Business School, Continuing Education, and business educational options

Ask anyone about the top business schools in the United States, and he or she will probably mention Harvard, Stanford, University of Pennsylvania, MIT and Northwestern, more or less in that order.

But what about Babson College? Ask this of some persons, and they will just stare at you blankly or perhaps scratch their heads, as if thinking. The reason: many, particulary those outside the business community, have not heard of the school. That's too bad, because Babson is a genuine powerhouse when it comes to business education.

Babson is a private school that was founded in 1919. It is located in the suburban community of Wellesley, Massachusetts, just west of Boston. It has an enrollment of about 3,300, divided equally between undergraduates and graduate students. Admission to the school is highly competitive, with only one-third or so accepted.

The school has the following degree programs:

• BSBA
• MBA (one year)
• MBA (two year)
• MBA (evening)
• MBA (fast track)
• MS (specialized)

Which program is best for a particular student depends on a variety of factors, including undergraduate work, years of experience in the workforce, desire to attend full- or part-time and whether or not the prospective student wants to study for an advanced degree while continuing to hold down a full-time job.

Babson presents instruction in coherent "modules" rather than through traditional semester-long courses. Additionally, the school has created custom degree programs, consortium programs and open-enrollment programs. The school stresses in-person teaching, though online instruction is also used.

Babson is accredited regionally and also by AACSB. Further, the school regularly gets high ratings from U. S. News & World Report, the Wall Street Journal, Business Week and Financial Times, among others.

Undergraduates will pay $45,782 annually for tuition, living erxpenses, books and fees. The one-year MBA program (12 full months) comes to $77,237 for tuition and all other expenses. A full schedule of the costs can be found at the school's website.

One more reason I like Babson: It is a distinguished "college" that has avoided renaming itself as a "university" merely for status. Babson College is already a first-class institution; no upgrading is needed.