Iona College - Hagan School of Business

The Hagan School of Business fully capitalizes on its proximity to New York City, offering MBA and FastTrack MBA programs that lets professionals learn and apply with alacrity. Eight different concentrations help students to hone and build their skill sets to service their personal career goals, and a slew of advanced and Post-Masters Certificates (including in health care information systems, long term care services management, and sports and entertainment management) sweeten the deal. Distance learning and hybrid courses, as well as two programs locations (in Westchester and Rockland counties) help accommodate working students; this relative ease creates a “nurturing learning environment,” in which students “can develop personally and academically in comfort.” For the traditional MBA, courses are scheduled once a week in the evening on a trimester basis and twice a week during two summer sessions.

The school has “a bright and cheerful atmosphere,” mostly due to “the diverse student body and courteous professors,” and “classes are challenging in a way that makes learning exciting.” Significant emphasis is placed upon participation, and small classes facilitate this greatly. The professors are “very knowledgeable, friendly, courteous and always willing to help understand the material.” “I love the fact that I can ask as many questions or more examples and they will be able to explain in detail until I understand the topic,” says a student. Faculty members are always available for additional hours, and “all have ‘real-world’ experience, and they share their experiences with the [students].” Some say that the administration “is a little out of date, and could do with being more efficient,” but they are “very responsive to emails.”

All career support is provided by the Gerri Ripp Center for Career Development, which offers résumé and cover letter critiques, job and internship search tools via GAELlink, Iona’s online career management system, mock interviews, fall and spring job fairs, and career advising (though there is only one adviser for the entire MBA program, “which makes seeing all of the students extremely difficult”). The location near New York can’t help but place opportunities close at hand via professors and the extensive alumni net- work, and students are easily able to transfer their class work to their experiences on the job experience. “I was able to connect my career to just about everything I was learning in my classes,” says a student.

As anyone will tell you, “the greatest strength is the students in the MBA.” They are “engaging, willing to help and easy to establish relationships,” “self-motivated and focused on acquiring new skills and knowledge to advance their careers,” and bring a “diverse set of backgrounds” to the table. In addition to current professionals, Hagan has a surprising number of younger students with only a couple years of work experience, and many come directly from Iona undergrad, completing the spectrum of working individuals. “I had the pleasure to meet people from all over the world,” says a student. All are “willing to help each other towards a common goal, whether it be completing an assignment or through forming a study team.” The “traditional campus setting” of both locations is also a nice boon to students of all stages, who have a place to centralize themselves and coordinate meetups.