Business Career Center
Contact Information
Smeal College of Business
The Pennsylvania State University
114 Business Building
University Park, PA 16802
Phone: 814-863-6161
Email: smealcareers@smeal.psu.edu
On the Web: https://careerconnections.smeal.psu.edu/
Business Career Center Handout
Change of Campus Career Support Handout
Our Office
The Business Career Center prepares Penn State Smeal College of Business undergraduate students for success throughout their personal and professional careers. We are dedicated to serving students through development of skills in collaboration with employers, the Smeal alumni network, and the academic departments within the college.
Services Offered
We offer numerous opportunities to assist students with career development, including:
- Resume & Cover Letter Reviews
- Mock Interviews
- Internship, Co-Op, & Full-Time Job Search Resources
- Leadership & Professional Development Opportunities
- Corporate Networking and Events
Smeal Undergraduate Outcomes
We survey undergraduate students each academic year to gather information on their post-graduation outcomes. The graph on the right comes from the most recent outcomes report. To see a full version of the report, please visit careerconnections.smeal.psu.edu/resources/hiring-statistics.
Smeal Outcome Highlights: Class of Academic Year 2019-20*
91% of students were placed within three months of graduation
| Post-graduation Status | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Had full-time offers | 80.5% |
| Pursued further education or a fellowship | 9.5% |
| Entered the military or public service or pursued entrepreneurship | less than 1% |
| Had an internship | less than 1% |
| Were still seeking | 9% |
Student Outcome by Major
| Major | Placement | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting | 96.5% | $59,459 |
| Actuarial Science | 90% | $72,200 |
| Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship | 79% | $69,750 |
| Finance | 95% | $67,825 |
| Management | 92.5% | $61,609 |
| Management Information Systems | 80% | $67,563 |
| Marketing | 82% | $56,358 |
| Risk Management: Enterprise Risk Management | 91.5% | $64,188 |
| Risk Management: Real Estate | 92% | ** |
| Supply Chain and Information Systems | 95% | $65,490 |
**Not enough data to report.
Average Full-Time Salary: $64,197 (based on 336 responses)
Students who had at least one internship: 90.6%
* Data was collected through an optional student survey distributed prior to Summer 2019, Fall 2019, and Spring 2020 commencements. We received 472 of 1,684 graduating student responses prior to graduation. Within three months of the graduating semester, 487 new records and 32 updates were added for a total knowledge rate of 56.9%. Knowledge rate is significantly down from the 18/19 year due to the lack of ability to survey on campus during Spring 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Top Hiring Companies: Full-Time and Internship
- Deloitte
- EY
- Johnson & Johnson
- KPMG
- Oracle
- PWC
Student Placement by Geographic Location
| State | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 30% |
| New York | 22% |
| New Jersey | 10.5% |
| Virginia, Massachusetts | 5% |
| Texas, Maryland | 3% |
| California, Illinois, North Carolina | 2% |
| District of Columbia, Georgia | 1.5% |
| Colorado, Delaware, Washington, Ohio | 1% |
| Other States | Less than 1% each |
| International | 1.5% |
Change of Campus Career Support
Programming Overview
Students starting a Smeal undergraduate program at a Penn State commonwealth campus have access to all Business Career Center (BCC) events and services. In addition, there are many BCC resources and programs targeted to Smeal change of campus students to support their career development transition between campuses.
Change of Campus Specific Resources
The BCC has a full-time professional staff member dedicated to the career development of change of campus students. We offer resources tailored to this population. This includes a guided list of action items that help students stay on track with their career planning, the Change of Campus webpage on the Business Career Center website, and population-specific online career resources.
Change of Campus Specific Programs
Students can enroll in online BA 297, a one-credit Career Planning & Strategies course. This class helps students build professional development skills in time with the recruiting season each semester. The BCC visits the majority of the commonwealth campuses each academic year. Every visit typically includes a Smeal Career Prep group information session and one-on-one Smeal career coaching. The content covered in these visits is also offered virtually each semester during the Smeal Career Prep Webinar.
Students can schedule virtual career coaching appointment year-round and can tune into livestreams of the 25+ career topic workshops that the BCC staff presents at UP. In addition, campus students are encouraged to attend Smeal-hosted career events before starting at UP. Historically, this population has attended employer recruitment events, career topic workshops, case competitions, conferences, and Smeal career fairs, including each semester’s Mock Career Fair. The BCC also connects with campus Smeal students at centralized UP programming such as Change of Campus Orientation, the summer STEP transition program, and the Link UP spring visitation.
Did You Know?
- Approximately a third of each Smeal junior class starts at a Commonwealth campus
- Students can start any Smeal undergraduate major at 19 Penn State campuses in addition to University Park.
In fall of 2021, Smeal will have change of campus juniors coming from the following campuses (as of May 2021).
- Abington: 110
- Altoona: 110
- Harrisburg: 67
- Berks: 36
- Erie: 35
- Lehigh Valley: 27
- Brandywine: 17
- York: 17
- Scranton: 14
- Hazelton: 13
- Beaver: 9
- Greater Allegheny: 7
- Fayette: 5
- Wilkes-Barre: 5
- Schuylkill: 4
- Mont Alto: 3
- New Kensington: 3
- DuBois: 1
- Shenango: 0
Every Campus Has:
- A Smeal academic advising ambassador who visits the campus and serves as a point of contact.
- A Smeal liaison at their campus to assist with Smeal academic planning.
- At least one professional Penn State Career Services staff member.
Change of Campus Students Reached by the Business Career Center Since Fall 2015: 2,598
Reach by Year
| Year | Number of Students Reached |
|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 401 |
| 2016-17 | 412 |
| 2017-18 | 524 |
| 2018-19 | 618 |
| 2019-20 | 288* |
| 2020-21 | 355* |
*This number was reduced due to cancelled events from COVID-19 and a vacancy in the Change of Campus Coordinator role in 2019.