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      Penn State

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      Penn State reviews

      4.2

      77% would recommend to a friend

      (4,982 total reviews)
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      Eric J. Barron

      72% approve of CEO

      55% positive business outlook

      Ratings by demographic groups

      Penn State has an employee rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars, based on 4,982 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Penn State employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

      Reviews by job title

      5K reviews
      4.0
      Nov 16, 2013

      Unlimited opportunities... if you're in the right department

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Heavy investment in professional development, lots of opportunity to work with really smart people, five weeks vacation, and generally a very family-friendly employer.

      Cons

      Positions "managed" by faculty, not staff or administrators, can be tough. If you're in the wrong department, your manager may be inept or a bully. HR does a lousy job of weeding out long-standing employees who are bad at their job. And if your incompetent boss is tenured faculty, fuggedaboudit.

      1.0
      Nov 8, 2013

      Professors do politics more

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      The university town - State college is a good area. State college area school district is good. The Penn State Federal Credit Union provides credit card for new people. Working conditions are good.

      Cons

      Many faculty are selfish, work only for their benefit. Students and postdoc suffer a lot. There is no professional encouragement or support from Mentor professors, specially if you are from non-Chinese Asian country. Due to strong lobbies many candidates with no knowledge became faculty in science departments. Difficult to get along without a strong lobby.

      4.0
      Sep 27, 2013

      Depends on department. Ask for work from home, flex scheduling, and conference travel to make up for lower salary.

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Generous paid time off. Tuition benefit. Some departments allow flexible scheduling and work form home days. Some departments have better travel budgets for professional development.

      Cons

      Salaries can be low. Budgets, raises and cultures vary by department, so do your homework. Some departments can be downright hostile workplaces. Higher ed is too hierarchical for its own good.

      Viewing 199 - 201 of 4,982 Reviews
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      ReviewsPenn State reviews

      Glassdoor has 5,426 Penn State reviews submitted anonymously by Penn State employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Penn State is right for you.