Baylor Hankamer School of Business: Programs, Rankings, and Housing Guide for Business Students
If you're applying to Baylor University to study business, there's one name you'll hear constantly: Hankamer. The Hankamer School of Business is Baylor's largest academic unit, home to nearly a quarter of the entire undergraduate enrollment and a growing roster of graduate programs that have climbed national rankings faster than most comparable institutions. Understanding what Hankamer offers — and how the experience differs at the undergrad versus MBA level — is critical to planning both your academic path and your housing situation before you arrive in Waco.
What Is the Hankamer School of Business?
The Hankamer School of Business is Baylor University's college of business, named after alumnus Edward Hankamer Jr. It enrolls 3,959 BBA students, making it the largest school at Baylor — accounting for more than 24% of total undergraduate enrollment. On the graduate side, Hankamer runs several MBA tracks and specialized master's programs serving 628+ MBA students.
The school occupies a cluster of buildings on Baylor's main campus, including the Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation, which opened in 2013 and gave Hankamer a modern, collaborative home designed to compete with top-tier business schools nationally.
Hankamer's mission is explicitly tied to Baylor's faith-based identity: developing business leaders who act with integrity, pursue excellence, and serve others. In practice, that translates to small class sizes, close faculty relationships, and a culture where networking starts day one rather than after graduation.
BBA Programs: Undergraduate Options
Hankamer offers the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) across 10+ concentrations, covering the full range of business disciplines:
- Accounting — one of the most popular tracks; Baylor's accounting department consistently ranks among the best in Texas for CPA exam pass rates
- Finance — strong corporate finance and investment tracks with connections to Dallas and Houston financial firms
- Marketing — focuses on consumer behavior, digital marketing, and brand strategy
- Management — broad leadership and organizational track; good for students without a specific industry target
- Entrepreneurship — a standout program; Hankamer's MBA Entrepreneurship track ranks #22 nationally (US News, 2026), and that strength extends to the undergraduate program
- Management Information Systems (MIS) — bridges business and technology; increasingly popular for students interested in consulting and data analytics
- Supply Chain Management — growing demand given post-pandemic logistics disruptions; Texas-based companies actively recruit here
- Business Fellows Program — competitive honors track within Hankamer emphasizing leadership development and cross-disciplinary projects
The BBA is a four-year degree with a common business core (accounting, economics, statistics, business law, communication) taken in the first two years, followed by concentration-specific coursework. Most students declare a concentration by the end of sophomore year.
Graduate Programs: MBA and Specialized Master's
Hankamer runs one of the more diverse graduate program lineups among mid-sized business schools:
Full-Time MBA — Baylor's flagship graduate business program. The class profile reflects strong preparation: average GMAT of 624, two-plus years of work experience. Ranked #67 nationally by US News, #52 by Bloomberg Businessweek, and #57 by Poets&Quants — a consistent top-75 showing across multiple methodologies. The full-time program is designed to be completed in 18 months through an intensive curriculum that includes international travel and real client consulting projects.
Online MBA — Ranked #78 by US News (2026), Hankamer's online MBA serves working professionals across the country. It's become one of the more visible distance-learning options for mid-career candidates who want the Baylor name without relocating to Waco.
Part-Time MBA — Designed for working Waco and Central Texas professionals who attend classes in the evenings. Popular among professionals at local healthcare systems, tech companies in Austin, and financial firms in Dallas who commute to Baylor's campus.
Healthcare MBA — A specialized track ranked #10 nationally by US News (2026) — arguably Hankamer's highest-profile program-specific ranking. Strong alignment with Baylor Scott & White Health and local Waco healthcare employers.
Executive MBA — For senior managers and executives. Cohort-based, meets on weekends.
Specialized Master's Programs — Hankamer offers a Master of Accountancy (MAccy) and Master of Information Systems (MSIS), both designed as fast-track professional degrees for students wanting targeted credentials without the full MBA breadth.
Rankings You Should Know
Hankamer's rankings position it solidly in the tier of strong regional business schools with national reach:
| Ranking | Position |
|---|---|
| US News Undergraduate Business | #64 nationally (2025) |
| US News Full-Time MBA | #67 nationally (2026) |
| Bloomberg Businessweek MBA | #52 (2026) |
| Poets&Quants Full-Time MBA | #57 (2026) |
| US News Healthcare Management MBA | #10 nationally (2026) |
| US News MBA for Entrepreneurship | #22 nationally (2026) |
| US News Online MBA | #78 (2026) |
The pattern here is clear: Hankamer punches above its overall ranking in specialized tracks. If healthcare administration or entrepreneurship is your target, you're looking at a genuinely elite program, not just a respectable regional school.
