New Jersey Institute of Technology - School of Management

One of the things that really sets the New Jersey Institute of Technology, or NJIT, apart from other schools is its emphasis on understanding how technology and science intersect within the business sector. The school promotes the notion that business is not a “separate entity” from technology and that the two are more intertwined than ever. A great number of students say they chose to attend NJIT for their MBA so that they, having received a degree in an area such as Technology Management, could be “unique” among their colleagues in the business sector. The school also boasts an impressive Executive MBA, or EMBA, program and most classes take place on weekends or Fridays allowing the “flexibility [they] require to work and obtain an MBA at the same time.” The EMBA takes it’s philosophy of “relevance, practicality, and innovation” to heart and this “the curriculum is geared towards the job market.” The program focuses on knowledge that can be directly applied in the workplace, which many of the students find not only helpful, but also “very interesting.” This focus on practical knowledge is refreshing, and most students say that it’s a “more valuable emphasis” than if the school were only “focused on finance” or other areas of a similar ilk. There are also online courses, in addition to weekend courses, for those that may still have trouble getting to and from each class.

The school has also built up quite a “strong reputation in the Northeast region.” With its AACSB accreditation for both its graduate and undergraduate programs, and the fact that the MBA program costs “considerably less than other programs” of its kind, it is no wonder that so many students are singing its praise.

The classes at the NJIT School of Management tend to be “very small,” which is fine for most students as they find the faculty to be “excellent.” The school has thirty faculty members and approximately 700 students. While there are, of course, issues with the occasional professor, such as prolonged responses “to emails or requests for office hours,” most of the professors are said to be “very accessible and willing to help,” and they come to the classroom with “good field experience [from] corporate America.”

The Career Resource Center of NJIT helps students through a variety of ways, including resume review, job search, students write resumes, search for jobs, find career fairs, and locate online job postings. They also have a section that assists students in finding jobs with “Green” companies. In keeping with their focus on technology, the center also has a career podcast that keeps students up-to-date with career tips and thoughts on the job market. Employers seeking MBAs during a recent NJIT Career Fair included the Air Force, Alcatel-Lucent, Apex Technology, Associated Press, AT&T, Broadridge Financial Solutions, Census 2010, CIGNA, Makro Technologies, Maquet Cardiovascular, McKesson, MMC Systems, New York State Department of Transportation, Public Service Enterprise Group, QPharma, Schindler Elevator Corporation, Softnice, Verizon, and Vonage.

One of the first things that students seem to mention is the school’s location. Located in New Jersey, the campus is “conveniently close” to New York City. While the school, located in downtown Newark, is in the middle of “museums [with] plenty of restaurants in the area,” most tend to focus on the proximity of New York due to the “quick access by public transportation.” This quick access is also helpful since NJIT is largely a com- muter school, and many of the students have jobs during the day. For those who have time, trips to places like Washington D.C. and other various locales are available, which provide “educational value” and allow students to expand their knowledge and visit various companies and landmarks in each city.

People get along with their fellow classmates and identify the student body as being “very diverse and friendly.” Since many of those attending classes have jobs, they “all contribute their work experiences” to each classroom and team function, which gives everyone a chance to learn from each other ’s unique experience set. This type of shared understanding helps students learn to respect each another ’s views and to hold each other “in great esteem and with great affection.” In fact, even in the distance-learning program, students say their fellow classmates are, “more helpful and supportive than [they] would have expected from a distance learning program.” The administration maintains this mutual respect as well. Some say that there are “miscommunications” at the administrative level, but the majority believes that “student feedback is truly listened to and evaluated carefully,” and that level of attention helps students. They believe the administration is both “accommodating and helpful.”