SLU Revises Admission Criteria, Students Without Work Experience Can Join MBA

The Saint Louis University’s John Cook School of Business has revised its admission criteria to include students without work experience in its 1-year MBA program having seen, in the last few years, a growing interest from individuals early in their professional careers with little or no work experience.

SLU has always accepted students without work experience into the dual degree programs. Dual degrees offered alongside the MBA include Dual degree students who join the One Year MBA program enhance the classroom experience. Dual degrees offered alongside the MBA include Master of Health Administration (MHA), Juris Doctor (JD), Doctor of Medicine (MD), MA of Educational Leadership and MA of Sustainability.

This is the only AACSB accredited One-Year MBA program in the Missouri region. Less than 5% of business schools worldwide receive the distinction of accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The one-year format is well established and offered at schools such as Northwestern, SMU, and Emory.

However, these programs require work experience and pre-requisite coursework. SLU’s One-Year MBA is unique in the fact that no pre-requisite courses are required prior to entry. Seattle University and Xavier University also offer similar programs for students early in their professional careers.

The AACSB-accredited school offers the 12-month MBA program divided into three semesters (summer, fall, spring) including a 10 day study abroad component in Hong Kong providing the students valuable international business experience. Stated to be more affordable than the two-year MBA program, the 2016-2017 tuition has been pegged at $56,660, including the expenses for the study abroad component.

The study abroad takes place between the second and third semester in early January. The course includes a mixture of classroom discussion about Asia-focused business case studies, guest speakers, and visits around the Hong Kong business community.

The program brings together students from various academic backgrounds in business, logistics,health, history, biology, engineering, science, journalism, education, and religion. Their full-time work experience includes accounting, banking, financial advising, law, military, teaching, and medicine.

Class Profile

The 2016 class has a total 37 students including 20% international and 49% female. The average GMAT score is 580, the average post-bachelor degree work experience 2.5 years and the average GPA 3.4.

Countries represented in the past five years include Australia, Barbados, Canada, China, Columbia, Turkey, Hungary, India, Iraq Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Romania, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates.

SLU’s Centers of Distinction in Entrepreneurship, International Business and Supply Chain Management have earned national recognition.

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Recent Guest speakers and panellists invited to the school include William Thompson, President and CEO of SSM Healthcare; General Paul Selva, Commander of America’s Worldwide Air Mobility Command, Bob Costas, sportscaster and William DeWitt III, St. Louis Cardinals President.

Career Search & Placements

In job search, students could seek the help of a Career Advisor and Career Resources Center (CRC) to refine professional goals, build essential career skills, create a robust professional network, and develop a job search strategy. Through the Nexus Series courses as well as individualized career advising, students will explore topics and skills related to effective professional development and career management. Support, resources, and advisement from the CRC is available to current students, after graduation and beyond.

Of the 36-member class of 2015, 61% had opted for seeking employment, 28% for continuing education, 3% for postponing. Company sponsored candidates constituted 6%. Employment offers for US citizen/permanent work authorisation by graudation was 60% of which 53% was accepted. The figures for both offers and acceptance rose to 100% by three months post graduation. For Non-permanent work authorisation candidates, the figures were 14% by graduation and 29% by three months post graduation.

The full time salary mean was $ 63,623 and median $ 60,000 in the range $ 35,000- $ 105,000. The employers included Anheuser Busch, Ascension Health, Boeing, Brown Shoe, Edward Jones, Emerson, Express Scripts, Forest Pharmaceuticals, Netchemia, Parkside Financial, Prairie Farms, Scottrade, Spectrum Brands, UMB Bank, US Bank, and Yurbuds.

Admission Schedule

The next batch will start in summer 2017. A prerequisite before beginning classes includes the completion of MBA Math, an online course which covers business fundamentals (accounting, economics, statistics). Applications are currently being accepted. The deadline is June 1, 2017.

Non-business majors may begin the One-Year MBA following completion of their undergraduate degree. The One-Year MBA is a cohort program and there are no course waivers. Since business majors will have taken the foundation business classes as part of their undergraduate curriculum, they are first encouraged to gain some work experience before considering the Professional MBA program at Saint Louis University. GMAT scores are valid for five years so business majors may wish to consider taking the exam while still pursuing their undergraduate degree.

One-Year MBA students will take all of their core classes together, but share elective courses with students from the Professional MBA program. This provides One-Year MBA students with the opportunity to build professional networks with Professional MBA students.

Program Cost

Tuition for 2016-2017 is estimated at $56,660. Airfare and lodging for the study abroad trip are included in the tuition cost. Merit-based scholarships are awarded at admission, and are determined by GMAT score, work (or internship) experience, and overall strength of a student’s application. Competitive scholarships are also available.(Image Source:google.com)