UNDERGRADUATE Profiles Publish Date 2/26/09

Iowa State University

College of Business

Getting In

PROGRAM BASICS

Iowa State University College of Business

1200 Gerdin Business Building
Ames , Iowa 50011-1350

Public Institution

Web site

http://www.business.iastate.edu

Program e-mail address:

undergrad@iastate.edu

Program telephone number:

(515) 294-8300

AACSB accredited:

Yes

Accreditation other than AACSB:

Higher Learning Commission (University)

Year in which the undergraduate business program was founded:

1980

Length of entire institution:

Four Year

Business program length:

Four Year

Degrees offered:

Degree/Program Name:
BS in Business, with major in Accounting, Business Economics, Finance, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Marketing, Management, Management Information Systems, and Operations and Supply Chain Management

PROGRAM COSTS

Annual Tuition (Resident):

$ 5,524

Annual Tuition (Non-Resident)

$ 16,514

Cost per academic credit (resident)

$ 231

Cost per academic credit (non-resident)

$ 689

Required fees

$ 876

Books:

$ 984

Room and board:

$ 6,956

ENROLLMENT

Full-time undergraduate business student enrollment:

3,473

Part-time undergraduate business student enrollment:

164

Total College enrollment for 2008-09:

26,856

ADMISSIONS

Minimum SAT score for entire college on 1600 scale:

930

Minimum ACT score for entire college:

Minimum high school GPA for entire college:

Interviews for entire college:

Not required

Additional application requirements for entire college:

For International students, minimum TEOFL score of 71 (IBT) or 530 (PBT); or minimum IELTS score of 6.0, with no subarea less than 5.5.

Upcoming application deadlines for entire college:

Semester: Summer 09 session 1
Deadline: 05-15-2009
Semester: Summer 09 session 2
Deadline: 06-01-2009
Semester: Fall 2009
Deadline: 07-01-2009
Semester: Spring 2010
Deadline: 12-01-2009

Freshmen admitted into business program:

Yes

Percentage of business students admitted as freshmen:

24 %

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

Yes

Freshmen admitted by:

Indicate interest on university 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:

Not required

Additional application requirements for freshman admits:

N/A

Minimum college GPA for internal business program transfers:

Additional requirements for internal transfers:

If transferring directly into professional program, must have a minimum of 2.5 GPA

Total number of full-time applications for entire college:

15,881

International applicants, entire college, 2008-09:

8 %

Female applicants, entire college, 2008-09:

47 %

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

85 %

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

47 %

Relative Importance of Application Elements:

Secondary School Record:

Considered

Class Rank:

Very Important

Talent/Ability:

Considered

Interview:

Not Considered

Extracurricular Activities:

Not Considered

Volunteer Work:

Not Considered

Character/Personal Abilities:

Not Considered

Application Essay:

Not Considered

Work Experience:

Not Considered

SAT/ACT Scores:

Very Important

Recommendations:

Not Considered

High School GPA:

Considered

Admissions program managed by:

The university admissions office

Total undergraduate business program applicants, 2008-09:

2,367

Applicants enrolled in undergrad business program 2008-2009:

45 %

Applicants admitted to undergraduate business program, 2008-09:

37 %

CLASS PROFILE

Class Profile:

Female: 36 %
International : 8 %

Entering students by age:

Mean: 19.5
Median: 19

Citizenship of Entering Students

U.S.: 92 %
Canada: .4 %
Other countries: 7.6 %
Unknown: 0 %

Percentage of US citizens in entering class who are:

African American: 3.4 %
Asian American: 4.7 %
Hispanic or Latino American: 2.5 %
Native American: .2 %

Entering students from the following region:

Northeast: .4 %
Mid-Atlantic: .3 %
South: 0 %
Southwest: .1 %
Midwest : 90 %
West: .3 %
Possessions and territories: .1 %

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

Mean: 1115
Median: 1089

SAT middle 50% range on 1600 scale:

