The Power of Possibility

The Columbia MBA program

Columbia Business School creates leaders who are well positioned to excel in
the rapidly changing business world. Columbia’s MBA Program leads the charge
in this new era of business education, starting with our natural advantages:
cutting-edge faculty research and a focus on experiential learning, a
powerful alumni network and our location in the city of New York.

Columbia Business School is not simply located in New York. The School is
fully immersed here. With its longstanding tradition of excellence and Manhattan
address, the Columbia MBA Program draws the most influential and innovative
business leaders and thinkers to campus—to address, teach and mentor students.
The curriculum embraces Columbia’s intellectual capital and location, forging a vital
link between rigorous academic theory and real-world practice.

The MBA Program inspires and fosters entrepreneurial thinking, which prepares
graduates to lead effectively, capture opportunity and respond dynamically to
changes in business. Embracing the power of possibility, Columbia graduates
don’t just join the workforce—they influence it, shape it and change it for the better.

Columbia MBA Program 1

“Again and again, our graduates tell me
that Columbia Business School changed
their lives. The School prepared them
for that moment, whether it was
5, 10, 20 years after they graduated:
when the big opportunity came, they
knew how to grab it.”
Glenn Hubbard
Dean, Columbia Business School
Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics

Columbia MBA Program 

The Power of Access
An Ideal Location, Physically and Intellectually

“This morning I sat in a room with leaders

representing over $100 billion in capital,
as part of the Real Estate Forum put
together by the Milstein Center for
Real Estate. This kind of access
is characteristic of Columbia.”
lars unhjem mba ’08
Copresident of the student-run Real Estate Association
New York City as classroom
Columbia’s academic excellence combined with access to all that New York has to offer
means incomparable opportunities for our students: hands-on learning, mentoring and
career networking. The world’s top business leaders, from virtually every industry, are
frequent visitors to campus, teaching, speaking, advising, recruiting and helping shape
the student experience. Clubs and internships offer students extensive opportunities to
practice what they learn.

Cases Come to Life Unparalleled Access to

Students in Columbia’s MBA Program have a distinct
advantage in studying business. Columbia’s professors
are leading experts in their fields with significant
global experience, and many of them choose to live in
New York because the city offers one of the world’s
top laboratories for business study and practice. Their
knowledge and connections and the School’s location
mean that faculty members are able to invite people
who have played key roles in the cases being studied
to take part in real-time class discussions. In Media
Mergers and Acquisitions, for example, Viacom’s
general counsel and the treasurer and senior vice
president of finance at the CBS television network talk
to students about Viacom’s acquisition of CBS, while
a Morgan Stanley managing director offers industry
analysis of the complexities of the merger between
AOL and Time Warner. These firsthand insights and
behind-the-scenes perspectives add a real-world
dimension throughout the curriculum.
Business Leaders
The Columbia Business School environment is a
microcosm of the world of business. Monday morning’s
class in retailing leadership might feature the CEO
of Calvin Klein, while on Tuesday, the president of a
recent start-up strategizes with the members of a
Master Class on entrepreneurship. On Wednesday,
the Healthcare Dealmakers panel discussion brings
experts in global healthcare to campus. Columbia
Women in Business holds a Thursday forum on
developing negotiation skills, while Friday might
include a trip downtown to meet with a Columbia
graduate and ask questions about his or her industry.
Columbia Business School hosts some 500 speakers
each year. Leaders in global business, pioneering
innovators and heads of state all contribute to the
daily exchange of high-level ideas. Through the
Executive in Residence Program, senior business
leaders work closely with students and develop

