Penn State Smeal MBA Program

What Penn State Smeal MBA Program does

Penn State Smeal One-Year MBA is a 9-month, 35-credit full-time residential graduate business program delivered at Penn State Smeal College of Business's University Park campus in Pennsylvania. Founded in 1960 (within a university established in 1855) and renamed in honor of alumnus Ralph Smeal in 1983, the AACSB-accredited program enrolls a deliberately small cohort of approximately 96 students and targets both recent undergraduates with limited work experience and working professionals seeking career acceleration. The curriculum spans four 7-week modules across fall and spring semesters covering financial accounting, management, finance, marketing, supply chain, ethics, strategy, and emerging technology trends, augmented by a required Global Immersion trip and a Leadership Immersion module. The program holds STEM designation, providing international students with extended OPT eligibility.

The core offering is extended through an ecosystem of eight stackable master's degrees (Accounting, Business Analytics, Finance, Real Estate Analysis & Development, Supply Chain Management, Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Marketing Analytics and Insights, and Taxation) and two joint degrees (JD/MBA with Penn State Dickinson Law and MD/MBA). Technology infrastructure is limited to conventional educational platforms: a learning management system, the Kira Talent virtual interview and essay platform for admissions, and the Nittany Lion Careers recruitment management system connecting students to employers.

Revenue is generated almost entirely through tuition ($30,486 in-state / $49,612 out-of-state for 2025-26), a non-refundable $500 enrollment deposit, a $500 pre-term/orientation fee, and a Global Immersion fee of approximately $2,850. Recruitment runs through the Penn State Graduate School online application portal and is supported by virtual information sessions, on-demand recordings, campus visits, and direct employer recruiting via career fairs and on-campus interviews. Outcomes are strong for the segment: 89% employment within six months of graduation, 98% within one year, and a Class of 2025 average starting salary of $83,000 (top $135,600, top signing bonus $12,500), with top employers including Amazon, IBM, KPMG, PwC, and Regeneron.

Name

Penn State Smeal MBA Program

Legal name

The Pennsylvania State University

Website

https://oneyearmba.smeal.psu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1855

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Penn State Smeal operates a 9-month, 35-credit residential One-Year MBA program (cohort of ~96) at its University Park campus, serving recent graduates and working professionals with stackable master's and joint JD/MBA and MD/MBA degree pathways.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Graduate Business Education (MBA)

NAICS

Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHAHAB

MBA & Executive MBA Programs

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Business Schools & Management Institutes

SECONDARYEDAHALAE

Online Professional Schools (MBA/MPA/MPH/Etc.)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Distance & Online Universities

Keywords

• Graduate business education
• MBA program
• Executive education
• Business master's degrees
• Graduate management education

Headquarters

HQ city

University Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition Revenue: The program generates revenue primarily through tuition fees charged to students. In-state tuition is $30,486 and out-of-state tuition is $49,612 per academic year, plus additional fees including global immersion costs and orientation fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

The Penn State Smeal One-Year MBA is a 35-credit, 9-month full-time residential graduate business degree delivered at the University Park campus. It is STEM-designated and offered alongside eight stackable one-year master's degrees (Accounting, Business Analytics, Finance, Real Estate Analysis & Development, Supply Chain Management, Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Marketing Analytics and Insights, and Taxation) plus JD/MBA and MD/MBA joint degree pathways, supported by a dedicated Graduate Career Services team and the Nittany Lion Careers employer recruiting platform.

