Program Basics

• • Marshall MBA
  • Marshall School of Business
  • 630 Childs Way
  • Popovich Hall 308
  • Los Angeles, 90089, California
  • United States
  • Program Web site: http://www.marshall.usc.edu
  • Status: Private
  • Program e-mail address: marshallmba@marshall.usc.edu
  • Graduate business school is accredited by:
    • Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
    • Other

SCHOOL BASICS

• Graduate business school enrollment:

  • Total: 1,980
  • Full-Time MBA: 519
  • Part-Time MBA: 785
  • Executive MBA: 330
  • PhD Program: 75
• • Other graduate degree programs:
    • Master of Accounting
    • Other
  • Master of Business Texation, Master of Science in Business Administration, Master of Science in Business Research, Master of Digital Supply Chain Management

PROGRAM COSTS

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

  • Resident: $99,600.00
  • Nonresident: $99,600.00
  • Recommended annual budget (Resident): $79,800.00
  • Recommended annual budget (Nonresident): $79,800.00

PROGRAM LENGTH

• • Full-time program (months): 22

ADMISSIONS

• Application Deadlines

  • Semester: Fall 2012
  • Deadline: Nov 1, 2011
  • Semester: Fall 2012
  • Deadline: Jan 15, 2012
  • Semester: Fall 2012
  • Deadline: Mar 15, 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?

  • • 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: Very Important
  • Recommendations: Very Important
  • Undergraduate Transcripts: Very Important

APPLICANTS

• • Applications (admitted and denied) to the newest class: 1,826
  • Applicants who were accepted to the most recent class: 27 %
  • Admitted applicants who enrolled in the newest class: 45 %
  • Applicant interviews are: By invitation only
  • Applicants (admitted and denied) who were interviewed: 60 %
  • Admitted applicants who were interviewed: 99 %

APPLICANT POOL

• • International applications received: 44 %
  • Applications from women received: 33 %
  • Mean base salary forgone: $67,000.00
  • Median base salary forgone: $65,000.00

CLASS PROFILE

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

  • Female: 30 %
  • International: 21 %
  • Married: 14 %

• Students from following regions:

  • Africa: 0 %
  • Asia: 17 %
  • Europe: 2 %
  • North America: 80 %
  • Latin America and the Caribbean: 1 %
  • Oceania: 0 %

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

  • African American: 5 %
  • Asian American: 29 %
  • Hispanic or Latino American: 2 %
  • Multiethnic/Multiracial: 6 %
  • Native American: 0 %
  • White (Non-Hispanic): 55 %
  • Chose not to report: 0 %
  • Other: 3 %

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

  • Northeast: 17 %
  • Mid-Atlantic: 7 %
  • South: 3 %
  • Southwest: 3 %
  • Midwest: 5 %
  • West: 65 %
• • Mean months of work experience of newest entering class: 63
  • Median months of work experience of newest entering class: 59

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

  • From: 36
  • To: 108
• • Median age of entering class: 27
  • 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
  • How does an applicant apply for scholarship consideration? As part of the admissions application
  • Mean scholarship awarded to full-time MBAs in the previous academic year: $35,490.00
  • Percentage of first-year students receiving financial aid who receive at least the same amount in their second year of study: 100 %

GMAT

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

• GMAT score distribution (incoming class):

  • 10th Percentile 630
  • 90th Percentile 740
  • 50th Percentile (median) 690
  • Average GMAT Score 687

CLASS OFFERINGS

• • Average number of students in a full-time MBA core class: 68
  • Average number of students in a full-time MBA elective class: 36
  • Elective courses available to full-time MBA students: 96

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

  • Sourcing and Supplier Management
  • Sustainable Supply Chains
  • Hedge Fund

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

  • • Media/Entertainment

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

  • • MBA/MS (Science)
    • MBA/MA (Arts)
    • MBA/JD (Law)
    • MBA/MD (Medicine)
    • Other
    • MBA/ME (Engineering)
• • Does the school offer an accelerated full-time MBA program? No

