The Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University landed at No. 36 in this year’s 2023 rankings – down only two places from No. 34 in the 2022 rankings.
Whitman had a significantly more selective acceptance rate this year as compared to last – with just 31.54% of the most recent applicants accepted into the program compared to 46.21% applicants accepted in the previous year’s intake. The average SAT score for this year’s incoming class was 1330 – nearly the same as last year’s score of 1331. Overall, the B-school placed the best in the Career Outcomes category, coming in at No. 38.
Whitman saw a decrease as far as employment goes, with 82.72% of 2023 grads securing a full-time position within three months of graduation, down from 90.49% for 2022 grads. Internship prospects remain as high as they can be, with 100% of the Class of 2023 landing a business-focused internship before graduating – a record the school has held for the past five years in a row.
In total, Whitman undergraduate business students can choose from 10 different majors including Accounting, Business Analytics, General Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Marketing, Management Studies, Retail Management, Supply Chain Management, and Real Estate.
IMPRESS PROGRAM
One of the differentiating factors of the Whitman education is its Goodman IMPRESS Program, which focuses on soft-skill development for all Whitman students through extracurricular activities.
Every new Whitman student is delegated to one of four groups, or virtual “houses” – Adams, Harrison, Marshall, and Waverly. Each of these houses has its own insignia and is led by a faculty house mentor who guides students through their first business courses.
Student houses participate in a variety of extracurricular activities for which they will be rewarded with points, and every student is involved in two ongoing challenges – a personal challenge and the house challenge. Like a B-school version of the Harry Potter Hogwarts Houses, Whitman’s IMPRESS program is a creative, fun, and quantifiable way for students to develop and showcase their soft-skill competency.
“SHARK TANK” STYLE CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE
Some 91.07% of alumni we surveyed reported engaging in at least one “signature experience” that was a key part of their business learning at Whitman, and for an overwhelming majority of Whitman alumni, that experience was the senior capstone project.
Student teams enter the pitch competition where they are challenged to come up with an innovative product or service and create a full business plan to successfully bring it to market. Students work in cross-functional teams across all business majors from finance to marketing to supply chain management. At the end, the teams pitch their plan to a panel of local business owners and professionals and are scored, similar to the show “Shark Tank.” Winning teams receive a grant and can put it towards launching their business idea.
“You learn the ins and outs of being an entrepreneur, receive hands-on experience in presenting to executives, communication and team-building skills and the list goes on,” one alumni told us. “Definitely a unique experience, that I can say from speaking with friends who attended other universities, is not one every college student participates in or has the opportunity to.”
“It was a great chance to push ourselves to put all of the business, finance, accounting, supply chain, and marketing knowledge to the test after having taken many of those classes previously,” another alumni said.
Overall, the Whitman program is ideal for a business student who wants to develop an impressive set of technical and soft business skills through healthy competition. It doesn’t hurt to love Harry Potter or Shark Tank either.
Alumni say:
“The senior capstone project allowed me to dive deeper into my major and apply the principles we’ve learned in the classrooms to an actual business practice. I also was able to learn more about other aspects of business that are outside my major, and overall expanded my business knowledge that’s allowed me to set myself apart in the workplace.”
“Whitman students are required to participate in a capstone project that focuses on bringing together all majors, inventing an original product or service, and moving through ideation, to raising capital, marketing, production, distribution, and liquidation. All of this leads to a series of final pitches (think “Shark Tank”) to a panel of judges. There were many long nights running through the details of our cost sheet, researching sources & logistics companies, and networking with experts in our field. Many students have gone on to launch their products as entrepreneurs after graduating, and while we could have done the same, I was so happy to have ended the experience knowing that it WAS possible to build something from the ground up. It was an incredible responsibility and a lesson in ownership.”
“I took part in the Panaschi competition which opened my eyes to starting an entrepreneurial venture post-college. With the knowledge I gained, I have since started a media company that reaches over 100,000 people every month.”
“Syracuse offered exceptional study abroad experiences! I spent a semester in Italy, which allowed me to gain a global perspective. While I chose not to take business classes there, I felt I was able to have a more well rounded education. Additionally, I work with a very global team currently and that experience allowed me to deepen my empathy and understanding of other cultures.”
“I studied abroad in Hong Kong which was a business centric program, I even completed an internship. This was important to me because it gave me insight into how business is conducted in Asia and how it differs from the Western style.”
