Best MBA program in USA

The inspiration of Jean A. Howard, associate director of the Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship at Lally, Tech Launch Pad (TLP) fills a critical need at Rensselaer by offering a pre-incubation program focused on the student’s innovation. Its accelerated ‘real world’ approach to entrepreneurship prepares young entrepreneurs and MBAs for the next steps in business creation, specifically, feasibility evaluation and strategy/entity creation. If the entrepreneur cannot demonstrate feasibility, moving forward is difficult if not impossible.

“Entrepreneurship is often thought of as a solo endeavor. The reality couldn’t be more different. To turn technical innovation into commercial success requires a collaborative approach between the inventor and a team of experts in business, financing, law, and marketing to name a few. Tech Launch Pad, at the Lally School, incorporates a practical and multi-disciplinary approach that’s key to entrepreneurial success,” according to Howard.

The TLP pilot, launched in Summer 2009, attracted student entrepreneurs, MBA program graduates and businesses from across the campus including a strong contingent from the School of Engineering. Bill Dailey, ’98, MBA/J.D., was tapped by Howard to run the pilot. Students were introduced to the practical aspects of business management, from feasibility studies to incorporating; from negotiating synergistic partnerships to current financing options. "It's not enough just to have good technology. There’s more to bringing something to market than just having a technology that works,” said Dailey.

Ke Xia, Ph.D. biochemistry ’09, and co-inventor of Promethean Revolution, LLC, participated in the pilot. When asked what he thought of it, Xia summed it up by saying, “TLP at Lally helped us accomplish in 36 hours what would have taken us 2 years of stumbling around to figure out.”

Designed specifically for business students with good ideas and that “fire in the belly,” Tech Launch Pad is not for students trying to figure out whether or not they want to be an entrepreneur. “This course is for technically savvy students interested in launching a business or who currently are already in business. In short, this course is about practicing, doing and acting—grounded on the assumption that everyone in the course is there to develop a business,” according to Bruce Rothenberg, associate director of student technology in the Lally School of Management & Technology and the current TLP instructor.

Of the 17 student businesses that have completed either the pilot or Fall semester TLP course, 8 continue forward with their business concepts. “The accelerated format delivers the information you need to push along your idea while not taking a lot of your time," says Anthony Guidarelli, ’09, computer and systems engineering, and co-founder of Blink Applications. “Tech Launch Pad pushed us to move our idea along technically and to develop an actual demo that resulted in us being asked for the first time how much money we were looking for.”

TLP also helps to bridge the gap between university and community, with a secondary goal of keeping new companies in the Capital Region and adding to the area’s future economic development. And that’s where TLP’s structure and community involvement is important.

The practicum relies on guest lecturers and introduces students to seasoned local entrepreneurs and business professionals. Jonathan Ashdown, Ph.D. ’11, of UltrasoniComm, is quick to point out that TLP helped him to establish a network among VCs and angel investors he otherwise would not have, in addition to building a strong group of advisors.

“Because of its positioning within a premier technological institute, the Lally School brings a unique perspective on technological entrepreneurs and business creation. We’re teaching high-tech entrepreneurism—that’s our niche—and TLP has the potential to contribute to the region’s long-term, overall economic development,” according to Rothenberg.

Lally continues to deliver high-quality business education in one of the most personalized classroom settings of the top programs. Of the 139 programs eligible for ranking by Business Week, Lally’s program was the third smallest as measured by overall enrollment of 379 students, 8th smallest by faculty student ratio of 11.0, and had an average class size of 31 students.

At the same time, Lally graduates are well prepared for career success: median starting salaries for Lally graduates, at $55,000, ranked 7th highest among schools surveyed, tying with 13 other schools, including #1 ranked Notre Dame, and several top-10 schools such as Cornell, Boston College, University of Virginia, and UC Berkeley/Haas. Students reported finding jobs most often in technology, financial services and consulting firms with companies such as Avenity, Microsoft and Cisco Systems.

BusinessWeek also cited student survey quotes on entrepreneurship training at Lally: "I think Rensselaer is one of the only schools that stresses entrepreneurship very heavily in the curriculum. I will feel very comfortable getting together with colleagues in the near future and starting a business, thanks to the skills that I have developed at Rensselaer."

