University Of Arkansas At Fayetteville

PROGRAM BASICS

• • Sam M. Walton College of Business
  • Managerial MBA (Part-Time MBA)
  • 310 Willard J. Walker Hall
  • University of Arkansas
  • Fayetteville, 72701, Arkansas
  • United States
  • Program Web site: http://gsb.uark.edu
  • E-mail: gsb@walton.uark.edu
• • Percentage of part-time students who graduate within six years of entering program: 87 %
  • Average months to complete program: 24
  • Maximum months permitted to complete program: 24
  • Does the school have a separate full-time MBA program? Yes
  • If so, can part-time students switch to the full-time program? No

• Tuition and Fees: (Based on six credits in the fall and six credits in the spring)

  • Resident: $9,000.00
  • Non-Resident: $9,000.00
• • Tuition per credit: $750.00
• • Graduate business school is accredited by: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

SCHOOL BASICS

• Graduate business school enrollment:

  • Total: 377
  • Full-Time MBA: 73
  • Part-Time MBA: 110
  • PhD Program: 68
• • Undergraduate business school enrollment: 3,327
  • Graduate degree programs: other, Master of Accounting, Master of Electronic Commerce/Information Systems
  • Other graduate degree programs: Master of Arts in Economics

ADMISSIONS, SELECTIVITY AND YIELD

• • Total applications, most recent entering class: 74
  • Applications accepted, most recent entering class: 85 %
  • Admitted students enrolled: 89 %
  • Applicants wait-listed during the last admissions cycle: 2
  • Wait-listed applicants admitted for the semester to which they applied: 2
  • Applicant interviews are: Not required

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

• • Rolling admissions? No
  • GMAT required? Yes
  • Average GMAT: 583
  • Median GMAT: 580

• Middle 80% GMAT:

  • From: 510
  • To: 670
• • Is proficiency in English required? Yes
  • Is a minimum score on an English language proficiency test required? Yes

• Which English language proficiency tests are accepted?

  • • IELTS
    • TOEFL Computer Based
    • TOEFL Internet Based Test
    • TOEFL Paper-based Test
• • Minimum paper-based TOEFL: 550

• Relative Importance of Application Elements:

  • GMAT Score: Important
  • Resume/Work Experience: Very Important
  • Application Essays: Important
  • Interviews Not Considered
  • Recommendations: Important
  • Undergraduate Transcripts: Important

CLASS PROFILE

• • Female students: 27 %
  • International students: 4 %

• Percentage of U.S. students in newest entering class that are:

  • African American: 2 %
  • Asian American: 2 %
  • Hispanic or Latino American: 0 %
  • Native American: 0 %
  • White (Non-Hispanic): 94 %
  • Chose not to report: 2 %
  • Other: 0 %

• Postgraduate work experience (months):

  • Mean: 94
  • Median: 72
  • From: 12
  • To: 204
  • One year or less: 11 %

• Base salary of entering part-time MBA students:

  • Mean: $63,453.00
  • Median: $58,000.00
  • From: $40,000.00
  • To: $100,500.00

• Entering students work in the following functional areas:

  • Consulting: 4 %
  • Finance/Accounting: 13 %
  • General Management: 10 %
  • Human Resources: 0 %
  • Marketing/Sales: 31 %
  • Management Information Systems: 13 %
  • Operations/Production: 15 %
  • Other: 15 %

• Entering students work in the following industries:

  • Consumer Products: 46 %
  • Government: 2 %
  • Manufacturing: 31 %
  • Media/Entertainment: 0 %
  • Non-Profit: 2 %
  • Petroleum/Energy: 0 %
  • Pharmaceutical/Biotechnology/Health Care: 0 %
  • Real Estate: 0 %
  • Technology: 0 %
  • Other: 0 %

FINANCIAL AID

• • Part-time MBAs apply for financial aid through: Central financial aid office at the university
  • Students receiving some form of financial aid in 2009-10: 37 %

• Of part-time MBA students who applied for financial aid for the 2009-10 academic year, percentage receiving:

  • Institutional Scholarships: 0 %
  • Assistantships: 0 %
  • Loans (private and government): 37 %
• • Full-tuition scholarships awarded, 2009-10: 0
  • Does school offer a guaranteed loan to all part-time MBAs? Only to domestic students

