Georgia Institute of Technology College of Management

Statistics

Programs & Curriculum

Employment

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Rankings & Lists

Students Say - Academics
No doubt Georgia Tech boasts "a great brand name," but that's hardly all this school has to offer its MBAs. With a "curriculum designed to integrate management and technology," Georgia Tech positions its grads well in the increasingly technologically-focused world of business. Furthermore, the school's Atlanta location means access to some of the best business mindsâ€"and some of the top business employersâ€"in the Southeast. In addition, the school "provides great value for the money." Students find Georgia Tech's many assets in surprising places. One writes, "Before coming to school, I would have said our greatest strength was our technology focus and proximity to one of the premier engineering schools in the world. Now…I would say that our professors and career services are tied for greatest strengths. I will put either up against any top-ten business school any day." MBAs here report that Georgia Tech has "a great faculty in accounting, IT, and operations," and identify entrepreneurship, finance, and international management as other standout areas. Across disciplines, an "innovative curriculum keeps pace with the rapidly changing business and technology environment." Georgia Tech's full-time program is limited to 75 students, which results in "strong networks and personal attention." "Small class sizes mean that students can have a high degree of impact in clubs, research assistantships, and special, self-initiated projects," one student observes (Of course, it also means that "not all electives that you may want will be offered"). The program places "an emphasis on teamwork and collaborative relationships" that students embrace, describing "a positive yet challenging work environment." The "workload can be overwhelming at times," but "the heavy emphasis on group projects means we have strong and reliable classmates to lean on if we need it."

Students Say - Admissions
GMAT scores, undergraduate GPA, work experience, and the results of a personal interview are factors than weigh most heavily with those who evaluate applicants for Georgia Tech's MBA program. Personal essays and recommendations are also important, with extracurricular activities carrying less weight. A satisfactory grade in a college-level calculus course is a required prerequisite for enrollment. A TOEFL score of 600/250/100 is required of those whose first language is not English or who have not successfully completed a year of college/university level study in the United States or another English-speaking country. In 2008, the average GMAT score of those admitted was 681, with a range of 600 to 770, and the average GPA was 3.2. Georgia Tech generally accepts around 29 percent of those who apply. Enrolling students average 4 and half years of work experience, with many coming from engineering backgrounds.

Students Say - Campus Life
There's a "friendly atmosphere" in the Georgia Tech MBA program, where "social networking events and clubs are an integral part of [the] business school experience." The b-school facility "has several common areas, comfortable lobbies, and group work areas," so "no one is ever by himself. Even if working diligently on different homework assignments, we tend to cluster together and have a social environment." Classrooms "are all equipped with a computer-managed multimedia system, which includes double projectors and screens, document camera, laptop hookups and DVD/VHS," and "Faculty offices are easily accessible in the building. The facilities are very clean and updated." Because the program holds "no classes on Fridays," Thursday night is a time for socializing. "Every Thursday there is a social event either at a restaurant, atrium in the academic building, or elsewhere where current students, alumni, and professors interact in a relaxed environment," students tell us. Fridays aren't for hangovers, though; students "have two or three group meetings every Friday." The "Fridays off" policy, students explain, "is the only thing that makes group work possible" in this busy program. Georgia Tech's "midtown Atlanta location" "offers numerous educational, professional, and social opportunities," although some warn that the surrounding neighborhood "has some safety issues." Most everyone agrees that the Atlanta location is a huge advantage overall, both in terms of "keeping outside ‘real world' connections with professionals in our industry of choice" and culturally. "It is an exciting and vibrant life at Georgia Tech," one student reports. Georgia Tech "attracts many people from the engineering fields, but also from financial services as well. This makes for a strong competition between teams in case reports and presentations." The program is home to lots of "Type-A driven people who are very engaging in class discussion and projects." Even so, "The culture is not over-competitive or cut-throat. We are like a family pushing each other to learn and to accomplish great things."

Students Say - Careers
The Jones MBA Career Center provides "outstanding" support to assist students in developing a successful career strategy and plan. Each student is assigned a career advisor "who helps us find internships and jobs in our preferred fields," a service students deem "invaluable." Other resources include an in-depth career course, job search tools, and individual career coaching. Atlanta's big-city locale is a plus for students in their job search, because the school "can get business heads and leaders from the city of Atlanta" to visit campus, meet with and mentor students, assist in networking, and provide internships and jobs. As one student sums up, "The program is very much oriented toward the job market, and the school is known to get 100 percent job placement. From the time you are accepted, you begin evaluating employers and job hunting. You are given exceptional tools and resources (however, you are also under a great deal of pressure to secure a high-paying job)." Among the top employers of Georgia Tech MBAs are AT&T, Bank of America, Booz Allen Hamilton, Deloitte Consulting, Delta Airlines, The Home Depot, Infosys Consulting, North Highland Consulting, and Raytheon.

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