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

  • • Finance
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Marketing
    • Consulting
    • Media/Entertainment

FACULTY

• • Faculty employed by the B-school: 255

• Full-time faculty:

  • Tenured: 75
  • Non-Tenured: 135

• Adjunct/Visiting Faculty:

  • Tenured: 0
  • Non-Tenured: 46

• Women on Faculty:

  • Tenured: 12
  • Non-Tenured: 59

• Minority Faculty:

  • Tenured: 19
  • Non-Tenured: 47

• International Faculty:

  • Tenured: 19
  • Non-Tenured: 49

• Faculty with PhDs:

  • Tenured: 75
  • Non-Tenured: 106

STUDENT LIFE

• Professional clubs available to full-time MBA students:

  • • Biotech/Health care
    • Corporate Social Responsibility/NetImpact
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Consulting
    • Other
    • Business Ethics
    • Finance
    • Marketing
    • Nonprofit
    • VC/ Private Equity
    • Environmental
    • High Tech
    • Investment Banking
    • Media & Entertainment

• Networking clubs available to full-time MBA students:

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

TEACHING/ACADEMICS

• Teaching methods used:

  • Case Study: 20 %
  • Distance Learning: 1 %
  • Experiential Learning: 5 %
  • Lectures: 45 %
  • Simulations: 10 %
  • Team Projects: 10 %

• Requirements for graduation:

  • • Students are required to complete international experience
    • Students must complete a company-specific project and present results to relevant parties
    • Students must have attended a minimum number of classes
    • Students must have earned a pre-determined GPA/Letter grade average
    • Other
  • Completion of core curriculum

TECHNOLOGY

• • Technology improvements in the last three academic years: Disaster recovery site, pervasive wireless coverage, thin client laptops, behavioral lab, interactive ethics class, remote access to lab software, doubled email quotas for students, web accessible file storage, public calendar, online testing for graduate prerequisites, automated classroom captures & dual projectors, emergency contact & notification system, online student public calendars, online student organizations support, networked copier/printers, blade-based research computers

B-SCHOOL ALUMNI

• • Living MBA alumni: 23,457
  • Active MBA alumni clubs: 50
  • Countries in which MBA clubs exist: 24
  • Living MBA alumni who gave in past year: 17 %
  • Mean gift from MBA alumni: $1,533.00
  • Median gift from MBA alumni: $275.00
  • Did school receive an individual gift in excess of $10 million in the past academic year? No
  • 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.usc.edu/alumni
  • Does the B-School have an alumni networking Web site? Yes
  • Business school alumni networking site: http://www.marshall.usc.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: 78 %
  • Graduates not seeking employment: 11 %
  • Graduates for whom you have no information regarding employment: 11 %

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

  • Destination: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut
  • Month: December
  • Destination: Portland & Seattle
  • Month: December
  • Destination: San Francisco Bay Area
  • Month: January
  • Destination: Hong Kong
  • Month: January

• Job Offers for 2011 graduates

  • Received first job offer by graduation: 80 %
  • Received first job offer in three months following graduation: 11 %
  • Did not report having received a job offer: 9 %
  • Accepted first job offer by graduation: 53 %
  • Accepted first job offer in three months following graduation: 37 %
  • Did not report having accepted a job offer: 10 %

• Top recruiting organizations most recent academic year:

  • Deloitte 6
  • East West Bank 5
  • Johnson & Johnson 5
  • Mattel 5
  • Nestle 4
  • Bank of America/Merrill Lynch 4
  • Disney 4
  • General Electric 3
  • Samsung 3
  • AT&T 3
  • SoCal Edison 2
  • JP Morgan 2
  • Amgen 2
  • PWC 2
  • Apple 2

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

  • Mean base salary: $95,687.00
  • Median base salary: $96,000.00
  • Mean signing bonus: $17,833.00
  • Median signing bonus: $17,500.00

• • -USC's Marshall School of Business provided a comprehensive education that far exceeded my expectations. On top of the academic book learning, the program provided training (either directly or indirectly) in leadership, management, public speaking, networking, interviewing, and job hunting. I did not expect the program to be able to touch on all those skills in two years but USC delivered!
    
