Student Life - The Student Experience

The NC State MBA program is a rigorous learning environment that offers the rewards of small classes, a diverse student body and accessible faculty members.

Students should expect to be challenged. We’ve created a unique mix of coursework, classroom experiences, and team-based projects that engage students in active learning and demand significant commitment and effort. For every hour spent inside the classroom, students typically spend 2-3 hours outside of the class studying and working in teams. As an MBA student, you will learn how to manage your time more effectively and how to work as a member of a productive team.

From their first experiences in orientation, MBA students create class unity. During the first semester, students are assigned a peer group of 4-5 people who are responsible for a large portion of assignments, class projects and outside study. The teams are assembled on the basis of educational background, work experience and individual characteristics. Learning to leverage each person’s strengths is an important exercise for working with diverse personalities in the workplace.

Though the MBA program is rigorous and time-consuming, social and extracurricular activities create a relaxing and fun atmosphere for students. The MBA Student Association, working with the program staff, plans a variety of outings and events for both fun and professional development. NC State and the Raleigh community offer everything you need for a comfortable living and learning environment.

Experience NC State

NC State has more than 28,000 students and a 2,010-acres campus just west of downtown Raleigh. The university boasts nationally ranked programs in disciplines as diverse as engineering, life sciences, physical sciences, textiles, design, and social sciences. NC State also has a successful history of university spin-offs, technology transfer initiatives and patent license revenues. D.H. Hill Library has a worldwide reputation for exceptional technology resources and collections, including electronic databases and digital services accessible online through customizable library portals.

A university with the size and depth of NC State is able to offer students an enormous range of extracurricular and special-interest opportunities. Major college athletics – including men’s and women’s basketball, football, and baseball – are a favorite pastime. For participants, NC State offers recreational and fitness facilities, intramural and recreational sports and outdoor adventures. Arts and cultural programming includes student and professional visual art, dance, music, film and more.

A special feature of NC State is Centennial Campus, the university’s own 1,000-acre facility that hosts corporate and government research and development centers, start-up companies and business incubators. Companies located on Centennial Campus employ NC State students for internships and full-time jobs, and work closely with faculty on highly relevant research.

Enjoy Raleigh and the Triangle

NC State University is located in the state capital of Raleigh, a city of more than 340,000 residents. "Famous for its proximity to great universities and as an incubator for cutting-edge tech firms, Raleigh has so much green space it's described as a park with a city in it," according to Money magazine, which this year ranked Raleigh 4th on its Best Big Cities list. Combined with Durham and Chapel Hill, Raleigh is part of the growing Research Triangle, a world-renowned center of research, industry, technology, culture, and education.

The Triangle is the major cultural and entertainment center of the state, with the N.C. Symphony; the state museums of art, history, and natural sciences; the American Dance Festival; the Carolina Hurricanes professional hockey team; minor league baseball; and the Carolina Courage professional women’s soccer team. Both the beaches and the mountains are within a 2-4 hours drive, and the state boasts a variety of parks, forests, and beaches for recreational activities.

The Triangle has frequently been recognized in the national media as one of the best places to live, learn, and do business. Economic growth has created a thriving community of young professionals and families, and more than 70,000 students attend eight colleges and universities in the area.

In the midst of the Triangle is Research Triangle Park (RTP), a 7,000-acre research and industrial park employing 50,000 people in more than 125 organizations. NC State is one of the major educational institutions that supply the research, resources, and qualified employees needed to attract businesses to RTP. Major organizations in RTP include IBM, Cisco Systems, Nortel Networks, DuPont, BASF, GlaxoSmithKline, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The greater Triangle is also home to SAS Institute, Red Hat, Lucent Technologies, and a number of start-up companies.

NC State has formed alliances with many RTP organizations, as well as with national and international companies. Over the years, these partnerships have significantly enhanced student programs and job opportunities, student and faculty research, and joint business ventures.

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