Maryland Smith

History

In 1856, the University was chartered as Maryland Agricultural College and two years later, Charles Benedict Calvert bought 420 acres of the Riverdale Plantation in College Park and founded the School. 200 acres of land was sold owing to the financial problems that arose during the Civil War. In 1866, the College became a part of the state institution post the Civil War. In 1912, a fire destroyed the buildings, facilities and academic records of the students, except the Morrill Hall. In 1916, State took complete control of the School and the institute was renamed as Maryland State College. In 1920, the College got merged with professional schools of Baltimore to form the University of Maryland. The Department of Economics/ Business Administration offered the first formal business curriculum in 1921 with 394 students and 46 faculty members. The Department of Business Administration was renamed as College of Business and Management CBM. In 1993, CBM moved to state-of-the-art Van Munching Hall and in 1995, it got the name Maryland Business School. In 1998, Robert H. Smith, an alumnus funded $15 million in support of the School and hence, the School was named as Robert H. Smith School of Business in his honor.

MISSION STATEMENT

The Smith School’s mission is to create knowledge, promote a learning environment that fosters intellectual discovery, and equip current and future leaders to assess complex problems and deliver innovative solutions.

Core Strengths of the School

Smith’s curriculum is focused on addressing the dynamic changes in the marketplace by integrating globalization, entrepreneurship and technology. The School aims at nourishing the communication skills and enhancing the leadership acumen of its students. Students develop an understanding of the different functional areas of business and the interplay between them. Students learn to analyze the impact of their business decisions on society and environment and hence, learn to take ethical business decisions. Students work on team projects and learn to leverage the knowledge and experience of their peers. They are taught managerial decision-making through statistical concepts, models and methods in order to make them realize the importance of statistics in managerial decision-making process. Students can opt for elective courses that align with their long-term goals, where they develop expertise in one of the functional areas of business. The entire curriculum trains the students to analyze the business problems and explore the theories that are the foundation for modern business practices.

Uniqueness in MBA Pedagogy

Smith’s MBA program instills business education in its participants by merging real world experiential learning opportunities with the classroom-based theoretical learning approach. Students are given the opportunity to implement the business strategies and models they learned within the confines of the classroom. This prepares them better for the crucial real-world business challenges that they face at the workplace post their MBA. Students capitalize on the reservoir of experiential learning opportunities ranging from consulting for a corporate, startup, non-profit or government agencies, or managing investment fund or working over actual business cases. The Mayer Fund is an opportunity for students to immerse themselves into the world of asset and portfolio management. Students learn to manage assets and take crucial investment decisions in a global business environment that is vulnerable to continuous changes in the global marketplace. Students are currently managing investment fund worth $3million. The New Market Venture Fund program offers a unique experience to students, where they act as associates of the Venture Fund. Students are given hands-on training on the real-life activities of the entire deal process like research, selection, negotiation and investment. This experience exposes the students to the venture capital process and they imbibe an investor’s perspective while acting as associates of the venture fund. The MBA Consulting Projects belong to a broad spectrum of functional areas of business like Marketing, Finance and Strategy. Students are also given the opportunity to delve into consulting projects catering to cross-functional business areas like investigating the impact of information technology on business processes. The Case Competitions encourage the students to collaborate together and apply strategic thinking skills over a general management case. Students give written and oral presentations of their findings and recommendations in front of the panel of judges who are renowned business leaders.

Smith’s MBA program incorporates a variety of global opportunities for its students to give them a feel of the global business scenario. The Dingman Center of Entrepreneurship has taken the initiative to arrange a trip to China for the students. Students visit startups, multinational corporations and venture capital firms of Hong Kong and Beijing and develop a business model that leverages Chinese resources. Students compete with their peers from other Chinese Business schools in the competition held at Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management. The Center for International Business Education and Research CIBER works at enhancing the international component in the curriculum by arranging a broad spectrum of research activities catering to entrepreneurship, innovation, emerging markets and global e-commerce. Smith has 10-day study abroad programs, where students travel to Brazil, Chile, India, France, Spain, etc. and interact with high-profile executives of leading MNCs that has enhanced their understanding on the global business challenges.

CONCENTRATIONS OFFERED

LOCATION ADVANTAGES

The Smith Business School is located in College Park, just eight miles away from The White House. The School’s strategic location provides unparalleled professional opportunities to the students. The School fits into the network of government, corporate and federal agencies of the region and leverages these connections for the benefit of the students. The region is the hub for corporate headquarters, startups, financial and research centers and non-profit agencies. The region is known to drive innovation and growth in the areas of business and digital technology. The D.C. metropolitan area is well-known as a cultural and recreational center. The National Cherry Blossom Festival in April and Independence Day fireworks portray the rich and vibrant cultural heritage of the country.

CAREER SUPPORT

Smith MBA program is dedicated to transform the career of its participants by endowing them with a vast variety of services. Students are encouraged to do a self-assessment of their skills and a career plan is diligently chalked out based on it. The career coaches work with the students in crafting out a job search plan based on the student’s skills and goals. There are workshops, events and activities catered to enhance the soft skills of the students. Students are trained to leverage their professional network, and evaluate and negotiate job offers. Students are able to hone their interview skills through mock interview sessions, where they are given feedback on their performance. Apart from the above mentioned services, the School also helps in building a strong profile of the students through its resume and cover letter services.