PROGRAM BASICS

• • MBA for Working Professionals
  • 100 Gerlach Hall
  • 2108 Neil Avenue
  • Columbus, 43210, Ohio
  • United States
  • Program Web site: http://fisher.osu.edu/wpmba/
  • E-mail: mba@fisher.osu.edu
• • Percentage of part-time students who graduate within six years of entering program: 99 %
  • Average months to complete program: 28
  • Maximum months permitted to complete program: 60
  • Does the school have a separate full-time MBA program? Yes
  • If so, can part-time students switch to the full-time program? No

• Tuition and Fees: (Based on six credits in the fall and six credits in the spring)

  • Resident: $15,455.00
  • Non-Resident: $25,490.00

• Tuition per credit:

  • Resident $859.00
  • Non-resident $1,416.00

ADMISSIONS, SELECTIVITY AND YIELD

• • Total applications, most recent entering class: 303
  • Applications accepted, most recent entering class: 65 %
  • Admitted students enrolled: 88 %
  • Applicants wait-listed during the last admissions cycle: 0
  • Wait-listed applicants admitted for the semester to which they applied: 0
  • Applicant interviews are: Not offered

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

• • Rolling admissions? Yes
  • GMAT required? Yes
  • Are applicants allowed to submit the GRE? No

• GMAT score distribution (applicant pool)

  • 25th Percentile 500
  • 75th Percentile 620
  • 10th Percentile 450
  • 50th Percentile (median) 560
  • 90th Percentile 680
  • Average GMAT Score 559

• GMAT score distribution (incoming class)

  • 25th Percentile 560
  • 10th Percentile 530
  • 75th Percentile 640
  • 50th Percentile (median) 590
  • 90th Percentile 680
  • Average GMAT Score 599
• • Is proficiency in English required? Yes
  • Is a minimum score on an English language proficiency test required? Yes

• Which English language proficiency tests are accepted?

  • • Other
    • IELTS
    • TOEFL Internet Based Test
    • TOEFL Paper-based Test

• Other additional English language proficiency tests accepted

  • MELAB
• • Minimum paper-based TOEFL: 600

• Relative Importance of Application Elements:

  • GMAT Score: Important
  • Resume/Work Experience: Important
  • Application Essays: Important
  • Interviews Not Considered
  • Recommendations: Important
  • Undergraduate Transcripts: Important

CLASS PROFILE

• • Female students: 21 %
  • International students: 16 %

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

  • African American: 6 %
  • Asian American: 9 %
  • Hispanic or Latino American: 5 %
  • Native American: 1 %
  • White (Non-Hispanic): 78 %
  • Chose not to report: 1 %

• Postgraduate work experience (months):

  • Mean: 109
  • Median: 83
  • From: 38
  • To: 141
  • One year or less: 2 %
• • Mean age, newest entering class: 31
  • Median age, newest entering clas: 30

FINANCIAL AID

• • Part-time MBAs apply for financial aid through: Central financial aid office at the university
  • Students receiving some form of financial aid in 2011-12: 42 %

• Of part-time MBA students who applied for financial aid for the 2011-12 academic year, percentage receiving:

  • Institutional Scholarships: 1 %
  • Assistantships: 1 %
  • Loans (private and government): 48 %
• • Mean financial aid package: $26,122.00
  • Median financial aid package: $20,500.00
  • On what basis are scholarships awarded? A combination of need and merit
  • Full-tuition scholarships awarded, 2011-12: 0
  • How does an applicant apply for scholarship consideration? all candidates are considered for scholarships
  • Does school offer a guaranteed loan to all part-time MBAs? No
  • Mean outstanding debt at graduation: $42,670.00

STUDENT LIFE

• Active MBA specialization clubs open to part-time students:

  • • Corporate Social Responsibility/NetImpact
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Finance
    • Human Resources
    • Marketing
    • Nonprofit
    • Other
    • Environmental
    • Consulting
    • Manufacturing

• Active MBA networking clubs open to part-time students:

  • • International Club
    • Black MBA Association
    • Hispanic Student Organization
    • Volunteer
    • Women in MBA
    • Other
    • Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual
    • Partners/Family
• • Do part-time MBA students have their own area/center on campus? No
  • Do part-time MBA students have break-out rooms? Yes

TEACHING/ACADEMICS

• Teaching Methods:

  • Case Study: 30 %
  • Distance Learning: 0 %
  • Experiential Learning: 10 %
  • Lectures: 30 %
  • Simulations: 5 %
  • Team Projects: 25 %
  • Other: 0 %
• • Estimated number of hours per week students spend on classwork, excluding time spent in class: 14
  • Teachers in the part-time program: 57
  • Tenured teachers in the part-time program: 16
  • Faculty also teaching in full-time program: 51 %
  • Faculty with at least five years of full-time corporate experience 51 %
  • Average core class size: 80
  • Average elective class size: 32
  • Electives available: 107

• Recently added electives:

  • Negotiations (Hybrid Distance/Online)
  • Innovation Field Studies (IFS)
  • International Ethics
  • Transformative Leadership
• • Last curriculum revision: 2012
  • Recent curriculum changes: Conversion from the quarter-system to the semester-system and major overhaul of curriculum starting Summer 2012.

