Ken Kavajecz, Dean
721 University Avenue Suite 215
whitman.syr.edu
About the School
Welcome to the Whitman School of Management, a top-ranked business school with a diverse faculty and strong focus on leadership building and community engagement. At the Whitman School, students develop a strong business sense across all aspects of management, providing them with the skills, opportunities, and motivation necessary to compete in a global environment.
The Whitman School is a state-of-the-art business school in both programming and facility, reflecting both Syracuse University’s commitment and history of innovative business education and the Whitman School’s role as a cutting-edge, experiential learning environment. The Whitman School continues to expand its technological resources to provide services exclusive to our students, in the form of equipment loans, device repair services (including warranty repairs for Dell and Apple computers), discounted printing, discounted and/or free software, remote access to specially licensed software, and lab environments that are updated regularly to reflect the technology that supports the Whitman curriculum. In addition, Whitman is a certified Certiport/Microsoft testing facility and encourages its students to become Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel Certified. Students enrolled at Whitman get the best of both worlds, enjoying the intimate and interconnected community of the Whitman School with all the resources and opportunities of a world-class research university.
The Whitman School of Management continues to be ranked among the nation’s top business programs. U.S. News and World Report ranked both Whitman’s undergraduate and graduate programs among the best in the nation. The Whitman part-time MBA program, the iMBA, was identified among the top AACSB-accredited online graduate programs by the U.S. News and by the Financial Times. Whitman’s entrepreneurship program has been ranked nationwide by the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship; Entrepreneur Magazine/The Princeton Review; Fortune Small Business; and U.S. News & World Report. Many of Whitman’s specialty programs have been highly ranked by Bloomberg BusinessWeek, including accounting, corporate strategy, entrepreneurship, operations management, sustainability, business law, marketing management, and ethics.
Accreditation Information
The Whitman School has been accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) since 1920.
Educational Mission
The Whitman School of Management is dedicated to:
- Fostering a diverse, supportive learning community focused on developing entrepreneurial managers who will become leaders in an era of global competitiveness and technological advancements;
- Advancing the theory and practice of management by discovering and disseminating relevant knowledge and contributing perspectives on frontline business issues;
- Providing students and faculty select educational experiences that promote intellectual engagement, personal and professional growth, and lifelong scholarship.
Graduate Program Overview
Graduate programs in management have been offered since 1948, and distinguished alumni employed in private, public, and nonprofit sector organizations attest to their quality. As one of our more than 400 full- and part-time graduate students, the student benefits from the sense of community that exists within the relatively close-knit graduate student body, while still being able to take advantage of the resources offered by a major university of 15,000 students.
The Whitman School offers full-time Master’s programs in Accounting, Business Administration, MBA , Entrepreneurship & Emerging Enterprises, MS , and Finance along with distance learning programs in Accounting (iMS), MS , Business Administration (iMBA), MBA and Supply Change Management, MS .
Full-Time MBA
Students in the Whitman MBA program at Syracuse University receive a well-rounded education that incorporates both the theoretical background and practical experience needed to succeed in today’s ever-changing global economy. The experiential learning component encourages students to apply classroom learning to business problems, connect with decision makers, and deliver tangible results that add value to sponsoring organizations. Students build an experiential portfolio through internships, consulting, specialized courses, community engagement, and other practical experiences that make them more valuable in the marketplace.
iMBA (Distance Learning)
iMBA is a limited-residency distance learning MBA program for executives offered by the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University. For more than 30 years the Whitman School has delivered an MBA through a uniquely flexible format combining in-person residency and distance learning. Residencies are held on the SU campus and in other sites in the U.S. and abroad. Learning between residencies is supported by the full-time faculty and a Web-based course management system.
The iMBA program features the same curricular content, faculty, and degree as the full-time MBA program at the Whitman School. iMBA students also enjoy the same opportunities to engage in extracurricular activities and connect with the Whitman community.
The degree awarded to iMBA program graduates is accredited by the AACSB International and is identical to the MBA degree awarded other Whitman School MBA graduates.
MS Accounting
The MS in Accounting program at the Whitman School of Management produces graduates with the highest level of professionalism and the educational requirements needed to take the CPA exam in New York and many other states. This rigorous program attracts students with a background in accounting and those with education in other disciplines. If entering with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, students complete 30-credits in one year while those without a degree in accounting are required to take up to an additional year of study depending on the student’s previous business and accounting coursework.
