Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University

The Whitman MBA: What You Need To Know

With its proximity to New York City and plethora of networking opportunities, the Whitman School of Management is ranked No. 77 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 Best Business Schools ranking and has lots to offer prospective students. The school emphasizes high-touch, intimate classes set in a large university environment and locally students enjoy visiting Green Lakes State Park to hike or cross-country ski. Syracuse is also home to Destiny USA, the sixth largest shopping center in the country.

The full-time MBA is a two-year 54-credit-hour program graduated the first class in 1950 and has 36 credit hours dedicated to core classes and 18 credit hours to electives. The cohort size is around 30-35 students; relatively small, which helps to increase critical thinking skills in solving complex business scenarios in small teams. Students can opt to specialize in one of seven concentrations: accounting, business analytics, entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises, finance, marketing management, real estate, or supply chain management.

The home of the MBA, the Whitman School of Management building is a Green building with many sustainable features such as erosion control to reduce the impact on water and air quality, restored landscaping with new trees for water retention to reduce the impact of rainwater runoff, special roofing to reduce the thermal gradient difference between developed and undeveloped areas, and some building materials made with recycled content.

The curriculum incorporates both the theoretical background and practical experience needed to succeed in business. The experiential learning component encourages students to apply classroom learning to business problems. Students build an experiential portfolio through internships, consulting, specialized courses, and community engagement. MBAs are required to complete a minimum of six approved experiential credits through at least two distinct experiences. Students can also choose to combine the full-time MBA with a graduate degree at another Syracuse University school or college, such as the Newhouse School of Public Communications or the College of Law.

Outside required courses, students often further enrich their time at Whitman through experiential courses, internships, global projects, and case/business competitions.

“My favorite thing about the Whitman School MBA program is its innovativeness. We’re regularly offering new courses, new experiences, and new tools to help support student learning and success. Examples of these innovations include intensive courses in New York City that connect heavily with corporate partners and successful alumni, 1-credit weekend courses focusing on specific skills and timely topics, our professional certification program WIRE newly launched, the global travel opportunities, and even the multidisciplinary partnerships we offer with other schools on campus like Sustainable Enterprise or Technology Law and Entrepreneurship. Our program is constantly innovating and updating as the world around us continues to change,” says Alexander McKelvie, Associate Dean for undergraduate and master’s education and professor of entrepreneurship.

Whitman MBA Rankings Data

Relevant Features:

2019 Best Online MBAs: Kati Isaacson, Syracuse University (Whitman)

2018 Best Online MBAs: April R. Wisebaker, Syracuse University (Whitman)

2018 Best Online MBAs: David Campos, Syracuse University (Whitman)