UNDERGRADUATE Profiles Publish Date 2/26/09

Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

College of Commerce & Business Administration

Getting In

PROGRAM BASICS

College of Business Undergraduate Program

1055 Business Instructional Facility, MC-520
515 East Gregory Drive
Champaign , Illinois 61820

Public Institution

Web site

http://www.business.uiuc.edu/undergrad/

Program e-mail address:

undergrads@business.uiuc.edu

Program telephone number:

(217) 333-2740

AACSB accredited:

Yes

Year in which the undergraduate business program was founded:

1915

Length of entire institution:

Four Year

Business program length:

Four Year

Degrees offered:

Degree/Program Name:
BS/Accountancy
BS/Finance
BS/Business Administration w/ Majors in Business Process Management, Information Systems/Information Technology Management, General Management w/ Entrepreneurship and International Business Concentrations, Marketing and Supply Chain Management

PROGRAM COSTS

Annual Tuition (Resident):

$ 13,394

Annual Tuition (Non-Resident)

$ 27,178

Required fees

$ 2,998

Books:

$ 1,200

Room and board:

$ 8,764

ENROLLMENT

Full-time undergraduate business student enrollment:

2,850

Part-time undergraduate business student enrollment:

Distance undergraduate business student enrollment:

Total College enrollment for 2008-09:

41,495

ADMISSIONS

Minimum SAT score for entire college on 1600 scale:

Minimum ACT score for entire college:

Minimum high school GPA for entire college:

Interviews for entire college:

By invitation only

Additional application requirements for entire college:

TOEFL (for International Students who did not complete their last two years at an institution with English as primary language)

Upcoming application deadlines for entire college:

Semester: Fall 2009
Deadline: January 1

Freshmen admitted into business program:

Yes

Percentage of business students admitted as freshmen:

73 %

Are the freshman admits to the business program required to complete pre-business courses before beginning upper-lever courses in the junior year?

Freshmen admitted by:

Indicate interest on university application

Internal transfers handled by:

Separate application

Minimum requirements for business program:

Minimum SAT score: NA
Minimum ACT score: NA
Minimum high school GPA : NA

Entrance exam requirement other than SAT/ACT for business program:

Interview to enter business program:

By invitation only

Additional application requirements for freshman admits:

Minimum college GPA for internal business program transfers:

Additional requirements for internal transfers:

Must Complete Econ 102 and Econ 103 Must Complete the Math Sequence Must Submit Resume

Total number of full-time applications for entire college:

23,240

International applicants, entire college, 2008-09:

11 %

Female applicants, entire college, 2008-09:

47 %

Selectivity--applicants admitted to undergraduate business program, 2008-09:

69 %

Yield -- applicants enrolled in undergraduate business program, 2008-09:

45 %

Relative Importance of Application Elements:

Secondary School Record:

Very Important

Class Rank:

Very Important

Talent/Ability:

Very Important

Interview:

Very Important

Extracurricular Activities:

Very Important

Volunteer Work:

Very Important

Character/Personal Abilities:

Very Important

Application Essay:

Very Important

Work Experience:

Very Important

SAT/ACT Scores:

Very Important

Recommendations:

Very Important

High School GPA:

Very Important

Admissions program managed by:

The business program office

Total undergraduate business program applicants, 2008-09:

3,980

Applicants enrolled in undergrad business program 2008-2009:

54 %

Applicants admitted to undergraduate business program, 2008-09:

37 %

CLASS PROFILE

Class Profile:

Female: 43 %
International : 9 %

Entering students by age:

Mean: 17

Citizenship of Entering Students

U.S.: 91 %
Other countries: 9 %

Percentage of US citizens in entering class who are:

African American: 7 %
Asian American: 14 %
Hispanic or Latino American: 7 %
Multiethnic/Multiracial : 10 %
Native American: 0 %
White (Non-Hispanic): 60 %
Chose not to report: 2 %

Entering students from the following region:

Northeast: 2 %
Mid-Atlantic: 2 %
South: 1 %
Southwest: 1 %
Midwest : 92 %
West: 2 %

SAT Scores for full-time entering business students on 1600 scale:

Mean: 1340

SAT middle 50% range on 1600 scale:

From: 1,270
To: 1,450

ACT Scores for full-time entering business students:

Mean: 30 Median: N/A

ACT middle 50% range:

From: 28
To: 32

Percent of Students Who Were In:

Top 10% of high school class

74 %

Top 25% of high school class:

93 %

HS GPA of 3.75 or higher

80 %

HS GPA of 3.5 to 3.74:

