Chat with Admissions: May 15, 2008

Thanks for joining us today to talk about the Rady School and our MBA program. We’re looking forward to your questions.

I am an Engineer considering an MBA and I would like to have a better understanding of the type of courses that are offered. Is there a way where I could sit in on a course to get a better idea of the program?

We have a small class visitation program - you can email MBA Admissions directly about that. In general, we’d encourage you to take a look at the curriculum information on our website. The program has a strong core curriculum, and then a broad array of electives, with an emphasis on the business issues faced by innovation-driven companies.

How much and what type of experience are you looking for?

We don’t have a specific requirement for amount or type of work experience - and we’re really interested in having a diverse student body, who will be able to learn from each other’s experiences and backgrounds. We are interested in how you have contributed in whatever work experience you have had and what you’ve learned from your experiences.

I have a masters in finance and control and am really interested in pursuing extended studies in finance itself. Would an MBA be the ideal choice or some specialized finance courses?

The MBA is a relatively broad, general degree. It’s designed to educate managers and leaders who will take a variety of roles in business. While MBA programs will have options for specialized finance courses - and specialized courses in other business disciplines - these will not be the majority of your educational program.

I know the deadline for the Flex Program is May 26th, will you accept applications after that until a cutoff point?

Yes, we will be accepting applications beyond that time. Actually, we have added June 20 as the last deadline for applications to the FlexMBA program for fall 2008. We have received many inquiries regarding the May deadline and wanted to accommodate those with your same question.

Is there any cost difference between the evening program and weekend program?

No. Total program fees for the two formats will be the same - the FlexEvening program will typically be 10 quarters long, v\s the FlexWeekend at 8 quarters, the actual quarterly bills will be different.

For the past year, what was the number of applicants and how many of them were accepted in the program.?

For fall 2007, we had approximately 235 applications; we admitted 90 and seated a class of 60.

For admissions into the MBA program or any other specialized courses offered by UCSD, would educational qualifications like an existing MBA and a second masters count at all?

We do look at whatever educational credentials applicants provide - and we do have a number of students who have prior graduate degrees. The University has a policy that we do not admit students to complete the same degree a second time - so if you already have an MBA, we would need to understand how our educational program was substantially different from what you have already taken.

If a student wants to take extra elective courses, will there be an extra cost?

Full-Time MBA fees are quarterly and additional classes do not make a difference - although Rady does require you to achieve a certain level of academic performance before permitting additional enrollment. The FlexMBA program fees are per credit.

Is it possible for a student in the FlexEvening program to enroll in the FlexWeekend classes and vice versa?

In your core classes, you will be in a cohort with your own program group - this allows you to build strong relationships with your colleagues and to develop your teamwork skills through work with your assigned study team. In the elective portion of the program, cross-enrollment is most certainly possible - we’d do this on a space-available basis, but we’ve already found this works well between our Flex and Full-Time programs - it enables us to offer a broader array of electives to all Rady MBAs.

For applicants who don’t have a management or even business background what does your program offer to get them up to speed?

The MBA program assumes no prior business education. During PreTerm (our orientation), we do run an accounting bootcamp and a "math for management" math refresher. Our core classes are well supported with teaching assistants and review sessions.

Is there a minimum GPA requirement?If so, do you make exceptions?

UC San Diego requires a GPA of 3.0 for admission to any graduate program. We are able to request exception to this policy on behalf of candidates who we believe will be successful in the program. We will be looking for other evidence in your application of your ability to be academically successful, and we encourage you to make use of one of the optional essays if there are particular circumstances or issues that would help us understand your undergraduate academic performance.

Which admission requirements do you mainly focus on; GMAT score, previous degree’s GPA, or professional experience.

We look at all of these - and some other things: why Rady is of particular interest to you, what evidence of teamwork and leadership skills and potential you show, for example. We don’t have a formula or a particular weighting system: we’re looking at the whole picture of yourself that you present through your application.

Is there an admissions preference given to those who are from San Diego and/or plan to find work in the area upon graduation?

No - we certainly see many applications from people for whom the San Diego business community is a big attraction. This is a very vibrant, innovative business community, and the School’s connections with it are quite deep.

