Best Colleges in the U.S. for a Degree in Business

“Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.” -  Andy Warhol

Getting a degree in business allows you to do pretty much anything as a career. You have lots of options of jobs you can do. Here are our top 10 best business schools based on University HQ’s list of Top 55 best business schools:

1. Stanford University
2. Harvard University
3. University of Pennsylvania
4. University of Virginia-Main Campus
5. Northwestern University
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
7. University of California-Berkeley
8. University of California-Los Angeles
9. University of Chicago
10. University of Michagan-Ann Arbor

You can still get an adequate business education even if you do not go to one of these top 10 schools. There are lots of schools that offer business programs and it is all about finding the right one for you. It does not have to be the best business school. As long as you are comfortable attending college there, that is all that matters. You will want to make sure to major as an Undergraduate in Business at some college, whether one of these Top 10 or not. If you major in business during your undergraduate studies you may want to attend a business graduate school right after undergraduate school. However, you can always graduate undergrad and then join the workforce for a while before deciding if you want to attend graduate school.

If you are trying to enter Grad School and having a difficult time with the application. Here are some ideas to make the process easier–getting letters of recommendation if your graduate program needs them, making a well-written personal statement, taking the GRE and using the resources available to help you prepare, and allowing plenty of time for your transcripts to be processed and sent. Make sure to give yourself enough time to complete the graduate school application since it can be a lengthy process. You can either enter graduate school right after finishing undergraduate school, or you can go work in that field for a bit of time before going to grad school. You can even get your Masters or PhD without taking the GRE with help from this How-To Guide.

Stanford University

As an undergraduate degree Stanford calls “pre-business” not a major but rather designations which help identify paths of interest for students who want to attend a professional school. Stanford helps their undergraduate students prepare for professional school by offering them the benefit of a comprehensive advising system that will assist them with academic planning. All of the majors offered at Stanford University are at an academically rigorous level. This is because they are preparing the students to respond to professional and life challenges in a way that is thoughtful and informed which does not differ based on their field of study. 

Based on University HQ’s list they put Stanford as the number one slot for best business school. Stanford University has seven schools all on one campus and one of these is the Graduate School of Business. Their mission is to create ideas which deepen and advance understanding of management using these ideas to develop innovative, principled, and insightful leaders who will change the world. They encourage and embrace diverse ideas and perspectives. 

Harvard University

If you are seeking an undergraduate degree in business the Bachelor of Liberal Arts Degree Program from the Harvard Extension School which is a division of Continuing Education could be an option. However, this program is designed for working adults who want to earn their degree part-time while they continue to advance their professions. 

At Harvard University they offer 12 graduate and professional schools, one of which is the Harvard Business School. Their mission is that they educate leaders who make a difference in the world. The Harvard Business School offers four academic programs of:

• MBA - this is a two-year, full-time residential program with a focus on real-world practice
• Executive Education - these are programs for individuals and organizations that are designed to help experienced executives expand their global perspective and lead at a higher level
• Online - these are online certificates, which are led by their award-winning faculty in order to help you master essential business concepts
• Doctoral Programs - there are eight full-time programs which lead to a PhD for scholars interested in academic research

Based on these academic programs the Harvard Business School would not be appropriate for undergraduate students. This would be better suited for graduate or masters degree students. 

University of Pennsylvania

At University of Pennsylvania or UPenn if you are seeking to get a degree in business you have a wide variety options of undergraduate Bachelor of Sciences (BS) concentrations to choose from, which include:

• Accounting - many students find this to be useful preparation for careers in consulting, investment banking, general management, public accounting, and securities analysis
• Business Analytics - students who choose this concentration are suited for the careers which are defined under the header of data science with the responsibilities of managing and analyzing data
• Entrepreneurship and Innovation - provides a cross-departmental set of skills, analytical tools, perspectives, and experiences to prepare students for careers as independent entrepreneurs, family-business entrepreneurs, or entrepreneurs in corporate settings
• Finance - develops the skills necessary to work at a high level of expertise in all areas of finance
• Health Care Management and Policy - prepares students for careers as managers in health care companies or health care service firms such as consulting, banking or health care IT companies, or government agencies
• Management - offers students multiple tracks which are the General Track, the Multinational Management Track, Organizational Effectiveness Track and the Strategic Management Track
• Marketing & Communication - a dual concentration which will increase the students’ understanding of the core concepts taught in their marketing courses and be better prepared for employment or graduate study
• Marketing & Operations Management - a joint concentration which emphasizes the importance of partnership between marketing and operations for new product development (NPD) 
• Marketing - students acquire a solid grounding in applying the basic disciplines essential for understanding consumer and organizational buying patterns and developing successful marketing strategies - basic disciplines such as psychology, economics, statistics

Under the Wharton School, which is the school of business for University of Pennsylvania, there are numerous degree and non-degree options. These include Undergraduate, MBA, MBA for Executives, Doctoral, Executive Education, Wharton Online, Wharton Interactive, and Global Youth Program. The Global Youth Program is made up of programs for pre-collegiate students to have the opportunity to explore complex business challenges.

The Power of the Wharton School is based on three principles of—incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders. They have a focus on five key areas of business:

• Analytics - analyzing data to make smarter decisions 
• Entrepreneurship & Innovation - creating something new and creating opportunities for that new product/service that adds value to it
• Finance - management of money
• Global Perspective - viewing and understanding how different situations impacts the world
• Leadership - developing leaders that inspire people to perform at their highest level

Why is a Business Degree Important? 

A degree in business can open you into a world of possibilities and there are six key reasons why you should study business. Some reasons why you should study business include–being able to develop better communication skills, learning basic marketing tactics such as knowing your audience, bringing out the entrepreneur inside you, learning accounting and budgeting, and learning project management skills.

This degree in business also allows you to be part of the global generation and set you up for any future you can imagine.

Careers in Business

Now you may find yourself wondering what kind of career a business degree can give you. However, since a business degree encompasses multiple fields it can leave you with a wide variety of careers and jobs. Even if you get a degree in one field of business that does not mean that the job you get will be in that field. For example, someone with a degree in marketing could end up working an accounting job. This is because if you are applying to a business type job what they are looking for is someone with a business degree, no matter what field of study within business it is. If you can give them a decent reason why you would be a good fit for the job and have experience working in that department then they may potentially hire you. 

Keep in mind that there is no right or wrong school to attend when looking to study business. It is all about finding the right college for you whether it is one of the Top 10 from this list or not. Attend the college that is going to make you feel the most comfortable and give you the opportunities you want.