The East Coast’s Top Five Business Schools

The east coast is well known for its many opportunities to get a quality business education. Most of the most popular business schools in the United States are found on the east coast, with most reports of the top ten business schools in the United States containing between 6 and 7 east coast schools. The age of the schools on the east coast give them a very impressive history, with many of them being founded while the British still controlled the colonies.

Columbia University

Columbia University boasts one of the largest student bodies in the country at its business school. There are a lot of reasons for the popularity of the programs at Columbia, but the most important of these by far is the diversity of the curriculum. While they offer the same types of classes here that you would expect at any other institution of higher learning, they also offer a wide range of cultural experiences that are facilitated by the proximity of Manhattan and all that New York City has to offer. Chartered as a private university in 1896, Columbia was once dubbed King’s College when it was first created by the English during the colonial era of the pre-revolutionary United States.

Dartmouth University – Tuck

Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth University was established in 1900 as part of the larger Dartmouth University system. Roughly 500 students are currently enrolled at the school, and it is the oldest graduate business school in the entire world. The school was also the first school in the world to provide a masters degree in business administration. This masters degree in business administration would go on to be the only masters degree that is offered through Tuck, and the entire curriculum is designed with that singularity in mind. The degree is a two year degree, and there are no fast track options to get it in less time.

University of Pennsylvania – Wharton

The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania was the first university in the world to offer an undergraduate business degree program. It is also the oldest collegiate business program in the United States. Unlike many other Ivy League business schools, the Wharton School is not strictly a graduate school. Wharton offers both BA degrees and MBA programs, as well as a highly competitive PhD program. The Academy of Management Journal recently recognized Wharton, situated in Pennsylvania, as the top institution in the simultaneous pursuit of scholarly achievement and teaching excellence. Wharton is highly selective, and it is recognized by many people and organizations as one of the most competitive business schools in the entire world.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Sloan

MIT has long been recognized as one of the most selective, highly advanced colleges in the entire world. Numerous mathematical, scientific, and business geniuses have come out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Sloan School of Management keeps that tradition alive. This level of recognition comes hand in hand with being selective, and Sloan is notoriously difficult to get into. It is widely regarded as one of the most difficult business schools to get into worldwide. Its largest program is the MBA program, which has a strong focus on innovation. The program here doesn’t simply rehash old information about business, but specifically forces students to look at everything from a unique perspective to help push the boundaries of business innovation.

Harvard University

Harvard is now, and has generally always been regarded as, the top business school in the United States. The programs available at Harvard show a unique blend of tradition and innovation, creating a hotbed for creative applications to old-world economic issues. The purpose of Harvard’s business programs are to create business professionals that are adept at dealing with everything from finances to human resources. The school is very much centered around helping students become holistic business people that can deal with every aspect of starting and running a business. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard was the first institution in the country to be chartered as a corporation. It was chartered in 1636 during the colonial era of the United States, giving it a large amount of historical significance in the history of American education.