Faculty and Teaching Styles

Orienting yourself to the world of business schools is important from the start, especially in getting a better understanding of faculty–student relationships.

As a rule, MBA programs tend to emphasize research productivity and teaching quality, with most striving for a balance between the two. Each school’s focus will determine what type of faculty it attracts.

Ask yourself:

• What are your expectations of faculty in an MBA program?
• Do you expect a lot of personal attention from your professors?
• How accessible do you want faculty to be, in and out of class?
• Are you interested in working as a graduate research assistant? 
• Is famous faculty important to you, at least in your area of concentration?
• If there were a low student-to-teacher ratio, would you take advantage of it?

The student-to-teacher ratio is the most widely used benchmark related to faculty. A ratio of 15:1 indicates that for every 15 students, there is one faculty member.

These ratios, like other statistical data, can be misleading. Some ratios are derived by adding up the total number of faculty teaching in the business school (both undergraduate and graduate students) and comparing it with the total number of MBA students. This translates into low student-to-teacher ratios, but does not necessarily mean that MBA students have the best access to faculty.

What matters is having access to professors when you need them. To get a more accurate picture, ask:

• How was the student-to-teacher ratio calculated?
• What degree-seeking students are included in the student head count to compile this ratio? (Does the number include only MBA students, or also others?)
• What is the total number of faculty who teach only MBA students?

Every business school employs its own teaching style. Familiarize yourself with the mix of instructional techniques that each school uses. For instance, in a case-method approach, student input is the central activity for learning. In a lecture approach, the teacher delivers the subject matter.

As you compare schools, also consider:

• The program’s balance of quantitative and qualitative material
• Whether the school’s teaching and grading styles are uniform throughout the program or determined by individual teachers
• Whether students are allowed to participate in teaching and course evaluations
• How group work is viewed and measured

Faculty members are a great source of information about a school’s curriculum, class size, and teaching styles. Ask admissions staff if you can meet with faculty members who teach in that program for a short, informal interview. Arrive with a set of directed questions such as the following:

• What do you enjoy most about teaching at this school? What do you enjoy least?
• What kind of interaction takes place in your classes?
• How many hours during the week are you available to students outside of class? Do you have posted office hours?
• Are you active in any professional associations? Which ones? Do you consult with any particular industry or companies? Which ones?
• Are there others at your school who also do research and teach in your field of interest?
• What is the strongest feature of faculty at this school? Academic research? Teaching quality? Accessibility to students? Prior industry experience? Something else?
• Are teaching evaluations conducted at your school? How often? Who uses them and how are they used? Are the results made available to students?
• Does the program encourage students to approach faculty outside the classroom?
• Are there teaching awards, and if so, who are the judges?