Product overview

The Penn State Smeal One-Year MBA is a single, customizable 35-credit full-time residential graduate business program that can be completed in 9 months at Penn State's University Park campus. The core One-Year MBA program serves as the primary product, augmented by a portfolio of eight stackable master's degree programs (Accounting, Business Analytics, Finance, Real Estate Analysis & Development, Supply Chain Management, Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Marketing Analytics and Insights, and Taxation) that students can pursue sequentially by waiving overlapping coursework. Two joint degrees are also offered: JD/MBA with Penn State Dickinson Law and MD/MBA. The program includes experiential components such as the Global Immersion trip and Leadership Immersion, supported by dedicated Career Services featuring the Nittany Lion Careers recruitment platform. The curriculum spans four 7-week modules across Fall and Spring semesters, covering core business disciplines including finance, accounting, management, marketing, supply chain, ethics, and strategy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• One-Year MBA Program A 35-credit, 9-month full-time residential MBA delivered at Penn State's University Park campus. STEM-designated, taught by AACSB-accredited faculty, with global immersion and leadership immersion components, designed for recent graduates and working professionals seeking career acceleration.
• Stackable Master's: Accounting A stackable one-year master's degree in Accounting that can be combined with the One-Year MBA by waiving overlapping coursework, enabling students to earn two degrees in two years.
• Stackable Master's: Business Analytics A stackable one-year master's degree in Business Analytics that can be combined with the One-Year MBA by waiving overlapping coursework, enabling students to earn two degrees in two years.
• Stackable Master's: Finance A stackable one-year master's degree in Finance that can be combined with the One-Year MBA by waiving overlapping coursework, enabling students to earn two degrees in two years.
• Stackable Master's: Real Estate Analysis & Development A stackable one-year master's degree in Real Estate Analysis & Development that can be combined with the One-Year MBA by waiving overlapping coursework, enabling students to earn two degrees in two years.
• Stackable Master's: Supply Chain Management A stackable one-year master's degree in Supply Chain Management that can be combined with the One-Year MBA by waiving overlapping coursework, enabling students to earn two degrees in two years.
• Stackable Master's: Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Online) An online stackable one-year master's degree in Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship that can be combined with the One-Year MBA by waiving overlapping coursework, enabling students to earn two degrees in two years.
• Stackable Master's: Marketing Analytics and Insights (Online) An online stackable one-year master's degree in Marketing Analytics and Insights that can be combined with the One-Year MBA by waiving overlapping coursework, enabling students to earn two degrees in two years.
• Stackable Master's: Taxation (Online) An online stackable one-year master's degree in Taxation that can be combined with the One-Year MBA by waiving overlapping coursework, enabling students to earn two degrees in two years.
• JD/MBA Joint Degree A joint degree program offered in partnership with Penn State Dickinson Law leading to both a Juris Doctor (JD) and MBA. Law students may pause legal studies to complete the full-time residential One-Year MBA.
• MD/MBA Joint Degree A five-year joint degree program integrating business training into medical education, allowing students to complete the One-Year MBA between medical school phases and earn both an MD and MBA.

Quantifiable outcome

• 89% employed within 6 months of graduation
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• RegeneronminorOthersRegeneron participated in an information session at Smeal to recruit MBA graduates. A graduate (Matt Caissie, MBA '24) was hired as Manager of IOPS Project Management at Regeneron as a result of this recruiting relationship.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Indiana University Kelley School of Business: Top-ranked public business school offering a one-year residential MBA at a similar tuition tier; competes directly with Smeal for STEM-designated, career-switcher candidates from large state university applicant pools.
• University of Rochester Simon Business School: Accelerated one-year MBA at a private research university with strong quantitative/STEM focus; competes for candidates seeking STEM OPT eligibility and fast-tracked business credentials.
• Boston University Questrom School of Business: One-year full-time MBA at a private research university with similar tuition band and STEM designation; comparable in curriculum structure, stackable credentials, and corporate recruiting approach.
• University of Southern California Marshall School of Business: One-year residential MBA at a major research university with strong West Coast corporate recruiting; competes with Smeal for STEM-designated international applicants and career-changers.
• University of Washington Foster School of Business: Public research-university MBA with STEM designation and tech-industry recruiting base; comparable scale, tuition positioning, and reliance on a single primary campus.
• Michigan State University Broad College of Business: Public Big Ten business school with a full-time MBA, supply chain specialization, and corporate recruiting base; directly comparable scale, tuition band, and career outcomes profile to Smeal.
• University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business: One-year MBA program at a major research university with comparable STEM-designation, global immersion, and small-cohort positioning; competes for the same experienced and recent-graduate applicant profiles.

Emerging players

• Quantic School of Business: Online, accredited MBA alternative targeting career advancers at a fraction of Smeal's tuition; represents the price-flexible competitive threat to traditional one-year residential programs.
• Babson College F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business: Specialized one-year MBA with a pronounced entrepreneurship focus; partial overlap with Smeal's stackable Corporate Innovation & Entrepreneurship master's offering.

Broad incumbents

• Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business: Highly ranked MBA at a private STEM-leading research university; broader portfolio but competes head-to-head with Smeal for STEM-eligible, analytics-oriented candidates and tech employers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/smealcollege
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/penn-state-smeal-mba-program
• Instagraminstagram.com/smealcollege_pennstate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Penn State Smeal MBA Program