Columbia MBA Program 

The Power of Access
longstanding relationships with the School. Students
often establish and maintain connections with visiting
business leaders, which can translate into professional
opportunities, including summer internships.
Real Talk, Real Experience
The more than 90 student-run clubs and organizations
make an important contribution to life at the School.
Like the MBA curriculum, club activities challenge
students to learn by doing. Through the Small
Business Consulting Program, for example, Columbia
students helped a New York theater company hit
its highest ticket-sales mark ever. Another group of
students with backgrounds in real estate, technology,
Thirteen winners of the
Nobel Prize in Economics
have taught or studied
at Columbia.
marketing and strategy consulting helped a local
clothing designer decide whether to open a brick-and-
mortar store or aggressively pursue online sales.
Ivy League Edge
As one of the world’s top research universities,
Columbia has a long history of attracting great
thinkers and producing groundbreaking research.
Thirteen winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics have
 Columbia MBA Program
taught or studied at Columbia, including University
Professor Joseph Stiglitz, who often teaches at the
Business School.
The Business School’s affiliation with the University
fosters learning across disciplines, stimulating
teaching excellence in finance, consumer behavior,
business decision making, and negotiations and strategy.
Recent Speakers
Marlys E. Appleton
Vice President of Sustainability and Chair of the
Sustainability Steering Committee, AIG Investments
Michael S. Dell
Founder, Chairman and CEO, Dell, Inc.
Jamie Dimon
Chairman and CEO, JPMorgan Chase
Lew Frankfort MBA ’69
Chairman and CEO, Coach, Inc.
Robert J. Friedman MBA ’80
President, Radical Media and Entertainment
Andrea Jung
Chairman and CEO, Avon Products, Inc.
Alan Patricof MBA ’57
Founder and Managing Director, Greycroft Partners
Jerry Storch
Chairman and CEO, Toys “R” Us, Inc.
Umayya Salah Toukan PhD ’86
Governor, Central Bank of Jordan
“One of the great things about
being here is the number of
business leaders and academic
stars who come through
every week. There’s an
embarrassment of riches.”
Mark broadie
Carson Family Professor of Business,
Decision, Risk and Operations Division
The Power of Theory and Practice
Cutting-Edge Research Meets Real-World Business

“Students are always exposed to

real environments. In my classes, we
go to retail environments, go into companies
and look at all the different aspects that
make up a brand. I use multiple formats in,
and outside, the classroom to help students
experience and understand ideas.”
Bernd Schmitt
Robert D. Calkins Professor of International Business, Marketing Division
Teach, learn and create
New York’s business energy and resources fuel experiential learning, one of the
foundations of education at Columbia Business School. Our faculty members produce
some of the most relevant and groundbreaking research in business, and their ideas
make an impact on business practice around the world. Columbia’s classrooms are for
creating and doing, as well as for instruction. Active, project-based learning prepares
students to think strategically and to identify and capture opportunity.

The FACULTY Social Enterprise, is a rising star in the area of

Teachers, Innovators, Thought Leaders
Members of the Columbia Business School faculty
are renowned worldwide for creating knowledge in
their fields while also having a direct impact on the
practice of business. Columbia students are often
the first to learn cutting-edge ideas developed by
our faculty members—ideas that others will later
adopt, teach and apply.
In the classroom, lectures and case studies
come alive thanks to faculty members’ extensive
experiences in the business world. Academic
journals and media outlets seek out our professors’
perspectives on current issues. Chris Mayer, the
Paul Milstein Professor of Real Estate and senior
vice dean, is a prime example. As the national housing
market grows ever more complex, Professor Mayer
has been highly sought-after for his expertise and
is a frequent commentator in the national media.
Ray Fisman, the Lambert Family Professor of
economic development. A panelist at the World
Economic Forum’s 2007 meeting in Davos, Professor
Fisman is also an active researcher in the emerging
field of behavioral economics. Bernd Schmitt, the
Robert D. Calkins Professor of International Business
and director of the Center on Global Brand Leadership,
is an internationally renowned branding expert whose
research and consulting have helped businesses
worldwide gain competitive advantage through
delivering a great customer experience. He has
appeared not only on the BBC, CNNfn and CNBC but
also on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
Columbia Business School students thrive on their
access to faculty members. It is not unusual for
these productive relationships to be maintained
long after graduation.
l www.gsb.columbia.edu/ideas

