MBA from the US is one of the most highly valued degrees for students wanting to make their mark in the business and management arena. Being the world’s largest economy with the highest per capita GDP, business schools in the US have a strong link with businesses, most of them being Fortune 500 companies. Strong industry tie-ups coupled with a multicultural environment make US business schools the desired study abroad destination for Indian students.
B-school ranking is one of the most important factors for a student in deciding which MBA college to apply to. Business schools in the US have consistently ranked high across all globally trusted MBA rankings. The annual rankings rate public and private higher education institutes primarily on the basis of student satisfaction, faculty experience, curriculum, job prospects, and average salaries drawn by students post completion of the program. As a process of ranking methodology feedback from current students, alumni and recruiters are taken into consideration for evaluation.
Academic flexibility is one of the top reasons for Indian students to pursue an MBA from the US. Students are allowed to find their strengths and passion during their initial study years, for them to appropriately decide their field of study for their major/s later.
Business schools provide students with the best of faculties, some of whom are distinguished personalities in their respective fields. Industry-experts often feature guest lecturers as part of the program.
Universities in the US emphasise and utilise close ties with industry professionals to keep up with the changing times and role of universities in society.
According to the latest report by Fortune Global 500, some of the top companies in the world are based out of the US like- Walmart, Amazon, Apple, CVS, United Health, AT&T, AmerisourceBergen, and Alphabet to name a few. Top universities and educational institutions have strong networks and tie-ups with leading companies to provide students with industry-exposure during their course. Based on merit and performance during the internship, it becomes easier for MBA students to find a job in the US after completing their MBA.
MBA remains one of the most sought after post-graduate-level course in the US. Students with an MBA degree from top business schools in the US are often paid more in remuneration compared to others.
As per U.S. News rankings of the top business schools 2022, the following are the top 15 US MBA schools. They have been listed as per their ranking.
Established in 1925, Stanford GSB has steadily made its way up in the ranking of best MBA schools globally. Taught by world-renowned researchers and leaders, its MBA program has set high standards for applicants wanting to get an admission. MBA programs at Stanford are designed to encourage regular interaction with top Silicon Valley innovators and GSB alumni.
The first-Year curriculum focuses on developing functional management knowledge, leadership skills, and gaining global experience.
Core courses comprise – Ethics in Management, Finance I, Financial Accounting, Leadership Labs, Managerial Skills, Managing Groups and Teams Optimization and Simulation Modeling, Organizational Behavior
The second-Year curriculum focuses on electives to specialise in the chosen subjects, each year at least 100 courses are offered as electives that change year to year. Some of the elective courses offered in the academic year of 2019-20 are:
Accounting, Finance, GSB General & Interdisciplinary, Economic Analysis and Policy, Marketing, Organizational Behavior, Operations Info & Technology, Political Economics and Strategic Management
Global Management Immersion Experience is a program to provide an immersive experience for MBA students for them to truly understand global business culture, standards, norms, concerns and solutions.
MBA students spend at least four weeks during the summer for a sponsoring organization in industries such as consumer products, international development, energy, finance, health care, media and entertainment, technology, and telecommunications.
Students spend eight to 10 days in an intensive group-learning experience run by student leaders, where they get to meet a variety of stakeholders such as CEOs, small-business owners, young professionals, government officials, and entrepreneurs to understand a wide range of business-related issues.
As part of the program, students get to spend time on-campus, collaborate and interact with MBA students of other universities.
Students if interested can develop an independent study course with a Stanford GSB faculty member to create an individualized global experience aligned with their academic and career goals.
Career Management Center advisors and other career education professionals work with MBA students to help them find their career paths based on their strengths, lifestyle interests, industry trends and market forecasts. GSB alumni provide guidance to current MBA students through a large network to discuss career goals and share their perspectives on industries, functions and companies.
The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania is a private Ivy League university founded in 1881. It is one of the prestigious business schools in the world with a global network of 99,000 alumni. MBA programs offered at Wharton are regularly redesigned to fulfill future business demands and are focused on providing students an immersive experience to develop them as pragmatic future leaders.
The curriculum for a full-time MBA at Wharton Business School is highly flexible. It has been designed to accommodate, a wide range of academic backgrounds of students that enrol in the program every year. The core curriculum comprises of:
Majors – All MBA students are required to take at least one major. The program offers 19 MBA majors. Majors typically consist of one credit unit of work from the core curriculum and four credit units from electives. Wharton’s MBA curriculum offers a broad range of 200 elective courses from ten different academic departments.
