By Nathaniel Luce
NASHVILLE, Tenn.–MBA students now immersing themselves in daytime studies at the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management come to the school with an average GMAT score of 653, GPA of 3.3 and almost five years of work experience, making this class among the most credentialed in the past decade. The class–6 percent larger than last year’s–is also one of the most diverse in the school’s history.
Among the 186 MBA candidates, 25 percent hail from 24 nations outside the United States, the largest number of countries represented in recent years, including an increase in students from African nations. Women comprise 27 percent of the class; U.S. minority students jumped seven percentage points (to 20 percent), with underrepresented minorities accounting for 10 percent of the incoming class–a four percentage point increase.
The class includes students from Puerto Rico and 28 states with the greatest increase seen in students coming from the Northeast region of the nation.
“The perspectives of people from diverse backgrounds are key to successful problem solving in today’s world, whether assessing business opportunities for a multinational corporation or tackling a pressing social issues for a nonprofit organization,” said James W. Bradford, Dean of the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management.
“This class is also the first to assemble people who had a front-row seat to the global financial crisis. Each will have a view of what happened–and what should have happened. Finally, the increased interest in specialized programs shows that these students are in tune to market and world realities. We’re excited about what this class will achieve and how their Owen experiences will help shape the world at large in coming years.”
Strong interest in health care, finance and accounting programs
Interest and participation in Owen’s market-driven specialty programs continue unabated, with 38 incoming students indicating they will pursue the Vanderbilt Health Care MBA. Developed in collaboration with Vanderbilt University Medical Center, this program is among the most robust and innovative of its kind, due in part to its immersion of MBA students in real-world health care management. With this approach, Owen arms the next generation of business and health care leaders with the critical skills needed to navigate anticipated reforms.
The Vanderbilt Master of Management in Health Care, an intensive one-year program launched last year to provide clinical professionals with skills and confidence to move into management roles, has admitted 30 students, a 17 percent increase from 2008. Designed for students with extremely demanding schedules, it offers classes on Thursday evenings with the additional commitment of one weekend per month.
Now in its fifth year, the flexible and modular Vanderbilt MS Finance welcomed 35 new students–average GMAT score of 705, GPA of 3.42–from among 420 applicants. Taught by Owen’s renowned finance faculty, the nine-month program equips students to manage the most complex and nuanced elements of financial analysis, investment strategies, portfolio management, financial modeling, firm valuation, econometric forecasting, risk management, asset allocation, fixed income markets and derivatives.
Master of Accountancy (Vanderbilt MAcc) enrolled 29 students with an average GMAT score of 671 and GPA of 3.51. Now in its third year, this intensive one-year program immerses students from a range of disciplines in business fundamentals and on-the-job training in public accounting. It also provides them a direct hiring pipeline to partner firms, including the world’s leading accounting and consultancy organizations.
New EMBA format accommodates today’s work realities; embraced by current and prospective students
Owen’s highly respected, full 60-credit Executive MBA (Vanderbilt EMBA) program, founded in 1978, welcomed 51 new students with an average GMAT score of 605 and 12 years of work experience. The class is 14 percent women, up 40 percent from last year.
To accommodate these rising executives who, amid layoffs and cutbacks, are less comfortable requesting time off to attend school, the EMBA program has changed from an alternating Friday-Saturday schedule to alternating Saturdays only. Students will attend classes on alternating Saturdays over 24 months, including two one-week residencies, with a four-week summer break.
The response has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Even though this year’s incoming class applied before the change was made, they nonetheless prefer it by a ratio of four to one. Among students inquiring about the program, the rate of preference is 90 percent.
“We anticipate that this change will affect the composition of future classes as it makes our EMBA program accessible to a broader range of academically qualified but time-strapped professionals,” said Tami Fassinger, Associate Dean of Executive Programs. “For example, we experienced an immediate and significant surge in inquiries from women interested in the program.”
Owen also offers a wide range of Open Enrollment and Custom Corporate education programs through the Vanderbilt Executive Development Institute, including specialized seminars in leadership, marketing, finance, innovation and health care. Last year, 560 individuals from across the globe participated in one or more of these programs, and the Executive Development Institute has served more than 500 organizations in the past few years.
Contact Person: Amy Wolf
Senior Public Affairs Officer
Vanderbilt University
Contact Phone: (615) 322-NEWS
Contact Email: amy.wolf@vanderbilt.edu
