-month program consists of the core curriculum for the full-time MBA program, fulfilling all the required classes for the degree.  Students are also expected to significantly increase their skills and abilities in their specific language of study. Leadership in the Business World is a pre-undergraduate program that teaches recent high school graduates leadership, communication, and teamwork skills in the business place.  The month long program consists of lectures, classroom discussions, team-building exercises, field-trips to businesses, and the development of a group business plan.  The program dates are from July 7 -August 3

• Forbes Rank – 4
• Financial Times Rank –  3
• US News and World Report Rank – 3
• Bloomberg BusinessWeek Rank –  3
• Economist Rank –  13

According to Bloomberg Businessweek’s Business School Ranking

• High:  95% job offer three months post-graduation

The Wharton School University of Pennsylvania Vance Hall, Suite 111 3733 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA 19104.6340 United States t:  +1 215.898.6183 e:  mba-admiss@wharton.upenn.edu w:  www.wharton.upenn.edu