Gonzaga University - Graduate School of Business

Gonzaga University is about "teaching students life lessons through a Jesuit education," which appeals to the MBA students in its Graduate School of Business. A "great reputation in the business community," especially for its "accounting program," and an "awesome flexible curriculum structure" that "is designed with working individuals in mind (with evening and online classes) " also draw area business grads to the program, which can be completed full-time in three semesters (including summer, fall, and spring).

Gonzaga's MBA curriculum consists of twenty-two credits in core courses (eleven two-credit classes) and eleven credits in electives, and students are given the option for a "core-trailer," which gives them "a very unique opportunity to focus in on a subject that they enjoyed during the core part of the semester." Students report that the curriculum is "broad and covers many aspects of the modern business environment" and is "a tough workload that stresses excellence. Classes may run from 7:30 a.m . to 8:00 p .m . at night," with break hours in between. Professors "integrate course material throughout the program" and "rarely present contradicting information" as "the material in the program is well-planned," though "some tenured professors don't seem to care about updating their courses anymore." Students also appreciate that the program allows for a "flexibility of coursework." "Students need to have more opportunities to simulate complex projects and the teamwork needed to solve them," one student notes. Luckily, "Gonzaga's School of Business is always looking for students' input to make those improvements. "At Gonzaga, both faculty and the business administration "stress the importance of personal connections. As a result, students are able to easily build a strong alumni network." This close-knit culture "really adds to the MBA experience." "For those who are entrepreneurial...classes such as business consulting enable students to try their hand at consulting for a local business." "I learned more practical skills in Gonzaga's MBA program than I ever expected in an academic setting," says one student.

The Gonzaga Career Center and the School of Business Administration staff and faculty "do a great job of trying to provide students with as much planning help and advice that they can possibly give," including: self-assessment, career planning, resume writing, and conducting a successful job search; mock interviews and interview critiques; on-campus recruiting and interviewing; a career-resources library; alumni events; and internship placement assistance. Students complain, "Despite its great instructors and faculty, the school needs to do a better job in connecting students with careers." Due to the small size of both the city of Spokane and the University, not a lot of major companies recruit at Gonzaga, and "a lot more legwork is needed on behalf of the student to find his or her post-graduation path." Thus, despite its "great reputation" in the Northwest, "the MBA program may best benefit those who already know where they want to go after they graduate."

Employers of Gonzaga business graduates include Avista, Bank of America, Boeing, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Honeywell, Itron, KPMG, Microsoft, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Starbucks. Fifty percent of Gonzaga MBAs go into finance and accounting.

Gonzaga's MBA candidates are broken down to recent undergrad graduates who immedi- ately started their MBAs and working individuals who are returning to get an MBA after starting a career. Some feel that many students "have little to no work experience, which makes getting an MBA a real disservice to themselves." The culture is "more collaborative than competitive," and students tend to be "friendly and willing to help their peers," down- to-earth, "dependable" and "can pull their own weight." "Being taught from the Jesuit perspective and a student population in which you get to know most of the other students quite well" is a positive at Gonzaga, one student says.

Students are "fairly isolated from the campus in that our classes start at the end of the traditional day, and our building is on one edge of the campus," though you "can tell that administration has made great efforts to try to improve the camaraderie of all stu- dents." Luckily, the building is "amazing, has everything in one place, and the lounge has a fantastic view of a lake beneath and downtown in the distance." Evening classes "allow working professionals to attend classes." One student notes, "I cannot say enough about the flexibility and responsiveness of the MBA program team. From professors to the administrative staff, this experience has been outstanding."

Those who choose to engage in campus life tell us that it is "full of opportunities to get involved in fun activities and helpful charities," though not many of these apply to the family-oriented. "A few attempts have been made to encourage students to socialize, but nothing really applies to families, so I do not participate," says one student. The basketball games are free for students and are "full of excitement" and, as an added bonus, revenue "generated by the basketball team is used to improve the school and the school's reputation." Local charities "love the help from grad students and rely on them for help in creating business plans, conducting market research, and planning marketing activities." Hometown Spokane is in eastern Washington, is "cold during the winter, and not all that exciting compared to Seattle, which is four hours away."