American University’s Kogod School of Business ranked No. 80 in our 2023 rankings this year, up three places from last year’s No. 83 in our 2022 rankings. The school has hovered in the 80’s for a few years now, down from landing in the 50’s in the past.
The B-School had a less selective acceptance rate of 42% for their most recent incoming class in contrast to 30.34% for last year’s incoming class. This year, the average SAT score increased a good 15 points from 1315 for last year’s incoming class to 1330 for this year’s incoming students.
As far as careers go, a good 75% of the Class of 2023 landed full-time positions within three months of graduation – down only slightly from the Class of 2022’s reported rate of 79.86%. Business-focused internship rates decreased some from 63.50% for the Class of 2022 to 54% for the Class of 2023. Of the three methodological categories, the B-School placed highest in Admissions, where they landed at No. 43.
The Kogod School of Business offers a quality business education, and as Washington, D.C.’s first business school, Kogod is recognized nationally for its strong hands-on approach to education with unique program offerings and real-world opportunities both in and out of the classroom.
UNIQUE PROGRAM OFFERINGS
The Kogod School of Business offers undergraduate majors in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Business, Language & Cultural Studies, and Business & Entertainment. While Kogod offers the typical programs such as Business Administration and Finance, it also offers some unique programs such as its Business & Entertainment major and Business, Language & Culture Studies major.
The Business & Entertainment program covers topics such as entertainment law, business law, and music publishing and copyright. Students in the program can specialize in areas including agency, audio technology, and music performance.
The Business, Language & Culture Studies program is designed for students passionate about business and foreign language. Students in the program choose a language track (Arabic, French, German, Russian, or Spanish) and have the opportunity to spend a semester abroad where they take courses in their language track.
It’s not typical for B-schools to offer programs outside of the traditional finance or accounting majors, but at Kogod they exist — giving students who are intent on studying more than just business the opportunity to do so.
HANDS-ON CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE
The Kogod undergraduate education heavily emphasizes hands-on learning. The B-school’s capstone experience features a real-world client and focuses on valuable soft-skills such as teamwork and time management.
“We worked directly with a company in a sort of consulting role to improve their process and marketing,” one alumni told us. “We spent a few weeks directly interacting with the client and getting to know how a business really works in multiple aspects, such as marketing, accounting, IT, and logistics. Working in teams and working with deadlines was some of the most hands-on learning a class had offered during college.”
What makes Kogod’s capstone project experience valuable is the real-world component. Rather than focusing on a simulation or theoretical business problem, Kogod students are given an opportunity to truly apply their business knowledge out in the real world.
OUT-OF-CLASSROOM OPPORTUNITIES
Aside from the capstone project, Kogod students have a number of opportunities outside of the classroom to apply their business knowledge.
The B-school’s Student Managed Investment Fund is one such opportunity. Students oversee roughly $850,000 in assets from a variety of positions, including analysts, fund managers, and portfolio managers. The program is designed to give students interested in financial investments a real-world perspective of how an asset management team is structured and managed.
“I was a part of the student-managed investment fund which allowed us to invest close to 600,000 of the school money,” one alumni recalled. “During my time in the fund we were extremely successful and I learned how to utilize all the information I had learned in my finance classes.”
For students interested in entrepreneurship, Kogod partnered with FedTech, a federally funded venture builder that matches aspiring entrepreneurs with cutting-edge technologies. The program is a unique opportunity for students to work alongside business professionals and learn about cutting-edge technology.
“I was part of the student team that pioneered FedTech for undergraduates,” another alumni said. “Prior to my partners and my participation, the program was only open to graduate students, PhDs, and industry professionals. FedTech is a government commercialization accelerator and allowed me to push the limits of what I knew about customer discovery and business innovation.”
Programs, such as FedTech, offer students the opportunity to gain valuable experience out in the real world. FedTech recently provided Kogod’s Management Entrepreneurship program with 16 innovative technologies to commercialize for the marketplace as part of students’ final projects. Not every B-school can partner with a federally funded venture builder, but Kogod’s prestige as Washington, D.C.’s first business school certainly allows the school access to unique and cutting edge opportunities for its students.
With Kogod’s hands-on approach to education, unique program offerings, and real-world opportunities both in and out of the classroom, students can truly take business to a whole new level.
Alumni Say:
“The capstone experience was incredibly enlightening, underscoring the paramount importance of a well-defined strategy for any business. Through practical, real-life examples, my team and I gained invaluable insights into how a clear strategy serves as the backbone of success. It illuminated the intricate dynamics of decision-making, resource allocation, and adaptability, reaffirming that a solid strategic foundation is essential for navigating the complexities of the business world. This experience has left an indelible mark on my understanding of effective business management.”
“Kogod’s Business and Entertainment program travels to LA and NYC each so students can meet alumni and executives at companies in these locations and hear all their experiences.”
“Every class had a project that forced critical thinking skills and emulated projects and issues faced in the working world.”
