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Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics and Government

The mission of the Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics and Government is to prepare students to be:

  • Effective business and professional leaders 
  • Responsible and successful participants in a dynamic market economy 
  • Principled civic leaders and public servants 
  • Skillful managers of technology 
  • Thoughtful contributors to the intellectual and scholarly world

This mission is achieved via the McKenna School philosophy, which is based on the intellectual and moral traditions of Western civilization. As such, the McKenna School provides a challenging curriculum that addresses contemporary issues and professional needs as well as the enduring concerns of human experience.

The hallmark of a McKenna School education is practical knowledge combined with scholarly experience. As part of Saint Vincent College, the Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics and Government educates students in the liberal arts tradition so that they are well prepared for successful and rewarding lives.

To learn about the most recent achievements of the McKenna School students, alumni and staff, join the Facebook community at http://www.facebook.com/mckennaschool. 

Why Choose the McKenna School

McKenna NetworkingSince birth, you have been exchanging information with others, in order to learn and grow. That is networking and it is key to a successful career. The Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics and Government will help you build on these skills and prepare you for your future.

As a student in the McKenna School at Saint Vincent College, you will observe a scholarly, disciplined approach to life, be accepted unconditionally, challenged intellectually, nurtured spiritually and taught, by example, to pursue a full life. You will experience:

  • Outstanding opportunities to interact with a diverse group of faculty, skilled in disciplines directly and indirectly related to your major. 
  • A wide variety of internships, work-study and student research fellowships.
  • Upper-level job leads and interaction with the broader business and professional community. 
  • Networking with Saint Vincent College alumni. 
  • Valuable links to future career options, such as advice from successful Saint Vincent College alumni. 
  • Hearing and meeting top scholars from prominent universities and think tanks (the Center for Political and Economic Thought, with one of the strongest lecture and conference programs in the country, sponsors 15 - 25 renowned speakers each year).
  • Developing your network and networking skills, not only at school, but at professional conferences and extracurricular programs.

And, after experiencing all of the above, you can rest confidently, knowing that your degree from the McKenna School at Saint Vincent College offers: 

  • A solid academic foundation 
  • Small classes headed by faculty who love to teach and offer personal attention 
  • A close network of students, faculty, staff and Catholic Benedictine monks (a distinguishing feature of a Saint Vincent College education)
  • Numerous opportunities for practical experience in business and government 
  • A lifetime of relationships which reflect a priceless investment
The McKenna School Business Core Student Learning Outcomes:
Students will have significant knowledge in the 12 core areas of:
  • Accounting; Economics; Finance; Management; Marketing; Management Information Systems; International Business; Legal Environment of Business; Statistics; Quantitative Skills; Strategic Management; and Business Ethics.

Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics and Government

  • Results and Accreditation

    Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics and Government Outcomes

    2020 McKenna School Annual Report

    2020 McKenna School Newsletter

     acbsp accreditation logo

    • The McKenna School of Business has seven programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). They are: Accounting, Business Education Information Technology, Business Economics, Finance, International Business, Management and Marketing. Two new programs in Business Data Analytics (launched Fall 2020) and Sports Management (Launching Fall 2021) are in candidacy for accreditation. The Economics, Politics and Criminal Justice programs are not accredited through the ACBSP; however, all programs in the McKenna School have regional accreditation through the Middle States Association. The ACBSP is one of the two premier accrediting agencies for business schools worldwide. With a requirement for faculty professional development (e.g., publications and research) and courses primarily taught by faculty holding doctorates, the ACBSP is the leading business accreditation program devoted to teaching excellence and service to students. For more information on The McKenna School's ACBSP accreditation, visit www.acbsp.org. To access The McKenna School's Business Performance Metrics, click here. The Performance Metrics include ACBSP Accredited Degrees, Four-Year Business Major Graduation Rates, Business Freshmen to Sophomore Retention Rates, SVC McKenna School Business Graduates Reporting Successful Placement within Six Months of Graduation, ETS Major Field Senior Exit Exam in Business, and McKenna School Graduate and Undergraduate Student Enrollment.
    • We offer SAP Business One and Lean Six Sigma Greenbelt certification. We are a CFP certified college and offer the entirety of the CFA Level One curriculum. We emphasize Qualtrics, CCH Intelliconnect, Morningstar, Excel, and Tableau Business Intelligence. Since 2013, job placement of McKenna graduates has been 99.1 to 100%.
    • Our job and internship placements are exceptional. The McKenna School has had a 100% placement record for 2014-2019 business graduates. Median starting salaries for 2019 graduates are listed below:
      • Accounting: median salary is $52,000
      • Finance: median salary is $53,000
      • Marketing: median salary is $50,000
      • Management: median salary is $48,500
      • International Business: $50,500
      • All Business Majors: $52,000
    McKenna School Business Graduate Placements
    • Ph.D. Programs:
      • Finance at the University of Connecticut, and the University of Washington at the Ohlin Business School
      • Statistics at the University of Pennsylvania
      • Economics at West Virginia University and the University of Pittsburgh
    • M.S. Programs:
      • Management: Operational Excellence at Saint Vincent College
      • Accounting at Notre Dame and the University of Pittsburgh
      • Applied Economics at Johns Hopkins,
      • Finance at Case Western, and the University of Villanova
      • Supply Chain at MIT
      • Criminology at SVC and Florida State University
      • Integrated Marketing at Georgetown University
    • MBA Programs:
      • The Katz School at the University of Pittsburgh, Saint Francis University, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Syracuse University, Georgia Tech
    • Law School Programs:
      • University of Pittsburgh, Ohio Northern, Duquesne, University of Pennsylvania
    • Rankings: The McKenna School’s overall rank for 2019-20 (45 exams) academic year placed us in the top 24.5% compared to 524 accredited colleges and universities of which 1/3 are AACSB accredited. Historically, from 2014 to 2020, we have placed in the Top 13.3 to 36% of all business schools. The annualized exam scores are based on the fall 2019 semester. Seniors in spring 2020 were unable to take the ETS exam due to COVID-19 complications.
    • Economics Major: Nationally ranked program, based on data up to 2004, in terms of the absolute number of undergraduates who go on to finish a PhD in Economics, SVC ranked 38th of all BA I and BA II Colleges and universities (over 1,600 universities) in the U.S. Since 1984, SVC has had 100 percent placement at highly ranked PhD programs. Presently, we have three students with full scholarships and $23,688-$35,000 stipends at West Virginia University, Olin Business School at Washington University, and the University of Pittsburgh. Since 2011, six of our economic graduates finished their PhDs at Princeton University, University of Albany, Ohio State University, Georgetown University and the University of Virginia.
    • Nationally acclaimed Politics major: Names one of the strongest such programs "of any Catholic College" in the 2006 edition of All American Colleges: Top Schools for Conservatives, Old-Fashioned Liberals, and People of Faith, ISI Books. Our Politics program is distinguished by its superb faculty, academic excellence with a "Great Books" approach and with an emphasis on primary readings, its extensive, nationally known lecture and conference programs and the quality of law school and graduate school placements. Recent graduates have attended such highly ranked graduate and law schools as Georgetown, Harvard, Ohio State, George Mason, Carnegie Mellon, Washington U. in St. Louis and the Claremont Graduate School.
    • Criminology, Law and Society: The Criminology Program takes as its most important measure of success the successful placement of our graduates into positions in which they may become significant contributors in the criminal justice area on a wide variety of levels.
      Since the fall of 2011 when the Criminology Program began at Saint Vincent, we have been honored to have a number of our graduates enter law schools throughout the country. Some have already graduated from law school and are now successfully in the practice of law. Another group of our graduates have taken positions in the criminal justice system as probation officers and juvenile counselors. Still another contingent have directly entered the field of law enforcement. We currently have over 10 of our graduates as members of the Pennsylvania State Police. Others have been offered positions in law enforcement agencies in various jurisdictions including the Pittsburgh Police Department. A final group of graduates have entered into some of the top graduate programs in Criminology and related fields of national security studies and cybersecurity studies.
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