BusinessWeek is a leading business magazine, with more than 4.7 million readers each week in 140 countries.

About the Lally School of Management & Technology  
The Lally School of Management & Technology was founded in 1963 as an integral part of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, America’s oldest technological university.  Building on Rensselaer's world-class facilities and leadership in science and engineering, Lally is dedicated to advancing business through innovation.  Lally offers graduate, doctoral and undergraduate degree programs in management, and an executive MBA program.  Lally’s programs focus on the strategic management of technology and creating value through innovation and entrepreneurship.  Located in New York’s Tech Valley, Lally offers a growing portfolio of collaborative programs with enterprises and academic institutions in the Indian sub-continent, China, Europe, and the Middle East.

In today’s dynamic global markets, successful professionals need to be nimble, creative problem solvers. To enable you to achieve your goals, Lally has created a new, streamlined, full-time MBA Program. This program will allow you to earn an MBA in as little as one year. The Lally One Year MBA is an intensive, accelerated program that will stretch your imagination and creativity while preparing you to lead in tomorrow’s business world.

If you have a passion for technology, and a keen interest in learning about how business truly works, the Lally MBA is designed for you. Rensselaer’s long tradition and global reputation in engineering and technology create the perfect platform for the Lally MBA program’s unique educational experience. Lally’s innovative curriculum provides you with not only relevant business skills, but also with critical expertise in launching, running, and growing a successful business.

 Global.  Immersive.  Focused.
You will join students from over 16 different nationalities in an immersive educational experience that reflects how businesses manage innovation. This knowledge is then applied to industry-focused team projects in courses such as:

• Creating and Managing an Enterprise
• Business Implications of Emerging Technologies
• Design, Manufacturing, and Marketing
• Strategy, Technology, and Competition

When students begin to weigh their MBA options, they must consider the opportunity of costs associated with full time study. Rensselaer understands that this may be the most significant cost of an MBA. With this in mind, Rensselaer has designed a one-year course schedule to make the best use of your time and money. As a student, one will be immersed in their studies for the full year. There will be no summer vacation and no extensive winter break over the holidays. Simply put, the Rensselaer MBA is a full-time job for people who are used to working hard and learning quickly. It is certainly intense and challenging, but in a year’s time a student will have earned an MBA from one of the nation’s top-50 ranked universities.

Whatever you choose to do, Lally will provide you with the knowledge, experience, and connections to get you where you’d like to be.

Opportunity Doesn’t Wait. Why Should You?

For further information on the Lally One Year MBA visit: http://www.lallyschool.rpi.edu

According to Robert Franek, Princeton Review Senior VP-Publishing, "We are pleased to recommend the Lally School of Management & Technology to readers of our book and users of our site, as one of the best institutions they could attend to earn an MBA degree. We chose the 301 MBA Programs in this book based on our opinion of their academic programs and offerings, as well as our review of institutional data. We also strongly consider the candid opinions of students enrolled in these MBA Programs, who rate and report on their campus experiences in our survey for the book."

The Best 301 MBA Programs: 2010 Edition contains; school profiles, admission criteria, academics, financial aid, campus life and career information. Introductory chapters provide advice on taking the GMAT, applying to the schools and excelling at them. In the profile on the Lally School, Princeton Review editors describe the school as: “an MBA Program that combines technological innovation and a focus on entrepreneurship in a team-oriented curriculum that cuts across all business functions." They quote from students currently attending the MBA Program who say that Lally is an “entrepreneurship, MBA program friendly to those with technical backgrounds,” and “one of the best schools in providing a technology-driven MBA." Students also mention the personal attention they receive at the Lally School: “Even in the larger classes, you can tell that the professors really know who everyone is.”

In a "Survey Says" profile, The Princeton Review lists topics that Lally MBA students it surveyed were in most agreement about. The list includes: “Solid Preparation in General Management, Doing Business in a Global Economy, and Entrepreneurial Studies, along with Friendly Students, Good Social Scene, and Smart Classrooms." The Princeton Review's survey for the book asked Lally MBA students about themselves, their career plans, and their schools’ academics, student body and campus life. The Princeton Review does name one business school best overall. However, the MBA program at the Lally School of Management & Technology is one that received high marks from students, as well as the Princeton Review.

