University of Massachusetts Amherst Isenberg School of Management

Statistics

Programs & Curriculum

Employment

Scholarships & Financial Aid

Rankings & Lists

School Says - General Information
The Isenberg School of Management offers two exciting and challenging MBA programs to meet your educational, career, and lifestyle needs. The full-time MBA program is for those individuals who want an on-campus program to develop their skills and knowledge in a particular aspect of business. Our part-time and online Professional MBA program is best for individuals who look to gain further skills to advance within their organization. The full-time MBA programÂâ€" is a two-year, 55-credit on-campus experience. The applied curriculum provides the core business knowledge common to all top MBA programs. It also is structured to allow the student to focus on his or her own particular interest area, whether it be finance, marketing, operations, or outside the immediate realm of business, such as education, public health, or computer science. The part-time Professional MBA Ââ€"The 37-credit Professional MBA Program is one of the most efficient ways to advance your business knowledge and skills while balancing the demands of an ongoing career. Our Professional MBA program is offered in live classrooms at three Massachusetts campus locations (Shrewsbury, Springfield, and Pittsfield) as well as online through our well-developed and recognized learning platforms. The choice is yours. Classes can be mixed during the life of your program to best meet your work and lifestyle demands. In both the full-time and part-time MBA programs, classes are taught primarily by full-time faculty of the Isenberg School of Management. As you will learn by viewing our faculty information, the faculty is represented by a broad range of individuals with significant academic accomplishments and practical experience. A diverse range of learning methods is used to provide you with a stimulating and challenging educational experience: case studies, simulations, discussion seminars and actual field projects are all part of the Isenberg MBA experience. Both the full-time and part-time MBA programs are accredited at the highest level by the Association to Advance the Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), and build on the long tradition of business education at the Isenberg School of Management. We feel confident that as you explore our information, you will find the Isenberg MBA program that can best help you advance your business knowledge and help you meet your professional goals.

School Says - Academics
Full-time Isenberg MBA students complete all core courses in their first year, allowing them to be better prepared to succeed in summer internships. Their first year is intensive and demanding, fostering a collaborative and team-orientated environment. Additionally, first-year students are required to take a career management course providing structure to their career planning. Second year for full-time students provide the opportunity to customize their MBA degree with electives and independent studies. Elective courses can be taken in the Isenberg School and across the many other academic disciplines offered at the University. Students will also take part in a capstone course, the practicum, which is a semester-long team-based company consulting project. During their two years, students will complete a total of 55 credits to include 13 credits of electives where they will address their concentration focus.

School Says - Admissions
What We Look For: Isenberg MBAs bring diverse backgrounds and professional interests to the program. We look for strong academic abilities and meaningful professional experience. Additionally, we strive to build a class of students who demonstrate leadership potential and a commitment to professional growth. How to Apply: Link to the online application . You can also submit a hard copy of your application available through our office. Contact: mba@som.umass.edu to request an application. The admissions committee will review your application thoroughly and convey their decision to the UniversityÂ's graduate school dean. Your complete application must include: Completed University Graduate School application including a personal statement. GMAT score - Official Copy sent to the University. (Our Institutional Code is 3917.) Two letters of recommendation - We prefer one professional and one academic. Resume For international applicants only Ââ€" Minimum score of 600 (250 Computer-based score) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) These materials should be sent to: Graduate Admissions Office Goodell Building University of Massachusetts 140 Hicks Way Amherst, MA 01003-9333

School Says - Campus Life
The Isenberg MBA program is housed in the UniversityÂ's new 47,000 square foot Alfond Management Center and offers state-of-the-art learning facilities including wireless Internet accessibility, classrooms with DVD, audio-conferencing and video-conferencing capabilities, an extensive computer laboratory and a dedicated MBA student lounge. The Alfond Center also houses several breakout conference rooms for smaller group discussions, interview rooms for on-campus recruiting and private, quiet study areas.