I am currently a biomedical engineering student attending Cal Poly. Our loose curriculum requires us to take 16 units of "tech" electives many of which can be business courses. What are the basic required undergraduate business courses for entering your program?

There are no business undergraduate courses required for admission to the Rady School. Our only academic prerequisite is a year of college-level calculus. If you have the option - and interest - in taking a business class or two now, I’d always encourage a bit of accounting: accounting is really a language - and you can think of it as the basic language of business. You’ll get it here if you don’t have it before - but it’s a useful thing to begin learning about.

Is the student experience similar between the Flex Weekend and Evening programs?

The FlexEvening program is new this coming fall - so we don’t yet really know the answer to this: our class profiles come after we’ve assembled a great group of people to learn together; they aren’t a "target" we’re trying to hit. Our FlexWeekend group has been at about 10 years of prior experience in each of the last 4 years. Looking at applications and acceptances thus far, we continue to see a broad range of experience levels in both programs - and we expect the average experience in the FlexEvening program might be slightly lower. As it doesn’t require regular time off from work, it is more accessible to professionals at a slightly earlier stage of their professional careers.

Does Rady accept students for Spring quarter?

Admission at Rady for the Full-Time MBA and FlexMBA programs is for fall quarter only.

Upon graduation from your FlexMBA program, what is the percentage of job placement and what average salary do the graduates make?

The FlexMBA is a program for working professionals - so placement is a very different matter. Many Flex students change jobs during the course of their program, often finding they can begin to leverage their MBA education into new roles and responsibilities as early as the end of their first year. And a number are looking for internal promotion in their current companies. Our career center’s services are completely available to FlexMBA students - but we also have tailored services for them, as their interests and needs are pretty different from our Full-Time MBA class.

I know that UCSD is a big biotech school. Does your program somehow focus on the biotech industry in the curriculum?

The Rady MBA program is broadly interested in innovation and how innovation reaches the marketplace. We have a particular interest in industry sectors that are driven by innovation: the life sciences sector, wireless, and technology are clearly among these - and are big players in the San Diego business community. We’re also increasingly interested in clean tech. We do have some elective courses that provide depth in these industry sectors.

From the student’s perspective, do you think the FlexEvening program provides the same depth of education as the FlexWeekend program? The FlexWeekend program is more hours per week on campus--what are the added benefits?

Yes - we’re committed to providing the same high quality educational program to all our MBA students, whatever the format of the program in which they are enrolled. The fundamental degree requirements are exactly the same in our Full-Time, FlexWeekend and FlexEvening programs - same required credits, same core curriculum, same faculty, same capstone project. The differences are in schedule and logistics, not in fundamentals.

I have heard that the approach/focus of your program differs from traditional MBA programs. Is this true?How so (or not so)?

We are fundamentally interested in innovation and in educating leaders who can drive innovation forward in business. Our program is both rigorously analytical and highly applied - our students talk about how directly applicable what they learn is to their careers, and employers who works with us comment on this too. We are highly collaborative and team-work based: many MBA programs say this, but Rady really cranks it up a notch more. You will absolutely get the business fundamentals - but you’ll know how they apply in rapidly changing, fast-moving environments.

What are the basic requirements for admission into an MBA program and the speciality finance course?

We don’t have a specialty finance program. There are finance electives in our MBA program. We look at GMAT, undergrad or graduate academic preparation, prior work experience, and the personal attributes you demonstrate.

What type of benchmarks do you set for GMAT results when it comes to evaluating math and verbal results separately?

We don’t have specific benchmarks - we’ll look at these components of the GMAT and then look at your academic records in order to understand your preparation. A lower quant score on the GMAT, for example, would make us look for quantitative coursework on your transcripts. In general, we would be concerned about the ability to handle the academic with any component score that was near or below the 50%.

Can I take the FlexMBA program at a slower pace, say over a stretch of 3 or more years?

The FlexEvening program is typically 30 months in duration. Once a student reaches the elective portion of the program, it is possible to take a reduced course load if you are facing a work situation that is challenging.

Thanks again for joining us today - we’re glad to have had the opportunity to talk about the Rady School and our MBA programs. We look forward to continuing to talk with you.