Enrollment: 800
Average GMAT: 675.00
GMAT Range (25-75%): 620-730
Average Undergrad GPA: 3.35
Rolling Admission: Yes
School Type: Public
Average Age: 28.00
Average Work Experience (months): 54
Student Faculty Ratio: 7:1

Part Time Program: Yes
Evening Program: Yes
Executive MBA Program Offered: Yes
Total Faculty: 111

Average Starting Salary: $81,500.00
Hired Consulting: 18%
Hired Finance: 29%
Hired Operations: 6%
Hired Marketing: 35%

Out-of-State Tuition: $38,949.00
In-State Tuition: $27,815.00
Financial Aid Deadline: 03/02

School Says - General Information
Businesses will succeed in todayÂ's global environment by driving growth and gaining competitive advantage through a relentless focus on innovation. Innovation is a major engine in the growth of the modern enterprise. Product lifecycles are shortening. Competitors are able to launch similar products in ever-shorter time frames. Long-time well established brands are threatened by new entrants. Companies must constantly innovate to renew established products, launch new ones, as well as improve customer service levels and business processes. TodayÂ's modern enterprise is characterized by continuing restructuring and transitioning to develop more efficient and effective processes that drive down costs and enhance productivity. Innovation is frequently enabled by information technology which has emerged as a powerful force in virtually every business function. IT is transforming industries, enabling innovative business models, increasing the efficiency of business processes, creating new ways for companies to market to customers, and changing how work groups and organizations are managed. Today, the use of IT has meant that there is a premium placed on having the ability to manage in the face of an abundance of information. To innovate successfully requires excellent analytic decision making skills and the ability to use IT strategically to enhance the overall performance and growth of the company. Students in the MBA Program at UC IrvineÂ's Paul Merage School of Business will develop a sophisticated understanding of these new requirements for success in the schoolÂ's re-designed curriculum that emphasizes the three critical drivers of the Innovation Economy: -- Strategic Innovation, Information Technology, and Analytical Decision Making. We advance this understanding through experiential learning coursework in which teams of students work on challenging assignments for leading companies in California like Microsoft, Mazda and Pepsi Bottling. A highly distinctive and truly innovative feature of our program is our new capstone course on the future of business where you have the opportunity to explore specific industries and companies and discover what actions must be taken today to reap the benefit from long-term trends in technologies, geopolitics, demographics and macroeconomics. UC Irvine brings unique expertise and superior teaching talent to power this program. Our faculty pioneered the incorporation of information technology into innovative management decision making. And we provide this learning in an intimate environment where you are treated as an individual. We will learn about your personal experiences and ambitions and work with you to develop a customized program both in and out of the classroom that will help you achieve your goals. Classes are small, you will get to know most of your professors, and we emphasize a supportive and cooperative culture. Earning your MBA at the Paul Merage School of Business means learning in a world-class educational environment, flourishing in our spectacular coastal community with unmatched professional opportunities, and becoming part of the Merage family. Above all, it will prepare you for success in the business world of tomorrow. It will change your life forever in the Innovation Economy. We invite you to partner with us in this journey.

School Says - Student Body
Merage students graduate not just with a valuable professional network, but with friendships for life. The Merage community reaches beyond your own classmates. You'll meet students in the classes before and after you, get to know members of the faculty and staff outside of the formal venues and stay in touch with them after you graduate. You will have opportunities to meet students from Merage's other MBA programs, and connect with alumni through all kinds of events and programs. Once you decide to come to UC Irvine's Paul Merage School of Business, you are part of our community. Whether you are working with a student team in class to develop a business plan, participating in research with a faculty member or attending a planning meeting at a local company, you will find that we are committed to the creation of many partnerships that will contribute to your professional and personal development. You might be collaborating with your study group on a marketing project. You may partner with alumni on a networking event, join the leadership team of a student organization, or come together with classmates to launch a new organization or activity.

School Says - Academics
The Full-Time MBA curriculum provides you with the knowledge and tools to succeed in the global innovation economy. During the first year of the program, you will take a set of core classes that will provide you with a strong foundation in the fundamental disciplines of business. During your second year, you can focus on one or more functional areas, or train to be a general manager, and apply your knowledge through course projects, labs, and practical experience. Each of your courses will build your perspective on the three key themes of strategic innovation, information technology, and analytical decision-making and how they can be leveraged to produce sustainable business growth. The three key themes we are focused on are: Information Technology - IT is transforming entire industries, increasing the efficiency of business processes, resulting in new business models, and changing the ways that organizations are managed. Our curriculum will provide you with a fundamental literacy of information technology and its applications, but much more importantly, with an understanding of its profound effects on companies in today's fast paced Innovation Economy. Strategic Innovation - Innovation is a major engine in the growth of the modern economy. Innovation is not just the development of new products and services, it is also the understanding how to adapt organizational models and business processes to changing markets and business and technological conditions to achieve higher levels of efficiency and effectiveness. As part of our curriculum you learn the skills and processes necessary to nurture and manage strategic innovation. Innovation also requires a careful analysis of the major current trends that will affect business in the future. Our curriculum is unique in that it incorporates a capstone course where you will examine how major economic, technological, political, and demographic trends create new opportunities for business. Analytic Decision Making - Successful leaders are able to identify problems, ask the right questions, analyze the relevant information, and present an effective solution. As part of your curriculum you will strengthen your analytical decision making skills and improve your verbal reasoning, deductive logic, quantitative skills and communication skills. Our approach will provide you with the knowledge, skills and capabilities to not only successfully begin your profession but also to assume significant leadership roles. In summary, the program will: Incorporate essential management skills and a thematic approach based on critical business drivers necessary to produce profitable sustainable growth; Examine the major technological, socioeconomic and geopolitical trends that will affect business over the next five to ten years; Reflect how the above trends will impact the skills necessary for leaders of successful, growing companies into the future; Provide opportunities for you to gain hands-on expertise in your chosen area by, for example, engaging in a meaningful, value-added project with a company; Develop your professional communication, analytic decision making and leadership skills; and Provide opportunities for you to understand the role and responsibility of businesses and business leaders in society.

