Worcester Polytechnic Institute

PROGRAM BASICS

• • Worcester Polytechnic Institute School of Business
  • Part-Time MBA
  • 100 Institute Road
  • Worcester, 01609, Massachusetts
  • United States
  • Program Web site: http://www.wpi.edu/academics/business/graduate.html
  • E-mail: business@wpi.edu
• • Percentage of part-time students who graduate within six years of entering program: 80 %
  • Average months to complete program: 42
  • Maximum months permitted to complete program: 96
  • Does the school have a separate full-time MBA program? Yes
  • If so, can part-time students switch to the full-time program? Yes

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

  • Resident: $28,752.00
  • Non-Resident: $28,752.00

• Tuition per credit:

  • Resident $1,198.00
  • Non-resident $1,198.00
• • Graduate business school is accredited by: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), Other

SCHOOL BASICS

• Graduate business school enrollment:

  • Total: 286
  • Full-Time MBA: 37
  • Part-Time MBA: 249
• • Undergraduate business school enrollment: 194
  • Graduate degree programs: Other
  • Other graduate degree programs: MS in Information Technology; MS in Marketing and Technological Innovation; MS in Operations Design and Leadership; MS in Management

ADMISSIONS, SELECTIVITY AND YIELD

• • Total applications, most recent entering class: 18
  • Applications accepted, most recent entering class: 72 %
  • Admitted students enrolled: 100 %
  • Applicants wait-listed during the last admissions cycle: 0
  • Wait-listed applicants admitted for the semester to which they applied: 0
  • 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 500
  • 50th Percentile (median) 570
  • 75th Percentile 670
  • 90th Percentile 700
  • Average GMAT Score 567
  • 10th Percentile 310

• GMAT score distribution (incoming class)

  • 10th Percentile 550
  • 25th Percentile 580
  • 50th Percentile (median) 610
  • 90th Percentile 680
  • 75th Percentile 660
  • Average GMAT Score 624
• • 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: 445

• Relative Importance of Application Elements:

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

CLASS PROFILE

• • Female students: 15 %
  • International students: 30 %

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

  • African American: 7 %
  • White (Non-Hispanic): 61 %

• Postgraduate work experience (months):

  • Mean: 102
  • Median: 81
  • From: 48
  • To: 180
  • One year or less: 0 %

• Entering students work in the following industries:

  • Consumer Products: 16 %
  • Manufacturing: 16 %
  • Pharmaceutical/Biotechnology/Health Care: 33 %
  • Technology: 16 %
  • Other: 16 %
• • Mean age, newest entering class: 33
  • Median age, newest entering clas: 32

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: 21 %

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

  • Loans (private and government): 90 %
• • On what basis are scholarships awarded? Academic merit
  • Full-tuition scholarships awarded, 2011-12: 0
  • Does school offer a guaranteed loan to all part-time MBAs? No

FACULTY

• • Faculty employed by the B-school: 34

• Full-time faculty:

  • Tenured: 14
  • Non-Tenured: 11

• Adjunct/Visiting Faculty:

  • Tenured: 0
  • Non-Tenured: 9

• Women on Faculty:

  • Tenured: 7
  • Non-Tenured: 7

• Minority Faculty:

  • Tenured: 0
  • Non-Tenured: 1

• International Faculty:

  • Tenured: 4
  • Non-Tenured: 4

• Faculty with PhDs:

  • Tenured: 14
  • Non-Tenured: 14
• • Faculty on company boards: 17

STUDENT LIFE

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

  • • Entrepreneurship
    • VC/ Private Equity
    • Information Technology

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

  • • International Club
    • Hispanic Student Organization
    • Women in MBA
    • Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual
• • 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: 55 %
  • Experiential Learning: 5 %
  • Lectures: 20 %
  • 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: 34
  • Tenured teachers in the part-time program: 14
  • Faculty also teaching in full-time program: 100 %
  • Average core class size: 39
  • Average elective class size: 20
  • Electives available: 39

• Recently added electives:

  • Business Intelligence
• • Last curriculum revision: 2010
  • Recent curriculum changes: Completely revamped the curriculum--all classes were made 3 credits.

