McCombs School MBA Program is offered by the graduate business school of the University of Texas at Austin. Established in 1922, the school is one of the oldest business schools in Texas. It offers undergraduate, postgraduate, & Ph.D. programs. The McCombs school MBA program has been ranked #40 by the Financial Times in its Global MBA Ranking 2020. The school boasts of an alumni network of over 98,000 from a variety of business fields around the world. Some of the notable alumni include Bill Gurley (General Partner, Benchmark), Donald Evans (Former US Secretary of Commerce), Kovid Gupta (American Author), William R. Johnsons (CEO, Heinz), Gary Clayton Kelly (CEO & Chairman, Southwest Airlines), & Thomas O. Hicks (Former Owner, Texas Rangers). Last year, 260 students enrolled in the McCombs School MBA Program. Around 40% of the class is women candidates, while 20% are international students. The average age of the batch of 2021 is 29 years. Let us get to know more about the McCombs School MBA Program in the following article.
Curriculum
The McCombs school MBA program is a two-year full-time program that prepares you to build, manage, & lead enterprises that create value. At McCombs, more than 70% of your coursework is self-selected. The journey begins with MBA orientation where you get to know about your two years of journey, including being teamed with your cohort and identifying your concentration. The MBA orientation is an opportunity to connect with peers, faculty, and the UT Austin Community. In the fall term of the first year, students take core classes that empower them with the knowledge necessary to lead in the modern global economy. The core curriculum will include studies in Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Operations, Economics, & Strategy Career Planning.
In the spring term of the first year, you will take your final core courses, including three custom core selections. And after that, the entire program can be self-selected by you as per your interest and career goals. In the spring term, you will choose two electives guided by your concentration. Through the option of giving electives in the first year, the school helps you prepare for the summer internship. Some of the most popular electives chosen by students in the past year include Corporate Accounting, Ethics, and CSR, Corporate Finance, Entrepreneurship, Healthcare, & Business Analytics.
The second-year will be all about you. You can take electives, enroll for dual degree programs, take global connections study tour, or participate in the exchange programs. The school also provides the Fellows Program that allows you to gain in-depth exposure to a specific function or industry. It is a unique experience where you get hands-on experience with some of the country’s finest organizations. The McCombs Exchange Program is yet another major attraction through which you get an opportunity to spend an entire semester in one of the thirty McCombs’s partner institutions. Some of those include CEIBS Shanghai, HKUST Hong Kong, NUS Singapore, Melbourne Business School, IIM- A&B, Manchester Business School, etc.
Eligibility
Academic Requirement:
Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or a comparable degree.
There is no minimum graduate GPA required to apply for the McCombs School MBA Program. However, the average GPA of the recent class is 3.42, with a middle 80% range of 3.0-3.8.
Professional Experience:
While the school doesn’t mention any work experience requirement for the students, it strongly suggests that all applicants have at least 2-years of full-time postgraduate professional experience.
Standardized Tests:
Applicants must submit a valid GMAT or GRE score to complete their application for the McCombs School MBA Program. The school does not mention any minimum score requirements. However, the average GMAT score for the class of 2021 is 704, with a middle 80% range of 650-740. And the average GRE score for the current batch is 159 in both Quantitative and Verbal.
Additionally, international students are also required to submit English proficiency tests like TOEFL & IELTS. The minimum score requirement for TOEFL is 79 for the Internet-based test and 6.5 for the IELTS. The English language test can be waived for the students who have earned an undergraduate degree from a country where the official language is English. Or who have lived/worked for at least two years of the past four years in the United States or in a country where English is the only official language.
Course Fee
The estimated one-year tuition & fees for the McCombs school MBA program is $56,572. It is expected to increase by 3-5% each academic year. The estimated living expenses for one year come at $19,598, which include room & board, local travel, personal & miscellaneous expenses). The other costs include books & supplies ($1,020), mandatory student fee ($1,000), & laptop worth $2,500.
Scholarships
The McCombs School MBA Program has been named Best Value among Top 20 MBA programs by the US News two years in a row. The school offers various scholarships & fellowships to make your MBA journey even easier & attainable. Some of the popular scholarships & awards offered by the school are as follows:
Recruiting Scholarships:
Last year in 2019, 62% of the class received this award ranging from $5,000 to gill tuition. All the applicants are automatically considered for the recruiting scholarship during the admissions review process. The award is offered to both domestic and international candidates who demonstrate a superior record of academic merit and professional accomplishments.
Second-year Student Scholarships:
The award amount typically ranges anywhere from $1,000-$5,000, and are based on academic performance, leadership and involvement during first-year, as well as financial need.
McCombs also partners with various organizations like the Forte Foundation, Reaching out MBA, Sylff, etc. Additionally, the school also recommends the option of private student loans to fund the MBA journey. It can be either with or without a cosigner. Please note that the school cannot be your cosigner.
Placements
According to the school’s Employment Report 2019, 95% of the students received job offers within 3-months of graduation. Five students, reportedly, started a new business. The median base salary received by the class was $125,000, with a range of $22,000-$200,000. The median signing bonus reported was $25,000, ranging from $5,000-$115,000. Check here for more details.
Top three industries where most of the students went to work:
Technology 25.9%
Consulting 25%
Financial Services 19.2%
All the students placed in the consulting industry received the highest median base salary of $150,000.
Top three functions for the placement session 2018-19-
Consulting 28.1%
Product Management/Product Marketing 9.4%
Operations/Logistics/Supply Chain 8.5%
Top recruiters were:
Accenture
Amazon
Apple Inc.
The Boston Consulting Group
EY
Google Inc.
Intel
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Microsoft
PepsiCo
Samsung
ZS Associates
Application Process
- Online Application checklist-
- Academic Transcripts
- Resume
- Two required essays
- One letter of recommendation
- GMAT/ GRE score
- English Language Test (if required)
- Application fee of $200
Once accepted, applicants have to pay a non-refundable $2,000 commitment fee that will later get adjusted in the tuition fee.
Interview:
The interview for the McCombs School MBA Program is by invitation only and is conducted by the admissions committee members, current second-year students, or local alumni. The interview takes place either on-campus, off-campus in the major cities around the world, or over Skype. The interview approach is blind, and thee interviewer only has access to your resume. It generally lasts from 30 minutes to an hour and consists of standard MBA interview questions.
Essay Details & Tips
Essays help the school get to know you as an individual and how you would fit with the culture and community. The school also uses them to assess your communication and/or presentation skills. This is your opportunity to give them more insight into your background, goals, and personality. Strong essays convey research, reflection, and your motivations for pursuing an MBA, specifically at the McCombs School of Business.
Following are the essay questions:
We will learn a lot about your professional background through your resume and letter of recommendation, but we want to get to know you further. Please introduce yourself. Select only one communication method for your response.
- Write an essay (250 words)
- Share a video introduction (one minute in length)
- Picture yourself at the completion of your MBA journey. Describe how you spent your time as a Texas McCombs MBA student to achieve your personal and professional goals. (500 words)
Through these essays, the school wants to know more about your personality, background, & motivation to pursue the McCombs School MBA Program. So, be precise & clear in your essays. With an acceptance rate of 28.5% last year, making into the McCombs School MBA Program is a difficult task. But if you think you have what it takes to get into this school, go for it.
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