    -The Trojan Network is strong and unlike anything I've ever witnessed/experienced.
    
    -For someone looking to stay in Southern California, the networking that comes with attending USC is worth its weight in gold.
    
    -In the career perspective, USC Marshall has an international student advisor in our career center and provides English tutor for one-on-one workshops for foreign students. Although my school still has room to improve the program, I think it offers more care and resources to international students than other schools.
    
    -Marshall suffers from the heavy East Coast bias in the finance industry. As I met our alumni in high-ranking positions and their subordinates, I could not help but notice the general unimpressive intellect and character of the the vice-presidents and senior associates.
    
    -Marshall provided me with unlimited access to the alumni network (both from the school and the University as a whole), while also offering me unbelievable access to the entertainment industry, which is why I came to Marshall. The school's academics are superb, and the administration is constantly looking for ways to improve the school. The PRIME experience, where we had the opportunity to consult with foreign companies and travel to their headquarters in Russia, China, Japan, Brazil, etc., represents a unique way to experience international business. I can't say many other schools offer this combination of strengths at all.
    
    -The community at USC is extremely close-knit. People share ideas, give employment advice, collaborate together both in school and in business, and are always willing to lend a helping hand. The administration has been very responsive to any issues that arise, the career services department is excellent, and the chance to go abroad for a week at the end of the first year was the capstone of my education.
    
    -I understand the poor placements this year were related to economic situation. Having said that, I believe career services could have done a better job building relations with smaller businesses in Los Angeles area. In addition, as I was an international student, I was able to apply for only five jobs through career services. I think, career services should build relations with companies that hire international students. If they can't then they should reduce the intake of international students.
    
    -Career center was a joke. They were absolutely unprepared for the recession. Faculty is not that great, either. Students tend to choose electives based on quality of teachers and not their interests which is unfortunate. Best faculty was not available for teaching. On the other hand, there is a great camaraderie among students. Alumni are exceedingly helpful. They have an excellent community outreach program. Location also helps.
    
    -As a media and entertainment focused student, I can say that the Creative Industries Certificate Program (in association with the USC School of Cinematic Arts) is top-notch. The classes and professors are absolutely amazing.
    
    -I wish that the classes taught more current events and did not regurgitate Harvard cases. I attended business school during one of the most uncertain business climates in recent history and was surprised at how little this was covered. Additionally, I wish that international students were not given a free pass on group work. While I had many great experiences with international students, there was a population of international students that did not participate in group work at the expense of others having to cover the workload. Many times it was a language barrier and not the fault of the student. However, the university should ensure that students can speak and write English before admitting them because it hinders the class experience and group projects when members cannot participate. I do not blame the students at all, only the admissions department.
    
    -When applying to business school I wanted a program that had a good reputation for marketing as well as was on the forefront of marketing in the digital age. I am currently in the Internet Marketing class. Many of my classmates and I are extremely happy this class is taught at Marshall. The professor is highly specialized in the field of on-line marketing, and as the CEO of MarketingProfs.com, he is able to give us an in depth perspective of how to effectively market a business over the Internet. It has been my experience, and that of many of my classmates, that companies are looking to MBAs to help them navigate the new digital landscape, including how to use social media. I feel well prepared because of this course.
    
    -USC Marshall does not emphasize on quantitative and problem solving skills in its core courses. Too many students are "marketing" style, which makes it hard for finance students to get good placements, as financial institution employers often neglect Marshall.
    
    -I picked USC because I was accepted into the dual degree MBA/MRED program. The real estate education at USC is the best in the world. We have real life projects and are exposed to serious movers and shakers. Work-life balance is important at a USC and the program strives to make the small class of 220 students a tight network.
    
    -USC Marshall's focus on global strategy and entrepreneurship combined with the strength of the alumni network make this program unbeatable.