Columbia MBA Program 

The Power of Theory and Practice
CURRICULUM
Columbia’s MBA Program prepares students to lead,
build and manage successful enterprises in a rapidly
changing, global economy. This begins with a flexible,
dynamic curriculum that
emphasizes big-picture business skills that
prepare graduates for a lifetime of change, in business
and in their own careers;
builds awareness of ethical issues and the societal
effects of business decisions;
fosters an entrepreneurial mindset that allows
graduates to capture opportunity whenever it appears.
Flexible Core
The core curriculum, a series of focused, rigorous and
relevant courses taken largely in the first two terms,
has recently been revised to allow students greater
flexibility in choosing core classes that best enhance
their skills and experience while ensuring they get a
solid foundation that can be applied to any industry
over the course of a business career. A feature of the
new curriculum, the “flexible core” allows students to
select one course from each of three general areas—
organizations, performance and markets—gaining a
deeper foundational understanding of the workplace
and the marketplace while homing in on the specific
curricular areas they deem most valuable. The flexible
core reflects Columbia Business School’s ongoing
10 Columbia MBA Program
curricular innovation and commitment to providing
the best-in-class management education for the
next generation of business leaders.
Electives
Beginning in the second term, students select from
one of the largest and most innovative slates of
electives at any business school. The more than
200 offerings include New Challenges in Healthcare
Management; Business Strategy for Emerging
Markets; Information Technology and Operations
Strategy; and Marketing Art, Culture and Education.
The School also encourages students to take
The flexible core reflects
Columbia Business School’s
ongoing curricular innovation.
advantage of the more than 4,000 graduate-level
courses available across the University, as well as the
many dual-degree programs.
Students may define their own focus or select
from such established areas as accounting, decision
and risk analysis, entrepreneurship, healthcare
and pharmaceutical management, marketing,
media, operations management, real estate and
social enterprise.
l www.gsb.columbia.edu/mba/academics/curriculum
“I really value the emphasis on teamwork
here. You can’t lead a company without
working together.”
Jessica Feinstein MBA ’07
Associate Brand Manager, Unilever, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

CURRICULAR INNOVATIONS
Success in business goes well beyond mastering
functional competencies. Leadership ability is among
the most important skills required for achievement
at the highest levels. An entrepreneurial mindset,
coupled with the ability to seize opportunity, is crucial.
Increasingly, people in business are defining success
to include both doing well and doing good. Through
a holistic curriculum that features a number of
innovative programs, Columbia Business School
helps students develop the skills, perspective and
insight they need to lead, create and succeed.
Program on Social Intelligence (PSI)
Columbia Business School is at the vanguard of a new
movement in business education that recognizes the
importance of social acuity—the ability to lead, read
people, manage individuals and teams and negotiate
with advocates and adversaries—and creates a
framework that cultivates these skills. The Program on
Social Intelligence is integrated throughout the entire
student experience, from orientation to reunions,
in core and elective classes, career-management
programs and extracurricular clubs.
Students are introduced to PSI through three
methods: individualized assessment, in which they
receive feedback on such characteristics as their team
habits, career values and cultural styles; experiential
learning, which involves practicing social skills as
part of learning teams and other group activities; and
executive coaching, in which professional coaches
The Power of Theory and Practice
help students examine their strengths and identify
areas of improvement. The program aims to help
students draw out the talents, energy and best efforts
of all the people with whom they interact.
This recognition of and curricular response to this
business movement, as well as Columbia’s New York
location, enable the MBA Program to capitalize on the
complementary expertise of major players who are
leading the thinking about social intelligence.
Among them are Daniel Goleman, whose books
have popularized the concepts of emotional and
social intelligence, and New Yorker writer and
The Tipping Point author Malcolm Gladwell.
l www.gsb.columbia.edu/psi
Master Classes
Master Classes are project-based courses that
challenge students to integrate concepts learned in
the classroom with immediate business problems and
to make managerial decisions that have real-world
impact. Each Master Class offers students hands-on
exposure to the day-to-day challenges of the business
world; students might consult with a chain store
looking to expand into a new region, a company in
turnaround or an organization planning to refocus an
existing product into a new demographic target market.
In Macro Investing, for example, students are
introduced to macroeconomics-based trading
strategies, the development of new financial securities
and products, and a variety of public-policy issues. In
teams of six, students work closely with external fund
Columbia MBA Program 13
The Power of Theory and Practice

