Business colleges are popular choices for students because the information they teach directly relates to a variety of industries. What makes a business college different from a regular college? Business colleges focus exclusively on business, with topics such as accounting, economics, finance, business strategy, employee relations, organizational structure and behavior, marketing, and information systems.
They may be part of a larger university with liberal arts degree offerings, or they may stand alone. The goal of a business college is to prepare professionals for careers in leading organizations to long-term success.
In the United States, the term “business school” is generally considered to be a graduate school offering a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. Some people may also use the term business school or business college to mean any college offering a business-related degree, including Associate, Bachelor, and Doctoral degrees.
The leading business colleges have between 10 and 20 applicants for each available opening. Competition is fierce, but certain steps can be taken to increase the odds of acceptance.
Submit a quality application and essays early for the best available spots. Ensure you meet the deadlines and present a clear goal for why you are pursuing a business degree. Know what you want out of life and how each particular business college will help you to achieve it.
Demonstrate rigorous coursework and work experience that will allow you to share your experiences and contribute to discussions. The business college will be a learning community, so you must be able to teach others as much as you are being taught.
Show your uniqueness. Be able to express your strengths, personal causes, and talents—in your application, resume, and interviews.
Aim for an upper-600/700+ score on the GMAT. High scores do not guarantee acceptance, but they will help to boost your overall application score. Low scores do not automatically disqualify you (unless the business college requires a minimum score); they will just make the rest of your application package that much more important.
Below is a list of the top business colleges in the United States and their program offerings. For admission all of these schools require an application, essays, resume, two to three letters of recommendation, GMAT or GRE score (GMAT only for Harvard), and interviews.
The University of Chicago Booth School of Business
With six Nobel Prize-winning faculty, Booth is a business college committed to innovative ideas. Booth operates on three continents and has educated over 43,000 alumni. Booth offers full-time, weekend, evening, and executive MBA programs. Students can pursue concentrations in accounting/finance, economics, entrepreneurship, management, and international business.
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School (HBS) has advanced the careers of 70,000 business leaders in 150 countries. Its case-based curriculum lets students apply solutions to real problems and enhances analysis, assessment, judgment, and action. HBS’s full-time MBA program consists of one year of required courses and then another year of electives from any of ten subject areas. Students can also pursue joint degrees with other Harvard schools, including the MBA/MPP (Master of Public Policy), MBA/MPA-ID (Master of Public Administration-International Development), JD/MBA (law school), MD/MBA (medical school), and DMD/MBA (dental school).
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Founded in 1881, Wharton is the world’s first collegiate business school. The faculty is renown for their research and publications. With 86,000 alumni, the school offers a comprehensive network during attendance and afterward. Some of the majors in Wharton’s full-time, two-year MBA program are accounting/finance, policy, entrepreneurship, insurance/environmental/risk management, accounting, marketing, strategic management, and real estate.
Other top business colleges include the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, University of Michigan Business School (Ross), Haas School of Business at the University of California-Berkeley, Columbia Business School, and MIT Sloan School of Management.
