Binghamton University School of Management landed at No. 26 this year, climbing rank by rank, up from last year’s No. 27 and the previous year’s No. 28. Binghamton continues to impress since their 2020 ranking at 47th-place. The school earned its place in the rankings anchored by a strong No. 16 placement in the Admissions Standards category, a No. 44 for Career Outcomes, and No. 29 in Academic Experience. Binghamton had an acceptance rate of 27.10%, with an average SAT score of 1434 for business students entering Fall 2023.
The B-school improved as well as far as internships and career outcomes go. Some 87.90% of the graduating Class of 2023 had a business-focused internship before graduating, up from last year’s 85.60% and the previous year’s 78.30%. As far as career outcomes go, 82.20% of the Class of 2023 secured a full-time position by the time of graduation, down slightly from 84% of the Class of 2021. The average starting salary for the Class of 2023 was $75,674, up from the Class of 2021’s average of $70,300.
The southern New York-based B-school has drastically expanded its undergraduate education over the years to become a competitive program. But Binghamton’s School of Management wasn’t always the B-school it is today. Originally a department within Binghamton University’s Harpur College, the B-school officially established itself into the School of Business in 1970.
Fast forward to now, the School of Management is just over 50 years old. Over the decades, Binghamton’s School of Management has come to be known for a business education that allows students to gain real, valuable insight into their career interests.
TWO MAIN DEGREE PROGRAMS
Binghamton students can choose from two undergraduate business programs including a BS in Accounting or a BS in Business Administration. Binghamton’s accounting program offers students a strong foundation in the theory and practice of accounting. Graduates of this program go on into careers of public and corporate accounting. First year courses cover topics ranging from Differential Calculus to Computer Tools for Management.
For those looking for a general business education, Binghamton’s business administration program offers a solid background in the liberal arts and an extensive foundation in management. Students in this program can also choose to complete a concentration in areas such as Business Analytics, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Leadership and Consulting, Management Information Systems, Marketing, Quantitative Finance, and Supply Chain Management.
Additionally, the B-school also has a program sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) called The School of Management Scholars Program. An honors program of sorts, the Scholars Program requires participating students to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.6 each semester along with additional course requirements. Scholars have exclusive access to unique events and programming including an international trip, speaker series, and special honors seminars.
CAREER EXPLORATION
Binghamton offers several programs that give students an opportunity to explore potential careers. One of the signature programs at Binghamton is the EY Trajectory Program, which allows students to develop a career focused mentorship relation, develop a career-focused mentoring relationship, earn academic credit and network with EY professionals. At the end of the program, students give a final presentation to senior management.
For many students, the EY Trajectory Program offers a unique opportunity to see what the world of consulting is like while also gaining valuable skills and connections.
“It was a real-life consulting experience and helped me understand how to deal with other people on teams, at clients, and how to manage my own workload,” one 2018 alumni told us.
“[The] EY Trajectory program allowed me to get hands-on exposure to a simulated consulting environment and allowed me to network with influential members of the firm,” another 2018 alumni said.
Many course electives at Binghamton also provide students with opportunities to further explore their field of interest and gain valuable experience.
“I took a class called MKTG 480N with Dean George Bobinski,” one 2018 alumni explained. “I had the opportunity to work with analysts from Publicis Media. I learned different ways of looking at data and how to effectively create a presentation for a client (Lord & Taylor) about reaching new customers. My team won the competition and several of us earned job offers for our hard work. Very rewarding experience.”
“Worked with a local non-profit company to create a new business plan & provide recommendations on improvements to the company through extensive research / learning process, using cutting edge consulting framework and applying in-class learning to real-life scenarios,” another 2018 alumni told us.
These types of opportunities to explore potential careers are highly valuable to business education. And at Binghamton, the opportunities are often with real professionals at influential companies and organizations, giving students unique insight into the fields of their interest.
Overall, Binghamton alumni view these opportunities positively. When asked how they would rate the opportunities at Binghamton to nurture and improve soft skills such as verbal and written communication skills, adaptability, delegation, and time management, 2019 alumni gave a strong 9.1 average rating.
With its strong corporate partnerships and an integrated learning experience that offers students a view into what potential careers look like, Binghamton’s School of Management is certainly a B-school to look out for.
Alumni say:
“I was offered an interview for an equity research internship while attending my fall semester in junior year through one of my finance professors. I ended up getting the internship and learning a lot more soft and hard skills in finance and also developed a better sense of what I wanted in a career.”
“The capstone course for my consulting concentration included was developing a 2-3 year strategic business plan for a local nonprofit. This project was a great way to learn how to interact with customers in a consulting situation, and also we were helping a local nonprofit in the community grow and improve.”
“The senior year capstone management class featured a semester-long simulation in which the class was broken up into groups to be competing companies in the same industry. Each week the groups would enter decisions into the online simulation that related to inventory management, production, marketing budget, and debt management. These decisions would impact profit, in the end each company was evaluated based on these decisions.”
“My time abroad in China during my junior year opened my eyes to the true depth of worldwide markets. I developed a deeper appreciation for the scale and interconnectedness of global markets. I went to China with approximately 30 other honors students to meet with business professionals and visit cultural sites to develop a better understanding of the Chinese market.”
“I participated in a equity research externship with where I built out a formal industry evaluation and did a deep dive on three laboratory companies. It was an extremely valuable experience, as I gained a better understanding of valuation modeling and other technical skills that I’ve been able to leverage in my current role, and for external opportunities as well. I was also able to build my professional network that I still maintain contact with.”
Where the Class of 2019 went to work:
- EY – 23
- PwC – 13
- Deloitte – 12
- KPMG – 9
- Protiviti – 7
- JP Morgan – 7
- RSM – 3
- IPG Media Brands – 2
- EisnerAmper – 2
- Jefferies – 2