FINANCIAL AID

• • Faculty employed by the B-school: 103

• Full-time faculty:

  • Tenured: 54
  • Non-Tenured: 37

• Adjunct/Visiting Faculty:

  • Tenured: 0
  • Non-Tenured: 12

• Women on Faculty:

  • Tenured: 8
  • Non-Tenured: 12

• Minority Faculty:

  • Tenured: 6
  • Non-Tenured: 15

• International Faculty:

  • Tenured: 6
  • Non-Tenured: 6

• Faculty with PhDs:

  • Tenured: 54
  • Non-Tenured: 26

STUDENT LIFE

• • Do part-time MBA students have their own area/center on campus? Yes
  • Do part-time MBA students have break-out rooms? Yes

TEACHING/ACADEMICS

• Teaching Methods:

  • Case Study: 5 %
  • Distance Learning: 50 %
  • Experiential Learning: 10 %
  • Lectures: 25 %
  • Simulations: 5 %
  • Team Projects: 5 %
• • Estimated number of hours per week students spend working in class and outside the classroom: 20
  • Teachers in the part-time program: 14
  • Tenured teachers in the part-time program: 8
  • Faculty also teaching in full-time program: 64
  • Average core class size: 54
  • Average elective class size: 15
  • Electives available: 8

• Recently added electives:

  • none
• • Last curriculum revision: 2005
• • Does the B-school offer an accelerated part-time MBA program? No

• Leading areas of study:

  • • Entrepreneurship
    • Supply Chain Management

• Graduation requirements:

  • • Students must have attended a minimum number of classes
    • Students must have earned a pre-determined GPA/Letter grade average
• • Credits required to graduate: 38

TECHNOLOGY

• • Technology improvements in the last three academic years: Upgraded Technology Center security systems with new color cameras & GE DVRs. Migrated disaster recovery and backup services from Walton College to Central Campus Computing. Upgraded College wireless networking infrastructure that will allow Faculty/Staff access to Walton College resources throughout campus via wireless. Walton College networking infrastructure was migrated to Central Campus Computing. Windows 7 is currently being deployed to Faculty/Staff. Office 2010 deployed to all systems.
  • Amount spent: $1,500,000.00

B-SCHOOL ALUMNI

• • Living MBA alumni: 3,180
  • Active MBA alumni clubs: 0
  • Countries in which MBA clubs exist: 0
  • Living MBA alumni who gave in past year: 4 %
  • Mean gift from MBA alumni: $700.00
  • Median gift from MBA alumni: $100.00
  • Did school receive an individual gift in excess of $10 million in the past academic year? No
  • Business school endowment $103,734,546.00
  • Does the main university offer career placement services for alumni? Yes
  • Does the main university have an alumni networking Web site? Yes
  • University alumni networking site: http://arkansasalumni.org
  • Does the B-School have an alumni networking Web site? Yes
  • Business school alumni networking site: http://waltoncollege.uark.edu/alumni/
  • Do current MBA students have access to an alumni database? No

CAREER SERVICES

• • Do part-time MBAs have access to career development office?
    • Yes
  • If yes, at what point in the degree process are part-time MBA students able to use the service?
    • At any time
  • Are part-time MBAs permitted to interview for full-time jobs? Yes
  • Are part-time students included in resume drops? Yes

• Organizations that send the most participants to the part-time MBA program:

  • Walmart 9
  • Tyson Foods 3
  • TAMKO 3
  • JB Hunt 3
  • UAMS 3

• • The high quality of education and the flexibility to work and raise a family made the MMBA program at the University of Arkansas ideal for a working professional dedicated to both their professional life and their family.
    
    
    
    
    More course options that are flexible with the two-classes-per-semester model would be an improvement. I chose to enroll in the entrepreneurial track, which forced me to take three classes in one semester.
    
    
    
    
    The University of Arkansas part-time MBA program is both a bargain and exhilerating. The program is perfectly geared toward the major retail employers in the Northwest Arkansas area. In addition, the diverse backgrounds of students brings another level of value to the program. The faculty is phenomenal and incredibly engaged with the students. All in all, it is just a well-rounded program.
    
    
    
    
    The University of Arkansas fulfilled all my expectations and provided me with experiences far beyond those I had expected to receive from the coursework. There were a number of recruiting visits by large corporations and other institutions seeking the Walton College graduates. Those interested in an entrepreneaurial or finance track were given the opportunity to further their knowledge and expertise in these areas. The faculty at the Walton College surpassed all expectations and provided very challenging, but rewarding studies that all students will find useful in the corporate world of today.
    