From: 969
To: 1,244

ACT Scores for full-time entering business students:

Mean: 23
Median: 23

ACT middle 50% range:

From: 22
To: 27

Percent of Students Who Were In:

Top 10% of high school class

14 %

Top 25% of high school class:

39 %

HS GPA of 3.75 or higher

20 %

HS GPA of 3.5 to 3.74:

15 %

FINANCIAL AID

Financial aid handled by:

Central financial aid office at the university

Institutional scholarship money distributed to undergraduate business students in previous academic year:

$ 5,627,495

Institutional scholarship money to be distributed to undergraduate business students in current academic year:

$ 5,603,165

Scholarships awarded to students in the business program based on:

A combination of need and merit

Scholarship consideration process:

All candidates are considered for scholarships

Other scholarship considerations:

N/A

Students receiving institutional scholarships for 2008-09 academic year:

57 %

Undergraduate business students with full-tuition scholarships 2008-09:

3 %

Percentage of institutional scholarship money distributed to business students based on merit, 2008-09 year:

34 %

Percentage of institutional scholarship money distributed to business students based on need, 2008-09:

66 %

School offers guaranteed loans:

Financial aid web site

http://www.financialaid.iastate.edu

Academics & Lifestyle

PROGRAM BASICS

Business students who graduate within four years:

48 %

Business students who graduate within 6 years:

68 %

Freshman retention rate:

85 %

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Credit hours required for graduation:

Degree: BS
Hours: 122
Degree: BS
Hours: 152
Degree: BS
Hours: 182

Other degree requirements:

42 credits of 300 level or higher, 30 credits of C or better, C in 2 out of 3 English courses, 50% of business courses earned at ISU, minimum GPA of 2.0.

ACADEMICS

Average class size in required business courses:

166

Average class size in business electives:

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

132

Class size:

Classes with fewer than 20 students: 1 %
Classes with 21 to 50 students: 78 %
Classes with more than 50 students: 21 %

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

95 %

Required business courses that had waiting lists, 2007-08:

0 %

CURRICULUM

Number of elective courses available in business program:

Electives added current year:

Mgmt 572X - Personality and Management
Mgmt 367X - International Entrepreneurship
Mkt 445X - Customer Relationship Mgmt

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

1995

Leading areas of study:

Accounting

Finance

General Management

Marketing

Supply Chain Management

Special programs for business students:

Gerdin Citizenship Program, Krause Initiative, SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise)

Business program offers work study or co-op opportunities:

Yes

Work study through university within department offices; co-ops through career services

Business program offers study abroad opportunities:

Yes

Study abroad program description:

College sponsored programs, regents' programs, university programs; 1 month to 1 year in length

Volunteer work and community service opportunities:

Yes

Volunteer opportunities description:

Community service activities through Gerdin Citizenship Program; university, SERVICE (Students Exchanging Resources Volunteering in Charitable Events)

Business clubs and extracurricular activities:

Business Council Business Week/Career Week
Entrepreneur Club Gerdin Citizenship Program
International Business Club Multicultural Business Network
Accounting Club Management Club Marketing Club Alpha Kappa Psi
Beta Alpha Psi Delta Sigma Pi Finance Club MIS Club
Beta Gamma Sigma SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise)
SERVICE (Students Exchanging Resources Volunteering in Charitable Events)

FACULTY

Faculty:

Full-time faculty : 76
Adjuncts and visiting faculty: 15
Permanent/tenured professors: 48
Percentage of permanent/tenured professors who are women: 21
Percentage of permanent/tenured professors who are underrepresented minorities: 6
Percentage of permanent/tenured professors who are also members of company boards of directors or of advisors: 3
Percentage of permanent/tenured professors who are business owners: 4

Prominent faculty:

Michael Crum
Dermott Hayes
Paula Morrow

STUDENT LIFE

Largest on-campus organizations for business students:

MIS Club
Marketing Club
Finance Club
Alpha Kappa Psi
APICS

Freshmen are required to live on campus:

