Blog

We at mbaMission often receive questions about part-time MBA programs, so we thought we should offer a look at some of the pros and cons of this option.

We believe that asking MBA candidates about their goals is plainly absurd, because so many students change their goals while they are in business school. Further, the pursuit of an MBA is supposed to be about career development and exploration, right? Regardless of how we feel regarding the subject, though, you must ensure that if a school asks about your goals in its essay questions or an interview, you have a compelling story about where you believe your MBA will take you. Several years ago, getting a banking job may have sounded compelling to you—are you really capable of making that transition today? Certainly, fewer jobs are available now in the real estate world—is this a likely next step for you during a prolonged real estate drought? Venture capital and private equity jobs are challenging to land even during the best of times—are you able to compete with the elite during a downturn?

Columbia Business School (CBS) and New York University’s Stern School of Business (NYU Stern) have something special in common, and it sets them apart from other business schools across the United States and globally—their New York City (NYC) location! Both programs benefit from being on the island of Manhattan, which makes connecting with alumni and recruiters much easier for their MBA students. Being in the heart of NYC also means that industry leaders can readily serve as adjunct professors and on-campus speakers, and that students can bolster their resumes with a variety of in-semester internships that might not be available in any other city.

CBS and NYU Stern both have a strong focus on finance, and their students often hail from similar backgrounds, share common experiences, and target the same post-MBA goals. But not everything about these two schools stacks up so similarly. In this post, we will walk you through some of the programs’ main similarities and differences.

To get into either CBS or NYU Stern, you need strong stats. The average GPA for the schools’ students comes in at roughly 3.6, and the average GMAT score hovers at approximately 730. Both programs accept the GRE and the Executive Assessment (EA), in addition to the GMAT. NYU Stern is a bit more forthcoming about how many students take each test. For its Class of 2025, 45% submitted GMAT scores, 22% submitted GRE scores, and 14% submitted EA scores. The remaining 19% of students fell into the  “other circumstances” category, most likely having pursued a test waiver. 

As for application numbers and class sizes, CBS received more than 6,000 applications for the Class of 2024, and 850 students enrolled across its September and January entry dates, combined. NYU Stern had 3,500 applicants and enrolled 320 students. At CBS, the most common undergrad major was business, claimed by 33% of students, followed by economics (20%) and engineering (16%). Of NYU Stern’s Class of 2024, 27% came with a combined engineering, math, and science major, and 27% with a business degree—accounting for a combined total of 54% of the class. 

Approximately one-quarter of the incoming students at both schools worked in financial services before starting their MBA, with the second most common pre-MBA industry being consulting, though only 12% of students at NYU Stern worked in consulting, versus 22% at CBS. The rest of the incoming class at both schools represents a wide range of industries, showing that the programs are looking for diversity in their applicants’ backgrounds and experiences. 

At CBS and NYU Stern alike, nearly one-half of the incoming class is made up of women, and both programs are very focused on having strong international representation. At CBS, 51% of the Class of 2024 is international, compared to 44% at NYU Stern. These schools have prioritized including a diversity, equity, and inclusion focus in their curricula, and both support The Consortium, an admissions organization with the goal of enhancing diversity at U.S. MBA programs and in business.

As for recruiting, finance and consulting top the employment lists at both schools. In fact, roughly one-third of students go into each of these industries. But when you dig into the numbers, some differentiators appear. For instance, more NYU Stern students tend to enter investment banking; approximately 27% of NYU Stern’s Class of 2023 did so, compared with approximately 17% at CBS. However, with respect to prestige jobs in private equity, less than 1% of NYU Stern’s 2023 graduates entered that field, compared with roughly 5% of CBS’s. 

Both CBS and NYU Stern have their unique points, too. CBS’s January intake, also known as J-Term, allows students to start their studies at the beginning of the spring semester, continue taking classes over summer semester, and then go right into their second year. This accelerated program best suits individuals who do not need a summer internship to help them reach their post-MBA goals. Many J-Term students come from family businesses and tend to be older and more experienced than students in the school’s September intake. J-Term has a large international population, as well. CBS’s Family Business Program is also notable, bringing together students who plan to work in their family businesses after graduating and offering related clubs and specialized coursework. In addition, CBS attracts students who are interested in careers in retail and luxury goods as well as in media; strong career-focused clubs connect students to the plethora of companies in these industries in NYC.

