Fairleigh Dickinson University - Silberman College of Business

Fairleigh Dickinson University, or FDU, attracts students from around the world, especially those looking for a strong faculty and a vicinity to New York City. Another highlight for the University is its AACSB accreditation, which many students cite as another factor in their decision to attend the school. FDU offers MBAs with nine different specializations including accounting, finance, international business, and marketing, among others. Another option for those looking to speed up their education is the Accelerated MBA that allows their liberal arts or business undergraduate students a chance to earn an MBA in fifteen months. They also have a shortened study abroad program that allows their busier students to travel to another country for two weeks in the summer, giving them a taste of what international business is like.

This kind of drive is prevalent throughout the student body with many saying that both “competition” and an “eagerness to learn” are the norms. Many say that “work and studies tend to be heavy,” but that the experience is worth it with most raving that the “classroom atmosphere is spectacular.” Many find that they learn how to “prioritize time very quickly.” The school tries to keep each class small and the students realize this fact explaining that they feel like they are getting “individual attention.” While a small minority wishes there was “more emphasis” on teacher evaluations, most students are more than happy with their teachers raving that the school’s professors are its “greatest strength,” and that the students are “proud” to have them as instructors.

The majority of the faculty is “a mix of global businessmen and local success stories” but have earned a great reputation with the students and are considered “very attentive and helpful.” This mix helps give classes “every possible view of business and provides students with insight from different points of view.” The diversity is much appreciated as participants feel it gives them “a strong global business education.” Students have a desire to be involved in their classes through the teachers “encouraging class participation [and] linking new events with class materials.” They are known for their willingness to offer an abundance of support in that they “spend an extraordinary amount of time outside of the classroom helping and guiding students.”

The Career Development Services Center helps students in a variety of ways by pro- viding different help such as assessment testing, career fairs, workshops, internship opportunities, on-campus recruiting, and an online job search website, among others. Occasionally students say they wish there was “more focus on internships” from the University, but that they find the “proximity to companies and New York” to be a “dis- tinct advantage,” when looking for job opportunities. The professor ’s experience does not hurt either, with many of them having “strong ties to local businesses.”

Graduates have a Average base starting salary of $70k per year with the top five employ- ers being Verizon, Deloitte, Johnson & Johnson, ADP, and Credit Suisse.

FDU has two campuses in New Jersey, one in Teaneck and one in Madison. One of the things that many students love about both campuses is the fact that the college “attracts a number of different students with highly diverse backgrounds.” A significant portion of the student body includes international students who describe FDU as a “truly global school.” In fact some think it’s wonderful that “in a room of ten to twelve people … no two people [might] be from the same country.” Despite any cultural differences, the stu- dents show great respect and label each other “helpful, enthusiastic, [and] smart.” The student body is also “fairly young” for those seeking an MBA, but part of that may be the aforementioned ability for undergraduates to gain an MBA as well.

FDU succeeds in striking “a balance between academic, social and recreational aspects of student life.” Many students bond not only in the classroom, but also in one of the many activities the campus puts together. The school often “organizes various trips outside the classroom to get [us] acquainted with various places” and with New York City nearby, there is no shortage of things for students to see and do. And, unlike a lot of other schools, students have no issues with the administration saying they find it “very helpful,” to their learning experience and course registration.