Each region of the United States offers some business schools that are miles ahead of their competition and have become not just nationally known, but internationally respected.
The Northeast
Traditionally home to the nation's most elite schools, the northeast has a strong set of highly-ranked business schools. In fact, U.S. News & World Report's top-ranked business school is situated in the northeast. The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is the magazine's top choice for those in pursuit of MBA or finance degrees. Wharton offers four academic departments and stresses interdisciplinary coursework.
Further north, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology comes in as the second-best business school in America. In addition to Wharton's offerings, MIT offers business students the chance to study architecture, humanities and even social science programs during their time on campus.
The South
Those interested in southern business schools will want to check out the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one of the most selective business schools in the country. Their traditional semester-based academic calendar is great for young business students and those fresh out of college.
Honorable mentions in the south include the business and finance programs at the University of Texas (Austin) as well as the MBA program at the University of Virginia. Unlike the highly-ranked schools in the northeast, the stand-out business institutions of the south are all highly affordable public universities.
The Midwest and West
Those on the west coast should check out the University of California at Berkeley's MBA program; it's ranked number seven by U.S. News & World Report and, as an added bonus, the school is a public institution that is highly affordable for residents of California. In fact, it's the most affordable (based on tuition) out of the top ten schools nationwide.
Midwesterners have two options, depending on their tuition preferences. For those interested in public universities, the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) has the number four program in the country for MBA candidates and finance students. For those interested in an elite, almost-northeastern school, Carnegie Mellon offers significant networking opportunities and success stories, and is located close enough to the northeastern cities to offer real advantages for seeking businessjobs.
No matter where you look, America has some of the strongest business programs in the world. Whether it's the elite ivy league program of Wharton, or the highly affordable programs offered by highly-ranked public programs in the south and west, these programs will prepare students for personal and occupational success.