University of Massachusetts, Amherst

PROGRAM BASICS

• • Isenberg School of Management
  • Isenberg Blended MBA Program
  • 121 Presidents Drive
  • Suite 305
  • Amherst, 01003, Massachusetts
  • United States
  • Program Web site: http://www.isenberg.umass.edu/MBA/
  • E-mail: mba@isenberg.umass.edu
• • Percentage of part-time students who graduate within six years of entering program: 94 %
  • Average months to complete program: 32
  • Maximum months permitted to complete program: 48
  • 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: $7,770.00
  • Non-Resident: $7,770.00

• Tuition per credit:

  • Resident $640.00
  • Non-resident $640.00
• • Graduate business school is accredited by: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), Other

SCHOOL BASICS

• Graduate business school enrollment:

  • Total: 1,502
  • Full-Time MBA: 70
  • Part-Time MBA: 1,220
  • PhD Program: 66
• • Undergraduate business school enrollment: 3,456
  • Graduate degree programs: Master of Accounting, Other
  • Other graduate degree programs: MS in Sport Management, MS is Resource Economics

ADMISSIONS, SELECTIVITY AND YIELD

• • Total applications, most recent entering class: 72
  • Applications accepted, most recent entering class: 71 %
  • Admitted students enrolled: 92 %
  • 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 required

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

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

• GMAT score distribution (applicant pool)

  • 25th Percentile 460
  • 10th Percentile 390
  • Average GMAT Score 505
  • 75th Percentile 570
  • 50th Percentile (median) 530
  • 90th Percentile 630

• GMAT score distribution (incoming class)

  • 10th Percentile 460
  • 50th Percentile (median) 540
  • 75th Percentile 580
  • Average GMAT Score 538
  • 90th Percentile 628
  • 25th Percentile 493
• • 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 Not Considered
  • Recommendations: Important
  • Undergraduate Transcripts: Very Important

CLASS PROFILE

• • Female students: 30 %
  • International students: 23 %

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

  • African American: 0 %
  • Asian American: 17 %
  • Hispanic or Latino American: 3 %
  • Multiethnic/Multiracial: 0 %
  • Native American: 0 %
  • White (Non-Hispanic): 72 %
  • Chose not to report: 3 %
  • Other: 6 %

• Postgraduate work experience (months):

  • Mean: 104
  • Median: 96
  • From: 48
  • To: 168
  • One year or less: 0 %
• • Mean age, newest entering class: 32
  • Median age, newest entering clas: 32

FINANCIAL AID

• • Part-time MBAs apply for financial aid through: Central financial aid office at the university

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

  • Institutional Scholarships: 0 %
  • Assistantships: 0 %
• • 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? Unique scholarship application
  • Does school offer a guaranteed loan to all part-time MBAs? No

FACULTY

• • Faculty employed by the B-school: 117

• Full-time faculty:

  • Tenured: 67
  • Non-Tenured: 37

• Adjunct/Visiting Faculty:

  • Tenured: 0
  • Non-Tenured: 14

• Women on Faculty:

  • Tenured: 17
  • Non-Tenured: 24

• Minority Faculty:

  • Tenured: 12
  • Non-Tenured: 9

• International Faculty:

  • Tenured: 3
  • Non-Tenured: 9

• Faculty with PhDs:

  • Tenured: 67
  • Non-Tenured: 29

STUDENT LIFE

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

  • • Corporate Social Responsibility/NetImpact
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Finance

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

  • • Women in MBA
    • Other
• • 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: 20 %
  • Lectures: 20 %
  • Simulations: 10 %
  • Team Projects: 20 %
• • Estimated number of hours per week students spend on classwork, excluding time spent in class: 9
  • Teachers in the part-time program: 11
  • Tenured teachers in the part-time program: 3
  • Faculty also teaching in full-time program: 10 %
  • Faculty with at least five years of full-time corporate experience 72 %
  • Average core class size: 21
  • Average elective class size: 32
  • Electives available: 14
• • Last curriculum revision: 2000
• • Does the B-school offer an accelerated part-time MBA program? No

• Leading areas of study:

