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Columbia Business School
boasts a world-class faculty, state-of-the-art facilities, and a
balanced integrated curriculum. One more aspect which gives it a
major advantage over most other MBA programs. That advantage, of
course, is its location in New York City, one of America's premier
business centers and perhaps the finance capital of the world. But
Columbia also brings all of the above-mentioned assets to the table,
thereby offering a formidable university-city tandem. As one student
puts it, "Columbia mirrors its city host - a beautifully mixed
elixir of personality and ambition." Finance is still the
powerhouse department at Columbia - "It's a great school for
finance-oriented careers!' bragged a typical MBA - although students
also commend the "very challenging classes in entrepreneurship and
management of organization." Others praise the "unique concentration
in entertainment and media," while many voice approval for the
"strong international emphasis" in their courses. Some students,
however, still complain that "some nontraditional areas - nonprofit,
for example - need improvement," while others point out that
Columbia is "still weak in some non-finance areas, but constantly
making improvements."
First-year studies at Columbia are entirely devoted to the
"well-integrated" core curriculum, which focuses on four themes:
globalization, total quality management, ethics, and human resource
management. Each group of entering students - Columbia admits two
groups, one in September and one in January - is divided into
"clusters" of approximately sixty students who take all core courses
together. During their second year, Columbia MBAs may choose a filed
of concentration (although they are not required to do so). Eleven
areas of concentration are available, with some departments offering
areas of sub concentration; finance majors, for example, have the
option of concentrating in corporate financial management, futures
markets analysis, investment management, or real estate finance.
Students may also develop their own areas of sub concentration in
conjunction with the many other leading academic departments within
the university.
Students give their professors mixed grades, noting that "we have
some excellent professors but we also have some poor professors" and
that professors in general are more research - than
teaching-focused, but you learn who's good." Several students,
however, volunteered that "most of the professors will go out of
their way to help students out. They make themselves accessible
outside the classroom." Another points out that "the New York City
location means excellent adjunct professors who are current leaders
in their fields."
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Undergraduate