School of Management
The mission of the Boston University School of Management (SMG) is to prepare ethical and innovative leaders who create value for their organizations, their communities, and the world.
Founded in 1913, the School is a leader in innovative management education. Today more than 2,000 undergraduates and 1,200 master’s and doctoral candidates constitute its diverse and achievement-driven student body.
Undergraduate Program
Unlike many business schools, the SMG undergraduate program teaches managerial perspectives using a systems approach (a philosophy as well as the introductory course). It is critical for managers today to understand the internal and external forces that impact organizational effectiveness. Decisions made by one department of a company (such as marketing) inevitably cause ripple effects—intended and unintended—in various other departments (such as accounting, manufacturing, distribution, information systems, and the like). We are distinct in that we teach an understanding of the critical interrelationships of various functions within organizations. The School emphasizes a cohesive, enterprise-wide approach to management. At the same time, students may also develop a specialty through their choice of electives.
The marketplace for products and services has become global. Hence, managers must learn to compete and cooperate across and among cultures. Approximately 25 percent of our student body comes from outside the United States. This provides a unique learning opportunity for all of our students. In addition, there are many opportunities for studies in other schools and colleges within Boston University, as well as projects and internships in the Boston area and around the world. The University is well known for international programs involving work and study in the U.S. and abroad. Practical, real-world experiences supplement experiences inside the classroom.
Critical thinking and communications skills are developed through a number of team-based and individual projects and case studies. Student teams undertake complex projects, conducting research, developing and presenting their findings, often in collaboration with companies. The faculty infuses the program with a spirit of collaboration and integrity and an enthusiasm for entrepreneurship and innovation. Through the combination of teaming and individual challenges, leadership skills are developed for successful engagement with the organizational models of today and tomorrow.
By the end of the freshman year, School of Management students have gained more knowledge, skills, and management perspective than is normally expected of juniors at many other schools or colleges.
Master’s Programs
The School of Management offers numerous graduate programs. Students may pursue a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) on either a full-time (one or two-year) or part-time basis. The MBA is an ideal choice for bright, forward-thinking students preparing for leadership positions in existing businesses, startup companies, government, and other nonprofit organizations.
At BU, MBA students learn to integrate an understanding of how each of the management disciplines (from accounting to finance to marketing to organizational behavior and more) impacts overall organizational effectiveness. They also have the opportunity to specialize in one or more management disciplines.
The School is achieving differentiation and distinction by placing special research and teaching focus on three sectors of vital importance to effective global leadership in the 21st century: Digital Technology, Energy and the Environment, and Health and Life Sciences. Points of intersection between these sectors and their direct linkage to our academic departments will provide exceptional opportunities for innovative research and teaching with high impact. As a result our graduates are prepared for career success in a rapidly changing world.
Along with special expertise in digital technology, energy and the environment, and health and life sciences, students concentrate in the traditional areas of MBA studies including accounting, finance, marketing, operations, organizational behavior, and strategy. The School also offers programs in public and nonprofit management and health sector management.
In addition, MBA students may pursue dual degrees in information systems (the MS-MBA), communications, law, medicine, engineering, public health, and arts and sciences.
The global business environment and complexity of modern commerce have made ethics, moral judgment, and awareness of legal and social responsibilities an important dimension of undergraduate and graduate business education. Our curriculum equips students to make a difference in the world—having a deep knowledge of management disciplines, understanding the importance of ethics and global responsibility in conducting business, and an appreciation for the complexities and opportunities associated with the global economy.
The professors throughout the MBA program utilize a great deal of team-learning and team projects, including the first-semester multi-disciplinary Integrated Project in which students conceive of a product and create a full business plan for it. This experience, combined with multiple projects requiring an emphasis on individual critical thinking and problem solving, creates well-rounded leadership training.
For those seeking both a broad international experience, and an accelerated program, the One-Year International MBA begins with a summer in Asia, two semesters in Boston, and an optional additional two-week overseas seminar.
The Executive MBA is a part-time, 18-month program that allows currently employed executives with ten years or more experience to advance their careers in a shared learning environment informed by the work experiences of the participants. The classes, taught by the School’s most senior faculty, meet every other week on Friday and Saturday. The program includes a two-week field study international experience.
For students seeking careers in financial analysis, portfolio management, and investment strategy development, the School offers the Master of Science in Investment Management (MSIM). This part-time program is also a preparation for the Chartered Financial AnalystTM (CFA) examination.
The Master of Science in Mathematical Finance (MSMF) is for those students with high-level quantitative skills seeking careers in financial modeling, risk management, and derivative products. Our graduates work in venture capital firms, hedge funds, investment banks, and private equity firms.
Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Program
The School offers Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees in accounting, finance, information systems, marketing, mathematical finance, operations & technology management, organizational behavior, and strategy & innovation, as well as post-doctoral studies. All PhD students are also required to pursue at least one secondary area to broaden their expertise and cross-disciplinary approach to critical thinking. Students must write and defend a dissertation before graduation.
The School of Management is an applied research and teaching institution. Thus the PhD program is focused on those scholars who are interested in creating and disseminating knowledge and teaching in a university setting. Through applied management research, scholars probe organizational issues of leadership, human resources, systems, finances, and more—to develop solutions that make a difference in business and society.
The PhD curriculum helps students build on the competence they already have, builds new skill sets, and develops the ability to define a problem, establish a professional research process to systematically perform analysis, and then generate meaningful conclusions. PhD students work with a peer group of other students within a department, along with faculty mentors on research and teaching projects. Candidates also learn to effectively present their ideas in front of others—students, sponsoring organizations, peers—in small and large groups.
Post-doctoral appointments are also available on a highly competitive basis. Post-doctoral students generally have a one- or two-year appointment and a narrowly defined research agenda, plus a teaching assignment.
Accreditation
Each of the undergraduate and graduate degree programs of the School of Management is accredited by AACSB International—the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
