Mercer University—Atlanta - Eugene W. Stetson School of Business & Economics

One of Georgia’s premiere higher-learning institutions, Mercer University offers several business degree options on its graduate-focused Atlanta campus: a flexible evening MBA, an Executive MBA, professional MBA, virtual MBA, a master of accountancy (MAcc), and a one-year full-time MBA (the only of Mercer ’s various campuses that offers a full-time option). The school is also home to “one of the only pharmacy programs in the country to offer a dual MBA/PharmD degree.” Mercer ’s flexible MBA is popular with local professionals, who call it “Atlanta’s most accommodating MBA program for working students.” For part-timers, “classes meet one night a week for eight weeks, so it’s possible to take classes even when you have a full-time job and other commitments.” On top of that, professors “understand we work full-time and have family obligations, so the workload is moderate but challenging.” How challenging is up to the student: “Some take their time with one class per session, others overload to finish early.” The full-time MBA is likewise efficient, covering business fundamentals in an intense, cohort-based program that spans less than one calendar year (though students who did not study business as an undergraduate must take additional four-week Business Foundations courses before matriculation).

Known for “academic excellence in finance and accounting,” Mercer ’s curriculum covers business fundamentals from economics to communications. After completing the core, students take electives, including a required international business class or an overseas trip. Throughout disciplines, Mercer employs “strong professors with real-world experience,” who are able to offer an “in-depth understanding of what we were learning in class and how it applied to the business world.” On top of that, Mercer ’s “small class size” lends itself to “team-oriented projects and a lot of class interaction,” giving students a chance to collaborate, network, and develop their communication skills. Students dole out praise for Mercer ’s “extremely dedicated professors,” who balance top-notch business skills with a true desire “to help students succeed.” In fact, “everyone at Mercer is committed to enhancing the student’s experience.” Like the faculty, “the administrative offices are also helpful,” ensuring the program runs smoothly.

Many MBA candidates at Mercer are attending the program part-time and are not looking for a new job after graduation. Instead, they plan to leverage the practical skills they’ve acquired in the classroom to gain a better position and higher salary at their current job. To that end, a Mercer education is effective. One student attests, “I was able to secure my current position prior to graduation as a direct result of my then-current graduate enrollment at Mercer. I graduated in December, have earned an 18 percent increase in salary and am currently searching for a more significant managerial position within my firm and outside.”

Those in the full-time program (or looking to make a career change after completing the degree part-time) have access to the school’s Office of Career Services, which offers career counseling and workshops on résumé preparation and interviewing, in addition to hosting career fairs on campus. (Note that career fairs are often aimed at a certain industry, like pharmacy.) While students certainly benefit from Mercer ’s “good reputa- tion” in Atlanta, they say their school could improve its career-development offerings by promoting “more involvement from alumni,” as well as “a stronger link to the Atlanta business community.”

Mercer ’s Atlanta campus is focused on graduate programs, with advanced students of medicine, education, and theology, among other disciplines, sharing 300 tree-filled acres inside the Atlanta Perimeter. The business school attracts students from “diverse age ranges and backgrounds,” as well as at different points in their careers. In the evening programs, “MBA students are mostly part-time students with full-time jobs (and some are effectively full-time students with full-time jobs).” As a result, there is “little emphasis on social or extracurricular activities”; for most, “school life consists of classes, group project meetings and studying.” Nonetheless, Mercer ’s emphasis on collaboration means students frequently work together and build relationships, even if they don’t socialize outside of class.

For full-timers, “Mercer is a thriving campus during the day,” offering students access to myriad clubs and activities, as well as recreational facilities and fitness classes. At the business school, there are frequent career-related special events, like guest speakers and alumni networking events, as well as “festivities such as a “cook outs” (free to students) to celebrate the end of the semester.” “The library and the library’s website are also great resources for research,” and students appreciate the “nice meeting rooms available for students to reserve in order to study, work on projects, [and] have meetings.” Plus, the school’s “suburban campus” offers a central Atlanta location that is both “outstanding and safe.”