The McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University secured the No. 2 place in this year’s rankings, the same as last year which broke their two-year streak of placing fifth.
Acceptance at McDonough this year was more exclusive, with only 12.29% of applicants accepted as compared to 19.95% for the Class of 2020. The average SAT score was 1423, down from 1447 from last year’s average.
What really helped Georgetown this year was their first-place finish in Career Outcomes. They also finished fourth in Admissions and third in Alumni Experience. In terms of employment outcomes, the B-school had an impressive rate with 97.58% for the Class of 2022 employed with full-time positions, down just a smidge from 97.63% for the previous class. Also a notable, 97% of the Class of 2022 had at least one business-focused internship before graduation.
COMPREHENSIVE CURRICULUM
The McDonough curriculum offers a strong foundation in critical thinking and reasoning with a blend of business and liberal arts courses. McDonough students are required to complete 120 semester hours of courses in the liberal arts core, business core, a chosen major(s), and electives. Students enroll in the business school during their first year and declare a specific major in their sophomore year.
One of the more hands-on learning opportunities is the First Year Seminar, a collection of courses designed for first-year McDonough students on unique business topics ranging from global leadership to the anthropology of business.
What makes the McDonough curriculum truly comprehensive, however, is the variety of subjects and fields that courses dive into. One of those unique courses is “Signal Class,” where students learn entrepreneurship first-hand by creating a book that would demonstrate their purpose. Students in the course use startup methodologies, from ideation to marketing, to create a book manuscript throughout the semester.
One 2018 alumni surveyed by P&Q cites the course as the sole reason behind why he was able to land his dream job in book publishing post-graduation.
“No other university, no other business school, has a book writing class that helps students both create and publish a book in an academic year, and then empowers their students to use it as a tool to land their dream jobs, start their own business or create their own path,” the alumni told us.
McDonough’s geographical placement in Washington D.C., and being part of the greater Georgetown university gives business students unique access to government and policy perspectives. For students looking to gain a very solid business education combined with access to public policy issues, there is no school better than Georgetown. And among the top-10 or so schools, only New York University’s Stern School of Business offers a similar international-focused business school curriculum. So, for high school students looking to gain a business degree with international or policy experience, Georgetown should be at the very top of the list.
A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
One of the most popular global programs at McDonough is the Global Business Experience. Offered as a three-credit course, the Global Business Experience offers students the opportunity to work in teams and conduct a substantive consulting project for a private, public, or nonprofit organization abroad. To cap the experience, student teams travel to the client organization’s country during the week of spring break to present their recommendations to senior management.
“I participated in at least 3 signature experiences that the business school provided including the first year seminar (the real estate game), a fellowship with the Fabretto foundation in Nicaragua over the summer, and the Global Business Experience in Argentina focused on the wine industry,” one 2022 alumni told us.
“All three experiences changed and shaped my academic and ultimately my professional trajectory. They allowed for real world application of academics and contributed to so much of what made me successful in interviews for jobs. My fellowship and the GBE initiative have been two of the most invaluable experiences of my life, and they influence me to this day.”
Another 2021 alumni who took part in the Global Business Experience says it ignited an appreciation for international business.
“The Global Business Experience program has left a long lasting impact on my aspirations to work with global companies, seek international experience on a professional and personal level, and build a professional network of global connections,” the alumni said.
While McDonough offers programs for students to travel internationally, its curriculum is also integrated with courses that teach business from a global perspective. One 2018 alumni surveyed by us highlights a first year seminar course called “Learning to Think Globally” as one of the signature experiences at McDonough.
“The class gave me the tools and frameworks for looking at the world differently, especially in terms of politics, economics and business strategy,” the alumni told us.
Another 2018 alumni references a course titled “Marketing Across Borders,” where students learned about marketing from a global perspective and applied their learnings through a consulting project.
“I learned about global marketing, was able to apply my knowledge to a real problem, and travel to Lille & Brussels over Spring Break to present our work to KIABI,” the alumni said. “Great real-world experience.”
Alumni say:
“We were afforded many opportunities to participate in unique experiences at McDonough such as these before graduation. Most of our coursework was rooted in projects, but most memorable for me was a faux client pitch in Marketing Strategy. Walking into that class was informal and electric. We learned so much while simultaneously having fun together as seniors. It helped me figure out I wanted to go into advertising after graduation.”
“Case competitions – I got the chance to travel to 5+ countries internationally, interact with students from other universities, and compete in real-world business case competitions that have directly supported my career growth in consulting.”
“Many schools have first year seminars, but almost no business programs (or schools at all) offer a course that empowers you to have experience and cultivate skills in consulting like the Global Business Experience Program at Georgetown.”
“I wrote and published my first book through a program offered by the business school, which allowed me to pursue a personal passion while setting myself apart in the job search.”
Where The Class of 2018 Went To Work:
EY – 13
J.P. Morgan – 9
Morgan Stanley – 9
PwC – 8
Bank of America – 7
Jeffries – 7
Barclays – 5
Goldman Sachs – 5
Deloitte – 5
Citi – 3
McKinsey – 3
