PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY

Application Contact:

James Hoy, Admissions Coordinator

The Mary Jean and Frank P. Smeal

College of Business Administration

Pennsylvania State University

106 Business Administration Building

University Park, Pennsylvania 16802

U.S.A.

　

　

　

The Smeal College MBA Program provides you with high value. Not only are the career dividends high from your Smeal College MBA, But every effort is made to keep the experience affordable. Few major programs can compete on cost and education quality with it.

開學前一個月，Paul Indsay 開始走訪五個接受他入學的B-Schools，Penn State 是其中一所。當 Paul 進入系館，一位秘書叫出了他的名字。參觀完環境和設備，一個研二的舊生請他吃午餐，在離開前，職業發展室主任還花了整整一個小時為他做了一場今年畢業生的就業簡報。Penn State MBA 一年只收一百六十名學生，必修課平均一班四十人，選修課減半，每班只有二十名不到的學生。在這樣『迷你』的B-School中，所有的人都互相認識，沒有人可以『獨來獨往』。

Penn State MBA 喜歡誇口它是『某某某』中心。不錯，它的確位在賓州的中心，但它不在貫穿此州（同時也是貫穿北美洲大陸）的州際八十號（Inter State 80）道上。此州最大的兩個城市：費城和匹茲堡，也都遠在百哩之外。坦白說，此處除了五千多畝的校地、和三萬多名學生外，可說一無所有。University Park 是一個比位在中西部與大湖區的大學城還要『大學城』的地方。這裡沒有兼職的學生，也沒有稱得上『企業』的商家，居民完全以學生和學校人員為主。

Smeal MBA 的課程向來以重視商業溝通技巧（business communication skills）著稱。這門課是這裡最長的一門必修課，要花整整一年（也就是兩個學期）才修得完。這一門課分成四個部份，每一部份由一群教授負責教課，內容大致是教學生如何書寫企劃案、做口頭報告、利用多媒體製作presentations、等等。

與大多數的B-School樣，Penn State也開始將為期十五週的學期（semester）分割成數段，但不叫做module，而是以block 稱之。第一年的第一個學期被分成三個blocks，第一個block只有兩門seminars的課：策略（strategy）和道德（ethic）。第二、三個blocks則全部是必修課。

第二年開始恢復傳統的學期制（在這一點上，與華頓頗為類似），並全部開放選修。每一個學期至少要選二十二個學分的課來修。若你想選擇一個主修，就必須在某一個領域中選三到五門課以上。

Penn State 的後勤系（Department of Logistics）是一個頗具特色的商學院科系，此系在製造原料的籌措和成品的運銷（business logistics）面十分出色。而行銷系的市場研究機構（Institute for the Study of Business Markets），則以『公司對公司間的行銷（business-to-business marketing）』著稱，因此為此校的MBA Program添了不少特色。近年來Smeal MBA更與校園內的工學院合作，開了有關製造業方面的主修（稱為manufacturing option），歡迎理工學院的畢業生申請。

受限於校園的『大學城』環境，Smeal MBAs暑期工讀或實習的機會不多。但假若你願意多付擔一些費用，則可以向學校報名參加海外遊學團，遊學的目的地則以歐、亞兩洲的國際MBA Programs為主，例如：西班牙的ESADE、德國的KOBLENZ、英國的Manchester Business School、和香港的香港科技大學。

與其他頂尖的B-School類似，Penn State的畢業生進入財務和顧問業的最多，合計將近一半。行銷緊追在後，再來就是Penn State 最特殊的一個領域：後勤（logistics）。一九九四年Smeal MBAs較大、知名度較高的雇主包括：Ford Motor、Hew- lett-Packard、IBM、與GTE。

在 Penn State 精緻的 Smeal College裡，不但第一次來訪時就有人叫得出你的名字，就是多年後再返回母校，這裡仍然還會有人記得你！

I came to Penn State with little knowledge of operations management, and left confident in my ability to step into any manufacturing facility and get to work. The manufacturing option does not teach manufacturing in isolation, but rather shows how manufacturing interacts the rest of the organization. The curriculum covers topics such as total quality management (TQM), computer integrated manufacturing (CIM), and manufacturing strategy. If you're looking for a challenge and are interested in manufacturing, Smeal College's Manufacturing option is for you.

Academic life at Penn State is propelled by a spirit of cooperation,not competition. This camaraderie creates an openness among students and forges a willingness to participate actively in group projects. These projects give Penn State students the opportunity to work with others who have different back- grounds and interests, to sharpen analytical skills, and to form enduring relationships.

Penn State has a weakness, in that the quality of the classes varies considerably. Some of the classes, especially in the core, are poorly designed and poorly taught. Penn State B-School needs to carefully monitor and improve those classes.

There are some areas of the program that need to be improved: 1. more recruiters coming to campus; 2. more electives to be offered; 3. more networking opportunities to the corporate world; 4. more real-world experiences and interactions; 5. more modern facilities.