12 %

FINANCIAL AID

Financial aid handled by:

Central financial aid office at the university

Scholarships awarded to students in the business program based on:

A combination of need and merit

Scholarship consideration process:

As part of the admissions application

Other scholarship considerations:

N/A

Financial aid web site

http://www.osfa.uiuc.edu

Academics & Lifestyle

PROGRAM BASICS

Business students who graduate within four years:

80 %

Business students who graduate within 6 years:

90 %

Freshman retention rate:

93 %

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Credit hours required for graduation:

Degree: 124
Hours: 124

Other degree requirements:

Equivalent of (4) College Terms of a Non-Native Language

ACADEMICS

Average class size in required business courses:

Average class size in business electives:

Average class size in non-business electives required for admission to business program:

Class size:

Classes with fewer than 20 students: 14 %
Classes with 21 to 50 students: 75 %
Classes with more than 50 students: 11 %

Required business courses that reached maximum enrollment by the first day of class, previous academic year:

60 %

CURRICULUM

Number of elective courses available in business program:

Electives added current year:

Business Process Management Consulting Project Management Latin American Business Environment
Management of Social Networks
Power and Leadership in Organizations
Foundations of Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship Economic Development and Public Policy
Real Estate Development Portfolio Management

Year of the last major change to the business program's core curriculum:

2004

Leading areas of study:

Accounting

Finance

General Management

International Business

Marketing

Technology and Management

Special programs for business students:

Business Honors Program Social Entrepreneurship Summer Institute Finance Academy Entrepreneurs without Borders James Scholars Beta Gamma Sigma The Accountancy Lyceum Council of Presidents Leadership, Education and Development Program Sleeman Leadership Institute

Business program offers work study or co-op opportunities:

Yes

Federal Work Study Opportunities

Business program offers study abroad opportunities:

Yes

Study abroad program description:

International activities are expanding at a record pace in the College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Currently the University offers over 400 study abroad options to its students. In 2008 the University of Illinois won the prestigious Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization awarded by the NAFSA Association of International Educators. In the 2007-2008, 374 Business students participated in study abroad experiences, including 12 semester exchange programs offered through the College of Business with top business schools in Europe and Asia. New international program initiatives available through the College of Business include an exchange program with the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia; and a new winter break exchange program for MBA students to FREIE University in Berlin. This year was the first annual LEAD minority winter break program. LEAD is a national group for high-achieving students studying business. The program was founded at Wharton. Eighteen students accompanied by Assistant Dean of Admissions, Jewell White, and Ayanna Dewer, the Vice President of Program Operations of the National LEAD organization accompanied the students on the first international LEAD trip, which was to Costa Rica to learn about business practices in developing countries. The students visited businesses ranging in scope from Intel Corporation where the students glimpsed at the technologies that are currently being developed by the computer giant to a small entrepreneurial agricultural company that a 23-year old student developed while writing his senior college thesis and who now has Walmart as one of his clients. During winter 2008, our Technology and Management Program, which includes undergraduates who study both business and engineering, competed in a case competition in Korea on teams with students from three leading Asian universities in Korea and Hong Kong. Preparation for the trip included partnering each student with an Asian host family in Champaign-Urbana the semester before the trip. Finally, the “Sustainable Product and Market Development for Subsistence Markplaces” year-long course has business, engineering and industrial design students work together in groups with companies to create product prototypes and business plans for subsistence marketplaces in rural India. The course includes a unique international immersion experience to India where students interview individuals from their target market.

Volunteer work and community service opportunities:

Yes

Volunteer opportunities description:

One of its main functions has been to provide a clearinghouse where volunteer opportunities can be matched with willing volunteers. Illinois continually strives to increase students awareness of the needs of the Champaign-Urbana community and beyond.

Business clubs and extracurricular activities:

26 Business Clubs
4 Business Fraternities
Yearbook - Sixth Street
Honor Code Committee
Case Competitions
Conferences
Leadership Training
Entrepreneurs Without Borders

FACULTY

Faculty:

Full-time faculty : 135
Adjuncts and visiting faculty: 45
Permanent/tenured professors: 57
Percentage of permanent/tenured professors who are women: 12
Percentage of permanent/tenured professors who are underrepresented minorities: 2
Percentage of permanent/tenured professors who are also members of company boards of directors or of advisors: 13
Percentage of permanent/tenured professors who are business owners: 13

Prominent faculty:

