Business Schools in Massachusetts

    Massachusetts has been a leader in education at all levels for centuries. It was the first state to pass a law requiring municipalities to establish schools, over 100 years before the nation was founded. Many of the fundamentals of public education were developed here in the 1800s. It is home to the oldest college in the United States, and in 2018, its education system was ranked #1 in the country.

    Massachusetts’ leadership in education extends to business schools as well. Of course, the state’s best-known business school is Harvard University, which frequently lands at the very top spot for all business schools in the entire nation. Slightly less well-known is that the state is home to another top 10 schools: MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Even though the school is more often associated with computers than boardrooms, the Sloan School of Management currently ranks fifth in the nation for its business degree programs. Massachusetts adds to these luminaries several schools that are also excellent but get less of the limelight and many additional options for students with various needs and desires.

    According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) statistics, 60 public and non-profit schools offer business degrees in Massachusetts. Of these, 27 offer accredited programs at the undergraduate level and 18 at the graduate level. As always, be sure to look for an accredited school because this is your assurance that the program you select has clearly stated objectives and that the school has proven that its program produces quality outcomes and adheres to national and international standards. Schools with accreditation are also more likely to offer ways to get real-world experience through interaction with actual businesses.

    All of the schools in this article have been accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), or International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE). They are all public or non-profit and regionally accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

    This article will provide you with the data you need to choose the Massachusetts business school that best suits your unique needs. You’ll find discussion and data covering various vital factors: tuition, financial aid, entrance exam scores, acceptance rates, faculty characteristics, and more. The three sections that follow describe undergraduate programs, graduate schools, and the job prospects for business school graduates in Massachusetts.

    Best Business Schools in Massachusetts

    Following are the best business schools in Massachusetts according to US News & World Report data:

    • Harvard University – #1 in Best Business Schools, #1 in Best Graduate Management Schools, #2 in Top National Universities, #2 in Best Value Schools, #14 in Most Innovative Schools
    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology – #5 in Best Business Schools, #10 in Top Executive MBA Programs, #3 in Best National Universities, #2 in Best Undergraduate Business School Programs, #3 in Best Value Schools
    • Boston University – #42 in Best Business Schools, #32 in Top Part-time MBA Programs, #18 in Best Colleges for Veterans, #42 in Top National Universities, #42 in Best Undergraduate Business School Programs, #9 in Best Online Graduate Business Programs
    • Boston College – #48 in Best Business Schools, #35 in Best Graduate Accounting Programs, #21 in Best Undergraduate Business Schools, #38 in Best National Universities, #27 in Best Undergraduate Management Programs
    • Northeastern University – #59 in Best Business Schools, #8 in Most Innovative Schools, #44 in Best National Universities, #62 in Best Undergraduate Business School Programs, #51 in Best Online Graduate Business Programs, #76 in Best Online MBA Programs
    • Babson College – #83 in Best Business Schools, #66 in Top Part-time MBA Programs, #30 in Best Undergraduate Business School Programs, #26 in Top Management Programs, #100 in Best Online MBA Programs

    Undergraduate Business Schools in Massachusetts

    Massachusetts offers over two dozen schools for undergraduate business study, but most of these lean toward the higher end of the cost scale as befits its reputation. The excellent reputations of so many of its schools, combined with the generally high cost of living in Massachusetts, resulting in average tuition for all undergraduate business schools in the state of about $33,600. This figure is either at or near the top of the most expensive states for business education and closes to double the other states’ average cost. There are few wallet-friendly options here: only seven schools are below $15,000, and four of these are various locations of the state school, the University of Massachusetts. The other 20 schools are all-around $30,000 or more, and nine of those are over $40,000. The most expensive are Boston University, Brandeis University, and Boston College, each topping out just over $50,000. (There might be a small surprise here as most people would expect Harvard to be the priciest!) Average financial aid is only over $20,000, which is good but still leaves a sizable gap for students to cover.

    We have acceptance rates for all of our schools, and they tend to generally be on the moderate side, except for the highest-end colleges. The overall average is 59%, and 18 of the schools are at 60% or higher. Dean College and Curry College are the easiest to get into, at 89%, while Harvard and MIT are the stingiest at 5% and 8%.

    Graduation rates for undergraduate business degrees in Massachusetts are quite good, so if you get into a school here, there’s a good chance you’ll get out the other side with a diploma in hand. The overall average graduation rate is a high 68%, led by Harvard’s impressive 97% figure. Even the schools with the lowest models aren’t that low: 38% at Dean College and 39% at Anna Maria College. The best combination of acceptance rate and the graduate rate is at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, with 80% and 76%.

    The table below shows you all the vital data you need about undergraduate business schools in Massachusetts, including annual in-state tuition costs, average aid per student, acceptance rates, SAT and ACT score ranges of accepted students, and graduation rates. Click any column header to sort the table based on its contents.