Whitman MS in Accounting students take advanced courses in financial statement analysis, strategic cost analysis, advanced auditing, taxes and business strategy, economics, and statistics along with a variety of electives to complement their career goals. The recently redesigned curriculum prepares students for the expanding roles accounting professionals play in business strategy, consulting, information management, planning, and decision-making.
iMS Accounting (Distance Learning)
The iMS in Accounting is the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University’s limited-residency distance learning program for accounting professionals. The iMS program features the same curriculum and faculty as the full-time MS in Accounting program at Whitman and the degree awarded is the same. Prospective students must possess a qualified undergraduate degree in accounting.
The accounting profession offers tremendous career opportunities today-in public, corporate, and not-for-profit sectors. In most states, becoming a CPA involves earning a total of 150 credit hours of collegiate training-30 hours beyond the typical undergraduate program. This requirement is already in effect in most states, and will become effective in New York in 2009.
That’s why a number of accounting graduates are choosing to pursue the MS degree in the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University through the iMS in Accounting program. The iMS allows accounting professionals the opportunity to earn their MS degree in a flexible format while working full-time. The iMS blends three weeks of residency on the SU campus annually with longer periods of distance learning.
MS Entrepreneurship
The 30-credit hour Whitman MS in Entrepreneurship program provides a rigorous immersion into the nature of entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial process. Combining core content with a strong commitment to experiential learning, the program is targeted to students with a passion for entrepreneurship in for-profit, non-profit, and public sector contexts.
The MS in Entrepreneurship program is designed for students interested in creating growth-oriented for-profit or non-profit ventures. Special emphasis is placed on students from professional disciplines.
MS Finance
The MS in Finance program in the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University is a rigorous, one year curriculum that prepares students to be leaders in the dynamic, fast-paced, and intellectually challenging world of finance. The program’s core courses explore the nature of capital markets as they relate to organizational goals and provide an understanding of how broad principles of finance and quantitative methods can be applied to create investment strategies.
The MS in Finance program is flexible and allows students to customize their degree by taking elective courses in any of the following areas: statistics, accounting, economics, risk management, real estate, and corporate finance. With a state-of-the-art trading room, Whitman MS in Finance students have personal access to current market data, live news feeds, software for analysis, and other resources used by professionals in the field, including Bloomberg certification terminals and Factset terminals through Whitman’s Ballentine Investment Institute.
iMS Supply Chain (Distance Learning)
The Whitman’s School is home to the first supply chain program in the country, established in 1919. With an emphasis on managing risk in today’s global supply chains, this 30 credit-hour program consists of the Management Foundation, the Supply Chain Management core, one of several integrative Supply Chain Management “selective” courses, and a culminating experience. Students who have satisfactorily completed the equivalent of any of the required foundation courses in their undergraduate coursework may substitute courses chosen from the approved selective course list. Upon satisfactory completion of all coursework and the culminating experience, students are awarded a Master of Science in Supply Chain Management degree from the Whitman School of Management and Syracuse University.
The Whitman iMS in Supply Chain Management is a distance learning program, with coursework being completed online and independently with three mandatory residencies each year on the Syracuse University campus.
The Whitman School is happy to work with any organization who wishes to send large groups of students or to customize the program to fit specific needs.
Graduate Admissions & Financial Aid
Admission
Candidates with bachelor’s degrees from an accredited college or university are eligible for admission. Full-time M.B.A., Entrepreneurship & Emerging Enterprises, MS and Finance, MS candidates may apply for the fall term admission only. Accounting, MS candidates may apply for fall or spring admission. iMBA and Accounting (iMS), MS candidates may apply for fall, spring, and summer admission.
Although no specific undergraduate majors are required for admission, the transition to the rigors of a graduate management program is facilitated by a basic knowledge of economics, mathematics, and the social sciences.
Full-time work experience before applying for admission to our graduate programs is a decided plus. It provides a frame of reference that enables students to relate the concepts and theories presented in class to the real world.
Financial Aid
The Whitman School of Management awards full-time graduate management students one a number of scholarships on a merit basis. Need is not taken into account in the selection process. The awarding process takes into consideration all of the materials submitted in the candidate’s admission application. A number of loan opportunities are available to all full-time students. There are no scholarships available for M.S. Entrepreneurship candidates.
Part-time students generally take advantage of their employers’ educational benefits. However, loan opportunities are available, provided students enroll in at least 6 credits per semester.