    
    
    
    Our instructors came from very diverse backgrounds and are respected as knowledgeable experts by their peers throughout the world. All professors had numerous areas of ongoing research and all have published research papers used throughout the academic world. Many have written or contributed to the writing of books both inside and outside the collegiate ranks. The significance of these professors' research in their respective areas of expertise is very hard to find in a public university.
    
    
    
    
    Many of the instructors were very good, however, some seemed to be of little value and did not provide students with feedback, which is crucial when meeting only once a month.
    
    
    
    
    I would have loved to go to an Ivy League, but I can't afford it. I couldn't have beaten the education I got at the price I paid.
    
    
    
    
    A lot of the curriculum is geared toward retail, which makes sense considering the school's proximity to Walmart (and the name "Walton College"). I would have liked to take an IT elective related to data mining or something.
    
    
    
    
    The professors could be improved in a few classes. Also, the class size was about 55 students. I would not want this to increase above that number. Maybe fewer students would provide the opportunity for more students to participate in class discussions. I feel that my class was made up of too many individuals with backgrounds in IT, engineering, or other non-business fields. Perhaps, this is normal however I would have received a greater benefit from class discussions and group projects had more business professionals been in the program.
    
    
    
    
    Most faculty had previous experience in the business fields that they were teaching. This made them much more informative for the students and the information was better recieved.
    
    
    
    
    I would encourage more interaction with other students. It was difficult to get to know your classmates because you only saw them in person one day per month.
    
    
    
    
    Very few social gatherings were organized on campus. Several times there were gatherings after class organized by students. Professors would sometimes attend, but it was not university sponsored.
    
    
    
    
    As a working professional in Northwest Arkansas, the part-time program provided the flexibility and relevant curriculum for the local job market. The majority of the businesses that exists in NWA surround either Walmart, JB Hunt, or Tyson Foods. The topics that were discussed in the program were quite applicable in allowing students to apply this information to their daily vocational activities.
    
    
    
    
    The mixed delivery method of classroom and online learning provided an ideal interaction level between students and instructors. The program offered by the University of Arkansas is a best-in-class program with real-world application.
    
    
    
    
    The professors were strong in drawing on the experiences of the students particularly based on the depth of companies represented in the program. By pulling from these experiences, this allowed for all students to benefit even more from the program.
    
    
    
    
    I am currently recruiting my brother to join the program. He is a sales rep for Merck, and it would be perfect for him. He can keep his job and still have time to spend with his wife and three children. It is like having your cake and eating it too.
    
    
    
    
    The strengths of my professors were that I could send them an e-mail at midnight and have an answer by 6 a.m. They always gave out their cell phone numbers and told us to call them regardless if it was a weekend or after normal working hours. They challenged us to learn from each other and to embrace the culture of the classroom. As far as weaknesses, a few of my instructors had thick accents but I'm not sure that is a weakness.
    
    
    
    
    All of the classes are recorded and put online to review later or to watch if we had to miss the class. It would be nice if more instuctors used this method to give short lessons on the topics of each non-class week.
    
    
    
    
    We constantly had guest speakers who spoke at events during the week that you could attend if you were available. Some guest speakers came to class to talk to us during breakfast or lunch. We often had "class night out" where the part- and full-time students interacted with the faculty and staff.
    
    
    
    
    This program was very challenging. I loved it. I thought this was more difficult than the thesis-based MS in chemistry that I completed about eight years ago. We had a very competitive class from all walks of careers, along with a diverse group of teachers in an intimate environment.
    
    
    
    
    The positives of this program was its flexibility, yet also its surprisingly hands-on learning format. However, while it was strong in technical areas (statistics, accounting, economics), I felt it was weak in the more conceptual areas of business (management techniques, HR, marketing).
    
    
    
    
    Overall, the instructors have a strength in that they genuinely care about the students in the program, and they make themselves available for questions about coursework or real-world business issues. A weakness would be that sometimes the instructors did not plan their coursework with the other instructors, so we would end up with large projects in two classes at the same time. This added a challenge on top of our full-time jobs and family commitments, and some people had to take vacation time from work to complete school work during these times.