Business students are grouped in learning communities:

Yes

TECHNOLOGY

Wireless network available:

Yes

Technological improvements made in the last three years:

The College of Business has replaced all desktop computers in the College of Business within the last 3 years. We have equipped College managed classrooms (8) with Dual Projector/screen systems and permanent computer to allow greater flexibility in class presentation. We have also equipped 8 classrooms with microphones and video capture equipment to allow faculty to easily create podcasts and other online media. We have upgraded software in computer labs and computer classrooms to allow faculty to control what the student sees and allow the instructor to actively participate with students. We are currently licensing papercut to manage printing in computer labs to reduce environmental impact of excessive printing. We have equipped to remote classrooms (DesMoines MBA) with modern classrooms equipment… Elmo, projector, computer. We have added a computer cart/lab to the DM MBA. The cart houses 27 laptops that can be used in the remote site. We have several public displays that are used to convey college and business information to students. We bought into the student MCA to allow students cheap access to MS Software.

Trading laboratory available:

Yes

Alumni Affairs & Careers

ALUMNI

Total number of undergraduate business program graduates since inception:

25,551

Total living alumni:

25,022

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

12 %

Mean alumni gift 2007-08:

$ 936

Median alumni gift, 2007-08:

$ 50

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

Prominent alumni:

CAREER SERVICES

Percent of 2008 graduates who provided employment information:

90 %

Seeking full-time employment in business: 89 %
Not Seeking full-time employment in business: 11 %

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

128

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

587

Other activities and services provided for business majors:

Individual career counseling; career-related books/job search guides; computerized business career guidance tools; comprehensive website; intern/co-op positions; mentors; job shadowing; individual consulting and assistance; workshops; mock interviews; classroom experience; interview facility for recruiters; web-based recruiting system; hundreds of employer visits; fall and spring career fair.

Job offer results, 2008 graduates:

Top hiring firms:

Wells Fargo
Target Corp.
Caterpillar
Ernst & Young

Principal Financial
John Deere
Cerner Corporation
Iowa State University
McGladrey and Pullen
Nationwide Insurance
Enterprise REnt-a-Car
Menards, Inc.
Office of the Auditor of State
US Army
Hormel Foods Corp

Graduate compensation:

Mean base salary: $ 41,407
Median base salary: $ 41,000
Mean signing bonus: $ 0
Median signing bonus: $ 0
Mean other guaranteed compensation: $ 0
Median other guaranteed compensation: $ 0

Grads accepted jobs in following functional areas:

Consulting: 2 %
Finance/Accounting: 28 %
General Management: 20 %
Human Resources: 2 %
Management Information Systems: 10 %
Marketing/Sales: 13 %
Operations/Production: 6 %
Logistics/Transportation: 4 %
Other: 15 %

Grads accepted jobs in following industries:

Accounting: 8 %
Consumer Products/Retail: 21 %
Consulting Services: 2 %
Financial Services: 21 %
Government/Education: 9 %
Pharma/Biotech/Health: 3 %
Manufacturing: 10 %
Media/Entertainment: 5 %
Petroleum/Energy: 1 %
Real Estate: 2 %
Sports/Leisure: 1 %
Technology/Science: 3 %
Non-Profit: 1 %
Transportation: 7 %
Utilities: 0 %
Other: 6 %

Percentage of job acceptances, US and Canada:

US: 100 %
Canada: 0 %

Grads accepted jobs in the following US regions:

Northeast: 1 %
Mid-Atlantic: 1 %
Midwest: 87 %
South: 2 %
Southwest: 6 %
West: 3 %
US Possessions/Territories: 0 %

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

126

Internship postings on job boards, previous academic year:

304

Top internship recruiters, 2007-08:

Wells Fargo
Caterpillar

Principal Financial Group
Iowa State University
Kingland Systems Corp
AEGON Group
Northwestern Mutual Financial Network
Aviva Capial Mgmt
Cargill Inc.
John Deere
Sauer Danfoss Inc
C.H. Robinson Worldwide
Electrolux Home Products North America

Percentage of internships that were paid, previous academic year

100 %

Mean internship compensation per week:

$ 565

Median internship compensation per week:

$ 550

Average internship, in weeks:

Graduate Comments

The career services personnel are excellent in helping students to get prepared for the work force. The numerous programs and services they offer are all beneficial to students.