Ira Solomon
Jeff Brown
Gregory Northcraft

STUDENT LIFE

Largest on-campus organizations for business students:

Business Council
Alpha Kappa Psi
Finance Club
Delta Sigma Pi
Phi Chi Theta

Freshmen are required to live on campus:

Yes

Business students are grouped in learning communities:

TECHNOLOGY

Wireless network available:

Yes

Technological improvements made in the last three years:

Brand New State of the Art Building w/ Wireless Classrooms Smart Classrooms We moved into our New Building in Fall 2008. iClicker Tech Platforms Online Advising Simulations Blended Learning

Trading laboratory available:

Yes

Alumni Affairs & Careers

ALUMNI

Total number of undergraduate business program graduates since inception:

48,333

Total living alumni:

42,089

Percent of alumni who gave, 2007-08 academic year:

10 %

Mean alumni gift 2007-08:

$ 2,120

Median alumni gift, 2007-08:

$ 100

Single donation in excess of $10 million in 2007-08?

Prominent alumni:

Name: Michael Krasny
Title: Founder, CDW
Name: John Zeglis
Title: Former Chairman & CEO, AT&T Wireless Services, Inc.
Name: Sam Skinner
Title: Former Chief of Staff to President George H.W. Bush, Former Secretary of Transportation

CAREER SERVICES

Percent of 2008 graduates who provided employment information:

93 %

Seeking full-time employment in business: 62 %
Not Seeking full-time employment in business: 38 %

Number of companies recruiting undergraduate students on campus in previous academic year:

341

Companies that posted full-time job offers/positions on school job boards, previous academic year:

402

Other activities and services provided for business majors:

Our JOB SHADOW PROGRAM matched 415 Freshmen and Sophomores with 105 companies in the USA and Asia. The staff co-taught the freshmen class on business professionalism. Employers and staff conduct mock interviews and resume critiques. Paraprofessionals trained students on case and investment banking interviews. Employer forums connected alumni and students in discussion on multiple business careers. Upperclassmen shared career information with underclassmen in "Speed Majoring" Program.

Job offer results, 2008 graduates:

Received first job offer by graduation: 76 %
Received first job offer in three months following graduation: 3 %
Received first job offer more than 3 months after graduation: 1 %
Did not report having received a job offer: 20 %
Accepted first job offer by graduation: 70 %
Accepted first job offer in three months following graduation: 3 %
Accepted first job offer more than 3 months after graduation: 1 %
Did not report having accepted a job offer: 26 %

Top hiring firms:

KPMG LLP
Ernst & Young
Deloitte Touche Tomatsu
PricewaterhouseCoopers
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Bank of America Corp.
Sears Holdings

Citi
Motorola, Inc.
Nibco
Baxter Healthcare Company
Chicago Trading Company
Epic Systems
Lincoln International
Stardom Worldwide
State Farm Insurance Companies
Walgreen Company
Wells Fargo Bank

Graduate compensation:

Mean base salary: $ 51,497
Median base salary: $ 54,000
Mean signing bonus: $ 4,619
Median signing bonus: $ 3,000
Mean other guaranteed compensation: $ 5,591
Median other guaranteed compensation: $ 5,000

Grads accepted jobs in following functional areas:

Consulting: 14 %
Finance/Accounting: 58 %
General Management: 9 %
Human Resources: 3 %
Management Information Systems: 2 %
Marketing/Sales: 8 %
Operations/Production: 2 %
Logistics/Transportation: 1 %
Other: 3 %

Grads accepted jobs in following industries:

Accounting: 26 %
Consumer Products/Retail: 7 %
Consulting Services: 14 %
Financial Services: 24 %
Government/Education: 0 %
Pharma/Biotech/Health: 3 %
Manufacturing: 11 %
Media/Entertainment: 1 %
Petroleum/Energy: 1 %
Real Estate: 1 %
Sports/Leisure: 1 %
Technology/Science: 2 %
Non-Profit: 2 %
Transportation: 2 %
Utilities: 0 %
Other: 5 %

Percentage of job acceptances, US and Canada:

US: 100 %
Canada: 0 %

Grads accepted jobs in the following US regions:

Northeast: 3 %
Mid-Atlantic: 2 %
Midwest: 88 %
South: 2 %
Southwest: 3 %
West: 2 %
US Possessions/Territories: 0 %

Number of companies recruiting interns on-campus, 2007-08 academic year:

198

Internship postings on job boards, previous academic year:

232

Top internship recruiters, 2007-08:

