Academics
Taking a cue from its progressive environs in Portland, Oregon, Portland State University offers an MBA program with a 鈥渇ocus on sustainability鈥 and an emphasis on 鈥減ersonal development as a leader.鈥 Offering more than your standard MBA, 鈥渢his school is committed to the whole student,鈥 and 鈥渃reativity, along with sustainable, equitable solutions, are promoted, even prized.鈥 Throughout the hefty seventy-four-credit curriculum, you鈥檒l never lose sight of the school鈥檚 core values: 鈥淧SU also works hard to integrate sustainability into most aspects of the curriculum, from core classes to elective offerings.鈥 The MBA includes plenty of required coursework (as well as required hands-on projects), yet electives give students the opportunity to tailor their education. In fact, 鈥渢he wide latitude given to students to pursue their studies in a multi-disciplinary manner鈥 is a trademark of PSU鈥檚 graduate program. SBA has several Graduate Certificates for students, including: Social Innovation, Global Supply Chain, and Business Intelligence & Analytics.
Thanks to its strong reputation and enviable Portland location, PSU can 鈥渁ttract and retain an extremely high-quality faculty roster.鈥 On the whole, 鈥減rofessors are informed, enlightened educators as well as experts in their respective fields.鈥 Despite overall excellence, students say there are a few instructors who 鈥渟eem unprepared, disorganized, and unclear on what they鈥檙e supposed to be teaching us.鈥 The local community also plays an important role in the PSU experience. 鈥淧ortland is truly at the center of this nation鈥檚 move toward sustainability,鈥 and therefore, 鈥渂eing in Portland is a huge plus鈥攖here鈥檚 so much sustainable business thinking and practice here that it鈥檚 easy to see in the field what I learn in school.鈥 A student adds, 鈥淚 have been introduced to and met with many people that are driving regional and national movements on the cutting edge of sustainability.鈥
PSU is a large school, but you won鈥檛 get lost in the crowd. Despite its 400-plus enrollment, 鈥淭he SBA manages by breaking up [its] graduate studies into discrete cohorts and providing a concrete plan of study for each. There鈥檚 never much doubt what you should be doing, yet there is flexibility should you need it.鈥 Depending on your schedule, the school offers several program options. For full-time students, 鈥淢BA cohort classes are four hours long one day a week from about [noon] until four,鈥 while part-time students 鈥渢ypically go to class two to three evenings a week.鈥 Though students say the business school鈥檚 classrooms could use a refresh, (a major renovation will be complete in September 2017), 鈥渢he academic resources are great.鈥 For example, 鈥渢he library has done a lot of work to make research as easy as possible, even for those of us who are only on campus a couple times a week.鈥
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