At Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Business, students are prepared to make a difference in the world.
Part of that education stems from the university’s relationship with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“BYU’s mission is to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life,” Robert Gardner, assistant dean at BYU Marriott School of Business says. “We seek to develop students of faith, intellect, and character who have the skills and the desire to continue learning and to serve others throughout their lives.”
STRONG MENTORSHIP AND COMMUNITY
A large part of the development at Marriott is through mentorship and community.
Most recently, Marriott introduced the Professional Development Forum, a student organization that includes the presidents of all Marriott’s professional clubs.
The Forum meets regularly with our deans and assistant deans who provide guidance and support in sharing ideas and designing events for club members.
Individual clubs often invite high-level professionals monthly to speak to students and answer questions. Clubs also visit firms and interact with on-site leaders at those firms.
Additionally, juniors and seniors hold workshops and mentoring sessions for freshmen and sophomores on topics such as preparing for job interviews, finding a professional mentor, revising resumes, and gaining more benefit from introductory courses by working in effective study teams.
Nearly 53% of alumni surveyed by Poets & Quants for Undergrads say the business program’s efforts to bring them into contact with practicing professionals, including the alumni network, in the business community is “exceptional.” Nearly 57% rate the business program’s alumni network and connections that can help them throughout their career as “exceptional.”
“BYU Marriott has a strong culture of mentoring—between faculty and students, between alumni and students, and between student peers,” Gardner says. “The professional development clubs at BYU Marriott are strongly tied to and integrated with the curriculum, ensuring that the activities that happen outside the classroom build upon their experiences in it.”
OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH
Outside of strong mentorship and community, BYU Marriott also provides a number of opportunities for students to learn and grow.
Danny Toney, a class of 2016 alum, says one of the most significant experiences during his time at BYU Marriott was a networking project where he started a blog and interviewed major “hotshots.”
“It completely got me out of my comfort zone,” Toney says. “However, it changed my life beyond what I could imagine. In fact, through this, I was able to meet a multi-millionaire who is one of the top people in my field.”
Through the project, Toney grew close with the multi-millionaire, who has become a close mentor of his.
Joel Cornwell, a class of 2016 alum, says two significant experiences during his time at BYU Marriott were a strategic case analysis and a fund management simulation.
“Both experiences were exceptional at helping me adapt what I was learning to a real-world scenario,” Cornwell says. “I think it was most beneficial because it helped me understand what the problem-solving process looks like in a corporate environment.”
The Business Career Center at BYU Marriott also provides assistance in finding and placing students in internships, both on-campus and around the world.
Through on-campus internships, students receive academic credit while gaining valuable real-life work experience in their chosen fields.
Kyle Durfee, a class of 2016 alum, participated in a number of on-campus internships in a field such as consulting, private equity, and social impact during his time at BYU Marriott.
“I learned much more clearly what was important to businesses, how to manage client relationships, and lead teams,” Durfee says. “It was especially powerful to have an opportunity to work on two deals with the PE company that closed shortly after my work was done.
I was just doing the market research side of it, but at the time it was just the right stretch of my abilities and exposed me to available resources and ways of working that have helped me in my career since.”
CAREER OUTLOOK
Career outlook for BYU Marriott grads is strong.
79% of the Class of 2018 were employed full-time by the end of September with an average overall salary of $55,148.
A large majority of BYU Marriott grads, 72%, choose to stay in the US West region after graduation. The second most popular region is the US Southwest, with 12% of the Class of 2018 relocating to that area after graduating.
WHERE THE CLASS OF 2018 WENT TO WORK:
- Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (26)
- Qualtrics LLC (18)
- EY, LLP (13)
- Brigham Young University (13)
- Deloitte & Touche LLP (13)
- Amazon (11)
- PwC (10)
- Disruptive Advertising (9)
- KPMG LLP (9)
- The Boeing Company (7)
- Lucid Software, Inc. (7)
Marriott International, Inc. (7)
What Alumni Say:
“BYU offers an elective where students can apply for semester-long internships offered by companies. Once accepted, students work in groups of three to five to complete a semester-long project. I worked with a team of 4 other students my junior year on behalf of a private investor to perform an M&A screen for private, for-profit higher education institutions in the US, create a short list of potential targets, and develop a deal model that the investor used to negotiate the deal.” – Recent Alumni
“Each of my courses involved working with a group on multiple projects throughout the semester. These projects often involved what we were learning in multiple classes and built up to a presentation to professors from multiple focus areas.” – Recent Alumni
“I went on a global study abroad trip, We visited 10 countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia. And at each stop, we visited different fortune 500 companies (Nike, Cummins, Barclay Bank, KIA, etc.) That event made me look at business in a new way and I saw the importance of trade and the need to make the world a better place for everyone.” – Recent Alumni