I love the way our business program puts us into a team environment.

I learned more from a three-month internship than I did from three and a half years of business courses. This program initially stood out to me because I like the way it was organized and the ability to decide later which direction of business I wanted to go. The academic advisers in the college of business are absolutely worthless. I was, however, always able to get into the classes I needed by emailing [someone] who is in charge of scheduling business classes.

Very experienced faculty who has stayed in touch with the needs and demands of their students by adapting to the technology used in today's society [makes the program unique].

Their ability to bring employers and networking agents to the campus [makes the school unique].

I think the core courses that Iowa State requires has made my education a unique experience which allows me to be a well-rounded job candidate.\

Nothing too unique about it; the university mass educates students on too large of a scale to be unique in this way. The town is rather unique for Iowa, as the town is fairly rich because of the university salaries and various other high paid jobs.

There are a lot of student organizations and clubs within the business school that are easily accessible to all students. It's pretty new and the classrooms are pretty state of the art.

Their development of and emphasis on the supply chain program is unique in my experience.

The teachers in the upper-level classes really take their time getting to know their students. Everyone feels important and knows why the information we are learning is important.

They make it easy to graduate with a decent GPA and find a good job due to the amount of firms they draw to their job fairs held every semester. The program also allows for a wide diversity of classes to give one a well-rounded education that helps one avoid making college feel like four years of job training.

The diversity of options you have with your degree such as being able to have an international business major [makes the program unique]. I especially like the ability to work closely with the world languages department, which is a big factor for my Spanish studies.

Brand new, state-of-the-art building, brilliant professors, and a program that is clearly on the rise [make this a unique program]. It will only continue to improve.

It is a very personal learning environment, where faculty does everything they can to bring you closer to your goals. They will work with you individually if you desire and offer great advice. It is rare for a university of this size to have such a personal feel to it, but Iowa State pulls it off to perfection. They take their academics very seriously and are constantly bettering the business program. They strive to be one of the best programs in the country. They want to evolve the program to elite status and show no signs of slowing down.

I feel that it keeps in line with the core Iowa/Midwest values and teaches the students to uphold those values in the workplace as well as in their personal lives. I also feel that the career services department goes out of their way to help students with their resume and job hunting suggestions.

Iowa State's Business Program is unique because the faculty continues to relate course content to actual everyday occurrence in the work place. By using real-world examples, classes are more exciting and worthwhile.

The business program at Iowa State University emphasizes working effectively in diverse teams. The program also stresses academia and personal integrity.

I get a great value completing my business degree at ISU. The quality of faculty is wonderful and the cost of attendance is much lower than other similarly ranked business schools in the nation.

ISU is one of the few schools to offer degrees in Supply Chain Management. As a result, employers from across the country look to Iowa State to fill Logistics and Operations positions.

Most of the professors and classes are big, impractical and straight from the textbook. A few professors and classes really stand out. They are challenging, instructive and prepare me for the real world.

Some instructors in the college of business do not care about the students. They are occupied with research and do not make themselves available to the students outside class. Communication with professors is key, and in my time at ISU I have had trouble getting in touch with instructors on multiple occasions.

I would have liked to have been able to get to know the Dean, to at least have heard him speak once or something. I wouldn't know him if I passed him in the hallway.

I really felt my advisor did a poor job. At our first meeting he just kept telling me they didn't have a healthcare administration degree (I've been a nurse for 20-plus years) rather than listening to me say I want out of healthcare. He couldn't envision that I might have skills that could translate into another profession besides healthcare.