Enrollment: 164
Average GMAT: 643.00
GMAT Range (25-75%): 560-720
Average Undergrad GPA: 3.39
Rolling Admission: No
School Type: Public
Average Age: 27.00
Average Work Experience (months): 60
Student Faculty Ratio: 8:1

Part Time Program: No
Evening Program: No
Executive MBA Program Offered: Yes
Total Faculty: 19

Average Starting Salary: $86,700.00
Hired Consulting: 23.2%
Hired Finance: 32.1%
Hired Operations: 8.9%
Hired Marketing: 16.1%

Out-of-State Tuition: $17,793.00
In-State Tuition: $7,677.00
Financial Aid Deadline: 02/01
Students Receiving Some Aid: 75%
Average Annual Total Financial Aid: $17,281.00

Most Competitive Students

Students Say - Academics
Business-minded MBA candidates say you get a "great return on investment" at Texas A&M. While tuition at this public university is "relatively inexpensive," the business school offers a "high quality education," spearheaded by an "unmatched teaching staff." The "academically challenging and quantitatively focused" curriculum is incredibly intense, compressing the equivalent of a two-year fulltime MBA into just sixteen months. Students praise the efficiency of the school's accelerated schedule, which reduces costs and career interruption while nonetheless providing "well rounded" business training. In fact, "The ability of the professors and the program to crunch so much information into that time is outstanding." On the flip side, some students feel the program's speed isn't necessarily an advantage, as "we never have to time to prepare sufficiently and then discuss it in depth." Fortunately, those who'd like to extend their education may decide to stay at Texas A&M for an extra semester, during which time they can specialize in accounting, consulting, e-commerce, finance, marketing, and real estate, among others. Teaching is taken seriously Texas A&M, and the school's "excellent" faculty are truly involved with the educational process. In class, "The teachers are engaging and concerned about student learning," and "try hard to make sure everybody understands the course material." Outside of class, "Professors and administration are extremely helpful. They have open door policies and are easily accessible." In addition, the school's administration is friendly and student-oriented. From top to bottom, "Everybody in the MBA office goes out of their way to make sure we have great opportunities to learn outside the classroom, hear great speakers, and succeed in the program."
Every Texas A&M business school class is small, allowing plenty of individual attention while simultaneously encouraging interaction and discussion in (and outside) the classroom. Explains a student, "The classes are a perfect size to harness great discussions-a lot of opinions and viewpoints, but not so many that it's difficult to be heard in a single class period." At the same time, the intimate classroom environment means no one can slack off or slip through the cracks; "The classes are discussion-intensive, so every day requires a good bit of preparation." On the whole, students admit that Mays is a "very, very competitive environment," and, to keep up with the program's demands, students "often spend weekends studying and preparing for the upcoming week." If Mays students didn't already have enough on their plate, the program includes a plethora of curricular and extracurricular activities that are designed to add depth and practical experience to the program. Of particular note, the MBA includes a required consulting project, which gives students the opportunity to apply classroom principals to a real-world business environment. Students can also sharpen their investment acumen through the Reliant Energy Securities & Commodities Trading Center, where Bloomberg terminals keep finance students in touch with the market. Beyond curricular offerings, the program incorporates enrichment features like the "Technology Transfer Challenge" case competition, a "Dean's Speaker Series" and opportunities for executive coaching and leadership development and training.

Students Say - Admissions
Texas A&M deliberately limits the size of each incoming class, and admissions are competitive. Prospective students must have fulltime post-baccalaureate work experience to be considered for the program; however, Peace Corps, missionary work, or military service is counted as work experience, even if it took place before the college degree. Select applicants may be invited to interview with the Admissions Committee.

Students Say - Campus Life
Between classes, homework, lectures, and social life, there is "never a dull moment" at Texas A&M. Though most MBA candidates say their coursework keeps them supremely occupied, they also appreciate the openness and camaraderie that exists between the students at Mays Business School. While students are "determined to succeed," "everybody in the class is very social and works together." Within the Mays community, "Friendliness and professionalism abound."
The business school is located on Texas A&M's main campus, home to 48,000 students. Politically and socially, "A&M is a very conservative school and the students, for the most part, are very conservative" in the business school as well. As a part of a large, research university, "It is very easy to get involved in Texas A&M's culture. Football games and other outside activities are a "must see" and current students make it a point to take new students to these events." School spirit surges-even in the graduate programs-and students tell us, "The Aggie Spirit is something one ought to experience." Surrounding College Station is a "quiet, largely safe" town of 125,000, which grew alongside the university. If you're craving something a little more urban, the campus is just a few hours drive from Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio.

Students Say - Careers
With an excellent 98 percent job placement rate, it's no surprise that students sing the praises of the Graduate Business Career Services Office. The Career Services staff is "professional, respectful, and wonderful to work with," and is lauded for coming up with "creative ideas in a challenging internship/job market." Another unique advantage of the school's sixteen-month format is that A&M students graduate in December, making them "available for that recruiting period when there is not a large supply of MBA students attempting to be recruited."
In addition to the business school's job placement services, the school's active alumni network is another benefit of attending Texas A&M. With graduates all over Texas and beyond, "the Aggie network is famous for how in-touch alumni are to students." In 2008, the majority of Texas A&M graduates (almost 60 percent) took jobs in the southwest, and most students went on to work in consulting, finance, management, or marketing. Last year, the median starting salary was $88,000.

The University of Texas at Austin
Rice University

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