For context, Hankamer's undergraduate ranking (#64) places it above Texas Tech (#80+), Baylor, and comparable faith-based peers like SMU's Cox School, which ranks in the #50-70 range depending on the metric. It falls below UT Austin's McCombs (#26) and Rice's Jones (#23), but at significantly lower tuition than either.
Career Outcomes and Recruiting
Hankamer's career placement is one of its clearest selling points. The school's location in Waco — midway between Dallas and Austin, two of the fastest-growing business markets in the country — creates natural recruiting pipelines to both metros without the cost and competition of being located in either.
BBA students regularly place at Big 4 accounting firms (Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG), regional banks, healthcare systems, and management consulting firms. The school's entrepreneurship resources include a dedicated business incubator and ties to the Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC).
MBA graduates have placed at companies including Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Baylor Scott & White, and multiple Texas-based mid-market firms. The 18-month full-time program includes a client consulting project that serves as a de facto capstone and recruiting audition.
For international students, it's worth noting that Hankamer's career services team actively helps with OPT and STEM-extension timing — a meaningful differentiator since several MIS and data-focused tracks qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension.
Housing Considerations for Hankamer Students
Your housing situation will vary significantly depending on whether you're a BBA undergrad or a graduate student.
BBA undergrads follow Baylor's standard housing pattern: freshmen are required to live on campus, and most students move off campus starting sophomore year. If that's your situation, you're looking at the same October-November lease-signing window as every other Baylor undergrad — start your search in the fall semester, not the spring.
MBA students have different priorities. You're typically older, often partnered, working professionally alongside coursework, and you want separation from undergraduate apartment culture. Most full-time MBA students prefer off-campus housing with private bedrooms, in-unit laundry, dedicated parking, and a gated entry — features that align with a more professional lifestyle than most undergraduate-targeted complexes offer.
Centre Apartments sits at 1901 S 11th Street, putting you 0.3–0.5 miles from Baylor's main campus where Hankamer's Paul L. Foster building is located. That's a walkable distance for morning classes and evening study sessions, which matters when your MBA schedule runs late. Our units include a washer and dryer, high-speed internet, and private parking — the three line items that MBA students cite most often when comparing off-campus options against listings that charge separately for each.
If you're splitting a unit with another MBA student or a partner, our two-bedroom floor plans and two-bedroom townhouses offer private bedrooms and full bathrooms that work well for two people with independent study schedules. For students coming to Waco with a family, our three-bedroom floor plan is one of the few near-campus options with that much space.
The gated entry matters too. Hankamer students arrive in Waco with laptops, professional equipment, and in many cases vehicles — a closed perimeter reduces the daily-life friction that comes with open-access complexes.
Making the Most of Waco During Your Program
Waco has changed significantly in the past decade, and Hankamer students are well-positioned to take advantage of it. The city's growth — anchored by Magnolia Market, Balcones Distillery, a developing downtown food and arts scene, and continued Baylor University expansion — mirrors what's happening in nearby Austin and Dallas at a fraction of the cost.
For MBA students, Waco's mid-market business community is a genuine asset. Local firms in healthcare, real estate, and professional services actively hire Baylor MBAs, and several Hankamer alumni run established Waco businesses where networking is accessible in a way that getting face time with senior leaders in Dallas simply isn't.
For BBA students, Waco's emerging startup ecosystem and the BRIC give undergraduate students earlier access to entrepreneurship resources than they'd find at larger research universities where undergrads compete with PhD students for faculty attention.
Ready to See Where Baylor Business Students Live?
If you're heading to Baylor for business — whether it's a BBA or an MBA — the housing decision you make affects everything from your study schedule to your commute on recruiting days. Centre is close enough to campus to walk, professional enough to feel like home for graduate students, and affordable enough to make financial sense when Hankamer tuition is already a significant line item.
Schedule a tour to walk the property and ask about current availability. You can also review our floor plans and pricing or check the amenities page for a full breakdown of what's included.
For more on Baylor's graduate landscape, read our complete guide to Baylor graduate programs and the Baylor financial aid and scholarships guide.
