University of South Carolina Moore School of Business

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School Says - General Information
Moore School of Business is known for its expertise and experience in international business. Top-ranked in national and international surveys, Moore School's undergraduate and graduate programs offer students opportunities to learn and work in a global business environment. Moore School's International MBA has been the top-ranked international business program at a U.S. public university since 1989, according to U.S. News & World Report. The Wall Street Journal ranks the Moore School seventh in the world for international business. The Financial Times MBA 2007 report ranks the Moore School first among all schools worldwide on "international experience." Moore is the only U.S. school ranked in the top ten for "international experience" by its alumni. The University of South Carolina's international business faculty has been rated #1 in research productivity by the Journal of International Business Studies. Many other programs and departments, such as entrepreneurship, insurance, and management science, also receive high marks. The Moore School of Business is accredited by AACSB InternationalÂâ€"The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. In 1998, the university named its business school after South Carolina native and New York businesswoman Darla Moore, becoming the first comprehensive university to name its business school after a woman.

School Says - Student Body
The students in the IMBA program come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Enrollment in the IMBA for summer II in 2007 was 107 students. Women represent 35 percent of this student population, international students make up 25 percent and members of minority groups represent 10 percent. The typical entering student is 27 years old and has approximately 3½ years of work experience. IMBA students have an average GMAT score of 640 and an average GPA of 3.33.

School Says - Academics
The Moore School is best known for its International Master of Business Administration (IMBA) degree with two program options: the Language Track and the Global Track. Regardless of the option chosen, all students study the same internationalized core of course work. The core courses emphasize the global aspects of the various functional areas, consistent with the programÂ's mission to provide students with an expertise in the international dimensions of business.

School Says - Admissions
GMAT scores, undergraduate GPA, work experience, and essays are the most important elements of a graduate application portfolio. Depending on the competitiveness of the program to which the student is applying, the GMAT should be between 570 and 680, the TOEFL has a minimum requirement of 600 (250 CAT, 100 IB), and the undergraduate GPA should be about 3.3 or higher. Most graduate programs prefer students with two or more years work experience. The application deadlines for the IMBA are November 15 (round I) and February 15 (round II) for best consideration and financial aid. Web Address: mooreschool.sc.edu

School Says - Campus Life
Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina is housed in a nine-story building with offices and classrooms in close proximity to foster interaction between students and faculty. Facilities include the Elliott White Springs Business Library, Japan Business Library, Center for Entrepreneurship, James C. Self Computer Lab, Center for Business Communication, auditoriums, media classrooms, tv studio classrooms, meeting rooms, and teleconference facilities.

Students Say - Academics
Widely considered "one of the top institutions to study international business," the Darla Moore School of Business at University of South Carolina offers an "alternative program to traditional business school" through its flagship international MBA (IMBA) program (although it does offer a professional MBA as well). The IMBA program exposes Moore's students to a combination of "international work experience, education, and opportunity to learn a new language while completing [an] MBA." The program's required core classes make lead to "well-rounded" students. In the IMBA program, "the first seven months are spent doing a year's worth of core classes. Students are very tightly woven to provide each other academic, mental, and social support. The next four (or 12) months are spent overseas learning another language…then a four to seven-month internship, internationally or domestically, followed by a year of electives (in Columbia or abroad)." Supporting the unique structure of the program are the school's "extremely talented" and "stellar" professors who "truly bring a wealth of international experience into the classroom." These professors "teach worldwide and use cases, simulations, and other situations to help us get a better understanding of how our decisions interact instead of just reading text." They make "the most abstract material understandable." As a result, students develop "a deep understanding of business fundamentals." Particularly noteworthy is the Global Supply Chain and Operations Management department which "prepares students to manage supply chains in a global environment, and provides students with operations management knowledge and practical training that puts them at the same level [as] engineers currently working at Fortune 500 companies." While generally pleased with the quality of their professors, students are a bit more critical of the business school's administration which "is new and has some kinks to work out." On a more positive note, students feel that the administration is "open to working with the students to improve the school community, which makes up for a lack of organization and gives students a chance to gain valuable leadership skills." One recent development that is generating a lot of excitement among the students is the new "green" "multimillion dollar business school building" which was designed with "input from everyone," including "undergrads, master's [students], PhD [students], [and] staff" and which all hope will "bring unbelievable opportunities for future students."

Students Say - Admissions
Applications to the IMBA program at Moore must include: an official application to the USC Graduate School, including letters of recommendation and personal essays; official transcripts documenting all postsecondary academic work; and satisfactory GMAT scores. At least 2 years of meaningful professional experience is strongly preferred. International applicants whose first language is not English must submit official score reports for the TOEFL, unless they have a degree from an American college or university. In addition to the IMBA, the Moore School also offers a Master of Accountancy, a Master of Human Resources, a Master of Arts in Economics, and a Professional MBA. Admissions requirements are most stringent for the IMBA program and personal interview may be required.

Students Say - Campus Life
The city of Columbia "is small but the student population makes going out fun" and "football is king." Despite its "good bar scene and nightlife," many of the students are "too busy during the core to enjoy the Columbia area. During your second year you have more of a chance, but it is a challenge to become involved in the community outside of the business school." The school campus provides "a lot of social and cultural activities" and has "everything from the normal Finance Club to Net Impact and even a Wine Society. We organize plenty of intramural teams and usually open them up to most people in the class." The school attracts "a diverse set of students from Peace Corps volunteers to Fortune 500 company employees," to "Mormons with families" who all form a "very close-knit community." One student offers the more general observation that "half the students are more conservative and half are more liberal." While coming from a diverse set of backgrounds and experiences, "all are interested in new adventures and experiences particularly those having to do with learning aspects of other cultures and how their business practices differ from U.S. standards." "Overall, everyone is friendly and the atmosphere was one more of cooperation than competition."

Students Say - Careers
The majority of students surveyed expressed the need to improve the Office of Career Management (OCM) which they suggested should "spend less time ‘coaching' students and more time focusing on building relationships with employers" as well as "reach out to a more diverse company base including ones from a wider geographic range." They also point out that "the highly-touted internship experience has suffered in recent yearsâ€"the result of a failure to maintain relationships with companies (specifically in Latin America)." Students realize that not all of the blame falls on the OCM and acknowledge that "classes are small and our alumni network is small as a result. We attract some Fortune 500 companies who recruit on campus, but because there aren't as many of us out there in leadership, sometimes it is harder for us to get our foot in the door with these companies and during the recession we were one of the first schools cut from recruiting trips as a result." One of the more optimistic students has hopes for a brighter future and observes, "The Office of Career Management has partnered this year with a new external company and I believe they are doing a good job at providing students with placement services in a difficult hiring environment."

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