Enrollment: 318
Average GMAT: 600.00
GMAT Range (25-75%): 550-640
Average Undergrad GPA: 3.18
Regular Application Deadline: 05/15
Rolling Admission: Yes
School Type: Public
Average Age: 28.00
Average Work Experience (months): 48
Student Faculty Ratio: 13:1

Part Time Program: Yes
Evening Program: Yes
Executive MBA Program Offered: No
Total Faculty: 78

Average Starting Salary: $64,533.00
Hired Consulting: 14.6%
Hired Finance: 53.3%
Hired Marketing: 19.5%

Out-of-State Tuition: $28,566.00
In-State Tuition: $16,568.00

2010 Entrepreneurial Programs: Business Schools

Students Say - Academics
Offering an "affordable," "socially progressive" MBA program in the stellar city of Chicago, the University of Illinois at Chicago's Liautaud Graduate School of Business is an "outstanding value" in graduate business education. The program consists of 54 credit hoursâ€"roughly 13 or 14 coursesâ€"half of which are dedicated to the school's core curriculum. These six courses lay the foundation for the Liautaud MBA and are generally taken during the first two semesters of course work. After completing the core course work," Liautaud students take up to 30 credit hours of advanced electives. Due to the school's "flexibility and the option of various concentrations," students have the opportunity to focus their studies on one or two areas of interestâ€"including a "highly ranked" entrepreneurship programâ€"allowing them to graduate with targeted business savvy. Students may also take two courses in the Professional Topics Series, which address emerging trends in business. Some recent offerings include Cross-Functional Teams, The Chicago Exchanges, and Corporate Strategy.

There are a wide variety of professors and teaching styles at Liautaud and "Like any school, some professors are much better than others." Students across the board, however, are "very impressed with the level of personal attention available with professors and administrators," especially "for a large school." The curriculum is enhanced by considerable group work and case studies; students praise the fact that "course projects have been very challenging and have given [us] hands-on experience in real-life [business] situations." Moreover, students say their classmates contribute to the overall learning experience since "Most of them are experienced and knowledgeable in their field and bring professionalism to the class."

Liautaud students rave about the school's prime location in the commerce-friendly city of Chicago. In addition to the opportunities they gain in the classroom, students benefit from the fact that the school is "tied closely into the Chicago business community and successful Chicago business people." Noteworthy businesspeople often come to the campus, though "Visiting speakers are often scheduled prohibitively for part-time students." All students appreciate the myriad advantages that come with being in a "huge urban city with lots of learning opportunities," although some note that the "facilities could be upgraded/updated" and are "not conducive to learning." As one student jokes, "[The] library is louder than a heavy metal concert."

Students Say - Admissions
To apply to the University of Illinois at Chicago's Liautaud Graduate School of Business, you must submit a completed application (including several essay questions), an application fee, official transcripts from your undergraduate institution, GMAT scores, a current resume, two letters of recommendation, and, for international students, TOEFL test scores. Liautaud looks for candidates who demonstrate academic ability and strong management potential. The ideal candidate possesses the ability to lead, work in a team, conceptualize and analyze complex problems, and formulate solutions. To be considered for admission, Liautaud requires a B average on the last 60 hours of undergraduate course work (3.0 on a 4.0 scale). When analyzing an applicant's academic record, the school looks for evidence of analytic and quantitative skills.

Students Say - Campus Life
Because a large percentage of Liautaud students commute to school, there is something of a split amongst the student body and their perception of campus life. Part-time students are more likely to jet home rather than hang out after class, making it "difficult to foster a sense of community." Full-time students take a more active role in the campus community, participating in case competitions, conferences, and activities put on by the MBA Student Association. When it comes to their peers, students appreciate their classmates for being "friendly and intellectual without being overly competitive." "Minority groups are strongly represented" on campus, as are part-time students, "which aids in making contacts." As one student reports, "Overall, it is a campus filled with fun and academic activities. There is always something to do at Liautaud. The campus life is never boring here."

When students need to head off campus, "all of the amenities of Chicago [are] just beyond the campus perimeter." One student attests, "Apart from academics, I have always enjoyed hanging out with my fellow classmates for a bar night, movie night, or even a casual dinner." With a plethora of restaurants, bars, shopping, and cultural activities just a stone's throw away, there is always something to do after classâ€"and usually someone ready and willing to join you.

Students Say - Careers
Through Liautaud's Career Services Office, students have access to a number of professional development seminars on topics such as salary negotiation, personal branding, resume building, networking, and on-campus interviews. The center also offers advising, career development assistance (like mock interviews), and alumni and employer contacts, including an alumni mentor program, roundtable recruiting, and career fairs. Students' experiences with the Career Services Office is a mixed bag. Some observe that the school fails to tap into local resources and "needs to do better job of facilitating alumni interaction," while others claim that "the new Career Center is excellent in partnering students with potential employers and taking students through resume preparation, mock interview."

While the school continues to "work on providing better career opportunities" for students, the following companies have recently hired LGSB graduates: Abbott Laboratories, Allstate Insurance Company, Information Resources, Baxter, Caterpillar, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Hewitt Associates, Morningstar, State Farm, Lockheed Martin, Nuveen Investments, UBS Financial, HSBC, Caremark, and Navigant Consulting.

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