Fairfield University - The Charles F. Dolan School of Business

Armed with a “strong reputation” coupled with a “strong commitment to the Jesuit ideals of serving others,” it’s no surprise that students flock to attend Fairfield University’s MBA program. Students here greatly appreciate that the school “caters to people who work full time.” Moreover, Fairfield offers “small class sizes,” “an extensive alumni network,” and “great business contacts.” Although the school offers a “challenging curriculum,” some students feel that it is time for an overhaul or update. As one slightly chagrined student explains, “The University should take the time to conduct a thorough overview of its curriculum and concentrations. It could use some refreshing.”

Fortunately, students are ebullient when it comes to describing their professors. They are truly “dedicated and experienced professionals” who are “very knowledgeable, accessible and open-minded.” They “encourage students to think for themselves, even if that means challenging the professors in class.” Additionally, they are highly accessible. Another highly content student shares, “many of them will go out to lunch or coffee and explain concepts or help with networking.” Though the vast “majority of the school’s professors care a lot about the quality of their teaching” some students feel that there’s room for improvement. A second-year student clarifies, “Newer, younger professors with more current experience would be a welcome improvement to the program. I would like to have more women professors, as well.” However, she does conclude by stating, “Overall I am very happy with my academic experience at Fairfield University and have learned a lot.”

Fairfield University’s Career Center is truly focused on helping students find coveted internship and employment opportunities. The office endeavors to take advantage of the school’s prime location between Boston and New York, developing relationships and connections with companies in both cities. Of course, some students wish they would also focus on opportunities within their own backyard. As one graduating student shares, “Fairfield should actively seek to build relationships with financial institutions based in Stamford (RBS, UBS, etc).” The career center continually offers resume work- shops and practice interview sessions. It also provides access to a number of local career fairs. Another student adds that Fairfield has “an extensive alumni network and great business contacts.” However, some begrudge the fact that the office serves the entire university and feel this detracts from specific MBA prospects. As one student states, “It seems to me career placement is geared more toward undergraduates than graduate stu- dents; while Fairfield has addressed the career needs of graduate students lately, I think the efforts should be on par with the undergraduates.”

Employers that frequently hire Fairfield graduates include General Electric, People’s Bank, American Skandia, United Technologies, Pitney Bowes, The Common Fund, Bayer Corporation, UBS Warburg, Gartner, Unilever, and Pfizer.

Fairfield University manages to attract a “wide variety of student,” ensuring the MBA program is an eye-opening experience. While students do admit that their peers can be “competitive,” they quickly stress that they are also incredibly “friendly.” Moreover, they are “hardworking,” “creative,” and “dedicated.” There is also a healthy mix of students in their twenties, thirties, and forties. The older MBA candidates tend to “work full-time, have families, and go to school at night.” These students tend to limit their interaction to “night and weekend classes” and “don’t spend much time on campus other than for class.” However, the younger MBA crowd is eager to move the discussion outside of the classroom. As one student says, “The social atmosphere is one of my favorite parts of the school. Group discussions and projects are obviously very fun, but so is grabbing a drink with a few students after class and even having professors tag along! We all have a great time talking about our current jobs, and grabbing tips from each other. I cannot say enough about how much I have loved getting to know the other students and pro- fessors.” Another student continues, “The University has formed an office of graduate students, which has been doing a much better job of offering specific programs and ser- vices for graduate students of all schools.” By and large, students appreciate Fairfield’s “great” location, which is “not too rural, but not too urban either.” They also enjoy the fact that it is “close enough to some of the major metro NY companies (IBM and Pepsi) without being in the hustle and bustle of it all.” When students want to unwind, they frequently take advantage of downtown Fairfield “for dinner, drinks, and hanging out.”