Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Rutgers Business School

Guided by “knowledgeable and experienced” professors, the MBA program at Rutgers has a “good reputation” in New Jersey and “great connections” in the New York City area. The MBA program offers nine concentrations, including marketing, real estate, and pharmaceutical management. Students can also pursue a dual degree—earning a second graduate degree alongside an MBA. For full-time students, the school notes this can help shorten the time it would take to earn each degree separately by one year. The curriculum here feels relevant due to professors who “are excellent at incorporating current events into class lessons,” and students appreciate the program’s “tight-knit community” feel. The faculty are engaged and supportive. As one student explains, professors are “amazingly interested in helping the students in my class learn and develop an appreciation for a wide range of subject matter.” Students also enjoy the activities, including the case competition teams. Fellow students “work hard to build connections with their classmates and go out of their way to be inclusive.” The program has an “extremely diverse student body,” which allows “for a high level of collaboration from different backgrounds and experiences.”

The school offers job placement assistance, including in finance and supply chain fields. But, where it particularly excels is its “network with local pharma companies.” The school’s proximity to New York City “is also a plus due to networking and career opportunities in that area.” The business school has a network of over 50,000 alumni, and students say this “large alumni base in New Jersey and across the Tri-State area” is helpful for “outreach and networking.” Overall, the MBA program provides “amazing social and networking opportunities,” and students say the “great combination of on-campus recruiting opportunities and strong alumni network” helps “students get jobs at good companies.” Additionally, the office of career management is “great at getting internship opportunities for first years.” All of these opportunities help boost the careers of graduates, and according to the school, the average salary for the class of 2022 after graduation was $106,372.

The school is “mainly commuter-oriented, so only [a] few students live on-campus,” and commuters appreciate that “there plenty of public transit options for getting to the school.” Whether you live on-campus or commute to school, there are often opportunities to socialize. As one student describes, “Students on and off-campus have been friendly and frequently invite each other to events that are both academic and non-academic.” Some students note that the school is most active in promoting activities and events for first-year business students. As one student explains, there are “a lot of activities during the first year…[but] during the second year, it becomes a [typical] commuter school.” That said, the school offers many “different types of events, alumni events, happy hour events, job fair events, corporate presentations, and many more.” Students are “very friendly and collaborative,” and most “go out of their way to be a resource or friend for anyone in the class who may need it.” Many students also form study groups to help each other with studying and coursework. Overall, students choose Rutgers because “the professors, the students, and the case competition teams have created an incredible environment to learn and build skills” that will serve them for life.