Academics
鈥淐lose proximity to New York City,鈥 an excellent 鈥渞eputation for quality鈥 (particularly in New York), 鈥渙ne of the best accounting programs in the nation,鈥 and a small program size that ensures students won鈥檛 get lost in the crowd, are among the top reasons students give for choosing the MBA program at Binghamton University. It also doesn鈥檛 hurt that it 鈥渁ll comes with an extremely reasonable price tag,鈥 with 鈥渃heap tuition鈥 even for outof-state students.
The four-semester MBA program at Binghamton University (BU) employs 鈥渁n extremely team-based approach鈥 to education 鈥渢hat replicates real-world business in a way many other business programs do not,鈥 students inform us. This is especially true in the first year, during which the program covers core essentials. One student explains, 鈥淭he first year of the program requires students to stick with a set group of students to work on projects, presentations, papers, and cases. It can be difficult at times, but the lessons learned are crucial for the real world.鈥 Full-time MBA students are also required to obtain an internship during the course of the program, which may be used toward fulfilling an elective course requirement. The school also offers a Fast Track Professional MBA in New York City (with classes taking place on Saturdays over the course of a year), and a Fast Track MBA to Binghamton undergraduates. The program allows them to earn both a BA and an MBA in five years, no small feat considering that a Binghamton MBA requires sixty-nine credits, 鈥渕ore than any other university.鈥
For a state school, BU provides excellent service and a 鈥渟mart organizational system.鈥 Students tell us that 鈥渢he school really tries to adapt to the latest management concepts and ideals鈥 and that administrators are 鈥渁re diligent and available to help students with interviews and networking opportunities.鈥 Most of the professors have been practitioners in their respective fields at one point or another, which means 鈥渢he tone of the course matches the tone of the discipline and serves to address the gap between theory and practice that plagues weaker business programs.鈥 The only knock on teachers is that 鈥渕any are foreign,鈥 so that 鈥渟ometimes it is difficult to understand what is being said due to accents.鈥 Most often, however, instructors 鈥渃an communicate easily with the students.鈥 Another asset to the program is that 鈥渢he alumni that are in highly respected companies are great, and everyone really tries to pull for other Binghamton students.鈥 鈥淚 have also interfaced with alumni on many occasions, gaining insights into investment banking and asset management,鈥 says one student.