• Concentrations and specializations offered to part-time MBAs:

  • • Finance
    • Marketing
    • Other
    • Operations Management
    • Strategy

• Additional concentrations offered:

  • Real Estate
  • Operation/Supply Chain/Logistics
• • Does the B-school offer an accelerated part-time MBA program? No

• Leading areas of study:

  • • Finance
    • Strategy
    • Marketing
    • Supply Chain Management
    • Operations Management

• Graduation requirements:

  • • Students must have attended a minimum number of classes
    • Students must have earned a pre-determined GPA/Letter grade average
    • Students must complete a company-specific project and present results to relevant parties
• • Credits required to graduate: 48

CAREER SERVICES

• • Do part-time MBAs have access to career development office?
    • Yes
  • If yes, at what point in the degree process are part-time MBA students able to use the service?
    • At any time
  • Are part-time MBAs permitted to interview for full-time jobs? Yes
  • Are part-time students included in resume drops? Yes

• • -The quality of the students was extraordinary. Everyone was engaged not only in class but in their professional lives as well. The professors were, for the most part, excellent. Very professional in an academic way. Very thoughtful. I very much appreciated the elective courses wherein professors were inventing and teaching their own material.
    
    -I would like to see the exact same faculty teach the part time program as the full time program. For the most part they were the same, but not always. And, for the most part, these different instructors were generally, but not always, of less quality. I would like to see the entire program be similar across the board in this respect.
    
    -In Columbus, Fisher is the only way to go. It is very convenient, the program is flexible, and it allows you to choose from among many electives. Most programs in the area have a very limited set of courses outside of the core curriculum. Moreover, the quality of the education at Fisher is rated much more highly than any other program in the city--even the state.
    
    -I would have liked more elective courses offered in the evenings. Also, better advising for part time students.
    
    -Working professionals need flexibility of schedule, and Fisher provides that along with excellent professors and intriguing course offerings. I have friends who want to enroll in online MBA courses, but I try to explain to them how much value the in-class experience adds, that they would be robbing themselves of a true MBA experience that can change their manner of viewing the business world. I bet it's only a small percentage of individuals who can get from reading an online textbook what the rest of the world gets from participating in case discussions, debates on real-world issues, and presenting findings to a project group.
    
    -I would have liked to see courses tailored to industries like energy or medicine.
    
    -The Fisher College of Business is committed to continuously improving course offerings and learning experiences and is a fantastic education already.
    
    -Some of the classes were not as advanced as I had hoped. With dual undergraduate degrees in Economics & Finance, I had hoped to really expand my knowledge base in these areas and to touch on areas that had not been covered at PSU. This was not always the case, and aside from a few Finance classes, I was a little disappointed in that area. However, a lot of the strategy classes exceeded my expectations and provided me with a new way of thinking.
    
    -The classes and professors are rigorous so you feel like you get an excellent, well-rounded education; however, it is manageable while holding a full-time job.
    
    -While there is a wealth of events that one can attend, the only change I would make is to try and incorporate weekend events. For working professionals going to class 2, 3 or 4 nights a week, even making it to an event can be a challenge. If there were more events on Saturdays, there could potentially be a bigger part-time attendance.
    
    -There was not enough done for Working Professionals in the area of Career Services. We were farmed off to an outsourced company I suspect because of the availability of staff to service the free hours of the Working Professional student.
    
    -I felt that the quality of the education was excellent. The faculty was highly educated at some of the top business schools in the country and they provided the proper mix of academia and real-world experience.
    
    -Part-time MBA's should be able to informally or formally declare a focus of study. I also found that for me, I graduated from a well-regarded AACSB undergraduate business school and a good portion of the core curriculum was an enhanced review. I would have much rather spent my time in electives that would help me meet my career objectives. I suggest the school consider a plan to acknowledge the previous AACSB business school knowledge the student brings in the first couple of quarters in the program.
    
    -Ohio State's Fisher College of Business was an outstanding program. The faculty and range of courses (especially evening courses) exceeded all expectations. I felt like I grew so much and emerged a better manager and professional. I was also impressed by how much the faculty cared - both about the classroom experience and the learning of individual students! I can't imagine a better part-time program in the country.