The University of Alabama at Birmingham - Collat School of Business

The Collat School of Business at the University of Alabama at Birmingham is designed for current working professionals looking to advance their careers at a reasonable price, and to balance their professional and personal lives against school. Students can choose between a One-Year or Two-Year MBA, with concentrations available in four areas (finance, information technology management, healthcare management, and marketing) and dual degree options available (the MBA-Master of Science in Health Administration is a popular option). Most classes are held in the evening and on weekends, and many are also available online for blended learning, and true to modern form, “most students prefer to coordinate activities and communications by utilizing cloud-based systems.”

Professors are “experienced professionals with a significant amount of published research.” They are “relatable and knowledgeable” and “make themselves accessible” to any student that seeks help. Thanks to a newly streamlined curriculum, courses themselves “are designed to be challenging and are geared toward real world application” and integrate “an atmosphere of collaboration and learning” via group work and group studying. However, there are some professors that “simply assigned reading and gave tests” and are “only good for strict book learners.”

The school administration “has always been transparent and open about policy changes and available to meet when needed.” The Dean of the Business School is “very receptive to the needs of students and has a great strategic plan for the school”; recently, a plan was approved to construct a new business school building and innovation center.

As the only accredited MBA program in the Birmingham area, the school has prominence among local businesses, many of which already employ UAB students. Students say that one of the school’s greatest strength is its relationships with businesses outside of the university, and the Career Services office “does a great job of helping students find jobs after graduation they are there for anyone who wants one.” The office holds regular career fairs, resume prep sessions, workshops, and luncheons to help move students down their career paths; as most at UAB are simply looking to move further in a current career, the focus is more on advancement than starting out. Employers who frequently hire UAB graduates include Regions Bank, Southern Company, Southern Progress, UAB, and Wells Fargo.

The MBA program is “very separate from the rest of the school” with “large common areas to study, relax or do homework” and “a nice little restaurant within the school that is popular.” Most students in the “very ethnically diverse student body” at UAB “are in their mid-twenties to early thirties and are married,” and have a wide variety of business backgrounds (“from full-time students right out of undergraduate studies to surgeons seeking exposure to a business education”). Since most students are older and have a career or family needs, “they do not spend much time together outside of class and group project related functions” and “you must get to know your classmates through case studies and other group activities.” Still, “people are friendly and there is an excitement in the air at the business school.”