Management, Rady School of
The Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)
Requirements for Admission
Students interested in pursuing the M.B.A. degree program at UC San Diego’s Rady School of Management (RSM) must have earned a B.A., or its equivalent, with training comparable to that provided by the University of California. A minimum scholastic average of 3.0 or better is required for course work completed in upper-division or prior graduate study. No specific undergraduate major or course work is required for admission, though preparation in quantitative methods (such as calculus and statistics) is strongly encouraged. Prior business course work is not necessary. Students who do not have adequate quantitative preparation at the time of admission will need to complete preparatory course work before matriculation.
The admissions committee assesses professional and organizational experience in terms of scope or level of responsibility, evidence of contribution or success, and evidence of career progression or of growth in responsibility. The full-time M.B.A. does not require professional work experience; however, the school believes that some prior experience in organizations and teams is critical to effective learning in the M.B.A. program. Most students in the full-time M.B.A. class will have some post-undergraduate professional experience. FlexWeekend and FlexEvening M.B.A. students are working professionals; no specific number of years of work experience is required.
Applicants must submit two letters of recommendation from individuals who can attest to their professional and leadership skills and to their potential for business leadership.
Applicants are required to submit the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores (verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing). (Indicate code #4836.) A minimum score of 550 on the paper/pencil version and a minimum score of 213 on the computer-based version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required of all international applicants whose native language is not English and whose undergraduate education was conducted in a language other than English. Students who score below 600 on the paper/pencil or 250 on the computer-based TOEFL examination are strongly encouraged to enroll in an English-as-a-second-language program before beginning graduate work. The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is also accepted with a minimum score of 7.
Interviews are required for admission to the M.B.A. program. Interviews are by invitation after review of the completed application.
The full-time M.B.A. is a two-year, full-time program. The FlexWeekend M.B.A. is twenty-four months, including two summers, and is scheduled on alternate weekends to accommodate the needs of working professionals. The FlexEvening M.B.A. is thirty months, including summers, and is scheduled two nights per week to accommodate the needs of working professionals.
The school’s M.B.A. application is available online at the school’s Web site.
The M.B.A. Curriculum
(ninety-two units)
The M.B.A. curriculum (ninety-two units) is made up of a set of core disciplinary and skill-oriented courses with an emphasis on industry sectors, unstructured electives, and the Professional Seminar. The basic curriculum is the same for the full-time and Flex students.
Industry Sector Emphasis
The Rady School’s M.B.A. is designed to allow students to develop depth in industry sectors of particular interest. Selection of an industry is not required. The program combines a solid core, an integrative course sequence focused on innovation, a strong elective curriculum, a commitment to leadership development, and an emphasis on cutting-edge industry sectors.
Core Curriculum
The core curriculum provides a comprehensive education in the fundamentals of business and management and lays a strong foundation for further study.
Electives
Students may choose from electives in the full range of business and management disciplines, including accounting, finance, management, marketing, operations and information technology, and strategy. In addition, students may, with approval, take graduate courses offered elsewhere on campus. Prospective students are advised to consult the RSM Office of Admissions for a list of planned elective courses.
Professional Seminar
The Professional Seminar is a one-credit course offered each quarter. The seminar brings business leaders and experts to campus to speak to students and provides workshops focused on professional and leadership development and on personal and career effectiveness. The seminar may be taken multiple times for credit.
Internships
Full-time M.B.A. students are strongly encouraged to participate in internships during the summer between the two years of the academic program. Part-time internships are also available during the academic year. Internships are coordinated through M.B.A. Career Connections, the school’s career center.
Executive Mentor Program
The Rady School’s Executive Mentor program matches small groups of M.B.A. students with senior business executives. Mentors work directly with their groups, offering perspective, guidance, and expertise based on their deep experience in business. Mentors help guide M.B.A. students as they map out areas for personal and professional development, gain understanding of career progression and the skills and abilities required for successful leadership, and seek feedback about opportunities and areas of concern.
Career Services
M.B.A. Career Connections, the Rady School’s career center, provides students with expertise, guidance, and resources to successfully manage their careers. Services and resources of M.B.A. Career Connections are available to all M.B.A. students, with some limitations for those sponsored by their employers. For full-time M.B.A. students, the center’s personalized approach to career management begins before the student’s first quarter and continues throughout the program. M.B.A. Career Connections actively works to identify opportunities for students and to enable students to build strong professional networks.
Career services include career assessment, individual career coaching, career fairs, workshops, employer presentations and panels, internship and career employment listings, and on-campus interviews. Specialized M.B.A. career workshops focus on resume writing, interviewing skills (including videotaped mock interviews), effective job search strategies, and job offer evaluation and negotiation.
The Ph.D. in Management
The Rady School offers a Ph.D. in management designed to prepare graduates for careers in academic research. Only students who intend to pursue a doctorate should apply; the department does not enroll students who seek a master’s degree as a terminal degree.
Students with undergraduate preparation in various areas of the social and physical sciences may apply to the program. Students who elect to specialize in management science and finance are required to have additional mathematical knowledge, such as advanced calculus and statistics.
To be considered for admission candidates must
- Hold an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university.
- Complete the UCSD Application for Admission with application fee.
- Submit test scores from the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE) taken within five years of the date of application. Official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam scores are required of applicants whose primary language is not English or who graduate from a university at which the language of instruction was not English.
- Submit two copies of official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended.
- Submit three letters of recommendations that speak to the candidate’s potential as a researcher.
- Submit a statement of purpose.
- Take “Mathematics for Economists” from the UCSD economics department prior to the start of the first fall quarter.
Note: At the discretion of the Admissions Committee, personal interviews may be required.
Program instruction includes formal core and domain/methodology course work, directed study in close consultation with faculty in preparation for a research career, and individual research required for the student’s dissertation. The core curriculum consists of a mathematics review and two course sequences designed to ensure that students are educated in the fundamentals of economic and social sciences. Individual students may be required to take additional courses depending upon educational background. The domain/methodology course requirement helps the student acquire the deep domain knowledge and methodological skills required to conduct research in his or her areas of interest.
The main Ph.D. requirements are that a student completes the core and elective course work, qualifying examinations, original research papers and presentations, a dissertation acceptable to the doctoral committee, and a final oral examination on the dissertation. Rather than a separate qualifying exam on each topic, students will be required to pass graduate course exams with a cumulative GPA of 3.6. If a student does not have the 3.6 (A-) average, the topic qualifying exams will be required.
Ph.D. students must be in residence a total of six quarters, three of which must be spent in continuous residence at the Rady School on the San Diego campus. A minimum of three quarters of residency must pass between the date of formal advancement to candidacy and the date of the final examination.
Nonresident students who have failed to establish California residency after the first year will be responsible for their own tuition.
Normative time (defined as that period of time in which students under normal circumstances are expected to complete their doctoral program) is four to five years, based on the student’s background and progress. The maximum length of time that a student may remain a pre-candidate for the Ph.D. degree is three years. Total university support cannot exceed six years. Total registered time at UCSD cannot exceed seven years.
A detailed description of the Ph.D. program is available on the Internet at http://management.ucsd.edu/phd/ or by contacting the Ph.D. program coordinator at radyphd@ucsd.edu. Residence and other campuswide regulations are described in the graduate studies section of this catalog.