USC Marshall MBA Program is offered by the business school of the University of Southern California. Established in 1920, the school has been accredited by the Association of Advanced Collegiate School of Business (AACSB). The USC Marshall MBA Program is ranked #18 by the Economist in the worldwide MBA ranking 2020. The University of Southern California boasts of one of the largest alumni networks of 375,000. Out of this, 89,000 of them are from the Marshall school of business. Some of the notable alumni of the school include Chris Dewolfe (co-founder & CEO, MySpace), Yang Ho Cho (President & CEO, Korean Airlines), Ivan Glasenberg (CEO, Glencore), Tom Hicks (Co-founder & CEO, Nexus Lab), & Hyekyung Hwang (Co-founder, Pinkberry).
For the class of 2021, 214 students have enrolled for the USC Marshall MBA Program. Nearly half of the class consists of female candidates, and 32% of the students are international. In this article, we shall let you know more about the USC Marshall MBA Program.
The USC Marshall MBA Program curriculum is one of a kind and unique curricula globally. The first year starts with students taking the required core courses to acquire the fundamental principles of business. Some of the core subjects include Managerial Economics, Competitive Strategy, Accounting, Corporate Finance, Data Science, Organizational Behavior, Marketing, etc.
During the second year of the USC Marshall MBA Program, students get the liberty to customize their entire curriculum. They can either choose subjects from more than 100 electives offered by the school or design their individualized program of study across several functional areas. There is also an option to either complete an independent study project or select courses from other graduate schools within the university. The school also offers Dual degrees & Certification in various programs & key areas.
Along with the above, the school focuses strongly on providing global experience to the students. PRIME is one such program offered by the school. Through this, students get an option to select one of the six unique projects across Southeast Asia. After studying the cultural, economic, & political facets of a region, students travel to that very country to work with MNCs and domestic enterprises to develop solutions for their business problems.
The school also provides an opportunity for exchange programs to second-year students to widen their exposure to business theories and practices in the international community. Some of the partner schools include Melbourne Business School, Manchester Business School, HEC Paris, HKUST, NUS Singapore, & ESADE Barcelona.
Eligibility
Academic Requirement:
Applicants must have a 4-year bachelor’s degree or equivalent from an accredited institution. There is no minimum graduate GPA required to apply for the USC Marshall MBA Program. However, the average GPA of the class of 2021 is 3.54.
Professional Requirement:
The school does not state any minimum number of work experience for the interested applicants. However, the admissions committee looks for good professional experience and career progression in the application. The average work experience of the current class is 5.5 years.
Standardized Tests:
Applicants are required to submit a valid GMAT or GRE score. There is no minimum cutoff mentioned by the school, but the average GMAT score of the current class is 708, with a range (middle 80%) of 680-740. The average GRE score of the class is 321 (total), with the middle 80% range of 312-328. Additionally, international students are required to take English proficiency tests like TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE. This requirement can be waived by those who have completed their last education entirely in English. The minimum score requirement for TOEFL, IELTS, & PTE is 90, 6.5, & 61, respectively.
The first-year tuition fees for the USC Marshall MBA Program for the academic year 2020-21 is $64,575. Students are also required to pay a mandatory program fee of $600. The health insurance & books and supplies cost for the first year comes at approximately $3,721. And the living expenses for the first year are estimated to be around $25,252.
Scholarships
The school offers several merit-based scholarship opportunities to exceptional students. The decisions are based on the applicant’s academics, leadership potential, career progression, and the demonstrated ability to contribute to the school community. All the admitted applicants are considered for the awards. Students are not required to submit any separate applications and the Award amount range from partial to full tuition fees. Additionally, foreign students can also apply for a private loan with a creditworthy U.S. or permanent resident co-borrowers. The school does not provide any loans to international applicants.
According to the USC Marshall MBA Program’s employment report 2019, the median base salary received by the class was $125,000. Furthermore, the median signing bonus amounted to $32,500. The highest annual base salary recorded was $230,000, and the lowest being $87,000.
The top three industries where most of the students went to work were
Consulting 25%
Technology 21%
Media/Entertainment/Interactive Game 12%
The top three functions of the placement session 2018-19 were
Marketing/sales 32%
Consulting 27%
Financial Services 22%
Students placed in the investment banking profile received the highest median base salary of $150,000, followed by management consulting with $145,000.
The top recruiters were as follows:
AT&T
Capital Groups
Cognizant
Dell
Deloitte
PlayStation
Sony Pictures Entertainment
McKinsey & Company
Goldman Sachs
Warner Bros Entertainment
Online Application checklist-
Academic Transcripts
GMAT/GRE score
Professional Resume
Two required essays
English Language Test
Application fee of $155
Please note that the school neither requires nor accept a letter of recommendation.
Interview:
After the initial review of your application, you may be invited for the interview. The interview is by invitation only and conducted by the admissions committee or current second-year students. The interview lasts for 30-45 minutes and consists of standard MBA interview questions. The interview is blind, and the interviewer only has access to your resume. The school strongly focuses on your career progression, future goals, & motivation to pursue USC Marshall MBA Program. They look for candidates who demonstrate the ability to make a positive impact on the world.
All the interested applicants are required to submit two essays along with the online application. The essay questions are as follows:
Essay #1 (Required) – What is your specific, immediate short-term career goal upon completion of your MBA? Please include an intended position, function, and industry in your response. (word limit: 100)
The admissions committee looks for candidates who are very much clear regarding their future career goals. Through this essay, be very specific about what you plan to do after your MBA from the school.
Essay #2 (Required) – Please draft a letter that begins with “Dear Admissions Committee” (word limit: 600)
This letter is meant to be your personal statement that provides the Admissions Committee with an understanding of your candidacy for Marshall beyond what is evident in other parts of your application. This essay is purposely open-ended. You are free to express yourself in whatever way you see fit. The goal of the school, here, is to have an appreciation for and an understanding of each candidate in ways that are not captured by test scores, grades, and resumes.
Essay #3 (Optional) Please provide any additional information you would like the admissions committee to consider. (Word limit: 250)
For the class of 2021, the school received around 2,000 applications. Out of which only 214 students could make it into the USC Marshall MBA Program. With an acceptance rate of nearly 10%, getting into this school is one of the toughest nuts to crack. So if you are planning for an MBA from this school, all the very best.
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