Program Basics

• • MBA - Global Management
  • Thunderbird School of Global Management
  • 1 Global Place
  • AZ
  • Glendale AZ, 85306, Arizona
  • United States
  • Program Web site: http://www.thunderbird.edu
  • Status: Private
  • Program e-mail address: admissions@thunderbird.edu
  • Graduate business school is accredited by:
    • Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

SCHOOL BASICS

• Graduate business school enrollment:

  • Total: 1,234
  • Full-Time MBA: 509
  • Executive MBA: 112
  • PhD Program: 0
• • Other graduate degree programs:
    • Master of Finance
    • Master of Marketing
    • Master of International Management/Business

PROGRAM COSTS

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

  • Resident: $89,245.00
  • Nonresident: $89,245.00
  • Recommended annual budget (Resident): $47,222.00
  • Recommended annual budget (Nonresident): $47,222.00

PROGRAM LENGTH

• • Full-time program (months): 16

ADMISSIONS

• Application Deadlines

  • Semester: Fall 2012
  • Deadline: Nov 30, 2011
  • Semester: Fall 2012
  • Deadline: Jan 30, 2012
  • Semester: Fall 2012
  • Deadline: Mar 30, 2012
  • Semester: Fall 2012
  • Deadline: May 10, 2012
• • Does the program have rolling admissions? Yes
  • 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?

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

• Relative Importance of Application Elements:

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

APPLICANTS

• • Applications (admitted and denied) to the newest class: 440
  • Applicants who were accepted to the most recent class: 75 %
  • Admitted applicants who enrolled in the newest class: 51 %
  • Applicant interviews are: Recommended

APPLICANT POOL

• • International applications received: 62 %
  • Applications from women received: 27 %
  • Mean base salary forgone: $45,000.00
  • Median base salary forgone: $45,000.00

CLASS PROFILE

• Full-time students in newest entering class (2011-2012) that are:

  • Female: 27 %
  • International: 58 %
  • Married: 18 %

• Students from following regions:

  • Africa: 1 %
  • Asia: 43 %
  • Europe: 4 %
  • North America: 47 %
  • Latin America and the Caribbean: 3 %
  • Oceania: 0 %
  • Dual citizenship: 2 %

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

  • African American: 3 %
  • Asian American: 7 %
  • Hispanic or Latino American: 6 %
  • Native American: 1 %
  • White (Non-Hispanic): 68 %
  • Other: 15 %

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

  • Northeast: 7 %
  • Mid-Atlantic: 3 %
  • South: 4 %
  • Southwest: 48 %
  • Midwest: 9 %
  • West: 29 %
• • Mean months of work experience of newest entering class: 54
  • Median months of work experience of newest entering class: 48

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

  • From: 24
  • To: 96
• • Median age of entering class: 27
  • Mean age of entering class: 28

FINANCIAL AID

• • Full-time MBAs apply for financial aid through: Dedicated financial aid office at the B-school
  • Full-time MBAs who applied for financial aid for the current academic year: 74 %
  • Full-time MBAs receiving financial aid in the current academic year: 68 %
  • Mean MBA financial aid package for the current academic year: $34,937.00
  • Median MBA financial aid package for the current academic year: $30,658.00
  • On what basis are scholarships awarded?
    • some other criteria
    • academic merit
  • How does an applicant apply for scholarship consideration? Unique scholarship application
  • Mean scholarship awarded to full-time MBAs in the previous academic year: $15,846.00
  • Percentage of first-year students receiving financial aid who receive at least the same amount in their second year of study: 62 %
  • Does the school offer a guaranteed loan to all MBAs regardeless of nationality? Only to domestic students
  • Mean outstanding debt among the most recent graduates from the full-time MBA program: $52,280.00

GMAT

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

• GMAT score distribution (applicant pool):

  • 25th Percentile 570
  • 50th Percentile (median) 610
  • 75th Percentile 660
  • 90th Percentile 700
  • 10th Percentile 520
  • Average GMAT Score 608

• GMAT score distribution (incoming class):

  • 10th Percentile 530
  • 25th Percentile 570
  • 50th Percentile (median) 610
  • 90th Percentile 700
  • 75th Percentile 670
  • Average GMAT Score 618

CLASS OFFERINGS

• • Average number of students in a full-time MBA core class: 42
  • Average number of students in a full-time MBA elective class: 26
  • Elective courses available to full-time MBA students: 54

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

  • Strategic Services Marketing
  • Bus & Culture of Dubai/UAE
  • Asia Pacific High Tech
  • Regional Economic Agreements
  • Strat Mgmt Tech & Innovation

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

  • • Finance
    • Entrepreneurship
    • General Management
    • Marketing
    • Leadership
    • International Business

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

  • • MBA/JD (Law)
    • Other
• • 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
    • General Management
    • Marketing
    • Strategy
    • International Business

FACULTY

• • Faculty employed by the B-school: 80

• Full-time faculty:

