PROGRAM BASICS

• • Virginia Commonwealth University Graduate Studies in Business
  • VCU Part-Time MBA Program
  • 301 West Main Street
  • Suite B3102
  • Richmond, 23284, Virginia
  • United States
  • Program Web site: http://www.business.vcu.edu/
  • E-mail: gsib@vcu.edu
• • Percentage of part-time students who graduate within six years of entering program: 65 %
  • Average months to complete program: 36
  • Maximum months permitted to complete program: 72
  • Does the school have a separate full-time MBA program? No

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

  • Resident: $7,212.00
  • Non-Resident: $13,932.00

• Tuition per credit:

  • Non-resident $1,144.00
  • Resident $584.00
• • Graduate business school is accredited by: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

SCHOOL BASICS

• Graduate business school enrollment:

  • Total: 635
  • Full-Time MBA: 114
  • Part-Time MBA: 140
  • Executive MBA: 87
  • PhD Program: 36
• • Undergraduate business school enrollment: 3,250
  • Graduate degree programs: Master of Accounting, Master of Finance, Master of Human Resources, Master of Marketing

ADMISSIONS, SELECTIVITY AND YIELD

• • Total applications, most recent entering class: 107
  • Applications accepted, most recent entering class: 60 %
  • Admitted students enrolled: 70 %
  • Applicants wait-listed during the last admissions cycle: 0
  • Wait-listed applicants admitted for the semester to which they applied: n/a
  • Applicant interviews are: By invitation only

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

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

• GMAT score distribution (applicant pool)

  • 25th Percentile 490
  • 50th Percentile (median) 530
  • 90th Percentile 650
  • 75th Percentile 595
  • Average GMAT Score 526
  • 10th Percentile 386

• GMAT score distribution (incoming class)

  • 50th Percentile (median) 530
  • 25th Percentile 480
  • 90th Percentile 650
  • 75th Percentile 605
  • Average GMAT Score 548
  • 10th Percentile 472
• • 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?

  • • IELTS
    • TOEFL Internet Based Test
    • TOEFL Paper-based Test
• • Minimum paper-based TOEFL: 600

• Relative Importance of Application Elements:

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

CLASS PROFILE

• • Female students: 28 %
  • International students: 10 %

• Postgraduate work experience (months):

  • Mean: 50
  • Median: 48
  • From: 14
  • To: 72
  • One year or less: 25 %
• • Mean age, newest entering class: 27
  • Median age, newest entering clas: 27

FINANCIAL AID

• • Part-time MBAs apply for financial aid through: Central financial aid office at the university
• • On what basis are scholarships awarded? Academic merit
  • Full-tuition scholarships awarded, 2011-12: 1
  • How does an applicant apply for scholarship consideration? Unique scholarship application
  • Does school offer a guaranteed loan to all part-time MBAs? No

FACULTY

• • Faculty employed by the B-school: 252

• Full-time faculty:

  • Tenured: 62
  • Non-Tenured: 47

• Adjunct/Visiting Faculty:

  • Tenured: 0
  • Non-Tenured: 143

• Women on Faculty:

  • Tenured: 11
  • Non-Tenured: 33

• Minority Faculty:

  • Tenured: 12
  • Non-Tenured: 21

• International Faculty:

  • Tenured: 2
  • Non-Tenured: 8

• Faculty with PhDs:

  • Tenured: 62
  • Non-Tenured: 15
• • Faculty on company boards: 5

STUDENT LIFE

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

  • • Other
• • Do part-time MBA students have their own area/center on campus? Yes
  • Do part-time MBA students have break-out rooms? Yes

TEACHING/ACADEMICS

• Teaching Methods:

  • Case Study: 35 %
  • Experiential Learning: 20 %
  • Lectures: 20 %
  • Team Projects: 25 %
• • Estimated number of hours per week students spend on classwork, excluding time spent in class: 18
  • Teachers in the part-time program: 33
  • Tenured teachers in the part-time program: 11
  • Average core class size: 32
  • Average elective class size: 27
  • Electives available: 62

• Recently added electives:

  • Negotiation
  • Sports Marketing
  • Product Innovation

• Concentrations and specializations offered to part-time MBAs:

  • • Finance
    • Human Resource Management
    • Other
    • Entrepreneurship
    • International Business

• Additional concentrations offered:

  • Supply Chain
  • Real Estate
  • Analytics
  • Information Resources Management
• • Does the B-school offer an accelerated part-time MBA program? Yes

• Leading areas of study:

  • • Entrepreneurship
    • Finance
    • International Business
    • Other
    • Real Estate

• Graduation requirements:

  • • Students must have attended a minimum number of classes
    • Students must have earned a pre-determined GPA/Letter grade average
• • Credits required to graduate: 36

TECHNOLOGY

• • Technology improvements in the last three academic years: Implement distance learning technology in several classrooms in the business building; updated all computers in all student computer labs and classrooms
  • Amount spent: $75,000.00

B-SCHOOL ALUMNI

• • Living MBA alumni: 2,608
  • Active MBA alumni clubs: 0
  • Countries in which MBA clubs exist: 0
  • Did school receive an individual gift in excess of $10 million in the past academic year? No
  • Business school endowment $31,388,303.00
  • 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://www.vcu-mcvalumni.org
  • Does the B-school offer career services for alumni? Yes
  • Does the B-School have an alumni networking Web site? Yes
  • Business school alumni networking site: http://blog.vcu.edu/businessnews/vcu-business-society---alumni
  • Do current MBA students have access to an alumni database? Yes

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

• • -VCU has a great mix of academic and adjunct faculty with a wide breadth of experience and ties to many small and large organizations in the area. This provides a springboard for opportunity for dedicated students.
    
    -The majority of classes where very easy and required little out of class work. Not many group projects. Some of the teachers did not teach. They asked the students to teach each other.
    
    -The greatest advantages of the VCU MBA program are both its flexibility and affordability. I was able to juggle work and school effectively, thanks to the evening schedules of the classes. Further, as a VCU employee, my tuition is mostly covered by the University.
    
    -I think the acceptance to the program should be a little more challenging. I feel some of the people in the program were not at the level they should be to be in a masters degree program. I think that could bring down the perception of the program as being too easy.
    
    -I've enjoyed the challenge that the professors have given, and the skills that I am learning will prove to be valuable in the future.
    
    -More online offerings would provide greater flexibility to students whose jobs require extensive travel.
    
    -The urban location of the school offers ample networking opportunities as well as access to adjunct professors who can provide real world examples of challenges faced by businesses today.
    
    -It is possible that the concentrations offered could be a little more current. VCU does seem like they are trying to offer current concentrations but I think they should be reviewed annually to see if they are viable and relevant subjects to teach in the business world today. I would hope that they are reviewing what the top b-schools in the country are teaching as far as course offerings and subject matter.
    
    -VCU's MBA program delivers a tremendous amount of value to its students. The major strengths of the program are its challenging core curriculum, its smaller classroom sizes for a more personalized learning experience, its inclusion of successful Richmond-area business leaders in class discussions, and its expansive alumni network that is very active in the area. Whatever your business goals may be, VCU's MBA program will most certainly provide you with the knowledge, skills, and resources you need to obtain them.