• Concentrations and specializations offered to part-time MBAs:

  • • Other
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Operations Management

• Additional concentrations offered:

  • Information Technology
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Process Design
• • Does the B-school offer an accelerated part-time MBA program? Yes

• Leading areas of study:

  • • Entrepreneurship
    • Marketing
    • Management Information Systems
    • Operations Management
    • Technology

• 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

TECHNOLOGY

• • Technology improvements in the last three academic years: State-of-the-art computers in B-school computer lab. Upgrades in B-School Oracle-Lean Lab. Major network upgrades. Server infrastructure upgrades.
  • Amount spent: $175,000.00

B-SCHOOL ALUMNI

• • Living MBA alumni: 1,013
  • Active MBA alumni clubs: 0
  • Countries in which MBA clubs exist: 0
  • Living MBA alumni who gave in past year: 1 %
  • Mean gift from MBA alumni: $2,072.00
  • 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 $15,000,000.00
  • 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://alumniconnect.wpi.edu
  • Does the B-school offer career services for alumni? Yes
  • Does the B-School have an alumni networking Web site? No
  • Do current MBA students have access to an alumni database? No

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 WPI MBA is the perfect blend between technology and management. The program creates world-class innovative leaders who understand how to run a successful business.
    
    -The faculty, staff and students at WPI have been exemplary models for an MBA program. Their professionalism, experience, assistance and application of practical and advanced knowledge are major assets to any candidates fortunate enough to participate in their program. I have been privileged to have my personal growth increase due to my interaction with them in my seven years of study. It is no surprise to me that WPI continues to make great strides for improvement with major changes planned that will add to the flexibility and effectiveness of their MBA degree. As a manager and an employer I look forward to observing the fruits of their success. WPI MBA graduates can help me and my company remain competitive and number one in our industry in an ever increasing and complex workplace.
    
    -I was very happy with the distance learning program, technology focus, and project interaction. Most courses include group projects that help build teamwork, time management, and subject comprehension. I was extremely happy with WPI's project-focused curriculum as an undergraduate and the MBA program lived up to that benchmark and even beyond. For this reason, I believe the program is highly valuable to anyone looking to remain in a technological field and get the most out of their chosen MBA program.
    
    -Some of the newer instructors had issues keeping up the their own syllabus schedules and providing timely feedback to assignments. Established instructors made good use of time and did not assign frivolous work that had little value other than busy work.
    
    -WPI is an amazing school with a dedicated faculty and administration. Their distance-learning program is exceptional and their campus is beautiful with great buildings and comfortable classrooms. The curriculum of the MBA program explores a broad cross-section of business topics, providing an excellent foundation for the business student.
    
    -I really wish WPI had more of a focus on entrepreneurship. If I did it again I would look to find programs that had an emphasis on such.
    
    -I would recommend this MBA to both my friends and colleagues. The WPI MBA program allows students to take additional electives in other areas to gain more knowledge in. The Graduate Qualifying Projects gives students to allow everything that they have learned entire MBA program. Plus, you are able to solve real business problems for a particular company.
    
    -Updating the curriculum and offerings every 4 years or so, it was updated in 2011 when I was completing but had not been for 10 years.
    
    -My current MBA program opened my eyes to areas in technology that I was not familiar with before. I was able to gain experience and knowledge about a new field that I am now pursuing as my career.
    
    -A small improvement could be to add a service that might explore different career opportunities possible for those students who are not already certain about which direction they intend to take with the degree. As it stands, it is mostly up to the student to decide and interpret the material as required for their intended pathway. Personally, I geared most things toward engineering management, but it would have been nice to explore other options in different and unfamiliar industries and roles within a classroom environment.
    
    -WPI frequently took me out of my comfort zone. While the environment is competitive the students are very helpful to each other and make online and classroom studies extremely effective. WPI is centrally located which was very convenient for me to have a mixed online and classroom education to allow me the flexibility to fully participate in family activities as well as school. The MBA program has been applied to my daily work numerous times. It has helped to advance my capabilities to perform my previous job and move to my current position at a more advanced pace.