    SchoolCityTuitionAidMedian SATMedian ACTAccept. RateGrad. Rate
    Anna Maria CollegePaxton$36,110$16,78283%40%
    Babson CollegeBabson Park$48,288$34,3631170-137027-3125%90%
    Bentley UniversityWaltham$45,760$26,7311060-129025-3046%90%
    Boston CollegeChestnut Hill$51,296$35,9191260-146030-3331%90%
    Boston UniversityBoston$50,240$29,9341220-142028-3229%90%
    Brandeis UniversityWaltham$51,245$34,1591270-148029-3333%90%
    Clark UniversityWorcester$43,150$23,96155%80%
    Curry CollegeMilton$37,835$18,100840-104018-2389%50%
    Dean CollegeFranklin$36,660$21,37689%40%
    Elms CollegeChicopee$33,412$15,914840-105519-2376%60%
    Fisher CollegeBoston$29,640$12,08768%50%
    Fitchburg State UniversityFitchburg$10,135$5,877890-109018-2475%50%
    Framingham State UniversityFramingham$9,340$4,920890-109020-2565%60%
    Harvard UniversityBoston$47,074$41,4141430-160032-355%99%
    Lasell CollegeNewton$33,600$20,473870-106019-2276%50%
    Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge$48,452$37,1161460-159033-358%90%
    Massachusetts Maritime AcademyBuzzards Bay$8,004$7,384950-115020-2680%80%
    Nichols CollegeDudley$33,400$18,68384%40%
    Northeastern UniversityBoston$47,653$25,2401330-151031-3429%90%
    Simmons CollegeBoston$38,590$22,8371080-126024-2964%70%
    Springfield CollegeSpringfield$35,475$19,586900-112024-2866%70%
    Stonehill CollegeEaston$39,900$23,17073%80%
    Suffolk UniversityBoston$35,578$17,890910-112020-2584%60%
    University of Massachusetts – AmherstAmherst$14,971$8,8491130-133025-3060%80%
    University of Massachusetts – BostonBoston$13,435$8,534960-118021-2669%50%
    University of Massachusetts – DartmouthNorth Dartmouth$13,188$8,299910-113020-2676%50%
    University of Massachusetts – LowellLowell$14,307$7,8061070-126024-2961%60%

    Graduate Business Schools in Massachusetts

    We have collected data on 18 accredited schools for graduate business study in Massachusetts. The high costs seen at the undergraduate level extend to post-graduate research as well: overall average tuition in the state is a whopping $75,000. This number is inflated by the nearly $150,000 cost of both Harvard and MIT’s elite programs, but even ignoring those, 11 of the other 16 colleges are north of $65,000. The least expensive option is Lasell College at $21,600.

    We have average admission GMAT scores for 16 of our schools. Of these, 12 falls roughly between 500 and 650. The two schools with lower figures are the University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth at 422 and Western New England University at 475. Unsurprisingly, Harvard and MIT are the two on the high end, with very high average admittance GMAT scores of 731 and 722. We also have figures on the percentage of full-time faculty with doctorate degrees for 13 schools, ranging from 71% at Boston University to nearly 98% at the University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth.

    These days, busy people want to have it all: keep their successful careers going strong while simultaneously enhancing their prospects with a graduate degree. For these people and others needing flexibility, there are over half a dozen options for online MBA programs in Massachusetts. Suffolk University was the first school in Massachusetts to establish an online MBA program in 1999 and offers both entirely online and mixed online/in-person options. The online program from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is ranked in the top five worldwide and best in the nation by the Financial Times; the program offers several focus areas, and it too can be done online or “mixed,” through a combination of online and on-campus courses, also known as a hybrid program. Other schools offering online MBAs include Northeastern University; Simmons College; the University of Massachusetts at Boston, Amherst, and Dartmouth; Western New England University; Fitchburg State College; and Endicott College.

    Popular graduate programs in Massachusetts: MBA in Human Resource Management | MBA in Information Systems Management | MBA in International Business

    The table below shows graduate business school tuition costs, average accepted applicant GMAT scores, percentage of faculty with a doctorate, and student-to-faculty ratios. Click any column header to sort the table based on its contents.

    SchoolCityTuitionAvg. GMATFaculty
    with Doct.
    Degree
    Student/
    Faculty
    Babson CollegeBabson Park$126,14058382%2.99
    Bentley UniversityWaltham$73,91560677%3.36
    Boston CollegeChestnut Hill$91,4506372.43
    Boston UniversityBoston$99,09261871%3.5
    Brandeis UniversityWaltham$93,53865179%9.94
    Clark UniversityWorcester$71,40058881%9.28
    Harvard UniversityBoston$146,880731
    Lasell CollegeNewton$21,600
    Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge$147,900722
    Northeastern UniversityBoston$88,99163588%1.78
    Simmons CollegeBoston$69,360
    Suffolk UniversityBoston$73,53550983%1.69
    University of Massachusetts – AmherstAmherst$29,50857088%0.94
    University of Massachusetts – BostonBoston$67,82054782%4.64
    University of Massachusetts – DartmouthNorth Dartmouth$22,36842298%2.4
    University of Massachusetts – LowellLowell$27,59850775%1.35
    Western New England UniversitySpringfield$29,64447582%
    Worcester Polytech InstituteWorcester$67,58463494%4.45

