University of California, Davis Graduate School of Management

Enrollment: 522
Average GMAT: 675.00
GMAT Range (25-75%): 640-710
Average Undergrad GPA: 3.40
Regular Application Deadline: 03/11
Rolling Admission: No
School Type: Public
Average Age: 28.00
Average Work Experience (months): 60
Student Faculty Ratio: 11:1

Part Time Program: Yes
Evening Program: Yes
Executive MBA Program Offered: Yes
Total Faculty: 49

Average Starting Salary: $87,370.00
Hired Consulting: 16%
Hired Finance: 32%
Hired Operations: 0%
Hired Marketing: 29%

Out-of-State Tuition: $12,245.00
Financial Aid Deadline: 03/01
Students Receiving Some Aid: 86%
Average Annual Total Financial Aid: $23,491.00

Greatest Opportunity for Women

Students Say - Academics
With a class size of fewer than 60 students, the full-time daytime MBA program at UC, Davis "is the closest thing to a private education, combined with all the resources of the University of California." It's a combination students here appreciate. One student says, "UC, Davis Graduate School of Management is based on a team-oriented and collaborative environment. I didn't feel that a school focused on . . . intense competition was truly reflective of the qualities that would serve me well in my post-MBA career. The GSM's emphasis on ideas to action through teamwork has been everything I hoped for."

UC, Davis excels in a surprising range of disciplines, given the size of the program. Students describe a "renowned organizational behavior program" and say the school is especially strong in finance. Also, "If you want to be an entrepreneur, there is no other school you should even consider applying to. There are more opportunities for viable startups moving through the UC, Davis campus than the GSM can even handle!" The school's Consulting Center "allows students to take on real-life projects for credit," while recent changes to the curriculum have created "a strong and quickly evolving focus area (via classes, concentrations, centers of excellence, student organizations, and dual degrees) in corporate social responsibility and business sustainability."

The Davis business faculty "is top-notch. Their expertise is almost always available for students to draw on. We have a formal student-faculty mentoring program, most professors have an open-door policy, and their offices are in our building. They have been willing to sponsor clubs, teach new courses that students request, aid in job searches, employ students as research and teaching assistants, attend social events, etc." Students love how "The administration eagerly pursues feedback from students and then implements effectual change. We work together to better the school based on changing business and social trends and the goals of the current student body. It is very encouraging to see a suggestion implemented quickly that improves the quality of our educational experience."

Students Say - Admissions
Admissions Officers for the full-time MBA program at UC—Davis consider the following factors in assessing candidates: academic potential, professional potential, and personal qualities. Full-time work experience is not required for admission, but most students have at least a few years of work experience. Applicants must submit the following materials: a completed application form (online or hard copy); a current resume; a list of outside activities and honors; three personal essays; official transcripts from each undergraduate and graduate institution attended; two letters of recommendation; and an official GMAT score report. Applicants whose native language is not English must submit an official TOEFL score report or IELTS reflecting a score no more than 2 years old. Applications to the full-time program are accepted for the fall semester only.

Students Say - Campus Life
At the top of Davis MBAs' wish list is a new facility, as the program currently is housed "in a small older building." Ground was broken in December, 2007, and the new building will be ready in fall 2009. When it arrives, the new facility "will include a conference center, restaurant, etc., and will be located across from the famous Mondavi Center [for the performing arts]."

Davis MBAs "are given the opportunity to become involved in a large number of clubs," thanks to the small size of the program. One student writes, "As the leader of the UC— Davis chapter of Challenge for Charity, I know that I can literally call 30 to 50 percent of my classmates on the weekend for help with an event or project and they'd be willing to help. I think that would be extremely difficult to find at bigger schools." Extracurricular events "range from career/academic panels to wine appreciation classes to flag football games. We work hard and play hard here, and everyone is included." While "there are no specific activities for partners/spouses, they are always encouraged to join in and come to events."

Davis "is a growing midsize city. It is called "bike town U.S.A.' because there is no need to own a car (this is rare in California). . . . There is a diverse mix of restaurants, including Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Czech, Bavarian, French, European, Indian, American fare, and others." The city is located "20 minutes from downtown Sacramento, 90 minutes from San Francisco, and 2 hours from Lake Tahoe." Another student says, "The environment in Davis is awesome. It has high quality of life, elementary schools are great, everybody bikes around, there's no violence," and there's "huge diversity."

Students Say - Careers
Students report that "as a small school, our Career Services resources are more limited than other programs," so "Finding a post-MBA career takes more student initiative than may be required at bigger schools." While the office "is excellent for finding finance jobs," it "leaves a little to be desired in other areas." Also, "Being in the Sacramento area really hurts our ability to recruit companies. Services are improving, though." On another positive note, "While being a small program limits the breadth of alumni contacts, the value of the contacts derived from our small feel far outweighs the downside."

Employers that most frequently recruit Davis MBAs include: AT&T, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, CalPERS, CalSTRS, Clorox, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, eBay, E&J Gallo Winery, Gartner Consulting, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Kaiser Permanente, MRSI Consulting, National Forest Service, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Wells Fargo.

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