MIT Sloan vs Tuck MBA: Comparison Based on Location, Ranking, Class Profile, Curriculum, Exchange Programs and Internships

Although many students might argue that MIT Sloan is at a different level when compared to Tuck, the following comparison will give you a clearer picture on which MBA program is best suited for you. The Comparison is based on Location, Ranking, Curriculum, Exchange Programs, Internships, Post MBA Salary, and  Career Service and Alumni Network.

1) Location

MIT Sloan is located in Cambridge, a city in Massachusetts, located in Greater Boston Area, in the United States. Cambridge is known for Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, two of the world’s most renowned institutions. During the 19th and 20th Century, Manufacturing sector was the largest employers in the City but from the inception of MIT and Harvard, the universities became the largest employer with the 2010 census indicating a combined employment of 20,000. It is the sixth largest city in the United States. Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth is located in Hanover, New Hampshire, in the United States. Hanover is a small town with a population of just 11,200, according to 2010 census.

2) Ranking

Except Economist, all other major publications that include US News, Financial Time, and BusinessWeek, has ranked MIT Sloan at a much better position than Tuck School of Business. The average rank for MIT Sloan is 7.25, against Tuck’s 9.75. The Economist offers the highest ranking for Tuck, placing it at 2nd position in the best MBA Program ranking. US News has ranked MIT at 4th place, the highest ranking for the Sloan School of Management, among all the major four ranking publications.

3) Class Profile

The representation of Women candidates in the class is identical for both Tuck and MIT at 34% but MIT has a considerable advantage when it comes to International representation (45% vs. 32%). The entry criteria for both the MBA programs look similar with Average GMAT in the 711-717 range, Average age at 28 and Average Work Experience at 5 Years. The mean GPA for both the programs is also identical at 3.5

The major difference though comes from the undergraduate major representation. MIT Sloan is known to attract Engineers and the latest statistics proves the trend - 33% of the class as against 16% in Tuck. The least represented group at MIT is the Science and Math major at 10%. Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth attracts students from Business (27%) and Humanities/Art (26%) background.

4) Curriculum

MIT follows a core and elective course curriculum with Action Learning integrated across the courses. Students get the opportunity to apply what they have learned through Action Labs based on function and global initiatives. Function and skill development labs include Leadership lab, Trading lab, Entrepreneurship Lab, Global Health Delivery Lab and Sustainable Business Lab. Challenges based on geographic locations are addressed through India and China Lab.

China Lab for instance brings together MIT Sloan and Chinese International MBA Students. As part of the lab, the multinational team addresses real issues faced by Host Companies in Beijing, Guangzhou, Kunming, Xi’an, and Shanghai regions. This is an opportunity to research and understand marketing, financing and commercialization issues faced by companies in China.

India Lab offer students with the opportunity to spend two weeks in India, understanding some of the challenges faced by the host companies. After collecting information, understanding the scope, and schedule of the project, students return to MIT campus and spend 4-8 weeks on implementing solutions. Some of the previous India labs addressed issues faced by industries in IT, Education and Media.

Another action learning aspect of the program is the wide array of competitions run by MIT Sloan - $100K Entrepreneurship Competition, MBA Sales Competition, the Elevator Pitch Contest, and the MIT Clean Energy Prize Competition. Students get the chance to compete with some of the best minds across the world and raise capital ranging from $350,000 to $600,000 for their new Business Initiatives. The Numerous networking events hosted by Student Clubs give Sloan students the opportunity to learn across industries. Students can also choose specializations with tracks in Enterprise Management, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, and Finance.

Tuck has integrated Leadership Development across its curriculum with courses and activities that help students develop the skills required to lead project, companies, and organizations. The first-year students are required to take the Personal Leadership course that creates awareness about their strengths and weakness through self and team assessment. With Center for Leadership, Students get the chance to learn from world's top business leaders on the challenges faced in leadership in various parts of the world.

Tuck has a more traditional curriculum structure with required and elective courses. However, action-based learning is integrated right from the first year with The First-Year Project course (FYP). During the course, teams of five tuck students solve real-world problems for clients with what they have learned from core courses. Clients include startups, nonprofits, and multinational companies. The skills applied are for courses in Marketing, Managerial Communications, Strategy, and Micro Economics.

Tuck Global Consultancy is another interesting field-study course that students can opt during the elective curriculum. Students will get the chance to work with non-profit companies outside United States with on-site consulting, research and analysis, and presentation of reports to the management within four to six weeks. The reach of the course is truly global with 150 projects spread across 45 countries that serve more than 100 clients. Some of the representative clients are British Telecom, Citibank, DHL, Hewlett-Packard, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, and Unilever.

5) Exchange Programs

Although there are several universities that have signed up for exchange programs with MIT Sloan, the European Exchange Program allows students who are interested in pursuing a career in Europe to experience one semester abroad in IESE(Spain) or London Business School (UK). Students at Sloan also get the chance to experience diverse cultures and solve global issues through Action Labs and Treks to China, India, France, Japan, Brazil, and Kenya.

Tuck School of Business has partnered with some of the top Business Schools across the world and offer exchange programs in Australia, China, Japan, India, France, Spain, UK, Germany, Italy, and Latin America. Some of the top schools are AGSM, CEIBS, ISB, HEC Paris, HHL—Leipzig Graduate School of Management, IESE , London Business School, SDA Bocconi School of Management and IPADE Business School.

6) Internships

As expected, the largest percentage of the internship was in the Consulting Industry with MIT contributing 20.4% of the class against Tuck’s 20%. MIT Sloan MBA Students has a strong technology background and it is evident in the % of class that opted for Technology industry – 14.2%. On the other hand, Tuck MBA students have shown a considerably large interest in Consumer Goods and Investment Management industry. The median per month Salary for MIT Sloan MBA Students are slightly on the higher side. Media & Entertainment and Technology were the only sectors that fetched Tuck MBA Interns a higher median salary than that of MIT.

Read the Second Part of the Series - MIT Sloan vs Tuck MBA