Birmingham-Southern College

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Students Say - Academics
Birmingham-Southern College is a relative rarity in the graduate business world in that it is a tiny liberal arts school. It is so small, in fact, that business is the only area in which it offers any type of graduate instruction. The school is also unique in the degree it awards. Rather than offering a traditional MBA, the school offers a Master's of Arts in Public and Private Management (MPPM), a degree that stresses "a holistic approach to managerial leadership through a liberal arts curriculum." As one student puts it, the focus here is "more on leadership and management than on the numbers." The school also offers a 1-year certificate program in Public and Private Management for international students.
BSC has built a graduate business curriculum based on the themes of leadership, entrepreneurship, teamwork, ethics, critical analysis, business strategy, quantitative analysis, creativity, communication, and global perspectives. The incorporation of the school's strong liberal arts programs means that "Behavioral and political science professors have a place in the MPPM program," too, although some here feel that "the program places too much emphasis on those types of courses." All students must complete 16 three-credit classes, nine of which form the program's foundation requirements. Elective choices are limited, as are concentration options; students may currently concentrate only in public sector management, private sector management, or health care management. The program could improve by "increasing concentrations to include entrepreneurship, transportation/logistics, marketing, strategic management, corporate finance/controller, and IT/technology management," says one student. "I believe that by offering concentrations that are more specific, BSC can increase enrollment and provide a more individualized experience that could better serve the greater Birmingham area."
BSC's size may have some drawbacks, but it also ensures "small classes" and "personal attention" for each student in the program. The school's solid commitment to the program means also that a "dedicated administration" demonstrates a serious "interest in improving the program." Students agree the majority of "Professors are good communicators, experts in their fields, and appear to genuinely care about the students." "My overall academic experience is very good and appropriately challenging."

Students Say - Admissions
Applicants to the Birmingham-Southern MPPM program must apply to the college's Office of Graduate Programs. The school requires applicants to submit a completed application, an essay discussing career goals and program objectives, a resume, two letters of recommendation, official transcripts for all post secondary institutions attended, and any of the following entrance exams: the GMAT, the GRE, or the Miller Analogy Test (MAT). Applicants already holding advanced degrees are exempted from entrance exam requirements. Foreign students whose first language is not English must submit either an official TOEFL score report (minimum required score: 600, paper-based test; or 214, computer-based test) or comparable evidence of proficiency in written and spoken English. After initial review of applications, the school contacts potential candidates to schedule an entrance interview. BSC requires students to enter with at least 3 years of management experience.

Students Say - Campus Life
"Graduate students, for the most part, come to campus to attend classes at night and have jobs during the day" at Birmingham-Southern, meaning that most students attend part-time, taking two classes per semester to complete the program in 3 to 4 years. While on campus, students "frequently utilize the business school building, the cafeteria, the computer lab," and the library. One commuter students says, "I try to interact with faculty and staff whenever possible." Classes convene in the Marguerite Jones Harbert Building, which includes computer labs, an auditorium, a conference center, and a behavioral science research center, which is utilized for the MPPM program.
The city of Birmingham is one of the major banking centers of the South, and its banks help feed the program's student body. The city is also the state's capital, and the government workforce also contributes to the population here. Birmingham-Southern is located on a wooded, 192-acre campus just three miles west of downtown Birmingham, making it both convenient and comfortable. The acreage means there's plenty of room for a baseball field, a softball field, a soccer field, tennis courts, an intramural field, and EcoScape, an art park that combines the work of local artists with a nature center. Mild winters help relieve the winter doldrums suffered by students' peers farther north. Spring and fall are reasonably mild, while summers can be oppressive.
BSC draws a "very diverse" student body "by race, gender, age, and economic background" to its MPPM program, meaning "Discussions are always interesting." "Classroom interaction is the best part of the MPPM program," offers one student. Most here have "white-collar careers, are married" and are in "their mid- to late 30s." They are typically "dedicated to work, school, and home." Some feel the program needs to tighten admissions requirements in order to push the program to the next level.

Students Say - Careers
BSC is primarily an undergraduate institution, and its Career Counseling Center is designed to provide placement and counseling services to undergraduates. Services here include self-assessments instruments; seminars and workshops in job search skills, resume writing, interviewing, and salary negotiation; mentoring and internship placement; and the administration of networking and recruiting events both on and off campus.
The school does not provide employment data for graduates of its MPPM program. Major employers in the Birmingham area include The University of Alabama at Birmingham, BellSouth, Baptist Health System, AmSouth Bank, American Cast Iron Pipe, Alabama Gas, BE&K, Alabama Power, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Compass Bank, and federal, state, and local government.

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