For more detailed information on the Lally School of Management & Technology visit: http://www.lallyschool.rpi.edu/

According to Robert Franek, Princeton Review Senior VP-Publishing, "We are pleased to recommend the Lally School of Management & Technology to readers of our book and users of our site, as one of the best institutions they could attend to earn an MBA degree. We chose the 301 MBA Programs in this book based on our opinion of their academic programs and offerings, as well as our review of institutional data. We also strongly consider the candid opinions of students enrolled in these MBA Programs, who rate and report on their campus experiences in our survey for the book."


The Best 301 MBA Programs: 2010 Edition contains; school profiles, admission criteria, academics, financial aid, campus life and career information. Introductory chapters provide advice on taking the GMAT, applying to the schools and excelling at them. In the profile on the Lally School, Princeton Review editors describe the school as: “an MBA Program that combines technological innovation and a focus on entrepreneurship in a team-oriented curriculum that cuts across all business functions." They quote from students currently attending the MBA Program who say that Lally is an “entrepreneurship, MBA program friendly to those with technical backgrounds,” and “one of the best schools in providing a technology-driven MBA." Students also mention the personal attention they receive at the Lally School: “Even in the larger classes, you can tell that the professors really know who everyone is.”



In a "Survey Says" profile, The Princeton Review lists topics that Lally MBA students it surveyed were in most agreement about. The list includes: “Solid Preparation in General Management, Doing Business in a Global Economy, and Entrepreneurial Studies, along with Friendly Students, Good Social Scene, and Smart Classrooms." The Princeton Review's survey for the book asked Lally MBA students about themselves, their career plans, and their schools’ academics, student body and campus life. The Princeton Review does name one business school best overall. However, the MBA program at the Lally School of Management & Technology is one that received high marks from students, as well as the Princeton Review.



For more detailed information on the Lally School of Management & Technology visit: http://www.lallyschool.rpi.edu/

The Lally School of Management & Technology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has launched a new one year MBA Program. Patterned after global MBA programs that are the norm outside the U.S., the new 51-credit hour program replaces the school’s previous 2-year MBA degree program.

The new MBA program was developed by a senior faculty committee comprised of Lally Dean David A. Gautschi, Dr. Jeffrey F. Durgee, Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Associate Professor of Marketing, Dr. Iftekhar Hasan, Cary L. Wellington Professor of Finance, and Dr. T. Ravichandran, Associate Professor of Information Systems and Operations Management.

The new program reflects the growing trend toward accelerated and specialized master’s programs in management education. The demand for intensive, shorter MBA programs, already growing, has only increased during the current economic downturn. According to a recent Wall Street Journal survey of accelerated MBA programs, the primary factor for students in choosing these programs is the ability to enter the work force faster. The majority of current one year MBA programs are outside the U.S., and the international focus is a large draw for many students. Lally’s new intensive MBA program not only offers students an accelerated way to boost their careers, but also reflects the globalization of technology management and the global demand for MBA degrees.

The new program enables students to complete an MBA degree in as little as one year by streamlining elective requirements and offering coursework through the summer and semester intercession periods. The accelerated program will continue to teach Lally’s signature integrated MBA curriculum, which emphasizes the connections between functional business areas, preparing students for real world situations where they will work on teams across business functions such as finance, operations, research & development and marketing.

Lally MBA students can choose from four different program options, ranging from 12 to 24 months, and a wide variety of curricular options to build a customized degree program. For those looking for accelerated training, with a minimum disruption of their career path and maximum value, the New, One Year, Full Time option is the most intensive and shortest degree program. For students who want to gain more work experience or to change careers, internship and specialization modules can be added to create an MBA tailored for each student’s needs and career goals. Customized MBA programs can be completed within 17 to 24 months at the Lally School. For further information on the Lally School of Management & Technology and the MBA programs offered visit: http://www.lallyschool.rpi.edu/