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| University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business |
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1999 Profile Update School Profile School Statistics Graduates' Comments: Future Katz students have to approach this program from two different perspectives. First, there's not a lot of time to fool around. By the time you realize you're behind in a course, it's finals week. With that in mind the faculty and administration try to teach the courses in an integrated fashion; there's simply no time for any other approach. For this reason the Management Learning Organizations (MLOs) are an indispensable tool. These are groups of ten students that work together in the core courses of organizational behavior and two strategy courses, in all eight of the 50 credits needed to graduate. Because of the atmosphere of teamwork from the beginning, there is high degree of camaraderie among all of the students. The second approach a future Katz student must take involves recognizing that the program is somewhat unique in the business school arena, which is both an advantage and a cross to bear. Most, if not all, one-year MBA programs other than Katz require an undergraduate degree in business, or simply taking twice the required credits in half of the time. The advantage of this to the students and future employers is that deadlines are not a problem, and it's a given that we can start a job "hitting the ground running". The disadvantage is that it is not a typical MBA and is not marketed enough to the business school community. --No career path given Katz GSB is excellent on teamwork and takes you beyond the limits you have. Given the enormous amount of work we are able to do in 11 months, it seems unfair to compare it with regular two-year MBA programs. I found the students at Katz at least as good as some at the top ranking schools, with whom I met during my on-site interviews. Katz is an aggressive business program, and a student here needs to be tenacious and sharp to get through it in 11 months. --No career path given The Katz School is an outstanding institution for those with a great deal of focus and energy. The innovative "European Style" MBA is ideal for getting back into your field with a first-class skill set in half the time of the traditional programs. The tenured Finance faculty are outstanding, as are the efforts of the placement office. --Consulting For applicants that know what they want to do in the future, this one-year program is ideal. The advantage to some (and disadvantage to others) is that one does not seek a summer internship. The cost savings of a one-year program are tremendous, especially given the extra year of opportunity cost versus traditional two-year programs. One of the problems of the school is that there is no legacy between classes. I feel that the administration does a great job of helping each class do the most with the limited time that is available. --Consulting The University of Pittsburgh offers one of the most challenging programs in the nation. My experiences have proven to me that I can compete and succeed in a challenging business environment. The level of professionalism and academic achievment is of the highest magnitude. --Operations Katz has done a wonderful job at enhancing my management skills (i.e. teamwork, communication, and leadership skills) through seminars and course work. The emphasis is always on application to the real world, either in class or outside the class (i.e. executive briefings, projects with companies, and American Assembly Dialogues, where students have a chance to chat with top U.S. CEOs). In addition, I am very impressed at the customer service orientation of faculty and staff. I am 100% satisfied with the MBA. I would definitely recommend it to anyone -- a great value! Also, the fast pace of the course makes you great at juggling. --Entrepreneurship I feel that Katz is best summed up by the numerous articles regarding the "best bang for your buck". The curriculum is intensive, fast, and well organized. The faculty needs a little tuning up as only about 10% of them are truly inspiring. The school needs to refine its admission process as, in my opinion, there were a lot of people here who would not be admitted to any other school. Placement services for international students need to be improved, as all my job search activities were done personally, without much assistance. --Finance I felt that the work in the MLOs was wasted time, as I did not gain any specifc skill or knowledge from the projects. Our main project involved evaluating a marketing plan for a local business. However, it was not apparent what they wanted, and it felt as if we were just doing the project for a grade and not to learn. Moreover, the foreign students who did not have a good grasp of the English language really impeded teamwork discussions as well as class discussions. Pitt needs to reevaluate certain aspects of the program for relevance and importance in providing a first-class education. --Finance The time I spent at Katz was a restructuring period for the school, so in the process, many things fell through the cracks (i.e. quality control in faculty hiring, courses, etc). I noticed that the school tended to express "prejudice" in their treatment of non-U.S. (or international) students. This was apparent in the number and quality of jobs offered and contacts made, as well as the number and quality of scholarships and financial assistance offered/given. This despite the heavy marketing to international students and a supposed 40% international student population. The quality of support given to second-year (dual degree) students also tended to wane. While all resources seemed to be at one's disposal during the first year, it all but disappeared during one's second year. This included mailings, invitations to events, funding, etc. The key to Katz's current state is their inconsistency. While some professors bring cutting-edge technology and ideas to class, others (often tenured) bring archaic, self-promoting, and rote dogma. While some departments will go out of their way to help (i.e. student records, library), others will be a hindrance or no help. There are excellent professors and great departments at Katz. However, they are surrounded by those who would rather keep with the status quo, thereby dooming Katz to mediocrity. --Consulting One of the reasons I chose the Katz School is its diversity of students and faculty. The diversity is not only due to the 40% international student population but also stems from the type and amount of prior work and life experiences of the students and faculty. This allows the students to gain tremendously not only in the classroom but also outside of it. Another unique feature of this program is that it is a one-year program, so it simulates the time constraints found in the workplace today. Students learn how to learn, process, and analyze large volumes of information in a short period of time, through innovative techniques of "parallel processing" and integrative student project teams, also known as Management Learning Organizations. The latter is the third aspect of this MBA program that makes it an extremely valuable and quality program. The MLO-structured curriculum truly enhances the students' ability to work in teams with students with different core capabilities and different goals they wish to achieve during their MBA education. This teaches the students to not only be confident in expressing their own opinions but also freely accept constructive criticism from their peers. Overall, this program really improves the MBA candidates' abilities to manage time, to speak in public, and to be flexible enough to consider and accept ideas or concepts that are very different from their previous ones. --No career path given This school has two weaknesses. First, the placement office is run by people who, for the most part, should not be working there. They are not only incapable of doing the job but also unwilling to support students. Secondly, the quality of professors is very low... Many foreigners, including myself, come to this school simply because it is a one-year program. None of us would choose this school if it were not a one-year MBA. --Unemployed I think the Katz School is tremendously underrated. The faculty was truly top-notch. Having been on the job for over five weeks at the time I am completing this survey, I can say that my education has prepared me extremely well for my chosen career. --Finance All of the faculty and administration are very willing to listen to students. The student body is small -- just 240 students. This allows tremendous contact and interaction. One of the difficulties of the program is its intensity. The course work is heavy. Because of this, some of the traditional extracurricular activities that exist at other schools simply do not exist at Katz. The program attracts unique individuals who are willing to work hard and play hard. --Consulting This program is particlarly suitable to those professionals who have some solid working experience but want to widen the scope of knowledge to prepare for a senior position. --Finance Back to Top 1999 Profile Update School Profile School Statistics |
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