Undergraduate Program

Competitive admissions drive strong undergraduate work ethic


Project Green is an annual community
service event that teams up Broad
School students with recruiters who
work through the college’s Lear
Corporation Career Services Center.
Here, two Broad School undergraduates
put fresh paint on a swing set
at a local playground.

Ten years ago, students with a 2.5 business pre-core GPA would have been assured admission to the Eli Broad College of Business Undergraduate Program. But no more. In today’s more competitive environment, aspiring Broad business majors are keenly aware that no less than a 3.05 average is needed to compete successfully for admission. In fact, approximately one-third of the applicants to the program are not accepted because they have been out-performed by students with significantly higher GPAs: The average is just under 3.5.

“With only about 1,040 admissions available each academic year,” says Michael Mazzeo, associate dean for Undergraduate Programs, “every preliminary course counts, and we have seen the effects in a much stronger work ethic among our freshmen and sophomores,” he says.

High-touch services support success

Students are not expected to navigate their way to junior admission without assistance. Continuous access to faculty and academic specialists is integral to the program. Mazzeo notes, “We are delivering services to a lot of high quality students with a level of connectedness that is rare in a program of this size.” Indeed, by the time students reach junior status and officially apply for admission to the college, they will have established a relationship with an advisor that continues throughout their entire Broad academic career.

The services available range from traditional face-to-face sessions to advisor email and other web-based services such as online advising appointment sign-up; the online Academic Excellence Center, where students find research material and visual resources to inform academic and career decisions; and the Quick Tips drop-in advising program that’s available to students 45 hours a week. Students can also get help in arranging study abroad and transfer credits.

Students from many cultures and backgrounds benefit from tutoring programs with individualized academic counseling support, career development, and networking through Broad’s Multicultural Business Programs (MBP) Office.

Another unique, dedicated undergraduate service, the Lear Corporation Career Services Center further enriches the student’s experience, offering mock interviews, corporate-sponsored events, career-related seminars and placement services.

According to a recent study conducted by the Lear Center, the types of ‘professional development’ experiences students participated in influenced whether a student ultimately landed an internship related to his or her major. The study showed that nearly 40 percent of the Broad School students surveyed had internship/ co-op experiences, and 31 percent had positions directly related to their majors. The report on the link between professional experience and education was based on a survey of nearly 1,300 juniors and seniors at MSU’s Broad School over the last year.

Students take initiative to develop teamwork skills

Student organizations extend the connection with individual students. For example, the Broad Ambassadors, an organization of about 20 student volunteers, return to campus midsummer to play a prominent role in the Freshman Academic Orientation Program, and are entirely responsible for the planning and presentation for Junior Academic Orientation in the fall and spring semesters. The orientation programs introduce students to academic and career success strategies and campus resources.

Leadership opportunities abound in any of 23 student organizations and affinity groups available to business students, including Broad Ambassadors, Broad Undergraduate Senate, Women in Business Student Association, Finance Association, Multicultural Business Students Association, and the Human Resources Association, as examples. (See article at right.)

Students also have opportunities outside of the classroom to participate in case competitions, where they learn to succeed as a team and use their analytical and presentation skills to solve real-world business problems. Broad’s accounting team turned in top-notch performances to attain finalist honors in this year’s xTAX Competition, sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). A total of six U.S. teams competed in the nation’s capital for the PwC Alexander Hamilton Award.

Global opportunities lure Broad students

International experience for these future leaders in the global marketplace comes from the Eli Broad College of Business Study Abroad Programs. Michigan State University leads the nation in study abroad programs, and Broad students participate in study abroad programs in significantly high numbers. The programs are characterized by small groups of not more than 30 students, for stays ranging from two weeks to a full semester. In 2002-03, more than 250 students traveled to destinations in Asia, Australia, Europe and Mexico.


Karrie Szyperski, BA ’03,
Human Resource Management

HR match-up gives undergrads real-life experience

Taking a page from the HR texts on mentor programs, Karrie Szyperski, (BA ’03, Human Resource Management) turned an idea for a career-specific mentorship program into a real-life experience for 20 members of the student-run Human Resource Association (HRA) in 2002-03.

Szyperski connected with Valerie Kurzynowski, president of the Human Resource Management Association of Mid-Michigan. The two leaders developed guidelines and launched the program by asking students to complete an application; then matched them with HR professionals.

“It’s a great way for students to get an insider’s view of current events in HR,” says Syzperski. “And more corporations now have mentor programs for early career employees, so it’s important to introduce students to these programs while they are still in college.” Since joining Philadelphia-based ARAMARK, she has first-hand knowledge of how valuable the Broad mentoring experience has been. In the coming months, Syzperski will be matched with ARAMARK HR managers in her role as HR recruiter and trainer for the global facilities management company.

Undergraduate Profile

2002-03 graduates by concentration*
Accounting .......................................... 13.5%
Economics ............................................. 3.9%
Finance ............................................... 19.9%
General Business Administration-Prelaw ..... 3.7%
General Management ............................. 10.8%
Hospitality Business ................................ 6.8%
Human Resource Management ................... 3.4%
Marketing ............................................ 17.8%
Policy and Applied Economics ................... 0.2%
Supply Chain Management ...................... 20.0%
Average Cumulative GPA ....................... 3.46**
*Based on the 1,205 business degrees conferred

Summer 2002, Fall 2002 and Summer 2003

**Admitted students, spring 2003
Total Undergraduate Students .................. 5,237
Multicultural students ......................... 1,109
African American/Non-Hispanic ............... 333
Chicano/Mexican-American ...................... 31
Hispanic ............................................... 73
American Indian/Alaskan Native ............... 15
Asian/Pacific Islander (Asian American) .... 347
International ........................................ 310
Women................................................. 43.4%
Men ..................................................... 56.6%
See www.bus.msu.edu/undergrad