Academics
A small graduate business program strong in finance (so strong, in fact, that it offers both an MBA with a finance concentration and a Master of Science in Finance), the Graduate School of Management at Clark University provides a “collaborative atmosphere” to a student body drawn from both the immediate region and halfway around the globe. As a result, Clark is “very diversified, which brings many different perspectives to the classroom.”
Finance and accounting are standout disciplines here (“Many of the finance professors have impressive concurrent careers, running hedge funds by day and teaching courses by night; they typically have highly recognized professional certifications in addition to their PhDs,” one student notes), but MBAs report other curricular strengths as well, including concentrations in sustainability and and in social change, “which allow students to take elective courses in the International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE) Department at Clark . . . There is also a three-year dual-degree program (MBA/MA in CD or ESP) between these two departments.” Clark’s forward-looking, green-leaning proclivities are further revealed in “the dual-degree program offered in environmental science and policy and the MBA” as well as in the course Accounting and Finance for Sustainability. The School of Management also offers a full-time and part-time MSA program.
Clark’s professors are “demanding but fair.” Some “are outstanding. They come from experienced fields and they help you live the experience of the new material in all its aspects. Suddenly statistics and finance become easy and enjoyable with them.” Others, however, “are dull and give you tedious work that takes hours but is not interesting.” Students appreciate that “the school makes sure to take the student’s opinion into account when re-enlisting a professor to teach for the upcoming semesters.” The program also offers “many opportunities to help real businesses in the city” in order to gain “real life experience.” More of this sort of thing could be on the way; as one student observes, “I have seen a steady progression in Clark’s course offerings that indicates that they understand the â€real-world’ challenges facing students and are adapting appropriately. I am particularly encouraged by the apparent increase in courses addressing innovation, social sustainability, entrepreneurship, and management leadership.”