Wharton also has dual degree programs with Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and Harvard Kennedy School
MBA students at Wharton can register for ISP with required approvals under the supervision of a faculty member for additional credit units.
The track is offered to students to put their acquired knowledge during their first year to practical use. According to Wharton released data 100% of students seeking summer employment received offers, 100% accepted.
Apart from access to a large and growing Wharton alumni network – Wharton Connect, current students are supported with a number of career development resources to find the right match for their internships during the course and full-time jobs post completion of the course.
The MBA career management team supports students through:
In 1908 it was founded as the school of commerce. In 1965, they introduced a one-year MBA program for the first time. It has a vibrant community of faculty, staff, students and alumni who shape the practice of business and organizations around the world. Its MBA program is a blend of theory and practice, taught in a dynamic research and learning environment.
Kellogg offers a wide range of MBA programs ranging- one year to, two-years and dual MBA programs such as JD-MBA, MMM-MBA and MD-MBA.
Core curriculum – consists of nine courses in fundamental areas, including accounting; management and organizations; marketing; finance; managerial economics; decision sciences; operations; and management and strategy.
During the Pre-Term orientation sequence of the second year, students are required to complete a half-credit course, Leadership and Crisis Management.
Majors include Accounting, Economics, Finance, Marketing, Operations, Strategy and Managing Organizations. A major requires that a student complete the core course for the major and a minimum of four electives.
In addition to majors, Kellogg provides “pathways” to students who are interested in building expertise in emerging areas and evolving industries. A pathway is a cross-functional sequence of courses designed to address a particular skill set or industry. Some of the pathways students can choose from are: Data Analytics, Entrepreneurship, Growth and Scaling, Healthcare at Kellogg, Real Estate, Social Impact and Venture Capital & Private Equity.
Kellogg is known for providing excellent career development support to its students through its Career Management Center. Students receive one-on-one coaching to help them identify their career goals through various tools and resources like career assessment surveys, exploring career options and identifying companies that fit their career goals. Kellogg reports that 95% of their MBA students got high paying job offers with 3 months of course completion.
Founded in 1898, Booth school of business offers MBA in four formats the Full-Time MBA, Evening MBA, Weekend MBA, and the Global Executive MBA Program. They have 3 global campuses with a global network of 54,000 engaged alumni.
LEAD
The MBA program at Booth starts with the LEAD program, which is leading the Way in Leadership Development. It is a hands-on, experiential course designed to help you identify your strengths and opportunities as a leader. LEAD begins during Orientation+, a two-week orientation to life at Booth, and continues into the first quarter of classes, led by second-year students.
Based on one’s interest and educational background students can choose from one of the three study streams:
Besides, there are three broad areas from which students have to choose one course each for advanced studies Functions, Management, and the Business Environment.
Students based on their specific areas of interest have the option of choosing 11 electives for specialised studies – such as Accounting and Financial Analysis, Building the New Venture, Corporate Governance, Data Analysis with R and Python, Life Sciences: Innovation and Finance, Real Estate Investments, Urban Economics to name a few.
Alternatively, students can choose broadly across the Booth curriculum and even the university, including the University of Chicago Law School and Harris School of Public Policy. Students can pick up to six courses outside Booth.
According to Booth, 200+ firms recruit their MBA graduates and they have about 900+ internship positions posted on their online job portal. The university provides MBA students with career support through Employer-Facing Events and Programs such as Industry Treks, Campus Recruiting Activities, Campus Interviewing, Web-based self-assessment and resume tools, Career workshops, customized programming and support for international students, Print and Online Databases, Online Job Postings, Resume Referral Service and more.
Management education started at MIT in 1914. Since then its alumni and faculty members have made significant contributions to the world of business and finance. They have research and open discussions that helped shape and develop global advanced management practices. PillPack, E*Trade, Akamai, Gartner, Genentech, HubSpot, InVivo Therapeutics, Teradyne, and Zipcar, are a few alumni-founded companies.
MIT Sloan offers both two year and one year full-time MBA programs. The program is designed to give students a highly collaborative experience from the start.
First-year curriculum for two years full-time MBA:
Required Core Courses:
Optional Core Electives:
Students are grouped into 6 cohorts of about 70 students with varied interests and backgrounds to further form smaller teams.