KPMG LLP
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Ernst & Young
Deloitte Touche Tomatsu
Merrill Lynch
Motorola
State Farm
Caterpillar
Sears Holdings
Morgan Stanley

BDO Seidman
Northwestern Mutual Financial Network
Walgreen Company
Jewel-Osco
Johnson & Johnson
Knutte & Associates
Kohl's
University of Illinois
Citadel Investment Group
Citi
UBS Financial

Mean internship compensation per week:

$ 808

Median internship compensation per week:

$ 837

Average internship, in weeks:

Graduate Comments

The size of the University of Illinois' business program is what makes it unique. It is large enough to have a vast amount of resources at its disposal, as well as a superior ability to draw recruiters of all business practices. It is small enough that it feels like a community in that you know almost everyone in your classes.

Only students in the College of Business are able to use the outstanding resource, Business Career Services. It has certainly prepared me for the real world. I have gone every semester since I was a freshman (I am a senior now) to various activities from resume critiques to interview 101 to how to pick the best job for you. It really is the best resource on campus.

The diversity of the program enables students to interact with many different people and prepares them for life after college.

I've been thoroughly dissatisfied with the caliber of the professors, the material taught in classes, the level of personal attention given to students. I have never felt like such an insignificant peon before coming to this university. Grading is extremely inconsistent between professors, and the easy professors always have their classes filled first.

I believe that the University of Illinois better prepares its students for the workforce than any other business program to which I have been exposed. The combination of theory and practical applications - along with the manner in which the University instills what can only be described as a Midwestern work ethic - creates students ready to work and succeed in today's increasingly competitive job market.

Simplicity, an online career website, has been especially helpful. Companies post job opportunities and give the option to submit a resume via the Internet. This is how I got my internship and full-time job. I was also able to sign up for interviews via Simplicity. It made the job search very easy.

The College of Business at the U of I is amazing on all levels � the classes, the facilities, the professors, the career centers, the administrative staff, and the campus. I have no regrets in my college career, and I am confident my peers and classmates feel the same. The College of Business does a great job of assisting you with job hunting, which to me is the most important thing senior year. The professors here challenge you to enhance both your leadership skills and communication skills, but also to provide you with an incredible education.

There is such a diverse group of students on campus and the group work aspect of upper-level business classes is worthwhile. In addition, we just had a new Business Instructional Facility built that is state of the art. The professors I've had in finance all come from some professional background and that is very beneficial. Finally, our on-campus recruiting is one of the best in the Midwest. Employers know the quality of applicants they're receiving when they recruit Illinois. ILL-INI!

This accounting program forces students to learn on their own. Sometimes this idea is beneficial, but other times it results in confused students without guidance.

We look at accounting from a real-world perspective as opposed to textbooks. We also gear you toward working in the real world and succeeding there, not just succeeding in the classroom, which we also do.

The school is so well known that many recruiters look to hire from this school. I think the school's ability to attract a diverse group of students from around the world and to instill a sense of pride in what we do helps with our ability to gain a job after graduation.

Since the business program is so difficult to get into, it forces you to compete. To transfer into the university's business college from the liberal arts and sciences college, I had to build my academic, personal, and professional qualifications. Through this rigorous process I was very well prepared for getting an internship, which led to a full-time job offer.

The strong focus on accounting leads students to have a solid base in accounting knowledge, which is important regardless of which field you work in. Also, the addition of the new business building has put the program in a unique position to have one of the few green business buildings.

[The school's] main focus is the students. As a member of the Business Honors Program, I can see the inner-workings and how driven the faculty and administration are to help the students. Everything is designed to make the program more useful for the students.

The students have great latitude with respect to how they want to structure their curriculum, as well as joining clubs and organizations on campus. Although there are plenty of graduating seniors looking for jobs, those who have made an effort can truly differentiate themselves through specialty courses, programs, and organizations. Moreover, the relationship between the College of Business and prospective employers is outstanding. For a "non-target" school, U of I benefits from outstanding recruiting and company presence on campus.

The students are taught in an open atmosphere with the attitude that we will be successful and prepared. The positive manner in which we interact with all members of the business school keep us motivated.

I do think that the business school could make better effort to teach ethics to students. I know that they have to introduce certain aspects of it to some classes. But I never had to do anything in regard to ethics. Personally, I think that there should be an entire required course on ethical theories and philosophy.

I believe there is a strong focus on group work in our program. This mirrors the experiences many of us will have in our daily job roles. Much of the work that happens on a daily basis is in teams, and it is important for students to be prepared and know how to manage group dynamics while entering the job market.