Hofstra University - Frank G. Zarb School of Business

Located just twenty-five miles outside of New York City, Hofstra University’s Frank G. Zarb School of Business offers students six different MBA options in order to accommodate career goals and work experience, including a Flex MBA, a Co-Op MBA that provides students the opportunity to work full-time in a paid position within their field of study, and a variety of Hybrid MBA options that include online courses. The school’s MBA in Manhattan also allows working New York City professionals to complete the program through a mix of online classes and onsite evening courses scheduled back-to-back in the heart of the city. In addition to the panoply of degree formats and “affordable tuition,” there are specializations offered in fifteen different areas, including Business Analytics, Sports Entertainment & Management, and Strategic Healthcare Management. The school has one of the country’s largest academic trading rooms (which features a whopping thirty-four Bloomberg terminals), a Student Managed Investment Fund, and an Executive Speaker Series that draws in high level c-suite executives from all industries to come speak to students every semester.

“Great professors with vast experience in the subject matter” lead the charge in the classroom, and while students admit that they can be “hit and miss,” some are truly “inspiring.” “There are professors who really lead you to a new land,” says a student. Case discussions pepper the curriculum, and ensuing classroom discussions among students are “very professional, and actually contribute to subject matter.”

Make no mistake about it, Hofstra has an “excellent reputation” in the business world and there is a dedicated Graduate Business Career Services office to aid and assist students in their job and internship searches. In particular, the finance fields at the Zarb School “are really competitive and successful.” Some students here also come directly from the school’s noted business undergraduate program via an abbreviated dual degree program, so Hofstra blood often runs deep: there is a massive web of 30,000 alumni in the area and beyond who are available for networking, mentorship, career preparation and employment opportunities. The school arranges corporate site visits and networking in New York City, and mentorship opportunities with alumni and Hofstra connections abound.

While “the location is perfect and the environment of school is wonderful,” graduate life at Zarb is “mainly academics.” As the school is mainly adult students with careers and families, there are “not a lot of social interactions,” and since almost everyone here is a commuter, “most grad students do not remain on campus for activities.” However, while in class or cohort, students are “very friendly and help…a lot,” whether it’s study-related or pertaining to career opportunities. The school itself has “clubs, Greek life, and job opportunities on campus,” “a superb gym for sports lovers,” and is “small enough to know people when you walk around campus, but big enough to always be meeting new people.” When it’s nice out and the “really pretty flowers” bloom on the “beautiful campus,” everyone likes “to hang out on campus on the grass, sometimes in hammocks eating Red Mango.”