At Columbia Business School, graduate students can pursue a full-time M.B.A., executive M.B.A., Ph.D., and Master of Science in Marketing or Financial Economics. Regardless of their degree focus, students can take courses offered across Columbia University’s academic divisions as electives, which make up more than half the M.B.A. curriculum. For students who prefer a broader education, dual degrees are offered at 10 other schools at Columbia University, varying from a master’s in urban planning to a dental degree.
In the core M.B.A. classes, groups of about 60 students take all first-year classes together—an attempt by the school to foster a sense of community. Students can check out about 100 graduate organizations, catch frequent presentations by business leaders, and research in more than 20 centers on campus, like the Center for Decision Sciences and the Center on Japanese Economy and Business. Graduate students may live in university housing but are not guaranteed a spot.
Notable alumni of the Columbia Business School include Gail J. McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross; Henry Kravis, founding partner of private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.; and Shelly Lazarus, chairman and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide.