Program Basics

• • Smith Full-time MBA
  • Robert H. Smith School of Business
  • University of Maryland
  • 2308 Van Munching Hall
  • College Park, 20742, Maryland
  • United States
  • Program Web site: http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/mba/programs/fulltimemba.aspx
  • Status: Public
  • Program e-mail address: mba_info@rhsmith.umd.edu
  • Graduate business school is accredited by:
    • Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

SCHOOL BASICS

• Graduate business school enrollment:

  • Total: 1,746
  • Full-Time MBA: 261
  • Part-Time MBA: 949
  • Executive MBA: 40
  • PhD Program: 100
• • Other graduate degree programs:
    • Master of Accounting
    • Master of Finance
    • Other
  • Masters in Information Systems; Masters in Supply Chain Management

PROGRAM COSTS

• Total direct costs (tuition and required fees) of the entire MBA program:

  • Resident: $80,316.00
  • Nonresident: $94,896.00
  • Recommended annual budget (Resident): $58,140.00
  • Recommended annual budget (Nonresident): $65,430.00

PROGRAM LENGTH

• • Full-time program (months): 21

ADMISSIONS

• Application Deadlines

  • Semester: Fall 2012
  • Deadline: Nov 1, 2011
  • Semester: Summer 2012
  • Deadline: Dec 15, 2011
  • Semester: Fall 2012
  • Deadline: Jan 15, 2012
  • Semester: Fall 2012
  • Deadline: Mar 1, 2012
• • Does the program have rolling admissions? No
  • Is proficiency in English required for admission? Yes
  • Is a minimum score on an English language proficiency test required? Yes

• Which English language proficiency tests are accepted?

  • • IELTS
    • TOEFL Internet Based Test
    • TOEFL Paper-based Test
• • Minimum paper-based TOEFL score required for MBAs: 600

• Relative Importance of Application Elements:

  • GMAT Score: Important
  • Resume/Work Experience: Important
  • Application Essays: Important
  • Interviews: Important
  • Recommendations: Important
  • Undergraduate Transcripts: Important

APPLICANTS

• • Applications (admitted and denied) to the newest class: 798
  • Applicants who were accepted to the most recent class: 41 %
  • Admitted applicants who enrolled in the newest class: 34 %
  • Applicants who were re-applicants from prior years: 3 %
  • Percentage of this year's reapplicants accepted: 38 %
  • Applicants wait-listed during the last admissions cycle: 59
  • Wait-listed applicants admitted for the semester to which they applied: 22
  • Applicant interviews are: By invitation only
  • Admitted applicants who were interviewed: 100 %

APPLICANT POOL

• • International applications received: 64 %
  • Applications from women received: 32 %
  • Mean base salary forgone: $50,383.00
  • Median base salary forgone: $49,500.00

CLASS PROFILE

• Full-time students in newest entering class (2010-2011) that are:

  • Female: 35 %
  • International: 36 %

• Students from following regions:

  • Africa: 1 %
  • Asia: 29 %
  • Europe: 1 %
  • North America: 65 %
  • Latin America and the Caribbean: 4 %
  • Oceania: 0 %

• Percentage of U.S. students in newest entering class that are:

  • African American: 9 %
  • Asian American: 12 %
  • Hispanic or Latino American: 1 %
  • Multiethnic/Multiracial: 9 %
  • Native American: 0 %
  • White (Non-Hispanic): 65 %
  • Chose not to report: 4 %
  • Other: 0 %

• Percentage of U.S. students in newest entering class who are from the following regions:

  • Northeast: 10 %
  • Mid-Atlantic: 73 %
  • South: 4 %
  • Southwest: 4 %
  • Midwest: 1 %
  • West: 6 %
  • Possessions and territories: 0 %
• • Mean months of work experience of newest entering class: 59
  • Median months of work experience of newest entering class: 52

• Middle 80% range of work experience of newest entering class in months:

  • From: 33
  • To: 80
• • Median age of entering class: 28
  • Mean age of entering class: 28

FINANCIAL AID

• • Full-time MBAs apply for financial aid through: Central financial aid office at the university
  • On what basis are scholarships awarded?
    • academic merit

GMAT

• • Are applicants required to take the GMAT? Yes
  • Are applicants allowed to submit the GRE? Yes

• GMAT score distribution (applicant pool):

  • 25th Percentile 600
  • 10th Percentile 540
  • 50th Percentile (median) 650
  • 75th Percentile 690
  • 90th Percentile 720
  • Average GMAT Score 637

• GMAT score distribution (incoming class):

  • 25th Percentile 620
  • 50th Percentile (median) 660
  • 10th Percentile 600
  • 75th Percentile 700
  • 90th Percentile 730
  • Average GMAT Score 661

CLASS OFFERINGS

• • Average number of students in a full-time MBA core class: 54
  • Average number of students in a full-time MBA elective class: 31
  • Elective courses available to full-time MBA students: 61

• Electives that have been added to the full-time program since June 30, 2010:

  • Health IT
  • Capital Markets
  • Financial Strategy For Corporations

• Concentrations and specializations offered to full-time MBA students:

