10 Undergraduate Business Schools To Watch In 2025

Fordham University Gabelli School of Business

Gabelli School of Business says it is reimagining the student experience to prepare for the future of work. Judging by this impressive but non-exhaustive list of recent and upcoming innovations, we at P&Q tend to believe them.

• Upgraded every classroom in Hughes Hall with state-of-the-art technology required of the modern workplace.
• Created an in-house AI framework to infuse the tech into its courses.
• Is modernizing accounting programs to align with updated CPA standards and industry changes. In 2022, Gabelli was among the first b-schools in the country to offer a sustainable accounting course specifically designed to help students pursue the top professional credential in ESG reporting.
• Is adding STEM majors in finance, marketing, and digital media and technology in fall 2025.
• Now offers 29 secondary concentrations in areas like Value Investing, Alternative Investing, Credit, Market Analytics, and Digital Marketing. Also added an Information Systems Scholars track.

Gabelli boasts two campuses in New York City, still the heart of global finance and industry. Rose Hill in the Bronx offers a more traditional campus feel with more than 2,000 Gabelli students. Lincoln Center in midtown Manhattan is an urban campus in the middle of the action. Both give Gabelli students unparalleled access to the leaders of some of the world’s most influential companies through site visits, internships, and events hosted by student-run business clubs.

It simultaneously offers plenty of chances to get out of New York. Its global immersion programs offer hands-on learning in countries such as Italy, Germany, Chile, Rwanda, and Senegal.

“We have bold ambitions for the future of the Gabelli School of Business,” Dean Lerzan Aksoy tells P&Q.

“We are doubling down on our commitment to our Jesuit values and responsible business leadership while implementing transformational change to meet the needs of our learners, the University we call home, our community of New York City, and society at large.”

Q&A WITH GABELLI LEADERS

To find out more about the ongoing transformation at Gabelli, P&Q reached out to four of the business school leaders.

We’ll be watching for the big reveal.

What are recent and upcoming program developments and innovations that will enhance the experience of future students?

Lerzan Aksoy, Dean and George N. Jean Ph.D. Chair; Professor of Marketing: At the Gabelli School of Business, we are reimagining the student experience to prepare future leaders for a rapidly changing world. Recent innovations focus on financial empowerment, tech-forward learning, global exposure, and holistic student support.

We launched a required Personal Finance Curriculum for all students, teaching critical life skills such as budgeting, investing, and planning for the future. Our new AI Initiative infuses artificial intelligence into coursework using a unique in-house framework, giving students a head start in a tech-driven business landscape.

We’ve expanded Excel and analytics training, upgraded every Hughes Hall classroom with state-of-the-art technology, and modernized our Accounting programs to align with CPA exam changes and evolving industry demands. Our Global Immersion programs continue to grow, offering hands-on learning in places such as Italy, Germany, Chile, Rwanda and Senegal.

Students can now join an Information Systems Scholars track alongside our Finance and Marketing cohorts. And with added staff focused on engagement, retention, and support for specialized populations, our student experience is more personal and inclusive than ever.

From New York to London, Gabelli students are equipped with the skills, confidence, and conscience to make a difference that matters.

Any other notable news coming for 2025 that readers should know?

Dean Aksoy: At the Gabelli School of Business, innovation isn’t the exception—it’s the expectation. We are constantly evolving to meet the needs of students and anticipate the future of business.

Starting in Fall 2025, students will be able to pursue STEM majors in Finance, Marketing, and Digital Media & Technology at our Lincoln Center Manhattan campus, enhancing course offerings that mirror recent updated Rose Hill campus offerings. We’ve also expanded our academic flexibility with 29 secondary concentrations now available across both campuses—allowing students to customize their studies in areas such as Value Investing, Alternative Investing, Credit, Market Analytics, and Digital Marketing. All our concentrations empower students to specialize deeply, explore complementary disciplines, or gain breadth—building a skillset that’s as diverse as today’s business challenges.

We are also proud to grow our portfolio of student-managed investment funds. In addition to our two existing funds—each backed by $1 million from Fordham’s endowment—our chapter of Smart Women Securities, the top-performing chapter nationwide, has launched a fund with a starting investment of $250,000. These opportunities give students real-world experience managing capital and making decisions that matter.

What are your program’s two biggest differentiators from other top undergraduate business programs? How do these prepare students for their careers?

Lerzan Aksoy: Our key differentiators are our integrated, purpose-driven approach to experiential learning and our unmatched access to industry through our New York City location.

At Gabelli, learning is not confined to the classroom—it’s lived. Our Business Integrated Core, global immersions, consulting projects, and required yearly integrated learning courses ensure that every student gains hands-on experience solving real business challenges. But it’s not just about application—it’s about intention. Rooted in our Jesuit values, our curriculum emphasizes career discernment, ethical decision-making, and personal growth. Students discern and choose a vocation that aligns with who they are and the kind of impact they want to make.

Being in the heart of New York City means our students are steps away from some of the most influential companies in the world. From day one, they engage with the business world through site visits, internships, alumni connections, and events hosted by student-run business clubs. This consistent exposure builds the cultural fluency, confidence, and professional savvy that employers expect—and gives our students a tangible edge in a competitive market.

Together, these differentiators produce graduates who are career-ready and also equipped to lead with clarity, compassion, and courage in a business world that demands all three.

What separates your graduates from other business school graduates?