managers to build a “macro” investment strategy or

develop a new financial product or market related to
As aspiring entrepreneurs
the topics covered in the course. The teaching team,
led by Stephen Zeldes, the Benjamin Rosen Professor
connect with mentors,
of Finance and Economics, and Charles Himmelberg,
adjunct associate professor of finance and economics
investors and other
and U.S. credit strategist for Goldman Sachs,
exemplifies the bridge between theory and practice
budding entrepreneurs,
and capitalizes on the faculty members’ academic
expertise and extensive practical experience.
opportunities take
l www.gsb.columbia.edu/masterclasses
shape and companies —
The Entrepreneurship Program
Through a wide range of initiatives, the Entrepreneurship
and leaders — are born.
Program brings together people, ideas and resources
in ways that transform emerging business ideas into
three months. “The Lang Fund process forces you
viable strategies and, ultimately, thriving organizations.
to be serious about what you want to do,” says
As aspiring entrepreneurs connect with mentors,
Sanders. The Entrepreneurship Program’s annual
investors and other budding entrepreneurs,
A. Lorne Weil Outrageous Business Plan Competition
opportunities take shape and companies — and
offers Columbia students a venue for entrepreneurial
leaders — are born.
ideas that are so ambitious in scope and scale that
they would likely be dismissed in more traditional
The Entrepreneurial Greenhouse Program helps
outlets. Another initiative, the Entrepreneurial
students prepare their business plans for investment
Sounding Board, provides opportunities for MBA
by providing funding for prelaunch expenses, access
students to meet individually with faculty members
to experts in key fields and opportunities to present
and practitioners affiliated with the Entrepreneurship
business concepts to professional investors. On
Program to discuss entrepreneurial ideas and potential
average, more than half of the businesses nurtured
business opportunities. These 30-minute sessions
by the program are launched immediately after their
provide students with a platform to receive preliminary
founders graduate. With support from the program
feedback, next-step action items and, in many cases,
and seed capital from the Lang Fund, Dawn Sanders,
links to additional support from appropriate mentors.
MBA ’05, was able to launch Eyespa, the first day
l www.gsb.columbia.edu/entrepreneurship
spa in East Harlem, and break even after just

14 Columbia MBA Program

Social Enterprise Program
Whether heading to the public or private sector—or
some combination over a lifetime—Columbia MBAs
gain the tools to make a difference in the world.
That happens in part through the Social Enterprise
Program, which integrates electives, internships and
research projects for students who seek a career
in a nonprofit organization or in government, have
an interest in volunteering or serving on a nonprofit
board, or want to learn more about social innovation
in business. This extraordinarily successful program
Columbia MBAs gain
the tools to make a
difference in the world.
brings together a far-ranging network of students,
faculty members and business leaders who generate
social benefit through business practices. Electives
in this highly popular program include Globalization
and Markets: Reforming the International Economic
Architecture; Strategic Philanthropy; Corporate
Governance; and Business in Society: Doing Well by
Doing Good?
The program allows students to gain direct experience
while connecting with local communities and Columbia
Business School alumni. For Sachin Kadakia, MBA ’07,
participation in the Nonprofit Board Leadership
Program translated into an opportunity to serve on
the junior board of the Central Park Conservancy.
Through the CORPS Fellowship Program, which
subsidizes summer internships in the nonprofit
and public sectors, Columbia students have helped
New York neighborhoods battle childhood asthma,
Manhattan businesses rebuild after 9/11 and women
in need gain access to microfinance loans. Research
symposia bring together practitioners, scholars
and policymakers to discuss subjects ranging from
state-of-the-art practices in microfinance to
socially responsible investing. After graduation,
the Columbia Business School Loan Assistance
Program helps alleviate the financial burden
associated with repaying education loans for MBAs
who take management and leadership positions in
the public and nonprofit sectors.
l www.gsb.columbia.edu/socialenterprise
Other curricular programs include
Real Estate Program
l www.gsb.columbia.edu/realestate
Media Program
l www.gsb.columbia.edu/media
International Business Program
l www.gsb.columbia.edu/internationalbusinessprogram
Program in Healthcare and
Pharmaceutical Management
l www.gsb.columbia.edu/healthcare
Private Equity Program
l www.gsb.columbia.edu/privateequity
Columbia MBA Program 15
The Power of Global Reach
Columbia: Connected to the World