  • • Consulting
    • Finance
    • Management Information Systems
    • Entrepreneurship
    • General Management
    • Marketing
    • Supply Chain Management
    • Accounting
    • Leadership
    • Operations Management
    • Strategy
    • Organizational Behavior
    • Corporate Social Responsibility
    • International Business
    • E-commerce
    • Portfolio Management

• Joint-degree programs offered to full-time MBAs:

  • • MBA/MS (Science)
    • MBA/JD (Law)
    • MBA/MD (Medicine)
    • Other
    • MBA/MSN (Nursing)
• • Does the school offer an accelerated full-time MBA program? Yes

• The school believes that its leading areas of study for full-time MBA students are:

  • • Finance
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Marketing
    • Consulting
    • Strategy

FACULTY

• • Faculty employed by the B-school: 207

• Full-time faculty:

  • Tenured: 77
  • Non-Tenured: 70

• Adjunct/Visiting Faculty:

  • Tenured: 0
  • Non-Tenured: 60

• Women on Faculty:

  • Tenured: 20
  • Non-Tenured: 34

• Minority Faculty:

  • Tenured: 30
  • Non-Tenured: 41

• International Faculty:

  • Tenured: 7
  • Non-Tenured: 32

• Faculty with PhDs:

  • Tenured: 77
  • Non-Tenured: 89

STUDENT LIFE

• Professional clubs available to full-time MBA students:

  • • Biotech/Health care
    • Corporate Social Responsibility/NetImpact
    • Consulting
    • Other
    • Finance
    • Marketing
    • Media & Entertainment

• Networking clubs available to full-time MBA students:

  • • Black MBA Association
    • Hispanic Student Organization
    • International Club
    • Women in MBA
    • Other
    • Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual

TEACHING/ACADEMICS

• Teaching methods used:

  • Case Study: 25 %
  • Distance Learning: 0 %
  • Experiential Learning: 15 %
  • Lectures: 30 %
  • Simulations: 10 %
  • Team Projects: 20 %
  • Other: 0 %

• Requirements for graduation:

  • • Students must have earned a pre-determined GPA/Letter grade average
    • Other
  • Students must complete a specific number of credits

TECHNOLOGY

• • Technology improvements in the last three academic years: Recent technology upgrades include the addition of video cameras, instructor touch panels, AV controls, and HD projection units to all classrooms, a new Mac Lab; enhancements to the Supply Chain Lab Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) technology, Finance Lab and Behavioral Lab (Tobii eye tracker); new space at the Baltimore Bio Park and a new North Wing addition to Van Munching Hall; upgraded online community for MBAs, refreshed website and new alumni network.

B-SCHOOL ALUMNI

• • Living MBA alumni: 10,023
  • Active MBA alumni clubs: 5
  • Countries in which MBA clubs exist: 2
  • Does the main university offer career placement services for alumni? Yes
  • Does the main university have an alumni networking Web site? Yes
  • University alumni networking site: http://www.alumni.umd.edu
  • Does the B-School have an alumni networking Web site? Yes
  • Business school alumni networking site: http://www.smithconnector.com
  • Does the B-SCHOOL offer career services for alumni? Yes
  • Do current MBA students have access to an alumni database? Yes

CAREER SERVICES

• • Graduates seeking full-time professional MBA employment: 85 %
  • Graduates not seeking employment: 15 %
  • Graduates for whom you have no information regarding employment: 0 %

• Primary source of job offer:

  • School-facilitated activities: 48 %
  • Graduate-facilitated activities: 23 %
  • No information provided by graduate: 29 %

• Job Offers for 2011 graduates

  • Received first job offer by graduation: 54 %
  • Received first job offer in three months following graduation: 29 %
  • Received first job offer more than 3 months after graduation: 0 %
  • Did not report having received a job offer: 17 %
  • Accepted first job offer by graduation: 54 %
  • Accepted first job offer in three months following graduation: 29 %
  • Accepted first job offer more than 3 months after graduation: 0 %
  • Did not report having accepted a job offer: 17 %

• Top recruiting organizations most recent academic year:

  • Computer Sciences Corporation 6
  • Booz Allen Hamilton 4
  • Deloitte Services 3
  • Marriott 3
  • K12, Inc 3
  • Bank of America 2
  • Choice Hotels 2
  • General Electric 2
  • Intel Corporation 2
  • PWC 2
  • United Healthcare 2
  • Campbell Soup Company 1
  • Constellation 1
  • Ernst & Young 1
  • PepsiCo 1
• • Job-accepting graduates who received a signing bonus: 60 %

• Base salary, signing bonuses and other compensation for most recent employed graduates:

  • Mean base salary: $92,122.00
  • Median base salary: $90,000.00
  • Mean signing bonus: $12,548.00
  • Median signing bonus: $10,000.00
  • Mean other guaranteed compensation: $7,899.00
  • Median other guaranteed compensation: $6,790.00

• Graduating students who accepted jobs in the following functional areas:

