Welcome!

Read a message from the director.

  • The Black School of Business is the only business school in the region accredited by AACSB International (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), the premier accrediting agency for business education.
  • You’ll also find us listed among America’s Best Business Schools and the Princeton Review’s Best Business Schools in the country.
  • Our business programs rank among the top 10% in the country—out of more than 1,700 universities nationwide—for value, or financial return (Georgetown University Center on Education and Workforce). At all levels—associate, bachelor’s, and master’s—the net earnings of Behrend business program graduates are among the best in the country.
  • Our programs are accredited by AACSB International (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), the premier accrediting agency for schools of business. Fewer than 6 percent of colleges and universities worldwide have obtained this designation, including world-class business schools like Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, and Yale.
  • The school is listed in the Princeton Review’s Best Business Schools. In the Princeton Review report, students surveyed cited Penn State Behrend's MBA program as "the best value for a working student in the local area," and said that Penn State Behrend enjoys "an outstanding reputation" and is "the best school, academically, for the region."
  • The Interdisciplinary Business with Engineering Studies degree is offered jointly with the School of Engineering, and is one of the first and only of its kind in the country.
  • The Interdisciplinary Science and Business degree is offered jointly with the School of Science to prepare students for positions on the business side of science, technology, and health-care organizations.
  • The Black School of Business is the first school in the country to offer education and certification for both Oracle and SAP software systems.
  • The Black School of Business understands the global marketplace and prepares our graduates for success in a global community. To do so, the school strongly encourages students to participate in global education opportunities.

We empower minds to adapt to change, make decisions, solve problems, and improve business performance in a sustainable, ethical, and socially responsible manner.

Learning by Doing. Innovating through Collaboration. Advancing Knowledge.

The Black School of Business will create an innovative environment for learning, research, and outreach that extends across disciplines by building and leveraging partnerships among students, faculty, staff, and industry to make a positive impact on business and society. 

Read the Vision 2028 Strategic Plan

Black School of Business promotes sustainable prosperity for individuals and communities by cultivating decent work and economic growth and providing quality education. Through the integration of competitive curricula, innovative scholarship, and strategic partnerships, we aim to build a sustainable ecosystem for all our stakeholders in the greater Erie region, while also fostering a global reach and impact.

We positively impact society by:

  1. Fostering the educational, intellectual, and social advancement of our region’s youth through inclusive outreach programs and unique learning opportunities.
  2. Promoting financial literacy among young and underserved populations through classroom and community outreach initiatives, supported by rigorous research and data analysis at the regional, national, and international levels.
  3. Providing data analysis and dissemination to enhance understanding of the regional economy and its linkages to the national economy.
  4. Providing resources and programming to support the needs and success of family-owned businesses in northwestern Pennsylvania.
  5. Involving students and faculty in community engagement to tackle business challenges in nonprofit and business sectors.
  6. Equipping our students with relevant skills for career success and developing future business leaders with knowledge and skills to promote sustainability.
  7. Developing, advancing, and disseminating knowledge that addresses sustainability and societal progress through a variety of intellectual contributions and professional engagement activities.