Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey—Camden - School of Business

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey-Camden, or “Rutgers-Camden,” boasts a “strong brand name through research literature,” and “caters to part-time returning students” predominantly in South Jersey, Philadelphia and other parts of the Delaware Valley. In addition to enjoying a “good reputation,” students at this business school repeatedly cite Rutgers-Camden’s “location, location, location,” owing to the school’s “close proximity” to nearby cities like Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, D.C., not to mention its “proximity to home” for many working, part-time students. “This school has a good mix of students,” one MBA student informs us. “Some are older and in professional careers— physicians, CPAs, lawyers, and engineers. Some are analysts looking to move into management, and some students are in the MBA/JD program going to school full-time.” Among those students enrolled in the joint MBA/JD program, the general consensus is that Rutgers-Camden is “a respected institution in the legal community.”

For students enrolled in the MBA program alone, they can expect to complete their twelve foundational and forty-two required credits within two to four years, while dual-degree students in the MBA/JD and MBA/MD joint programs can expect to complete their degree in three years. Degree programs and concentrations in the following are offered: finance, international business and operations, management, marketing, and entrepreneurs. Study-abroad programs in France, Brazil, and South Africa are also offered. The school also offers two new Masters programs: the Professional Master of Business Administration (PMBA), an accelerated twenty-one-month lock-step, cohort-based program for working professionals; and the Professional Master of Accountancy (PMAc) program, an accelerated sixteen-month lock-step, cohort-based program for participants with a broad background in accounting and business who want to develop their careers in other areas. The school also offers a fully online MBA degree—the Rutgers Online MBA.

The thirty-four faculty members at Rutgers-Camden are described as “knowledgeable,” “flexible,” and “responsive” to students’ needs. Additionally, the professors “bring interesting life and work experiences to the classroom.” One procurement specialist informs us that, “I attended Rutgers for my undergrad degree in Business Management,” and “the professors are what brought me back” for the MBA program. As one student notes, “they are very good at using different teaching methods—group projects, in-class discussions, and resources beyond the text book.” Considering that many students arrive at Rutgers-Camden with a solid resume in hand, it’s particularly beneficial that, according to one accounting major, the professors “value your work experience.” However, some students have informed us when it comes to the overall quality of faculty, it can be “hit or miss.” While on the one hand, “some are engaging and have worked in the private sector before teaching, others are bookworms with no teaching ability or private sector experience.” But this same student concedes, “I guess in a way it is good to have both types.” According to one recent MBA graduate, “The caliber of this School’s professors and administration help to make Rutgers-Camden an absolutely amazing value considering its relatively low tuition.”

The Career Services office at Rutgers-Camden, like that of any reputable business school, offers a wide array of resources for graduating students. In addition to the 100 plus companies who offer internships during the fall and spring, more than twenty or so companies regularly recruit summer interns each year, in addition to the twenty or so companies who regularly recruit summer interns each year. According to recent data, full-time students who found employment within 3 months of graduating enjoy a mean base salary of nearly $59,000. Although Rutgers-Camden has a favorable reputation among business schools, it very much remains a “local” institution, and “close to home” for most of its students. This is evidenced by the fact that approximately 80 percent of full-time MBA graduates accepted employment in the Northeast, and the remaining 20 percent went to Mid-Atlantic states. A vocal minority informs us that “Career Services are awful.” However, not many students second this sentiment. More than adequate “job placement resources” are used by the student body, and as one satisfied student special- izing in marketing research tells us, “marketing and database marketing are superior classes that offer hands-on learning and focus on the job market.”

The student body at Rutgers-Camden has been described as a “multicultural mix of both recent undergrads and very seasoned professionals.” But one important thing for prospec- tive students of Rutgers-Camden to keep in mind is that “many students enrolled in the MBA program are working professionals, and take classes part time.” This factors in to how Rutgers-Camden caters to its student body. As one corporate communications major tells us, “classes are offered in the evenings, and occasionally on weekends or online,” although the MBA program itself is not offered online. She continues, “I find that there is a lack of camaraderie among students, because many of us are only on campus one-two nights a week, have full-time jobs, and some also have families.” By and large, “it is difficult for most of the MBA population to dedicate a lot of time to extracurricular activities,” although “some students do socialize at a weekly ‘Thirsty Thursday’ event,” and generally speaking, “there is availability to participate in clubs.” Rutgers-Camden also happens to be situated in the heart of Camden, right “next to public transportation, so you have the option to drive or take the train,” whether you are commuting to and from home, or looking to enjoy some of the night life in Philadelphia, which is just across the river from Camden.

Above all, students have informed us that this is a place to work and to be among “friendly, hard-working people trying to advance their careers and knowledge.” Camden is a comfortable environment in which to do this, but for most students at Rutgers-Camden, clearly the work comes first. Diversity in the classroom is also import- ant to many students, as they feel this translates well into the professional realm. As one JD-MBA student tells us, “My fellow students are a very a very diverse group, who run the gamut from single, foreign-exchange students, to single parents working full-time, to reservist, to the older married family-oriented types, employed and unemployed alike.”