“Columbia is located in the most

international city in the world, and the
student body reflects that. Even when I
was here more than 30 years ago, one-third
of the students were from other countries.
This Business School is the
perfect fit for the global world
we are living in today.”
PAOLO SCARONI MBA ’73
CEO, Eni S.p.A., Rome
Instant recognition anywhere in the world
Columbia Business School offers an education that is truly global. The curriculum is
infused with an international perspective, while special projects send students to Asia,
Africa and South America, among other places, to apply what they have learned to
business challenges abroad. Alumni from around the world return to campus as speakers
to enlighten, inform and provide opportunity. This global reach ensures that the value of a
Columbia MBA is instantly recognized anywhere in the world.

A Faculty with a Global Perspective
The School’s leadership in global business education
is driven by the strength, reputation and experience
of our 116 full-time faculty members. More than
half have lived or worked abroad, one-quarter spend
several weeks teaching or working overseas in any
given year and many consult regularly for global
businesses. Their research often touches on issues of
international concern. Amar Bhidé, the Lawrence D.
Glaubinger Professor of Business in the Management
Division and a specialist in entrepreneurship, for
instance, recently wrote about the implications
Columbia students come
to New York from more
than 65 countries.
of outsourcing to India for both the U.S. and the
Indian economies, upending assumptions about
each and delineating needed reforms. And on the
60th anniversary of George C. Marshall’s proposal
of the European Recovery Program, Dean Glenn
Hubbard and William Duggan, associate professor of
management, wrote a Financial Times op-ed piece
proposing a similar business-sector support project
for Africa.
Diverse City, Diverse Campus
Columbia’s students are drawn to New York from more
than 65 countries, with more than one-third of the
students holding citizenship from countries other than
the United States. Peer-to-peer learning is integral to
the Columbia MBA experience, and the diversity of
backgrounds, ideas and interests of the students is
an essential part of the School’s vitality. The global
network of friends, colleagues and mentors that students
build through their Columbia experience is invaluable.

Columbia MBA Program 17

The Power of Global Reach

Global Presence
The umbrella for international opportunity at the
School, the Jerome A. Chazen Institute of International
Business uses research, teaching and travel to enable
students to translate entrepreneurial skills into any
culture. The Chazen Institute funds cross-disciplinary
and cross-school research, oversees international
exchange programs, sponsors conferences on
timely global issues, hosts an international career
management services conference and publishes the
Chazen Web Journal of International Business.
l www.gsb.columbia.edu/chazen
From New York to the World
Personal experience is an invaluable part of learning
about another culture and the nuances of international
business. Columbia Business School study tours and
exchange programs take place in almost every part
of the world. Through Chazen International Study
Tours, students have explored business practices and
More than half of Columbia’s
faculty members have lived
Chazen International Study Tours
Designed to enhance the classroom curriculum,
International Study Tours offer students and their
faculty adviser an intense, firsthand experience
of the business culture of their chosen country or
region. During the 7- to 10-day trips, students meet
with leading executives and government officials
while visiting businesses, factories and cultural sites.
Organized by individual students or clubs, study tours
give students an opportunity to explore different
business environments and to lay the groundwork for
future international internships and jobs.
Recent study tour destinations
Australia Japan
Bulgaria and Romania Latin America
China Russia
Dubai and Doha South Korea
Italy
Industry-focused
Berlin and London Paris and Brussels

or worked abroad.
(Real Estate) (Corporate Social
Brazil Responsibility)
(Renewable Energy) Rwanda
innovation firsthand in more than 25 countries. Each Hong Kong and (Social Enterprise)
term, students study at 1 of 24 top business schools Shanghai (Real Estate) São Paulo and
worldwide through the Chazen MBA Exchange Program. India (Social Enterprise) Buenos Aires
Exchange programs also extend to faculty research. (Real Estate)
Mexico (Real Estate)
l www.gsb.columbia.edu/chazen/initiatives