After the first year, students are required to choose electives and majors as per their career interests. In total, they are required to complete 144 units of elective.
Specialised roadmap for MBA students to focus on finance, entrepreneurship, or enterprise management.
These programs are for students who want to study for both industry knowledge and leadership skills, at the same time. Dual degree MBA programs at MIT (Sloan) are:
Founded in 1908, Harvard Business School (HBS) is part of the Ivy League. It was the first university to offer an MBA program. Today it offers two-year full-time MBA programs with dual degree options as well.
The first-year course comprises the Required Curriculum and Field, where students study a common curriculum to build a strong foundational subject knowledge:
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
Focuses more on learning through case study methodology with smaller hands-on team projects, personal reflection, and global immersions.
The case learning method engages students from various backgrounds to discuss, analyse and reflect on cases with business problems to come to a solution. Different opinions and perspectives provide a great opportunity for students to learn from each other and develop an inclusive style of working.
In MBA second year, students have the flexibility to choose from over 100 elective courses in ten subject areas as well as field-based learning. Students can choose from the following subject areas:
Field Immersion Experiences for Leadership Development (FIELD) is a year-long field course that gives first-year MBA students at Harvard the opportunity to act like leaders managing real-world business problems. Students are paired with a Global Partner (GP) company with a product or service challenge for students to address.
MBA students at Harvard Business School have the option of cross-registration. Harvard University graduate schools, the Sloan School of Business at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University permit HBS students to cross-register with their graduate programs. Students may cross-register for a total of up to two courses toward their MBA degree requirements in their second year.
With 50+ career coaches, 150 alumni career programs and 600 recruiting partners, students are provided with individual career development support. In the second year, students are supported with a focused job search. There is a large alumni network available to current students for mentorship and guidance for their career-related goals.
Established in 1883, Haas School of Business is one of the oldest B-schools in the US. Its faculty members comprise of Noble-Prize-winning researchers, business leaders and domain experts who have significantly contributed to product innovation across varied industries. It offers a full-time MBA, evening & weekend MBA and Executive MBA.
A full-time MBA course at Haas School of Business takes a multidisciplinary approach, focused on encouraging students to think innovatively and provide them with experiential learning opportunities.
The core curriculum has 12 required courses, focused on mastery of analytical tools, besides foundational knowledge. Beyond that students have the flexibility to choose the major they want to tailor-make the program according to their interest.
First Year
Hands-on experience is part of most MBA elective programs are known as Applied Innovation Programs, where students get to be part of consulting projects, design thinking, innovation strategy, entrepreneurship, social & governance (ESG) practices, developing viable new technologies and student researches at top companies in the US.
Students can earn a dual degree combining an MBA with law, engineering, public health, or international area studies.
Tools, resources, and guided coaching are provided to students to support them in discovering their strengths and strategizing their search for their career development.
Established in 1916, this business school has evolved to be one of the fore-runners in providing high-quality business education in the world. Being closely integrated with the business world, the curriculum is revised and updated regularly to keep it par with industry requirements. With programs such as Innovation and Entrepreneurship @ Columbia, Entrepreneurial Greenhouse Program and Non-profit Board Leadership Program, the school prepares its students for future business leaders with disruptive entrepreneurial ideas.
The core curriculum consists of two full-term courses and eight half-term courses focused on applied functional areas. The core curriculum for the first year is structured as follows:
First Term Core Courses
Second Term Core Courses
Subjects – Corporate Finance, Financial Accounting, Managerial Statistics, Managerial Economics, Strategy Formulation, Lead: People, Teams, Organizations Marketing, Operational Management, Business Analytics, Global Economic Environment
Electives – Students have a wide range of disciplines to specialise in. Some of the subject streams are:
Applied Value Investing, Family Business Management, Foundations of Entrepreneurship, The Future of Financial Services, Global Immersion, Healthcare Industry in the 21st Century, Impact Investing, Lean Launchpad, Managerial Negotiations, Managing Brands, Identity, and Experiences, Master Classes
Students can combine a Columbia MBA with one of 11 other professional degrees such as law, engineering, medicine, international affairs, or social work. The following tracks are offered as part of the program:
Targeted workshops, one-on-one sessions and seminars are held with the help of the Career Management Center, which is dedicated to helping students find the right opportunities for internships and full-time jobs after the completion of the course. Resources offered by CMC are:
Founded in 1971, Yale school of management started offering an MBA program in 1999. In 2005, the school for the first time introduced an Executive MBA in Healthcare leadership. The school offers full-time, E-MBA, Silver Scholar and dual MBA degree programs
The School of Management at Yale University offers these departments and concentrations: accounting, consulting, economics, entrepreneurship, ethics, finance, general management, health care administration, human resources management, international business, leadership, marketing, not-for-profit management, production/operations management, organizational behavior, portfolio management, public administration, supply chain management/logistics, and quantitative analysis/statistics and operations research.