  • Tenured: 27
  • Non-Tenured: 21

• Adjunct/Visiting Faculty:

  • Tenured: 0
  • Non-Tenured: 32

• Women on Faculty:

  • Tenured: 8
  • Non-Tenured: 17

• Minority Faculty:

  • Tenured: 8
  • Non-Tenured: 9

• International Faculty:

  • Tenured: 4
  • Non-Tenured: 7

• Faculty with PhDs:

  • Tenured: 37
  • Non-Tenured: 7

STUDENT LIFE

• Professional clubs available to full-time MBA students:

  • • Biotech/Health care
    • Corporate Social Responsibility/NetImpact
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Consulting
    • Other
    • Finance
    • Marketing
    • VC/ Private Equity
    • Environmental
    • Media & Entertainment
    • Human Resources

• Networking clubs available to full-time MBA students:

  • • Black MBA Association
    • Hispanic Student Organization
    • International Club
    • Partners/Family
    • Women in MBA
    • Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual
    • Wine

TEACHING/ACADEMICS

• Teaching methods used:

  • Case Study: 27 %
  • Distance Learning: 8 %
  • Experiential Learning: 21 %
  • Lectures: 25 %
  • Simulations: 10 %
  • Team Projects: 9 %

• Requirements for graduation:

  • • Students are required to complete international experience
    • Students are required to be fluent in more than one language by graduation
    • Students must have earned a pre-determined GPA/Letter grade average

TECHNOLOGY

• • Technology improvements in the last three academic years: High Availability to Virtualization environment; Wireless network connected to classrooms and auditoriums; Wireless network to new Wireless-N technologies; Rolled-out of Windows 7 on desktop clients; Piloted of iPad usage in instruction and course material delivery; Portal project (initial testing phase); SharePoint pilot project; New ‘temporary TAC replacement’ project
  • Amount spent: $1,000,000.00

B-SCHOOL ALUMNI

• • Living MBA alumni: 38,953
  • Active MBA alumni clubs: 170
  • Countries in which MBA clubs exist: 76
  • Living MBA alumni who gave in past year: 9 %
  • Mean gift from MBA alumni: $679.00
  • Median gift from MBA alumni: $100.00
  • Did school receive an individual gift in excess of $10 million in the past academic year? No
  • Business School endowment: $14,790,000.00
  • 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://my.thunderbird.edu
  • Does the B-School have an alumni networking Web site? Yes
  • Business school alumni networking site: http://my.thunderbird.edu
  • 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: 77 %
  • Graduates not seeking employment: 8 %
  • Graduates for whom you have no information regarding employment: 15 %

• Annual job-searching trips that the school coordinates or participates in:

  • Destination: San Francisco - finance
  • Month: November
  • Amount Paid By School: Partial
  • Destination: New York - marketing
  • Month: September
  • Amount Paid By School: Partial
  • Destination: Silicon Valley - CleanTech
  • Month: February
  • Amount Paid By School: Partial
  • Destination: Washington DC - Int'l development
  • Month: February
  • Amount Paid By School: Partial

• Primary source of job offer:

  • School-facilitated activities: 38 %
  • Graduate-facilitated activities: 23 %
  • No information provided by graduate: 40 %

• Job Offers for 2011 graduates

  • Received first job offer by graduation: 38 %
  • Received first job offer in three months following graduation: 21 %
  • Received first job offer more than 3 months after graduation: 42 %
  • Accepted first job offer by graduation: 30 %
  • Accepted first job offer in three months following graduation: 22 %
  • Accepted first job offer more than 3 months after graduation: 48 %
• • Job-accepting graduates who received a signing bonus: 39 %

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

  • Mean base salary: $84,654.00
  • Median base salary: $86,000.00
  • Mean signing bonus: $16,094.00
  • Median signing bonus: $15,000.00
  • Mean other guaranteed compensation: $13,313.00
  • Median other guaranteed compensation: $11,500.00

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

  • Consulting: 17 %
  • Finance/Accounting: 18 %
  • General Management: 11 %
  • Human Resources: 4 %
  • Marketing/Sales: 30 %
  • Management Information Systems: 2 %
  • Operations/Logistics: 12 %
  • Other: 7 %

• Graduating students who accepted jobs in the following industries:

  • Government: 3 %
  • Consulting: 14 %
  • Consumer Products: 13 %
  • Financial Services: 21 %
  • Manufacturing: 8 %
  • Media/Entertainment: 3 %
  • Non-Profit: 4 %
  • Petroleum/Energy: 3 %
  • Pharmaceutical/Biotechnology/Health Care: 7 %
  • Real Estate: 1 %
  • Technology: 10 %
  • Other: 12 %

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

  • Africa: 0 %
  • Asia: 8 %
  • Europe: 3 %
  • North America: 84 %
  • Oceania: 0 %
  • Latin America and the Caribbean: 5 %

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

  • Northeast: 18 %
  • Mid-Atlantic: 7 %
  • South: 10 %
  • Southwest: 19 %
  • Midwest: 13 %
  • West: 17 %
  • Possessions and territories: 0 %

• • -Thunderbird is like a cult, where if you're an internationally driven person, relating to anyone else after your two years can be a bit tough. I'm glad I did it, and I would recommend it to anyone else who fits the profile.
    