18 Columbia MBA Program

Selling Cooking Gas in Cameroon
“Working with EMP Africa has been an invaluable experience for
all of us. Over spring break we traveled to Cameroon to interview
distributors, retailers, customers and other industry stakeholders
in four different cities, as well as company management, and
discovered that in many ways our project was a classic marketing
problem: our client clearly has a superior product but does not
know how to market it.”
Gbolade Arinoso MBA ’08, Alonzo Dority MBA ’07,
Brad Fusco MBA ’07, Justin Mandel MBA ’08,
Mark Pedersen MBA ’07 and Jindrich Zitek MBA ’08
The team of students from Columbia Business School’s International Development Club,
reporting on their Social Enterprise Program experience in Cameroon
The Power of Community
Campus Life within the City

“Columbia is a utopian
environment in the middle
of New York with incredibly smart,
successful people and an unbelievable sense
of community. Our cluster was especially
important. We recently had our five-year
reunion, and people flew in from all over
the world.”
elise dowell mba ’02
Communications Director, Jewish Theological Seminary, New York
Community fueled by team building
A beautiful academic setting with nearby parks, bookstores and coffee shops, Columbia’s
Morningside campus offers a collegiate atmosphere in the heart of one of the world’s
most exciting cities. Students are members of a collaborative community at Columbia
Business School that is fueled and supported by a curricular emphasis on team building
and project-based learning, as well as hundreds of academic and social events.

Collaborate for a Competitive Edge A Student-Focused Campus

For Columbia MBA students, community building
begins right at the start of the program. During the
first year, clusters of 60 to 65 students take all core
curriculum courses together. As diverse as the class
itself, clusters create a strong sense of community and
The Columbia campus
is bustling; more than
The Columbia campus is bustling; more than 100
events are offered in a typical week. Conferences —
many designed and organized by students — feature
business and government leaders for panels,
workshops, networking and socializing. Clubs bring
students together in many ways, including by career
and professional interest, cultural or geographic
affiliation, or social interest. There are also clubs
devoted to athletics and other leisure activities, from
rugby to wine tasting to salsa dancing.

100 events are offered Giving Back to the Community

in a typical week.
foster lasting professional and personal relationships.
Starting with orientation, learning teams of five to six
students promote cooperation and collaboration, a
hallmark of the Columbia experience.
Each year, students volunteer countless hours to
such activities as coaching welfare-to-work recipients
on interviewing skills and assisting in refurbishment
projects at schools and parks. The School is also home
to nearly a dozen of its own service activities. For
example, each winter, students, faculty members and
staff host the Holiday Party for Kids, an evening of
games, food, music and arts and crafts for children
from local shelters and after-school programs.

Columbia MBA Program 21

The Power of Community

A Day in the Life of a Columbia Business School Student

Alison Lindland MBA ’08

On a dynamic campus in the heart of New York, the only thing typical about any given day at
Columbia Business School is the countless options. One student gamely tried to capture her
activities on a single autumn day.

8:45 a.m. Get to Uris Deli in time to grab

coffee with friends before class.

9–10:30 a.m. Accounting with Vice Dean

Amir Ziv. I’m fortunate to be in his class;
he’s won teaching awards almost every
year since 2000.

10:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m. Corporate Finance with Professor

Daniel Paravisini.

12:30–2 p.m. Working lunch with my learning team in the café in the
architecture school (just next to Uris Hall and the best food on campus).
We’re working on a valuation for Corporate Finance.

2–2:30 p.m. Answer some e-mails about scheduling informational

interviews with alumni downtown. E-mail tutors to set up a time to work
on accounting over the weekend.

22 Columbia MBA Program

2:30–3:30 p.m. Swing
by the Career Management
Center to set up a session
for the mock interview
workshop. Work on résumés
and cover letters with a Career
Management Center adviser.

