The Jack Welch College of Business & Technology at Sacred Heart University landed at No. 82 in this year’s 2023 rankings – down some from their No. 75 place in our 2022 rankings last year. The Jack Welch College had an acceptance rate of 67.60% for the most recent incoming class – more lenient than last year’s rate of 60.84%. Their average SAT score increased to a good 1237 for the most recent incoming class compared to a 1215.2 average last year.
This year, a little over half the class of 2023, 54.10%, secured a full-time job within three months of graduation – slightly lower than last year’s 57% for the Class of 2022. Internship outcomes went down some for 2023 graduates this year to 40.18% reporting they secured a business-focused summer job in contrast to 50% of the Class of 2022 last year.
Innovation is at the heart of the Jack Welch business experience. With applied, interactive, and collaborative experiences, students are encouraged to think outside the box in solving business problems. The B-school’s state-of-the-art resources, intimate learning environment, and emphasis on both the hard and soft skills of business enable students to bring their ideas and passions to life.
STATE-OF-THE-ART RESOURCES
Jack Welch business students have access to the following undergraduate majors: Management (Supply-chain, HR, Entrepreneurship, Sales, Global Entrepreneurship, Sales), Marketing (Digital), Sport Management, Finance (Corporate Finance, Investment Management Track, Private Wealth Management, Banking & Capital Markets), Business Economics (Global Economy Track, Strategic Decision Making Track, and Analytical Economics Track), Accounting (Analytics, Audit, Tax), Hospitality Management (Hotel/Resort Management, Tourism Management, Data Analytics Management), and Fashion Marketing and Merchandising (Fashion, Smart Retail).
One of the unique aspects of the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology is that the College of Business includes the School of Computer Science & Engineering, which allows the school to integrate more technology in every business major curriculum.
In recent years the B-school moved into a new building, the formal global headquarters for General Electric. Acquiring the new space allowed the college to create an Innovation Campus that includes state-of-the-art resources for students including an artificial intelligence lab, augmented reality lab, IDEA Lab, and an iHub co-working space.
INTIMATE & SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT
The Jack Welch College fosters an intimate and supportive learning environment. Class sizes are capped at 30 students and faculty often address students on a first-name basis. Surveyed alumni rated Jack Welch College faculty a strong 9.2 average rating in terms of their availability for informal discussions and mentoring outside of class.
“You were treated like a professional and expected to act the same,” one alum told us. “The professors spoke to you as if you were equally qualified which made for a tremendous learning experience coupled with needed confidence.”
That support extends beyond the professors as well. All freshmen are paired with an upperclassman mentor and a set mentorship curriculum that is to be completed in both the fall and spring semesters as part of the “Freshman First-Year Experience.” Mentors essentially ensure each incoming freshman gets the support and guidance they need to seamlessly transition into college life, from connecting them to on-campus organizations to introducing them to the Career Development and Placement Center, where they can get support in resume and interview preparation.
Having an environment of strong support and mentorship is key to not only ensuring students feel at home but also to fostering a community where students feel comfortable connecting with one another. The intimate and supportive community at Jack Welch College goes hand-in-hand with the school’s innovation-focused approach as students can easily collaborate with one another through one of the college’s many innovation hubs or centers.
COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO BUSINESS
The Jack Welch College emphasizes a comprehensive approach to learning business. Students are challenged to learn both the hard and soft skills through intensive capstone projects. The capstone projects often require students to apply analytical skills and work effectively amongst a team. Surveyed alumni rated the B-school’s opportunities to nurture and improve their soft skills in business at an 7.47 average rating.
“The experience was to analyze troubled companies, or those at risk of bankruptcy, on a fundamental, legal, strategic level,” one alum said. “What made this unique is rather than spending our time marveling at the companies performing so well we instead analyzed what companies were doing wrong and how they could improve. It has certainly been interesting to see how our theses have panned out over the years.”
“In undergrad, we had a strategic management class that served as a capstone course,” another alum reported. “It captured many different areas of the business program. We were able to utilize skills and knowledge from all courses and execute a semester-long assignment. In grad school for the accounting program, we had the option of taking a forensic or international concentration. With the forensic route, we took on the task of valuing a business based on certified valuators’ guidelines. Both equally incorporated a great deal of teamwork and delegating tasks, working with deadlines, utilizing business skill and subject presentation.”
With the B-school’s state-of-the-art resources, intimate and supportive community, and comprehensive approach to business, Jack Welch undergraduates are given the perfect environment to learn, collaborate and, most importantly, innovate.
Alumni say:
“The capstone project challenged me to change my approach and way of thinking. It wasn’t how I’d normally go about doing a project because it required more of myself and group members. Every aspect and minor detail had to be taken into consideration.”
“The internships and organizations I was a part of at Sacred Heart helped propel my career out of college. Because of them I already had hands-on experience within my industry.”
“Participating in the college fed challenge was an exceptional experience where we worked closely as a team to develop our thesis and panel discussion and presented at the Federal Reserve of New York. Being able to work closely, develop the skills to utilize economic data, form a thesis, then physically present to analysts at the Fed was a rare experience.”
“In the Dingle, Ireland study abroad program, our class was not only able to meet and interact with a different culture, but were paired with local companies to help with their marketing campaigns. This real life international business experience was invaluable in my growth as someone pursuing a career in business (and as a human being).”
“My internship was a very good one in the Tax office, where I was able to have a hands-on look at how the office worked and what operations are like. This was important to me because it helped prepare me for the business world and how it operates.”