School Says - Admissions
Admission to UC Irvine's Paul Merage School of Business is competitive with 100-110 seats available each year. The Admissions Review Committee takes a holistic approach when reviewing applications to determine a candidate's ability to successfully participate and contribute to the MBA program. In order to be considered for admission to the Merage School, applicants need to submit the following items to the admissions office: Completed Application Form. U.S. $150.00 nonrefundable application fee. May be paid by Visa, MasterCard or a check or money order in U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank, made out to "UC Regents." Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) scores. You are responsible for having your GMAT scores sent directly to UCI. The Marge School's GMAT school codes are as follows: Full-time MBA Program: 4859 Executive Degree Programs & FEMBA: 4928 Two copies of official transcripts of all previous academic work. A bachelor's degree or equivalent from a recognized academic institution of acceptable standing. Ordinarily, an overall grade point average of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better is required. Two letters of recommendation. Recommendations should come from people who will be able to relate specific and relevant details about your performance. Letters from your current employer or supervisor, or from recent employers or supervisors, are typically most helpful. Self-Evaluation Essays, as detailed in the application, explaining why you are interested in pursuing a graduate degree in management and how a degree from The Merage School would further those interests. These are the proper forum to discuss work experience, community and professional leadership experiences, extracurricular activities, and accomplishments. A resume detailing your work history, including both full-time work and any substantive internships or part-time employment. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores for students whose primary language is not English. You are responsible for having your TOEFL scores sent directly to UCI.

Students Say - Academics
At the University of California-Irvine's Paul Merage School of Business, "The buzz is growing so quickly you can just feel that UC-Irvine is about to explode." Students across the board had rave reviews for the school, calling it "a great experience." Students praise an "intimate environment" that includes monthly lunches with the Dean, and "faculty and staff who actually remember you." The "experienced professors" all are "very knowledgeable in their fields. Some are not as good teachers but [are] great research[ers]. We also have professors [who] are full-time professionals" that "provide valuable insights" and are "very committed to teaching first-year students the basic skills needed to succeed." Students also reserved high praise for the administration, which is "very involved in our day-to-day needs." As one student put it, "They really make us feel wanted."
Aside from the full-time MBA, Merage offers a fully employed MBA, an executive MBA, and a health care executive MBA. Merage also offers a doctoral program, with degrees available in accounting, finance, information systems, marketing, operations and decision technologies, organization and management, and strategy. The full-time MBA program has 13 core courses, after which students are allowed to take a range of elective courses to tailor their program to their specific career goals. Students say the school especially excels at disciplines like finance and marketing.
Unique elements of the Merage experience include the opportunity to study abroad at one of 10 different business schools throughout Europe, South America, and Asia, as well as the Merage MBA Field Project. Available to second-year students, the Field Project is a 10-week corporate program in which student teams work directly with company managers while receiving guidance from a faculty expert. Students appreciate the school's heavy focus on teamwork, commenting that "it's common to see groups of students working together on campus," and that "it's not a competitive environment like other MBA programs." As one student gushed, "The school is in an upswing....everything is great. I really love it here!"

Students Say - Admissions
The average undergraduate GPA of recently admitted students was 3.4, and their average GMAT score was 677. The average age of the students was 28, and most had around 5 years of work experience. International students make up 35 percent of the student body.

Students Say - Campus Life
It's all about the location at UC-Irvine. Nestled in famous Orange County, Merage students truly feel that "you can't beat the O.C." Although Irvine itself is described as a "safe and quiet town," the nearby beach cities of Newport and Laguna are "awesome destinations" for "sunny days and wild nights." With "nearby beach, golf courses, and relatively close places to ski/snowboard," students have plenty of ways to blow off steam and hang out with their classmates.
Student life at Merage is very social, and the students describe each other as "proactive [about] socializing together outside of school." Students can take advantage of the abundance of extracurricular activities on campus. With a range of activities that include "functional/career clubs to corporate social responsibility clubs," students have "many opportunities to get involved." Outside of clubs, students mentioned the weekly happy hours, which are well attended and give "everyone a chance to get to know each other better."
For most of the students, housing is "a very special aspect" of the Merage experience. With plenty of space on campus, "most MBAs will get housing if they want it," at a cost that is "lower than private market." First-years are usually assigned to live in the same apartment complex, which students describe as "gorgeous" and beneficial to students' social lives. Students say the housing situation contributes to "a family atmosphere that really strengthens the community bonds."

Students Say - Careers
UC-Irvine students have a "special advantage" when it comes to employment opportunities because of their proximity to University Research Park, which is located next to the campus. Host to a slew of big-name corporations like America Online, Cisco Systems, and McKinsey & Company, the park "attracts companies interested in hiring UCI students and collaborating with faculty on research projects." Although students appreciate the wide variety of companies that recruit for summer internships, some students mentioned that the career center could do a better job of "helping students with their job search outside of Southern California." However, many students saw "dramatic improvement" in the university's support of the Career Center, as well as the recent overhaul of its strategy.
Many large companies have a recruiting presence on campus, including Microsoft, KPMG International, Intel, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Accenture, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, and Honda Motor Company.

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