Mark Silver, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Professor of Information, Technology, and Operations: What sets Gabelli graduates apart is a rare combination of sharp business acumen, strength of character, and a deep commitment to leading positive societal change.

Rooted in our Jesuit values and shaped by our home in New York City, Gabelli students are immersed in real-world business from the start. They graduate with hands-on industry experience, a global perspective, and the cultural fluency to thrive in diverse, fast-paced environments.

Our future-focused curriculum emphasizes innovation, sustainability, and ethical leadership—empowering students to make decisions that drive both financial performance and positive societal change. Whether they’re launching a startup, joining a Fortune 500 firm, or leading in the nonprofit space, Gabelli School alumni are known for their compassion, courage, and readiness to do business that truly matters.

Explain the career services, programming, and extracurriculars that give your students an advantage in career outcomes?

Mark Silver: At Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business, career preparation is woven into everything we do. Our students begin building their professional foundation through The Ground Floor and Career Exploration courses in their very first year, setting the stage for four years of intentional growth.

Students are supported by a dedicated team in the Office of Personal and Professional Development, this office goes beyond what a career office supports, it works exclusively with business students to provide one-on-one coaching, industry insights, and access to competitive internship pipelines while also supporting students in their career discernment and relationship building.

Beyond the classroom, vibrant student-run business clubs connect students with top companies, recruiters, and influential alumni through events, panels, and site visits—offering real access to real-world opportunity. And with New York City as our extended campus, students don’t just learn about business—they live it. Our students are always making moves – whether it’s going from class to industry wide conferences, the Annual Berkshire Hathaway investors meeting, or to coffee chats with alumni between classes in the business capital of the world.

It’s this blend of personal guidance, hands-on experience, and unmatched location that gives Gabelli students an edge—and positions them for meaningful, lasting success.

When alumni look back on their time in your undergraduate business program, what would they consider to be their signature experience?

Marisa Villani, Senior Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies: When alumni reflect on their time at the Gabelli School of Business, one signature theme consistently emerges: experiential learning that bridges theory and practice in deeply impactful ways. This defining element of a Gabelli education takes many forms—but what remains constant is its power to transform how students retain knowledge, confront challenges, and confidently contribute to conversations that matter in business and beyond.

From global immersion programs in places like Senegal, where students engage directly with the local entrepreneurial ecosystem, to intensive industry experiences—such as analyzing market trends during New York Fashion Week or learning side-by-side with C-suite faculty who invite students into their workplaces—our graduates remember how these hands-on, purpose-driven experiences shaped their personal and professional growth.

Importantly, experiential learning isn’t optional—it’s embedded in the curriculum. Each year, students participate in an integrated learning experience tailored to their stage of development. These courses guide students through career discernment, sharpen their business acumen, build data fluency, and cultivate leadership grounded in ethics and impact. This layered, immersive approach prepares our alumni to navigate ambiguity, seize opportunity, and lead with integrity from the start.

What is the most underrated feature of your undergraduate business program and how does it enhance the experience for your business majors?

Mark Silver: Rather than rushing into a major, our students embark on a guided journey of academic and personal discovery. Through structured exploration and deep engagement with our community, they are encouraged to align their studies not only with their professional aspirations but also with their sense of purpose. This discernment process is enriched by the support of a dynamic ecosystem that includes academic and career advisors, world-class faculty, peer mentors, alumni, upper-level students, student organizations, and a thoughtfully crafted core curriculum—especially through our hallmark Business Integrated Core.

The Business Integrated Core is a game-changing, team based experience, and the hallmark of our undergraduate experience. It unifies foundational business courses under a single, semester-long consulting project in which teams of six students, working within a cohort of 35, grapple with real-world challenges that demand both collaboration and creativity. Students are not given a problem to solve—they are challenged first to find one and define it sharply. This requires the kind of critical thinking, adaptability, and resilience that top employers value most, and ensures our graduates are equipped to navigate complexity, drive impact, and lead with confidence from day one.

Set in the heart of New York City, with unparalleled access to industry and real-world learning, this approach cultivates graduates who are not only career-ready but also deeply grounded, self-aware, and poised to make a difference in their organizations and in the world.

Which employers are the biggest consumers of your undergraduate talent and what have they told you about your alumni that make them so special?

Cynthia Bush, Director of Personal and Professional Development Office: With a 95% job placement rate, Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business is proud to be a trusted talent pipeline for some of the world’s most respected and forward-looking firms. Our graduates bring a distinctive blend of analytical rigor, entrepreneurial mindset, and purpose-driven leadership that sets them apart in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape. Top employers—including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, PwC, EY, KPMG, Deloitte, Citigroup, Bank of America, and Barclays—consistently tell us that Gabelli alumni stand out for their ability to think strategically, adapt quickly, and deliver impact from day one.

What else would you like readers to know about your program?

Lerzan Aksoy: We have bold ambitions for the future of the Gabelli School of Business. We are doubling down on our commitment to our Jesuit values and responsible business leadership while implementing transformational change to meet the needs of our learners, the University we call home, our community of New York City, and society at large.

We are educating our students to know not just how to use the latest technologies–such as Generative AI–but how to apply them effectively in a business context.

NEXT PAGE: University of California at Davis Graduate School of Management

 

© Copyright 2025 Poets & Quants. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Poets & Quants, please submit your request HERE.