Posted by: Francesca Di Meglio on July 02
By Francesca Di Meglio
When BusinessWeek recently asked undergraduate business programs what kinds of unique courses they were offering students who want to stand out with recruiters and get an edge in the job hunt, the response was overwhelming. Literally hundreds of e-mails arrived with lists of classes and programs from course catalogs across the U.S. The feature story about innovative undergraduate courses focuses on just a handful of the classes that are designed to motivate students and enhance their communication, decision-making, and creativity.
Many of the most sought after courses have a hands-on element because experience is something most recruiters want to see. Even those students who in this economy can not get an internship have something to talk about in an interview. “Lots of schools provide internship experience, but Kelley students get faculty-guided experiences working with firms,” writes Frank Acito, an associate dean of information technology at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. “This strong faculty guidance and feedback helps students employ their skills in the corporate world – and that’s what recruiters tell us they like about our students.”
Continue reading "Undergrad Courses to Gain Work Experience"
Posted by: Geoff Gloeckler on June 29
MBA programs are constantly looking for ways to stand out in the crowded B-school market. For many, this has meant launching specialized degrees in niche areas like sports business, real estate, or entrepreneurship. With all of the competition, it’s rare to find a program that’s truly unique. Enter International Space University (ISU).
Last week, the Strasbourg, France-based ISU announced it had recently launched ‘the only Executive MBA program solely dedicated to space.’ In the program, participants spend nine residential weeks over an 18 month period learning not only about general management topics like finance, accounting, and economics, but also space business and international space law.
The program is broken down into six modules, with students spending time not only at ISU, but also at the International Business School on the Isle of Man, the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, and the Space Foundation in Colorado Springs.
Continue reading "Space: The Next MBA Frontier"
Posted by: Francesca Di Meglio on June 29
By Francesca Di Meglio
BusinessWeek recently asked professors and students what books they would recommend for summer reading. The lists were used to generate a summer reading list featuring 10 interesting books that were relevant to the times MBAs and aspiring MBAs are facing in 2009. With the economic crisis unfolding, businesspeople benefit from every additional bit of knowledge they have. Books can unlock different perspectives and cultures and spark new ideas and thought-provoking conversations. Reading is a way, basically, to expand your education without spending money on tuition. Here, are the complete summer reading lists from those who responded:
Continue reading "Summer 2009 Books: MBA Reading List"
Posted by: Alison Damast on June 26
Career services directors at business schools have really had to rack their heads this summer to help students find internships. For many, creativity has been the name of the game. I wrote an article back in April about the efforts that school such as the Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management, University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business were taking to ensure students had something to put on their resume. As I reported, the once unheard of unpaid internship has become commonplace and students have been taking up summer jobs that, in headier economic times, they never would have dreamed of considering.
Here’s one more example of a school that is getting creative about helping MBAs land positions. At the MIT Sloan School of Management, the school was able to raise $50,000 from alumni to help students who wanted to work at start-ups or in the field of sustainability, according to a school press release. The school's faculty allocated that money to firms that agreed to hire those students, allowing the companies to provide students with a stipend for their work.
Many of the start-ups the school reached out to were eager to have business school students work for them, but were unable to provide them with any compensation, says Jackie Wilbur, director of MIT Sloan’s Career Development Office. “Start-ups had the need for interns but were only able to offer little or no compensation," Wilbur says.
Continue reading "MIT Sloan Raises Money From Alums For Internships"
Posted by: Francesca Di Meglio on June 25
By Francesca Di Meglio
As Harvard University announced it was going to eliminate 275 jobs earlier in the week, Harvard Business School (HBS School Profile) braced itself – as did the other schools on campus. Out of a staff of about 1,000, HBS laid off 16 staff members, which doesn’t seem like much on the surface. But others have left through attrition and still more will be leaving by way of early retirement plans and expiration of temporary work contracts for a total of about 13% fewer jobs.
“The overall effect of departures – whether through attrition, early retirement, end of contract, restructuring, or layoff – will be significant, and will be felt by every department on campus,” according to a June 23 letter sent to HBS staff and faculty from Dean of the Faculty Jay Light and Angela Crispi, associate dean for administration. “Cumulatively, at the start of the new academic year in September, HBS (including Publishing) will be 130 people smaller.”
Continue reading "Harvard Business School Cuts Jobs"