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    Job Outlook for Business School Graduates in Massachusetts

    Recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data predicts total growth of at least 5% in 32 out of 37 business and management occupations across the US between 2016 and 2026.5 The highest growth will be for market analysts and marketing specialists, at 22.8% over ten years, with financial managers next at 18.7%.5

    Massachusetts has had a strong economy for many years, with a state unemployment rate that has been consistently below the national average over the last decade and is currently at 3.5%.6 About 363,000 people were employed in Massachusetts’ business and management sector in 2016.6 The largest subgroup was general and operations managers, by a wide margin, at 71,900 employed, followed well back by accountants and auditors (35,700) and financial managers (28,600).6 Management analysts came in at 22,500 market research and marketing specialists just over 20,000; all other categories were near or below 15,000.6

    According to BLS data, the overall average annual wage in 2016 across all occupations in Massachusetts was $75,297, good enough for the fifth spot among the 51 states and the District of Columbia.6 Business and management occupations had a much higher weighted average annual salary of around $113,600 that year, which is among the highest in the nation.6 Chief executives were the highest-paid subgroup, like they are in most states, with a comfortable average salary of $212,000.6 Most management positions were in the range from about $120,000 to $150,000; even the bottom spot, for meeting and event planners, topped $60,000.6

    Occupation TitleBLS.gov
    Code
    2016
    Total
    Employment
    Massachusetts
    Mean
    Hourly
    Wage
    Massachusetts
    Mean
    Annual
    Wage
    Massachusetts
    National
    Growth
    2016-26
    Accountants and Auditors13-201111,020$102$212,00010.0%
    Administrative Services Managers11-301171,880$63$131,01010.1%
    Advertising and Promotions Managers11-20111,290$67$140,2405.8%
    Architectural and Engineering Managers11-904111,790$68$142,0405.5%
    Budget Analysts13-203114,860$72$150,0906.5%
    Business Managers of Artists and Athletes13-10114,200$61$126,4904.9%
    Business Operations Specialists13-119913,040$51$105,2508.8%
    Chief Executives11-101115,540$73$151,0700.08
    Compensation Job Analysis Specialists13-114128,640$67$138,6108.5%
    Compensation and Benefits Managers11-31112,800$58$120,9405.0%
    Compliance Officers13-10410,800$63$130,9008.2%
    Computer and IT Systems Managers11-30215,090$62$128,72011.9%
    Construction Managers11-90211,540$66$137,43011.4%
    Cost Estimators13-10516,370$53$109,90010.6%
    Credit Analysts13-20417,350$70$145,0008.4%
    Credit Counselors13-20710,210$51$106,93013.9%
    Financial Analysts13-20517,070$40$83,03010.8%
    Financial Examiners13-20615,830$36$74,2009.8%
    Financial Managers11-303114,680$36$74,74018.7%
    Human Resources Managers11-31212,800$31$63,8408.9%
    Human Resources Specialists13-10712,390$39$80,1107.1%
    Insurance Underwriters13-205322,540$51$105,950-5.2%
    Labor Relations Specialists13-10752,310$29$60,340-7.8%
    Loan Officers13-20722,250$33$68,60011.5%
    Logisticians13-10816,800$36$74,6606.9%
    Management Analysts13-111120,300$38$79,03012.0%
    Market Analysts and Marketing Specialists13-116111,550$40$82,88022.8%
    Marketing Managers11-202135,730$40$82,42010.0%
    Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners13-11212,060$37$77,48010.2%
    Operations Managers11-10211,940$39$80,9809.1%
    Public Relations Managers11-203113,700$46$96,70010.4%
    Purchasing Managers11-30613,230$42$87,9805.6%
    Sales Managers11-20221,530$49$100,8807.4%
    Tax Examiners and Collectors13-20811,390$30$62,740-0.6%
    Tax Preparers13-20825,330$46$96,09010.8%
    Training and Development Managers11-31311,650$32$66,44010.3%
    Training and Development Specialists13-11511,440$37$76,23011.5%

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    References:
    1. National Center for Education Statistics: https://nces.ed.gov/
    2. AACSB, Best Business Schools:https://bestbizschools.aacsb.edu/aacsb-accredited
    3. ACBSP, Business Schools:https://acbsp.org/page/accreditation-overview
    4. IACBE, Business Schools: https://iacbe.org/accreditation/
    5. US Bureau of Labor Statistics – Occupational Outlook Handbook, Business and Financial Occupations: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/home.htm
    6. US Bureau of Labor Statistics – Employment and Wage Estimates Massachusetts: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_ca.htm
    7. Massachusetts Board of Education: https://www.mass.edu/
    8. US News & World Report, Best Business Schools: https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-business-schools