Academics
âThe emphasis on [students] learning the basics rather than some predigested gooâ along with âan unbeatable facultyâ are âwhat make The University of Chicagoâs Booth School of Business one of the best, especially in hard-core areas such as finance and accounting,â students tell us. A ârigorous quantitative program that compels students to think critically and analyticallyâ is the hallmark of a Chicago Booth MBA, although students hasten to add that Booth also âemphasizes persuasion, communication, and negotiation skills.â
Chicago Booth offers a full-time, part-time evening, part-time weekend, and executive MBA program. All four tracks share âtop-notchâ faculty, wide-ranging academic options, and an approach that âdoesnât chase new trends in business but instead relies on teaching sound fundamentals that can then be applied to any situation.â The programs differ in some details; full-time students, for example, enjoy a student-enacted grade nondisclosure policy that creates a conducive environment for âteamwork and sharing of ideas.â Students must also complete the Leadership Exploration and Development (LEAD) program, which âprovides analytic frameworks for leadership that are very helpful in determining the best way to use [oneâs] strengths and where to improve.â Parttimers enjoy âgreat flexibility,â noting that âmost classes have several sessions taught by the same professor during the same quarter, enabling students to make up class sessions if for some reason they cannot attend their normal session.â Boothâs weekend MBA and Executive MBAs have âstudents flying to Chicago from across the U.S. and world to attend classes,â which âconnects a much broader and more diverse group of people than other MBA programs can.â
Chicago Boothâs faculty includes Nobel laureates and cutting-edge researchers âwho also excel in the classroom.â One accounting student reports, âBoth my corporate tax strategy professor and my M&A accounting professor consult for corporate and government clients, so they have intimate knowledge of how to apply what they teach in the real world.â Booth is best known for its faculty in finance, economics, and accounting, but students note that the school should work to âincrease awareness of its excellence in marketing, entrepreneurship, and general management disciplines.â Many students also âdo a one-term or full-year exchange program at a foreign business school,â and âthese international career development opportunities are a big part of the experience for many Booth students.â