Additional Information
Detailed information about admissions requirements, programs, courses, facilities, costs, financial aid, student activities, and services can be found online at whitman.syr.edu. It also includes instructions for submitting an application for admission.
Students interested in graduate management programs at Syracuse should consult the web site for complete information.
Graduate Career Services
The Whitman Career Center works in partnership with students to create a personalized career plan that integrates academic training with experiential learning and the acquisition of internship placements that sets students on the right path for achieving their career goals. On-boarding begins at the point of admissions with students tackling assignments that create awareness of their strengths, and the application of their experiences to their future goals. At orientation, students address assignments that continue to build a career plan that supports internship placement, selection of a concentration, and identification of experiential learning options The goal of these efforts is to provide students a holistic viewpoint of their career assets, and the development of lifetime career management skills.
Armed with a career plan, students have access to the SU posting board called “OrangeLink” where employment opportunities are listed for student review and application. In addition, the Whitman Career Center maintains a partnership with MBAFocus, whose resume database is viewed by Fortune 500 corporations as the corporations seek to recruit graduate candidates. The Whitman School uses these systems as a means to promote our students as candidates to businesses throughout the world. Students are also encouraged to take advantage of national career fairs as a means to promote their careers, and to acquire internships and permanent employment.
From the beginning of your degree program through graduation, the Whitman Career Center works in partnership with you to assist you in achieving your career goals.
Graduate Internships
Graduate internships provide opportunities for full-time M.B.A students to gain practical, professionally related experience. These opportunities integrate classroom instruction with activities in the business world.
Internships may be for a semester full time, a semester part time, or a summer full time. Companies are asked to provide challenging project-related internships, which may be either salaried or nonsalaried. The intern may combine academic credit with the experience by completing a three-credit independent research project under the direction of a faculty member.
Study Abroad and Global Internships
As a pervasive theme in every Whitman School of Management program, managing in a global setting takes on special meaning for Syracuse students who may elect to spend a summer in one of the Syracuse study centers specializing in international business. Students take course credits, work in pre-arranged internships, or experience the cultural and business environments in London, U.K.; Shanghai, China; and Singapore. Syracuse students have studied at several additional sites including: Madrid, Spain; and Hong Kong. Other possibilities, including France and Japan, exist through our cooperative arrangement with the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird) Consortium.
Syracuse students have interned overseas with financial firms such as Morgan Stanley and National Westminster Bank in London, multinationals such as Johnson & Johnson and General Electric in Singapore, and assist in operating small and medium-sized enterprises in China. Interested students should apply early and plan their programs of study to allow for a summer away from campus.
Facilities
The Whitman School of Management’s 160,000-square-foot sustainable building opened in 2005, with a central focus on students and creating an environment that promotes a culture of collegiality and a high-tech, world-class learning experience. To provide that experience, the Whitman School creates an open community atmosphere with advanced resources and team-oriented learning spaces, including:
- 22 classrooms
- 200-seat auditorium
- 20 team meeting rooms each for graduate and undergraduate students
- three-story, 4000-square-foot Grand Hall
- undergraduate and graduate computer clusters
- 74 faculty offices
- a faculty research center
- an Investment Research Center
- a center for entrepreneurial start-ups
- a 100-seat cafe
- a special-events room with outdoor terrace
The Whitman School of Management’s building is dedicated to sustainability, providing environmentally friendly resources and features for an enhanced “green” experience.
Research Centers & Institutes
The Whitman School building boasts many spaces for innovative and collaborative research that provide experiential learning and prepare students for careers across a broad range of business areas. Sophisticated software and integrated technology coupled with advanced workshops and seminars create an ideal learning atmosphere. Whitman’s diverse research centers and institutes include:
Master’s
Doctorate
Combined Degree
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Accounting, JD/MBA
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Aerospace Engineering/Business Administration (3-2 Program), BS/MBA
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Bioengineering/Business Administration, BS/MBA
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Chemical Engineering/Business Administration (3-2 Program), BS/MBA
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Civil Engineering/Business Administration (3-2 Program), BS/MBA
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Computer Engineering/Business Administration (3-2 Program), BS/MBA
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Computer Science/Business Administration (3-2 Program), BS/MBA
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Defense Comptrollership, MBA/EMPA
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Electrical Engineering/Business Administration (3-2 Program), BS/MBA
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Environmental Engineering/Business Administration (3-2 Program), BS/MBA
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Finance, JD/MBA
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Mechanical Engineering/Business Administration (3-2 Program), BS/MBA
Certificate of Advanced Study