University of Pittsburgh’s Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business

The University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Graduate School of Business has two full-time MBA options: a one-year program and a two-year program. Both are fairly small, intimate experiences with the school entering less than 100 students in each of the past two years–and both are filled with a good bit of experiential learning opportunities to offset the younger age of the students here who tend to have a bit less work experience.

The Katz two-year MBA program is designed for those who seek a traditional graduate business education. Students gain real-world experience through an optional professional internship following the first year of study or through Katz Consulting Field Projects, electives, community service projects, and interactions with business leaders during case competitions and campus visits.

Degree requirements for the program include a minimum of 57 credits, an appropriate distribution of 22.5 credits of required core courses and 30 credits of elective courses, a maximum of 15.0 credits per term, and a minimum cumulative quality point average of 3.0.

Katz two-year students start in August and graduate 20 months later in April.

Rankings Analysis:
In U.S. News, Katz jumped to 52nd from a rank of 85 in 2011, making Katz the fastest rising program in the ranking over the past three years. The Financial Times’ 2013 list, moreover, ranked the school in the top 20 among public institutions and the #1 salary in increase in the United States.

In 2013, Forbes and The Economist, which rank schools on the basis of return-on-investment, ranked Katz in the top 25 among public institutions and as the #1 return on investment in the United States per The Economist.

FROM KATZ:

The Experience-Based MBA

At Katz, we believe in one constant—that business never stops reinventing itself, and neither should you. To be ready to continually adapt and grow, you’ll need a strong foundation in the fundamentals. We’ll build you one through exposure to real-world experiences, global business immersions, internships and co-ops, and team-based simulations. From the moment you step on campus, we’ll prepare you to be a leader who can immediately make a positive impact and solve problems of all sizes and types. We’ll get you ready to confidently respond to change, no matter what comes your way. Are You Ready? You Can Be.

Five Formats. One MBA.

At Katz, we give you the flexibility to select the MBA format that is right for you. Each program is grounded in our commitment to Experience-Based Learning and is taught by our world-class faculty, which ensures that, no matter which program you select, you’ll graduate with the tools needed to make an immediate positive impact.

One-Year MBA Reduce the time you spend away from the workforce and maximize your return on investment by completing the Katz MBA in an accelerated 11-month format.

Two-Year MBA The traditional-style MBA gives you a comprehensive understanding of business operations and leaves time for an internship experience.

Professional MBA Designed with the working professional in mind, the flexible program enables you to continue working while earning your MBA.

Executive MBA Tailored for mid-level and senior managers, this program enhances your strategic vision and executive skills. We offer both a Worldwide and a Healthcare track.

Joint and Dual Degrees You have the option of pairing your MBA with a master’s degree in law, engineering, information systems, international business, international development, public and international affairs, or public health.

Specialized Master’s Programs Katz also offers MS in business programs for students interested in quickly gaining professional skills in the areas of Accounting, Customer Insights, Finance, Management of Information Systems, and Supply Chain Management.

Credit Hours Are Ramp-Up Time

At Katz, Experience-Based Learning is our central curricular focus. We use real-world experiences to teach you the hard skills (the analytic-driven technical competencies) and the soft skills (people-based skills such as leadership and teamwork) that are necessary to be a business leader. At Katz, you are able to complete an array of client-based projects, internships and co-ops, global business immersions, internal and external case competitions, research fellowships, and more. Watch a video about our Experience-Based Learning philosophy.

The following Experience-Based Learning experiences are critical to our MBA program:

Consulting Field Projects let you work as management consultants on challenging projects for real companies located around the globe. Your team is given a scope of work and then you spend the course of a semester completing the project, before ultimately presenting it to the client and presenting it in the school’s McKinsey Cup case competition. Past Consulting Field Project clients have included Westinghouse Electric; Thomson Reuters; Philips, Inc.; Bank of New York Mellon; and UPMC. Watch a video about the Consulting Field Project course.

Ethics and social responsibility fellowship programs give you the experience of applying business principles to a community-enhancing issue. Our Kenneth R. Woodcock Leadership Fellowship Program lets you serve as a guest member on the boards of directors of greater Pittsburgh nonprofits and economic development organizations. Our BNY Mellon Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Fellowship Program lets you work in a consulting capacity for a Pittsburgh organization on a CSR-themed project. Past clients have included the government of Allegheny County, Sustainable Pittsburgh, UPMC, and Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Watch a video about the fellowship programs.

The Management Simulation lets you tie together everything you learned in the core courses by having the experience of running a company in a simulated, competitive environment. As the capstone to the MBA program, it involves reporting your work to a board of directors made up of real managers and executives from the Pittsburgh area.

The Global Research Practicum gives you an opportunity to travel abroad to conduct research and to meet with local and multinational companies, and learn about their business practices and culture through a short-term, project-based trip. Three trips are offered in a typical year, and past locations have included cities in Asia, Europe, and South America. Watch a video about the Global Research Practicum.

At a more fundamental level, every Katz course incorporates case studies, group projects, and assignments tied to current events. This active learning model prepares you to think on your feet, so that you can stand tall when the sands of change shift underneath you. Watch a video about class projects at Katz.