During their course, students get to study “raw” cases – which requires them to analyze a wide array of materials, such as stock charts and articles – instead of standard business case studies.
Yale SOM
It is a support community of Yale alumni where seniors share career advice and insights on their industries by email or phone or sometimes face to face at events. The Yale SOM Alumni Association Mentorship Program gives students the opportunity to create an ongoing relationship with an alumnus or alumna in the industry.
Apart from this, there are guided support from counselors and internship offers for students.
Founded in 1900, it was one of the first private schools of business in the United States with 13 other global locations. It offers full-time, part-time, executive, dual, tech, fashion & luxury MBA. More than 200 professors, including four Nobel Laureates, teach classes at Stern.
First Year
Required Core:
Menu Core – Students can choose any 5:
Second Year
Students get to select from electives to specialise in up to 3 areas in subjects such as Business Analytics, Accounting, Banking, Law and Business, Leadership and Change Management, Luxury Marketing, Management of Technology and Operations, Marketing, Quantitative Finance, Real Estate, Entertainment and Media and more
NYU Stern’s Professional Development & Career Education (PDCE) team works with faculty, alumni, and leading industry partners to develop programs that help students explore careers, prepare for recruitment and professional environments, and connect to Stern alumni and industry professionals. They have a number of programs such as Professional Development Series (PDS), Case walk-through series, Technical training programs, Alumni Career Engagement to help students with their career goals.
Founded in 1955 as the graduate business school of the University of Virginia, the business school offers full-time 21 months MBA along with one year and executive MBA
All students take the same core courses during the first three quarters of the First Year in order to develop a common foundation in global business leadership. The course comprises of study in:
Second Year
Students get the chance to sharpen their professional interests to approach their career paths with in-demand skill sets in the following subjects:
Darden’s Career Center facilitates personalized searches for students such as one-on-one career counseling from a CDC industry expert and provides high-touch services for recruiters to help its students with placement in top-performing companies.
Founded in 1900, it is an Ivy League college. It was one of the first to offer a master’s degree in business administration. Tuck school of business offers only a full-time MBA degree. The business school is known to maintain high-quality education standards and being particular about keeping its class sizes small for the benefit of students.
First Year
Tuck’s integrated core curriculum provides rigorous coverage of key functional areas and disciplines with courses that build on and complement each other: analytics, corporate finance and capital markets, managerial and global economics, marketing, organizational behavior, strategy, communications, and operations. Their mandatory First-Year Project course is an early experience for students to get hands-on knowledge of what they learn theoretically.
Second Year
Students can choose from 100+ elective courses such as Accounting, Communication, Economics, Entrepreneurship, Ethics and Social Responsibility, Finance, Health Care, Marketing, Operations and Management Science and more for their specialisation.
Apart from these second-year students can opt for Independent Study and Onsite Global Consulting too.
According to Tuck- more than 1,000 companies and organizations recruit Tuck students. They have a strong alumni network and world-class advisers to help students with personalised career paths.
Founded in 1838, the university today offers an MBA in four formats: Daytime MBA, Accelerated Daytime MBA, Weekend and Global Executive MBA
Daytime MBA – First Year
It is a highly customizable curriculum designed by the students according to their needs. Students complete approximately 14 core courses and choose four or more electives in:
Second Year
In the second year, students take electives (typically three per term) that allow them to tailor their course of study to meet their educational and career objectives.
The college helps students through the Career Management Center with interview training and other tools such as workshops, webinars, and one-on-one support. This helps students pursue a tailored job search approach for better results. With an alumni network of 24,000+, in a diversified set of companies students gain ample career advice for their job placements globally.
Founded in 1924, Ross school of business offers full-time, weekend and executive MBA.