3:30–4:30 p.m. Rehearsal

for Cluster Cup event. As social
rep for Cluster H, I am directing
a sketch for the upcoming
Halloween show. We’re making
a Broadway musical-style skit
out of a finance case about a
distressed lumber company.
Trust me, it’s really funny.

8:00 p.m. Listen to Steve Michaelson, CMO of Supervalu and former president
of Fresh Direct, discuss how he used his retail, merchandising and marketing
experience to build one of the nation’s leading online food-delivery services.

9–10:30 p.m. Conference call for the MBA Media Management Conference;
as an AVP for the Media Management Association, I’m working on the
conference in February.

Columbia MBA Program 23

The Power of the Network
Join an Influential Global Community

“Our alumni group meets regularly,

and I’m able to broaden my
network both inside and outside
my industry. Although I only graduated
a few years ago, I’ve already tapped into
the Columbia network several times for
mentorship and industry contacts.”
kellie jenks mba ’04
Investment Manager, The Lionstone Group, Houston
Building and developing relationships with leaders
Just as students learn skills that will last a lifetime, they also develop relationships and
build networks for a lifetime. From the moment a student enters Columbia Business
School, he or she joins an extended family of professionals—36,000 alumni from
115 countries—encompassing both those who are leaders in their fields and those
who promise to be.

Connecting in New York . . .
Thousands of Columbia alumni live and work in
New York, facilitating personal connections in their
offices or on campus. Alumni often return to Columbia
to share their knowledge, whether in classes, through
club events or as recruiters, mentors and speakers.
When the School’s Media Program recently held
its first-ever Career Night, for example, more than
800 students and alumni gathered for an evening of
networking. In attendance were alumni executives
representing the New York Times Company, BET, the
Sundance Channel, Reuters Consumer Media and
Bank of America Media and Entertainment Group, to
name just a few.
Because they know the value of a Columbia Business
School education, alumni are often eager to reach out
to students at the School. Dave Nadeau, MBA ’02,
initiated a program in which students join him on the
trading floor, gaining both hands-on experience and
credit as part of a field study. “This is 100 percent
practical knowledge,” he says, adding that he wanted
to help students get the same early exposure to
trading that launched his career in commodities.
“It’s easy to read about how things trade and how
the market changes dynamically over time, but to
experience it live is very different.”
. . . And Around the World
Columbia Business School’s network extends
well beyond New York. There are 21 alumni clubs
throughout the United States and more than 30
international clubs around the world, from Argentina
to Australia, India to Israel, Shanghai to Switzerland.
l www.gsb.columbia.edu/cfmx/web/alumni/community/clubs
An Active Board of Overseers
The members of the School’s Board of Overseers are
remarkably involved, powerful resources. They speak
at student events, attend alumni events, are active in
curricular and extracurricular programming and make
themselves available for advice and mentoring.
l www.gsb.columbia.edu/mba/whycolumbia/network

Columbia MBA Program 25

Admissions
Making the Right Connection

Columbia Business School represents a significant investment in a student’s future,

a commitment that will pay dividends not just in the first job after graduation but
throughout a career. Columbia looks for students who come from a broad range of
educational, professional, economic, social, cultural and geographic backgrounds
and who also have a few key elements in common: intellectual ability, a record of
achievement, demonstrated leadership and the ability to work as part of a team.

Requirements TAKE THE NEXT STEP

To apply for and attend the program, you must have
• a completed application including two letters of
recommendation and essays;
• a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent);
• Graduate Management Admission Test score;
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL),
if appropriate.
OPTIONS
For those students who do not need a summer
internship, Columbia Business School offers an
accelerated program beginning in January. This option
may be appropriate for students who are sponsored
by their company, will work in a family business
or start their own business, or will return to
the same industry in which they already have
significant contacts.
The School invites prospective applicants to
experience the Columbia MBA environment for
themselves. Information sessions are the best way
to learn more about Columbia Business School’s
competitive strengths and the application process, as
well as to ask questions of admissions officers, alumni
and students. Sessions are held both on campus and
around the world. Applicants may also want to speak
one-on-one with a student and visit a class. Please
visit Columbia’s Web site for more information about
how to make these connections.
l www.gsb.columbia.edu/mba/admissions
Available online:
• Application for admission
• Application deadlines and requirements
• Details on campus visits
• Financial aid information
• Fellowship/scholarship information
• Entering class profile
• Interview information

