Academics
A cozy business school in Louisville, Kentucky, Bellarmine University offers individual attention and personal growth within a practical MBA curriculum. The “small-school atmosphere and small classroom sizes” are a huge benefit of this program, allowing students to build close relationships with their professors and classmates. Academically, collaboration is a key aspect of the Bellarmine experience, and from the beginning of the program, “everything is team based.” To encourage group problem solving, networking, and interaction, “Bellarmine groups its students into cohorts of four or five,” and they take all core courses together. In fact, the program is designed to help students round out their qualitative abilities, and the curriculum places a strong “emphasis on improving student’s writing, speaking, presentation, and teamwork skills.” In the classroom setting, professors are “good at facilitating meaningful class discussions,” which bring each student’s experience to light. A current student agrees, “The cohort design and grouping throughout the weekend program has increased my team-building skills.”
Bellarmine’s faculty comprises “published and scholarly professors,” who have a strong understanding of business theory. Nonetheless, real world skills are emphasized over academic analysis, and students are pushed to “learn through case studies in a team-oriented environment.” Don’t expect to lean back and snooze through a lecture; courses are discussion based and, often, small groups “lead case study discussions for the entire class.” Bellarmine has deep ties in the local metropolis. “One of Bellarmine’s advantages is that a majority of its professors have great career experience, and some are still working in the Louisville area.” A student recounts, “We have accounting teachers who have headed departments for Deloitte; IRS Tax Attorneys teaching tax and business law; and a lawyer/econ Ph.D. who teaches economics and how to do business in non-capitalistic countries.” Although the school “could offer a wider variety of MBA electives,” students appreciate the varied experience faculty members bring to the classroom. Class work is often augmented by the invitation of special “speakers and contributors, who are able to share more recent ‘real world’ experiences” with the student body.
For working professionals, the Bellarmine MBA program is flexible, allowing students to tailor coursework to fit their busy schedules. Depending on the pace in which you complete coursework, the MBA can take anywhere from two to five years to complete. Classes are held in the evenings and on weekends. “The convenience is great for someone looking to go to school part time.” Overall, the program is “very well run, with minimal red tape.” When it comes to planning your schedule or paying your bills, “the administration is wonderful to work with, very helpful, and makes things easier on students.” A “personal touch” distinguishes the experience, and “staff, faculty, and administration care about the students and their success.”
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