Meanwhile, NYU Stern offers several accelerated MBA programs. Its Fashion and Luxury MBA is a one-year program, running continuously from May of one year to May of the next, in which students complete 52 credits. These include a general business–focused core, courses focused specifically on the fashion and luxury goods industries, experiential learning opportunities, and related electives. Similar in structure is Stern’s Andre Koo Tech MBA, which is also one year in length and includes a winter term that students complete on the West Coast of the United States. Like CBS, NYU Stern offers a strong roster of courses in media and entertainment and has ties to the many powerhouse media companies located in NYC.

Overall, CBS and NYU Stern share the terrific advantage of their NYC location. Students who want their MBA experience to extend into this global business hub will find plenty of offerings both on campus and off.

If you are interested in learning more, we offer “Learning about” modules for both CBS and NYU Stern, as well as many other MBA programs, in onTrack by mbaMission, our on-demand and highly customizable admissions course. We go deep into the reasons someone might opt to attend the different schools, the reasons someone might not attend them, their curricula, their career opportunities, and a number of school-specific special topics. These onTrack modules can also facilitate your essay writing, short-answer strategy, interview preparation, and other important application tasks. 

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the health care industry is the largest employer in the United States. As the industry continues to grow, it presents exciting opportunities for individuals who are eager to have a meaningful impact. Health care encompasses a wide array of sectors, including biotechnology, medical devices, diagnostics, big pharma, health technology, insurance, and government services. Given the industry’s broad scope, pursuing an MBA with a health care focus offers a pathway to leadership in these dynamic areas. In this post, we touch on a few of the key benefits of pursuing such an MBA and highlight some of the top programs you might consider for earning one.

Career Development

An MBA with a health care focus provides a solid foundation in health care management, combining business disciplines such as finance, marketing, and leadership with specialized health care courses. Programs that offer health care MBA options allow for targeted career development through industry events, networking, and dedicated recruiting opportunities. Whether you are already an established health care professional or are looking to transition into the field, earning a health care MBA will prepare you for a leadership role in this rapidly evolving industry.

Average Salaries

The average salary for someone with an MBA in health care management in the United States ranges from $100,000 to $130,000 per year. Graduates of top business schools, such as The Wharton School and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, often enter health care–related roles with salaries at the upper end of this range or even higher, when sign-on bonuses and equity are also included. 

One’s exact salary depends on such factors as experience, location, and specific role. For example, health care consultants earn approximately $130,000 per year, while health care administrators and pharmaceutical managers might see average salaries closer to $120,000. Health care product managers in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors can command even higher salaries, often exceeding $130,000 with bonuses and/or equity.

Choosing a Health Care MBA Program

We recommend evaluating the following elements when considering your health care MBA program options: 

• Curriculum: Ensure that the program covers the health care sectors that interest you (e.g., public health, health policy, biotechnology). Some schools even offer a dedicated health care concentration.
• Networking Opportunities: Look for programs with strong ties to health care companies, hospitals, and industry leaders. An active alumni network is critical.
• Location: A school in proximity to an industry hubs such as San Francisco, Boston, or New York can generally offer better access to internships, career opportunities, and networking.
• Joint Degrees: Dual degrees, such as the MD/MBA, MS/MBA, and MPH/MBA, provide the opportunity to develop additional expertise in specific health care fields.
• Career Pathing: Consider the percentage of the school’s graduates who enter the health care industry and which companies actively recruit from the program. Strong alumni representation in the field can also indicate a program’s strength in health care.

Top MBA Programs for Health Care Management

Using these five key considerations, we assessed the health care MBA options at the leading U.S. business schools and have identified what we believe are the top programs for this area (presented in alphabetical order). 

Read the rest of this entry  

When preparing personal statements that require significant information about career progress, many MBA applicants choose to discuss their accomplishments in chronological order. Although the simplicity of this approach makes it appealing, we encourage you to consider another way of showcasing your more recent and therefore potentially stronger accomplishments first. By taking this approach instead, you may capture your reader’s imagination more quickly and reduce the risk of being lost amid similar candidates.