First Year
Foundational knowledge is built through the following Core Courses:
Second Year
Students have to undertake Multidisciplinary Action Projects (MAP) at the end of the first year. They can choose from 24 formal dual degree programs, over 100 MAP projects, and numerous concentrations and specializations in the following subject areas:
Through resources like Career advising, personalized one-on-one advice, career webinars, alumni job boards and other alumni career services the school helps its students with their career placements.
Founded in 1946, it offers one-year, two-year, dual, executive and tech MBA degrees. It has 58 full-time faculty and its academic programs allow for ample customization for students to match their interests and needs.
STEM-designated, full-time Two-Year MBA program features fully integrated leadership development components along with business and management studies.
First Year
Following are the core subjects:
The Strategic Semester in Operations immersion enabled first-year MBA students to combine classroom learning with practical experience through factory tours and Kaizen projects.
Second Year
Johnson offers 12 focus areas that can complement a student’s immersion learning and help them develop specialized skills and experience. Apart from 80 electives to choose from students can choose to take a multidisciplinary approach at different centers at Cornell. Subjects for elective studies are:
Cornell University provides industry-leading personalized service, coaching, and training to help students reach their career aspirations. An Ivy League network of 325,000+ and 19,000+ Johnson alumni students can nurture relationships globally to get guidance for charting their career path.
To pursue an MBA degree in the US, students have to meet some academic and English language test requirements. They have to undertake specific standardized examination tests to be eligible to study at a university of their choice. Most universities depending on the course, level and student nationality have different eligibility test requirements for admission.
There are two variants of the test: the Academic Module and the General Training Module.
IELTS Academic Module – It is for those applying for higher education or professional registration in an English speaking environment.
IELTS General Training Module – It is for those going to English speaking countries for secondary education, work experience or training programs.
GRE (General Test) – The test is generic in nature designed to test students on verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning and analytical writing.
GRE (Subject Test) – It is an achievement test to measure knowledge of a particular field of study like Biology, Chemistry, Literature in English, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology.
US universities have two intakes, Fall and Spring.
Manya – The Princeton Review offers end-to-end study abroad services encompassing admissions consulting services, test preparation, English language training, career assessment and international internship opportunities to study abroad aspirants. Founded in 2002, Manya holds an impeccable track record of enabling more than two lac fifty thousand students to accomplish their study abroad dreams through its network of 45+ centers across India.
Manya has formed long-lasting global alliances with several market leaders in the education industry in order to maximise the benefits of its large service portfolio. Their list of esteemed partners and affiliations includes – The Princeton Review (TPR), Cambridge University Press (CUP), Admissionado, Cogito Hub, British Council, Tuding to name a few. Manya has also forged 600+ partnerships with international universities across top study abroad destinations.
At Manya – The Princeton Review, we understand the importance of the right counseling and guidance when it comes to higher education abroad. Students and parents have multiple concerns related to studying abroad, course requirements, application processes, career advice, visa policies, financial aid and other challenges while staying abroad.
Our expert education advisors have years of experience in servicing study abroad aspirants. They provide appropriate support to all students by guiding them through every step of the application process. They conduct in-depth screening and discussions to help students identify their exact needs and follow it up by finding the best match for them. Services include ––
If you have convinced on pursuing an MBA program in the US, act now. Or you can always reach us at MANYA for admission consulting. Our team of admission advisors will be happy to assist you, as they do for many other aspirants like you. So, contact our counselors today to experience a smooth process to your admission into a top US college or university.
The American education dream is still very much alive.
For more information, call our Study Abroad Helpline 1800 102 4646
What are the requirements to study for an MBA in the US?
Which are the top MBA universities/colleges in the US?
How much does it cost to study for an MBA in the US?
MBA fee depends on the program and the university/college. An average MBA in the US will cost between $50,000-$75,000 per annum. Top MBA colleges in the US can charge as high as $100,000.
Are there any STEM MBA programs in the US?
There are STEM MBA programs available across many universities in the US like-STEM-designated MBA and STEM-designated master’s programs from Wisconsin School of Business, Master’s in Business Analytics or the MBA/MSBA dual degree from the University of Notre Dame: Mendoza, an MBA program with a focus on business analytics from UMass Dartmouth: Charlton, STEM MBA from Carnegie Mellon: Tepper.
Will I be eligible to work after completing my MBA from the US?
Yes, you can apply for jobs in the US after your course completion. However, you should have a valid work visa for the purpose, which needs to be arranged in advance.
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