Columbia MBA Program Highlights

Columbia Business School (CBS) offers a top MBA program in uptown New York City. Insights into Columbia (and Columbia admissions) are reflected in its own business school curriculum, academic programs, and faculty and students. 

Entrepreneurship

Columbia has more to offer than careers in finance. For entrepreneurs Columbia has three attractive programs that help enable Columbia graduates to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. The three programs dedicated to entrepreneurship at Columbia include:

• Lang Entrepreneurial Initiative Fund - It provides capital to assist in starting up worthy business plans of Columbia students.

• Entrepreneurial Greenhouse Program - It is a second year course that offers the opportunity for participation in a mentoring program in addition to funding for entrepreneurial projects.

• Lorne Weil Outrageous Business Plan Competition - It is an exciting possibility for the ambitious entrepreneurial spirit. This competition offers grants to students to start up businesses. Awards are granted to the most outrageous, grand and inventive plans.

Finance

With faculty that is recognized for their expertise in the area of Finance, Columbia is an especially good choice for candidates interested in pursuing careers in the banking and finance industries. Required first-year coursework includes:

• Financial accounting
• Corporate finance
• Global economics

For candidates with a clear commitment to finance as well as experience in the finance field, applications should emphasize well-roundedness and interests outside of finance. Essays provide this opportunity. For example, in the past one of the essays asked you to “Please tell us what you feel most passionate about in life. (Recommended 250 word limit)”. Here consider moving beyond your interest in finance to show something which appeals to you deeply or some other profound interest you would bring to CBS, although your interest and passion for what you aim to learn at Columbia should be self-evident.  One of the new essays required ask you to provide more perspectives on learning from real life experiences as opposed to theory and especially from a team failure. Essay topics will continue to be adapted to the general sentiment in business sectors and any new focus of the school each year.

Evolving Curriculum

Making business education relevant and flexible for the global community is crucial. Columbia strives for degree relevance, offering practical approaches to management. According to a recent BusinessWeek Online article, CBS will cut down the length and number of required courses and changed its electives system, allowing students to take courses that are more based on their career interests. 

• Updates curriculum according to current trends.
• Tailors students’ foundational knowledge to ensure that they can get a summer internship after their first year.
• Ensuring knowledge is relevant to the business community after graduation.

Focus on Teamwork

Last but certainly not least is character.  Columbia admits candidates that are able to understand, work with and lead others.

This emphasis on partnership and teamwork at all levels is apparent in CBS’s curriculum.

• Columbia’s Program on Social Intelligence (PSI) - This program begins at orientation and continues in much of the curriculum intends to teach students how to read and to understand others and how people relate to them—in other words, it helps increase “social intelligence.”

• Clusters - The cluster is a group of 60 students with whom you take all your first year courses. For such a strategy to work Columbia needs candidates cooperate, work well in groups and participate and learn jointly. In fact, Columbia’s tendency over the past few years has been to avoid admitting candidates with GMAT scores of 780-800.  Instead, Columbia focuses on creating a class of well-rounded candidates with well-developed interpersonal, leadership and managerial skills.

Key Statistics and Information

Founded: 1916

Curriculum incorporates the Decision Brief Method

Columbia alumni live in over 100 countries

Average class size: Fall: 700; Spring: 400

Executive Program

Columbia and London Business Schools, in partnership with University of Hong Kong Business School, have created the EMBA-Global Asia program for globally focused executives and managers seeking to deepen their understanding of Western and Eastern business with a focus on opportunities in Asia.

Key Program Elements

• EMBA-Global Asia has one intake each May.

For expert help with your application, check out our MBA Admissions Consulting.