Tuck School of Business

There was a time that Dartmouth College's Amos Tuck School of Business Administration was unquestionably the best graduate school of management in the world; founded in 1900, Tuck was the first graduate business school anywhere. And, while it may have necessarily fallen a couple of ticks in the rankings since its inception, Tuck remains one of the best business programs in the East. Offering only the MBA, Tuck focuses all its energies on developing talented general manager with strong quantitative and analytical backgrounds.
First year at Tuck begins with an Outward Bound-style orientation, followed by the Analysis for Managers module, which introduces students to Tuck's in-depth approach to case analysis and problem solving. A thirteen-course integrated core curriculum follows. Writes on students, "The integration of the entire experience is one of Tuck's great strengths. Faculty will co-teach a class if it applies to different areas". Many assignments, such as a three-day simulation exercise and a class consulting project, foster teamwork among first years. Tuck's trimester schedule moves things along pretty quickly. Says one students, "It is a tight schedule, but there is a respect fro the limits of the students and their need for a balanced lifestyle." Another disagrees, opining that "the workload is unnecessarily heavy." Second year is less stressful; explains one students, "First year is a heavy load but things ease up second year. The students support each other and help everyone through." The second-year curriculum allows students to choose from more than fifty full-credit electives as well as numerous half credit "minicourses." Independent study is also available, and students may choose to spend one semester studying overseas. For the extremely ambitious, the Tuck school and Dartmouth College offer several joint-degree options, including study in medicine, engineering, and international affairs (this last option is offered in conjunction with the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts).

Tuck MBAs are unanimous in their praise of the faculty. Writes one, "The school's faculty is its most impressive aspect. They are tough and expect a lot, but they also care and spend many hours with students one-on-one or in review." Students also a appreciate the intimacy their small program provides, telling us that "From the dean down to the professors, everyone knows your name and you can suggest anything. No pretentiousness here."