  • • General Management

• 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: 37

TECHNOLOGY

• • Technology improvements in the last three academic years: The Isenberg School provides new computers to all faculty, staff and student labs every 3 years. We purchase current research and production software. We have audio-visual equipment in all of our classrooms. To promote interactive learning, we use RFID response systems and smart boards. We have invested heavily in video lecture capture and have more than 200 computers dedicated to student labs. Wireless technology is ubiquitous. We use server virtualization for improved efficiency.
  • Amount spent: $1,060,000.00

B-SCHOOL ALUMNI

• • Living MBA alumni: 3,950
  • Living MBA alumni who gave in past year: 10 %
  • Did school receive an individual gift in excess of $10 million in the past academic year? No
  • Business school endowment $17,964,000.00
  • 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://umassalumni.com/index.html
  • 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://umassalumni.com/index.html
  • 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?
    • After completing a certain number of credits
  • Are part-time MBAs permitted to interview for full-time jobs? Yes
  • Are part-time students included in resume drops? No

• • -The MBA program provided me with the opportunity necessary for the understanding of fundamentals principles of management and how it is applied to the development of capital business. It enhanced my skills to improve effectiveness through the processes of organizing, planning, scheduling, monitoring and controlling a variety of tasks that will enable me to manage more effectively. I learned the management skills needed to work in administrative and leadership positions in this competitive business environment. The MBA program provided more career mobility and the possibility of advancement beyond what my bachelor degree from India would allow.
    
    -Working with the school administration was a nightmare. Disorganized!
    
    -UMass is a career-changing program. It is a robust education that provides an entirely new perspective on my field. It has catapulted my career.
    
    -I felt the classroom demographic was a bit older than I expected, but learned later that was due to the overlapping nature of the program with another one aimed at senior physicians. Otherwise, program was good.
    
    -The program provided a great deal of flexibility that allowed me to continue working my normal schedule. Additionally I viewed the school as a good value based on cost and reputation.
    
    -There were many doctors in the program, in fact too many. I felt this really hurt the discussions to an extent. Many talked too much about the hospital environment, rather than from the standpoint of a business environment. The school should consider offering an MBA experience for doctors alone, rather than mix them in with those who are looking for a business focus.
    
    -I tell my friends in the military about the UMass MBA program all the time. It works well with our busy schedules. UMass is also an outstanding academic institution, which ensures the quality of the program.
    
    -There were fees for skipping a consecutive semester that were absurd considering my first priority (and those of many part time students, I think) is my job. When job priorities take priority, I believe that the school should not penalize you. The money paid was not reimbursable.
    
    -The course is very flexible at the same time providing the quality and ability to tweak the course in terms of the benefit factors. Some of the professors are extremely good in making you think about your career, how to launch it, and where it should be in the next few years
    
    -The inclusion of more leadership material into the program would be a big step in the right direction. Also, I had anticipated that an MBA would bring all the pieces of entrepreneurship together to form a clear picture, but that did not happen. A capstone course that ties everything together would be ideal.
    
    I was recommended by friends to look at this MBA program and I would do the same, especially for someone who is looking for a more flexible style of learning, yet still is able to maintain their career while working a full time job. The faculty has a great depth of knowledge about new techniques and passes on their unique experience during classes. I found that extremely impressive and noticed that many programs lack that aspect.
    
    -I often wished with curriculum was a bit more challenging; I sometimes found the theory classes to be a bit easy...I like a challenge! I did, however, find that challenge in my finance classes!
    
    -This program afforded flexibility, solid instruction, a variety of modalities and experiences, and what I didn't anticipate and what was key - classmates that provided an amazing variety of experiences (from law, medicine, engineering, business) who were a mix of very seasoned to the newly graduated - who were able to share their experiences, which provided an exceedingly rich resource.
    
    -I thought the college professors where first class. They where very attentive, know their topic, accessible, organized, and clear. They where also willing to work with you if you have personal conflicts. I did not have many but the few times I did, they where very accommodating. It is not to say they let me off, just gave me the opportunity to complete the work based on my schedule
    
    -My only issue with the MBA program was how large the discussions were. Many times keeping up with the discussions took longer than reading the material for the week. I often just skimmed through or posted as quickly as possible to avoid having to keep up with so many postings - the biggest improvement I think would be splitting the class into smaller discussion groups to make it more personal and less time consuming.
    
    -I loved the flexibility of online courses and the quality of the education at Isenberg's online MBA was similar to what I experienced as an undergrad on campus at Isenberg.