The US business schools where leaders are made

When Bill Gates said, “A company’s ability to respond to an unplanned event, good or bad, is a prime indicator of its ability to compete,” he was not predicting the future.

Yet, his words are as true as ever in today’s economic climate, which transforms our expectations of business schools.

As some businesses struggle to stay afloat in the face of global challenges, others are gearing up to charge full speed ahead.

The leaders helming these efforts are improvising and adapting, coming up with new strategies that follow trends and times. They also pull their teams through novel challenges and emerge stronger at the end.

In other words, these are the entrepreneurs business schools are expected to produce today.

So if you’re looking to earn an MBA, set your sights on esteemed B-schools that nurture the creative and courageous spirit of doing business. These institutions tap into their experienced faculty and leading research capabilities to deliver ever-evolving business courses that are relevant globally.

Check out our pick of business schools in the US that apply such forward-thinking to elevate the student experience.

UNC KENAN-FLAGLER BUSINESS SCHOOL — UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL

They join as MBA students. They emerge as ambitious, principled leaders focused on the bottom line and the greater good.

Source: UNC Kenan-Flager Business School

At UNC Kenan-Flagler you tailor powerful coursework to your objectives in a challenging yet collaborative learning environment.

The faculty members who deliver this programme are world-class researchers and industry experts, renowned for their inspiring teaching style and accessibility. A career services team helps you evaluate your goals to connect you with employers and navigate opportunities beyond graduation, when you’ll join a global network of over 37,000 alumni in 80 countries.

On top of that, UNC Kenan-Flagler offers a STEM-designated concentration in business analytics and management science to prepare MBA graduates to use analytics to lead companies. It equips you to make strategic data-driven business decisions across vital industries including energy, fintech, and healthcare.

“Navigating complex sets of data and deriving insights are core skills employers need,” said Karan Gupta (MBA ’20). “An essential component of my summer internship was manipulating large data sets in a managerially useful way. This skill will be central to all roles I have in my career, regardless of industry or function.”

For international students, this deal is sweetened with a three-year Optional Practice Training (OPT) period after graduation, where you can apply your freshly-acquired analytical toolkit to succeed in the competitive US market.

HAAS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS — UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY

The Top 10 Business School in the 2020 US News & World Report operates on the principle of “New Thinking for the New Economy”.

This means that every student learns to apply analytic rigour and human understanding in everyday business decisions, which transforms them into confident, collaborative leaders with a purpose.

Just how is this achieved? It starts with becoming fluent in the fundamentals of business and management. Then, you try out hands-on projects and experiential opportunities that prepare you to deal with real-world problems.

Haas School of Business. Source: Shutterstock

Thanks to HAAS’s list of flexible MBA programmes, students can choose to study full-time, opt for evening and weekend classes, or take up a 19-month executive course. You can now enquire and register online.

A study of HAAS graduates has shown that an MBA from UC Berkeley can help the brightest business minds get ahead in their careers by allowing them to explore new roles and qualify for a promotion or salary raise.

COX SCHOOL OF BUSINESS — SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY

Having offered quality business education for a century, just what is the key to success at Cox School of Business?

Perhaps it is the diverse community of faculty member and students. It could be the private-school, small-class approach to postgraduate education.

Maybe it’s the innovative learning culture that keeps students curious and alert as they enter the next phase of their career. We’d be remiss to exclude the opportunity for research in over 150 programmes globally.

Student clubs, speaker series, and mentoring programmes provide additional opportunities for students to expand their network and sharpen leadership skills.

For example, students get to rub shoulders with Fortune 500 executives who lead seminars in the Business Leadership Center.

They can also join Career Center excursions to business hotspots like Wall Street, and train at the Kitt Trading Center simulated trading room. These opportunities set the tone for a postgraduate education that is enriching as it is empowering.

Source: Shutterstock

BOOTH SCHOOL OF BUSINESS — UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

At Chicago Booth, intellectual culture shapes student life. Graduate students are inspired to explore beyond their comfort zones to gain self-awareness and self-assuredness, which in turn shapes them into confident business leaders.

The MBA course here is available in several formats: Full-time (over 21 months), evening (rolling admissions available for working professionals), weekend (if you can make it to downtown Chicago), and executive (available at Chicago, London, and Hong Kong campuses).

Following the principles of the land it is built upon, this business school prioritises freedom. This sense of individuality extends beyond academia, encouraging future entrepreneurs to gain from risks and empower them to leave an impact.

In that sense, Chicago Booth graduates are urged to dig deeper and always keep discovering when setting career prospects and objectives. They know that their business decisions have far-reaching consequences that shape the future of themselves, their families, and their communities.

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International

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