Students Say - Academics
For savvy business students, University of Massachusettsâ€"Amherst unites convenience, quality, and cost. Any way you slice it, University of Massachusettsâ€"Amherst is an "exceptional value," boasting a low in-state tuition, yet all the prestige and resources you'd expect from the UMass name. For students who participate in the school's fulltime graduate assistantship program, the deal is even sweeter. A student enthuses, "The best business decision I've made so far is to get my MBA in the full-time program where all of my tuition and fees are waived and I get paid to be a research assistant!" A comprehensive 55-unit program, the full-time MBA at UMass is completed on the school's main campus over the course of two years. For those already in the workforce, Isenberg "caters to part-time students who have to work full time" by offering a convenient parttime MBA, which can be completed "in class at Pittsfield, Holyoke, Amherst, or online." In addition, UMass offers dual degree programs in many fields, including sports management, public policy and industrial engineering. Although the full-time MBA enrolls only 35 students each year, UMass is a large, public university. Therefore, it can be "hard to get a hold of the administrators because they're very busy." A student continues, "The administration has been nearly invisible, which is exactly how it should beâ€"there have been no hassles over courses or deadlines." One exception: scheduling is often disorganized, and many students receive their "course schedule and textbook requirements sometimes just a week or two before classes begin"â€"creating lots of headaches at the beginning of the term. In contrast, the academic experience is surprisingly intimate, boasting small class sizes and "very supportive" professors. In the classroom, "Discussions are interesting and it's easy to participate," and professors "welcome discussion and feedback and are willing to let students run with ideas while still…keep[ing] us on track." Uniting practical knowledge with academic savvy, "professors are very knowledgeable within their respective fields" and "very current" on industry trends. Students also get a taste of the real world through various experiential learning opportunities. After completing the core curriculum, students have "freedom to choose courses, practicum, and search for jobs." Among other offerings, the "Practicum" is a semester-long consulting project, which lets second-year students test their business acumen while working directly with for-profit and not-for-profit local businesses. A current student enthuses, "The end-of-program practicum project is extremely well put together, and is valuable for both real-world experience and resume-building."

Students Say - Admissions
Applicants to the full-time MBA program at the Isenberg School must submit all of the following materials to the Admissions Department: a completed application form; a personal statement; an official GMAT score report; two official copies of transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended at which at least six credits were completed; two letters of recommendation; and a current resume. International applicants whose first language is not English must submit an official TOEFL score report (minimum score: 600, paper-based test; 250, computer-based test). The Admissions Department reports that it seeks students with "demonstrated academic ability, personal drive, self-confidence and enthusiasm, potential to thrive in a small personal program, and 2 to 4 years of professional work experience." To attract underrepresented demographics, the school offers "a mentoring program for diverse graduate students, participation in the National Black MBA and National Society of Hispanic MBA conferences," and "coordination with university ALANAand GLBT representatives to continually promote and improve our program."

Students Say - Campus Life
Amherst, Massachusetts, is the quintessential college town, and students in the business program aren't immune to their lively surroundings. Here, the atmosphere is collegial and friendly, and "students are active in clubs, sports/healthy living, arts activities, and more." Moreover, "Being a small program affords the majority of us to continue to practice our leadership skills in clubs, which provides a semblance of running a business and gives us high visibility in the university, with alumni, and in the broader community." With only 70 students in the full-time program, UMass is "truly a community." During the challenging first-year curriculum, "the class gets very close, works hard together, and works to help each other." In addition, "Second-years are very active in helping the firstyears adjust to the work load." In their free time, MBA candidates get together for "hikes, pot-luck dinners, [or] ice skating," and many attend the "weekly Thursday Night Out event sponsored by the Graduate Business Association." On the school's satellite campuses, students rarely get involved in any activities beyond classes. Nonetheless, they "enjoy interacting with the other students," and tell us that, "the facilities function well for what we need to accomplish."

Students Say - Careers
Isenberg's MBA Career Management Office helps MBA candidates prepare for their career through a variety of services and networking programs. Among other offerings, the office operates a mandatory first-year Professional Seminar, which teaches full-time students how to research companies, market themselves, and align their career goals with the marketplace. While "the career center is good if you have specific questions," students admit that, "you really need to go out there and work for yourself to get anywhere" with the job search. Among students, "We rely on each other to bring our personal networks into the program." Here, "people know what you are looking to do and keep their ears open for opportunities to pass along." On campus, students have access to career fairs and networking events; however, MBA candidates would also like to see more upper-level recruiting at UMass. In fact, companies "often come to campus to recruit undergrads but have no interest in the MBAs." A student adds, "Since the program is so small there are no visits from recruiters. While the career center has been infinitely useful for me, it would be more beneficial if they could interest recruiters in the MBA class." In recent years, Isenberg graduates have taken jobs at Bose, Canon, EMC, General Electric, Hearts of Fire, Kaufman Bros., KPMG, MassMutual, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and United Technologies Corp.

Other Schools To Consider Top Programs