  • Consulting: 38 %
  • Finance/Accounting: 14 %
  • General Management: 12 %
  • Human Resources: 0 %
  • Marketing/Sales: 26 %
  • Management Information Systems: 0 %
  • Operations/Logistics: 5 %
  • Other: 5 %

• Graduating students who accepted jobs in the following industries:

  • Government: 0 %
  • Consulting: 24 %
  • Consumer Products: 10 %
  • Financial Services: 11 %
  • Manufacturing: 2 %
  • Media/Entertainment: 0 %
  • Non-Profit: 3 %
  • Petroleum/Energy: 8 %
  • Pharmaceutical/Biotechnology/Health Care: 11 %
  • Real Estate: 2 %
  • Technology: 6 %
  • Other: 26 %

• Graduates who accepted full-time jobs in the following regions:

  • Africa: 0 %
  • Asia: 5 %
  • Europe: 0 %
  • North America: 95 %
  • Oceania: 0 %
  • Latin America and the Caribbean: 0 %

• Within the U.S., graduates who accepted full-time jobs in the following regions:

  • Northeast: 11 %
  • Mid-Atlantic: 62 %
  • South: 5 %
  • Southwest: 7 %
  • Midwest: 7 %
  • West: 7 %
  • Possessions and territories: 0 %

• Top recruiting organizations for internships, most recent academic year:

  • CSC 4
  • PWC 3
  • Campbells Soup 2
  • Choice Hotels 2
  • Constellation Energy 2
  • Deloitte Consulting 2
  • Education Pioneers 2
  • First Annapolis Consulting 2
  • GE 2
  • Maryland Small Business Development Center 2
  • M&T Bank 2
  • Hilton Hotel 2
  • Intel 2
  • Ebay 2
  • UBS Investment Banking 2
• • Internships awarded that are paid: 59 %

• Weekly internship compensation:

  • Mean: $1,218.00
  • Median: $1,160.00
• • Average internship length in weeks: 10

• • -Great overall experience. It was amazing at how quickly instructors were able to adjust their curriculum to include the daily changes in the economic environment. Several professors also sent emails and followed through with students even after the semesters were over. This truly shows how much the professors promote continued education and awareness of current events.
    
    -I love my school and think the program has great potential and lots of great things already. However, I think the leadership is lackluster and until that changes I cannot give it a full endorsement. Word of the tuition rate hike (for in-state students only) and the way they carried out the raise - without telling students and reacting after the fact - was indicative of what I feel is a failed leadership team that is out of touch with the student body, contrary to claims.
    
    -The professors are fantastic, and the school is taking a very strategic redesign of its career services office to better equip it for the challenges of the current job market.
    
    -The faculty was top notch, but the administrative side of the program was mediocre at best. There was frequent turnover, not a clear vision, and student needs were frequently not met.
    
    -The Smith School is more focused on research than its admissions team would like to admit. This results in the departments being chock full of some great academic minds. Unfortunately, the real world expertise of many is lacking. To me, applying research to real world situations and principles is the backbone of an MBA education. As a result, I don't think that Smith provides a good ROI on the tuition money.
    
    -I felt that the most differentiating element of my MBA experience was the people. In several schools I visited, the atmosphere was competitive. At the Smith School, it was truly more collaborative, with students helping each other in their careers searches and school projects.
    
    -I went to B-school to experience the US college system, make new friends and get a great network. Smith pitches the alumni network as one of its competitive advantages when the truth is the alums are very unresponsive. This has a lot to do with the extremely more management of alumni by the department of alumni relations. In January this year, the office of career services finally hired a number of career coaches who know what they are doing and offer advice I trust. Before that, I did not bother going to career services as they provided very little value. I took the first job offered, taking a significant pay cut from before B-school. I wish I had not gone to B-school.
    
    -Maryland breeds a culture where I got to know everybody in the program, and came away with multiple friends that I would consider lifelong friends. I believe this is the most important thing that I have taken away from this MBA program. Maryland also values international experience and offers many study abroad and exchange options that I have really enjoyed.
    
    -This program as a whole is completely geared towards the part-time program. While I do not blame Smith for focusing more on their part-time program (it has around 1000 students versus 250 for the full-time program), as a full-time student it has been frustrating. Many of the best classes are scheduled at the part-time satellite campuses at night and are not offered at the College Park campus, where the full-time program is based. This means that if you want to take certain electives you have to go to a satellite campus and take classes at night. Despite the lack of electives, the curriculum as a whole is slightly above average, but the strength is really in the core and the finance electives. There were a few poor professor's in the core, but probably about half of the professor's in elective courses could be considered average or better, while the other half were simply poor teachers. The curriculum itself has too many core classes. In fact, in my final seven weeks at Smith I took three courses, two of which were required for graduation.
    
    -The quality of students at the University of Maryland is excellent. The diversity in the ethnicity, background, work experience and demographics really enhanced my MBA experience and if given this hindsight and offered to make a decision all over again as to which school to go to I would still pick UMD even despite the program needing some improvements.
    
    -Smith is a great place for international students. Affordable, close to a major city and with a great class environment to foster leadership and teamwork. Many would complain about the job market but I cannot blame the school for a downturn in the economy.