Overview:
Located in Atlanta, The College of Management at Georgia Tech offers a small, intimate MBA program focused on training students to succeed in cutting-edge business. It’s judiciously selects its student body which is substantially drawn from science and engineering, high-tech industries and entrepreneurship take center stage. Thus, a candidate who is entering this growing center for technology can is likely to benefit from Georgia Tech’s innovative curriculum and high degree of collaborative, cross-discipline work.
Admissions and Tuition:
Although The College of Management at Georgia Tech offers a small, intimate MBA program this does not restrict itself from being choosy quality students from the bunch of applicants. The admission statistics for the year 2011 are a testimony to the above statement:
Application Pool = 424
Selected Candidates = 102 approx
Average GMAT Score = 684
Average GPA = 3.32
Entering Class = 74
Average Work-Ex = 4 yrs 2 months that is approx 50 months
Thus it can be seen that from a pool of approximately 400 plus students, Georgia Tech accepted only 24%. The selection criteria for admitting the candidates consists of GMAT score, work experience, and interviews than on essays, recommendations, and undergraduate GPA. Further to this, Applications are considered on a rolling basis, with a final deadline of March 15th. Conspicuously, 47% of students entering in 2009 held an undergraduate degree in engineering or computer science, highlighting the program’s strong technical bent, which is consistent with Georgia Tech’s focus and expertise in science and engineering.
As a public institution, The College of Management at Georgia Tech is able to offer the cutting-edge course to its students at affordable prices. There is however a minor variation in the tuition fees for in-state residents and others.
In-state Residents:
Annual instate tuition = $22,000
Tuition Fees for entire program = $46,872
Annual budget = $36,152 per year
Out-of-state-Residents:
Annual instate tuition = $32,106
Tuition Fees for entire program = $67,084
Annual budget = $46,258 per year
Thus while out-of-state residents have to shell extra for their tuition fees, it is still less than other posh private institutions.
Although, the fees are relatively low, still there are few deserving candidates who are not able to pay such amount of money. For such students, the institute has gone one step ahead to provide financial aid. It claims to provide financial aid to 67% of current MBA candidates with an average age of average package of $16,256. Students are considered for merit-based scholarships upon application; the average scholarship for 2009-2010 was $5734. Students can also apply to become graduate assistants: in this position, students work for a faculty or staff member 14 hours per week, and receive a substantial tuition waiver and a $3000 stipend each semester. Over 25% of each class receives this merit-based appointment; students must apply by January 15th.
Academics and Curriculum:
The College of Management at Georgia Tech begins its course curriculum in August with an orientation program. During the course of the curriculum, the students are trained to have a solid grounding in various business essentials. In the second semester, students begin to specialize, choosing electives tailored to their particular interests from academic areas like international business, entrepreneurship, and strategic management.
The institute encourages its students to design their own curriculum, being flexible and creative to best prepare for future career goals. Cross-disciplinary skills and collaboration with peers are stressed, as are technology and entrepreneurship. U.S. News and World Report ranks both Georgia Tech’s production/operations management and supply chain/logistics at #14 nationwide. While the lecture format covers 35% of the curriculum, team projects (25%), experiential learning (20%), and case studies (20%) are also used.
The institute also offers dual degree options its students. Such dual degree programs require students to spend only 39 hours of business coursework instead of the usual 54. One popular choice, especially for those aiming to apply their business skills in the fields of engineering and sciences, is the MBA/MS. Candidates can combine technical expertise with business acumen to thoroughly prepare for a career in advanced technology. This program may be of particular interest to those wishing to develop their own technical ideas as entrepreneurs or to contribute to cutting-edge startups. Other such source includes, the joint MS in Quantitative and Computational Finance which offers the opportunity for students to become experts at building quantitative models to best develop financial strategy.
Quality of Life:
The College of Management at Georgia Tech is located on the east side of Atlanta, a focal point for commerce in the southern United States where students can enjoy a mild, wet climate and access to a growing high-tech sector.
Students can either choose to live on-campus apartments or off campus. However, majority of them prefer to live off-campus in Atlanta without having to shell out huge sum of money. Besides, these apartments also provide limited parking permits to students.
Located in Technology Square, a high-tech business hub for the city, the College of Management is adjacent to the nearby Enterprise Innovation Institute, Global Learning Center, and Advanced Technology Development Center.
Apart from profiting from the co-curricular activities, the students can also take advantage of all the cultural benefits of a major urban center with the help of an easy access to midtown provided by MARTA public transit and Georgia Tech’s Stinger bus.
Social opportunities abound at Georgia Tech, with on-campus sports, arts, and theater easily available. In the tightly knit MBA program, organizations from the Entrepreneurship Club and Information Technology Society to the International Business Club and Net Impact let students get involved and make connections, both professionally and socially.
It is not only the institute which supports events such as guest speakers, intramural sports, and conferences proliferate but students also participate in the networking activity by setting up Graduate Students in Management (GSM) which arranges MBA social and professional events. Community service is also a large part of student life. Many of them volunteer for organizations like Hands on Atlanta, Habitat for Humanity, and the Special Olympics through work with the MBA Philanthropy Committee. Atlanta is a hub for young professionals, so social events abound, particularly in neighborhoods where young professionals reside such as Bulkhead.
Employment Prospects:
Despite being a public institute, The College of Management at Georgia has with its kitty top recruiters like AT&T and Bank of America.
Again, statistics speak for themselves. For the class of 2009, 85% of graduates had found employment by three months after graduation. A total of 64% of job offers came from school recruiting and networking activities, a lower percentage than many more highly ranked schools, while 36% came from individual student action.
On the remuneration front for the same year, the average base salary was $85,177 and the average signing bonus: $12,305; 65% of graduates received a signing bonus.
These jobs were spread across various specializations. The ratio consisted of marketing/sales at 22%, consulting at 21%, operations/logistics at 18%, finance/accounting at 14%, general management at 14%, management information systems (MIS) at 7%, and human resources at 4%. Techno logy was the dominant job industry, with 27% of students reporting work in that field. Other industries included financial services at 16%, consulting at 16%, consumer products at 12%, and pharmaceutical/biotechnology/health care at 5%. Regionally, the south was by far the most prominent supplier of jobs: 71% of graduates reported employment there, while only small minorities of 7% each were recruited to the southwest and Midwest.
Georgia Tech’s Jones MBA Career Center collaborates with students to make the connections needed for professional success. Students work with an individual career advisor, analyzing their ambitions with the Career Declaration Worksheet, to best tailor their skills to their chosen industry.
The institute also offers career development classes via which students get an early jump on the job search process. Alongside, conferences and career fairs offer the opportunity to network in specific regional and industry markets, making the necessary contacts to realize career goals. Resources include the highly regarded Career Leader self-assessment tool, the online recruiting portal MBA Business Buzz, the Vault online career library, and the Interview Stream system and mock interviews that help hone student self-marketing capabilities.
In Sum:
Located in Atlanta, The College of Management at Georgia Tech is apt for those wishing to jump-start a business career in the southern U.S. high-tech sector at a significantly smaller cost than comparable MBA programs without compromising on quality. The program is particularly attractive for Georgia residents who want to shape their career in various aspects of life – curriculum vise and socially without substantial expenditure on tuition fees and living expenses. This is done without compromising on the quality of life.
Contact Information:
Georgia Tech MBA Program
College of Management
800 West Peachtree St. NW
Atlanta, Georgia 30308-0520 United States
http://mgt.gatech.edu/mba
[email protected]