26 Columbia MBA Program

“The professional—and
personal—opportunities that
this tight-knit campus affords
make Columbia the place to be.”
linda B. Meehan
Assistant Dean and Executive Director of Admissions and
Financial Aid
For More Information

Office of MBA Admissions EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS FOR A LIFETIME

l www.gsb.columbia.edu/mba/learnmore Columbia Business School offers other top-ranked
apply@gsb.columbia.edu educational programs.
Tel.: 212-854-1961 Executive MBA Programs (EMBA)
Fax: 212-662-6754 Alternate options allow midcareer professionals to
remain at their jobs while earning an MBA degree.
OFFICE OF STUDENT AFFAIRS l www.gsb.columbia.edu/emba
Academics
l www.gsb.columbia.edu/students/mba/inclass
EMBA-New York
studentaffairs@gsb.columbia.edu The Friday/Saturday Executive MBA program is
Tel.: 212-854-4191 identical in curriculum to—and is taught by the same
Fax: 212-678-0171 faculty as—the full-time MBA Program.
EMBA-Global
Financial Aid Columbia’s joint EMBA programs with London
l www.gsb.columbia.edu/mba/tuition
Business School and HKU Business School offer
finaid@gsb.columbia.edu classes in the three financial capitals driving
Tel.: 212-854-4057 global business.
Fax: 212-854-1809 Berkeley-Columbia Executive MBA
Student Life The Berkeley-Columbia EMBA program divides
l www.gsb.columbia.edu/students/mba/beyond instruction equally between the faculties at
osl@bettyblue.gsb.columbia.edu Columbia Business School and the Haas School of
Tel.: 212-854-5563 Business at the University of California, Berkeley.

CONCEPT/Design: Suka Design, NY/sukadesign.com

Fax: 212-854-2384 Columbia Business School Executive Education
Select from nondegree open enrollment programs
in leadership, strategy, finance and marketing, and
nonprofit management, as well as custom offerings.
l www.gsb.columbia.edu/execed

Doctoral Program
Offered by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
and administered by the Business School, the PhD
Program each year produces some of the world’s most
sought-after researchers and scholars.
l www.gsb.columbia.edu/phd

28 Columbia MBA Program

“Our location, physically and
intellectually, draws star power from
the business community to campus.” 7

8
Glenn Hubbard
9
Dean, Columbia Business School 11
10
Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics

COLUMBIA business school

1 Low Memorial Library 12
0t
hS
2 Uris Hall 6
t
1
3 Lerner Hall
5 2
4 W. & J. Warren Hall
11
5 Butler Library 6t
hS 1
t
6 Dodge Gymnasium 1 7
7 Miller Theatre
8
8 College Walk

ue
3

en
nearby points of interest

Av
5
y

1 Barnard College 4

m
wa

rda
ve

ad

2 St. John the Divine Cathedral

Dri

ste
6
Bro

3 Central Park
Am
ide

4 Morningside Park
ers

5 Riverside Park 4
Riv

C B
6 St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital 1
7 International House Ca
the
8 Manhattan School of Music dra 2
lP
9 Riverside Church ark
wa
10 Union Theological Seminary y
11 Jewish Theological Seminary

1 1 Subway Line
B B Subway Line
C C (A late nights) Subway Line B
C

For more detailed information

on the area and an interactive
3
campus map: 1

l www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/eguides/nyc.html

l www.columbia.edu/about_columbia/map/
Office of Admissions
Columbia Business School
Uris Hall
3022 Broadway, Room 216
New York, NY 10027
212-854-1961
E-mail: apply@gsb.columbia.edu
www.gsb.columbia.edu/mba