    -It is the core focus of the curriculum and the student body is incredibly diverse. There are cultural opportunities and the chance to learn new languages as well.
    
    -If you wish to work do strategy consulting, investment banking, or private equity, Thunderbird is not the ideal school.
    
    -Thunderbird is the best school for international business. You can get contacts from many countries of all the continents the world. I highly value the networking at Thunderbird.
    
    -It was not worth the money--many of the professors were of extremely poor quality, the career management center was not helpful at all, and the administration was extremely disorganized.
    
    -Thunderbird is an excellent school and it is improving significantly over the past years. It has consolidated itself as the top B-school for international business and it is moving forward in terms of quality of education, prestige and up-to-date curricula. I´m extremely satisfied with the education I got there.
    
    -Career placement services are not up to par of other schools.
    
    -It's a boutique school, so I would make sure that the people I recommend it to fit that niche and some of the challenges, but otherwise would absolutely recommend it to my friends or colleagues.
    
    -Fills its niche very well, but weak in some fundamental areas such as finance. Needs to place more emphasis on this area
    
    -Is Thunderbird for everyone who wants a MBA? Absolutely not. Does Thunderbird foster an environment that enables hands-on understanding of the global marketplace? Absolutely.
    
    -Our school provides an environment which is cross cultures and global. The atmosphere is cooperative, and people with different countries shared cultures and business experience through class lectures and during group projects.
    
    -Glendale is the wrong location for the "#1 International Business School" in my humble opinion (which apparently, I've a lot of). If you're going to tout these accolades while offering very little in the way of actual international exposure, you need to marry yourself to new technology, develop the alumni base (15k alums off grid, not giving back).
    
    -There were many difficult periods for me at Thunderbird. Dealing with financial aid was always a cumbersome process, there were not as many opportunities to study abroad as were promoted, and there was an overall lack of support for the administration on behalf of the professors. While Thunderbird are bright in many ways, the professional caliber of the students I found to be lacking, with a campus environment based on activities with beer.
    
    -Thunderbird is a unique program. I would (and have) recommend the program for anyone seeking to expand their global network and learn how to conduct business/negotiate across cultures.
    
    -Faculty is great, but the administration is severely broken
    
    -The educational experience was outstanding, as were most of the professors. The school's administrators, facilities, career services, and priorities (they are building a new building to house the campus pub while horrible, out-of-date classrooms are still being used) have SERIOUS problems. The quality of students is very average, ranging from great to exceedingly poor. Many students apply no effort to classwork and seem to act like it is an extension of their undergraduate school.
    
    -The MBA experience at Thunderbird was very unique in its student body, multiple program and partnerships abroad. The quality of faculty is great, the abundance of choice in many different programs gives everyone a chance to pursue any particular desired discipline further.
    
    -Thunderbird is a good balance of academic and real-time exposure with a global flavor to almost all aspects of its dynamics. The MBA accelerated program that spans over a year is a relevant opportunity for experienced professionals to complete their MBA program without losing much time to rejoin the workforce.
    
    -The school provides a unique environment with students from more than 50 countries. For a small community, with approx. 1000 students, the number of countries to student strength is rather impressive. Thunderbird does not make an empty claim when it says its a truly international school. You can certainly sense it in every aspect of MBA education - faculty, courses, student body, etc.
    
    -My brand management class had only six students in it (summer session). To see a school compensate one of its better professors for the benefit of just six students is unheard of. My most positive and also frustrating experiences came as a result of working in highly diverse international groups. Learning to manage the expectations of so many different people is one of my key takeaways from this school.
    
    -Thunderbird was a great experience. There is definitely a "Thunderbird Mystique," i.e. a certain personality type or social type that is distinctly Tbird, so if you love international business and are very social, you will fit in. The school also does attract a high number of misfits who walk border between brilliant and crazy. Thunderbird faculty seems to be hit or miss - either the professor is top-notch or a disaster, there seems to be no middle ground. The reason the student and alumni networks are so strong is to fill the gap left by the perennially inept administration. I don't use these words lightly and I'm talking about academic advising, honor council, and career services. While there are people there who are competent on an individual basis, these departments are plagued by political infighting and are silos within silos. Having said that, there are a handful of professors who have individually taken it upon themselves to act as career champions and agents, circulating resumes, setting up meetings and interviews...Thunderbird's succeed despite the stalling and roadblocks thrown up by the administration.
    
    -What really differentiates Thunderbird is its remote location in the middle of a desert. Everyone on campus is there to develop very intimate relationships with students, faculty and staff. The result is a global business community that gives alums an unfair advantage to doing business anywhere in the world. As our world rapidly forgets borders, I feel very fortunate to have the deepest global alumni network from my MBA program.