Red McCombs School of Business
Business Administration
- Master of Business Administration
Facilities for Graduate Work
Facilities for graduate study in business include state-of-the-art classrooms and seminar rooms, which are equipped with multimedia and computer terminal facilities. Computer classrooms, computer laboratories, a Financial Trading and Technology Center, and a behavioral science laboratory are also available. A variety of special collections and databases are available for research and study. In addition, there are extensive study and research facilities for individual and group projects.
Library holdings in business, economics, and related areas are unusually comprehensive; the University has several noteworthy collections, such as those on Latin America and Texas, that are of special interest to business students. Also available are personalized reference services, including library instruction classes, Web-based subject and course guides, and an extensive array of online business and statistical databases; a tax collection; and a large selection of materials to aid in productive problem solving. These holdings are located in the Perry-Castañeda Library and are available through the University Libraries Web site.
Other facilities of interest, especially to students of international business, include the Center for International Business Education and Research, the Benson Latin American Collection, the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the Center for East Asian Studies, the South Asia Institute, and the Population Research Center. Additional opportunities for research are provided by the AIM Investment Center; the Center for Business, Technology, and Law; the Center for Customer Insight and Marketing Solutions; the Manufacturing Systems Center; the Center for Organizations Research; the Real Estate Finance and Investment Center; the Center for Research in Electronic Commerce; the EDS Financial Trading and Technology Center; the Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst Center for Private Equity Finance; the Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship; the IC2 Institute; and the Supply Chain Management consortium.
The McCombs School of Business has its own computer network that links the school’s laboratories and other computing resources. The network is also connected to the University’s computing infrastructure. All Master of Business Administration (MBA) students are required to own a laptop computer.
The MBA Program Office provides information, academic advising, and student services to MBA students; contact information is given below.
Areas of Study
Graduate study is offered in the following functional areas of business: accounting, finance, management, information technology, and marketing. Students in the full-time program may concentrate their coursework in one of these areas. They may also choose one of the following specializations: brand management, corporate finance, customer insight, energy finance, entrepreneurship, global business, information management, investment management, operations management, private equity finance, real estate finance, social enterprise, and strategic marketing.
Graduate Studies committee
The following faculty members served on the Graduate Studies Committee in the spring semester 2006–2007.
- Anitesh Barua
- James W. Fredrickson
- Kate Gillespie
- Genaro J. Gutiérrez
- Jay C. Hartzell
- Andrew D. Henderson
- D. Eric Hirst
- Julie R. Irwin
- David B. Jemison
- Lisa L. Koonce
- Robert G. May
- Robert Parrino
- Thomas W. Sager
Admission Requirements
Several scheduling options are available to students seeking the MBA: full-time, executive, and evening programs in Austin; weekend programs in Dallas and Houston; and a weekend program in Mexico at the campus of the Tecnológico de Monterrey.
Admission decisions for all programs are based on the applicant’s test scores, academic and professional background, letters of recommendation, and other factors. Applicants to the Mexico City program may submit scores on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or the Tecnológico de Monterrey Prueba de Admisión a Estudios de Posgrado (PAEP); all other applicants must submit GMAT scores. TOEFL or IELTS scores are required of applicants to the Mexico City program and all other applicants who received their undergraduate education in a non–English-speaking country.
Upon admission to the program, the student must pay a nonrefundable enrollment deposit to indicate that he or she accepts the offer of admission. The deposit is applied to the payment of fees when the student enrolls. Students who demonstrate financial need may qualify for assistance to cover the deposit. The deposit is also required of students admitted to the dual degree programs described below.
More information about the admission process for each program is published by the McCombs School.
Degree Requirements
The objective of each of the programs described below is to develop influential business leaders who are able to assume high-level responsibilities in the rapidly changing national and international environment of the public and private sectors. The curriculum is designed to stimulate intellectual curiosity; to develop analytical and research ability; and to give students the ability to make sound managerial decisions, to plan, organize, and control activities in order to achieve established goals, and to manage people, organizations, and change. Students are expected to acquire the concepts, tools, and understanding to operate in and contribute successfully to new economic environments. Such environments are characterized by rapid technological change, global competition, and information-rich or information-deficient management decisions. Each program is designed to accommodate students with baccalaureate degrees in a wide variety of fields. Each affords the student a wide range of choices to complete a course of advanced study that integrates developments, theory, and applications involved in the exercise of executive and staff administrative responsibilities.
Full-Time Program
The full-time MBA is a two-year program taught in Austin. Students enter the program in the fall and graduate at the end of the second spring semester. Fifteen hours of coursework are required each semester. An additional one-hour career management course is required in the first semester.
A total of sixty-one semester hours is required. Twenty-five hours are provided by required core courses. Students are required to take certain core courses in an assigned cohort.
During the first semester of the program, students are organized into cohorts of about seventy members. The students in each cohort take most core courses together. Within the cohort and in particular courses, students may be assigned to four- or five-person study groups to encourage group problem solving and teamwork and the development of leadership skills.
Thirty-six semester hours of graduate electives are required; with the adviser’s approval, six hours may be taken outside the McCombs School. The student may concentrate the elective coursework within a discipline, such as marketing, or may choose a specialization, such as customer insight; each specialization consists of a sequence of courses that offers strong preparation for a particular career path. Students are not required to choose a concentration or specialization.
Further information about prerequisites, requirements, and concentrations is available from the MBA Program Office and by email.
Weekend and Evening Programs in Austin
A carefully planned program of continuing education and development for executives is essential in today’s dynamic business environment. The following programs provide this graduate business education for early-career to senior managers while permitting them to continue their careers.
Executive MBA. The executive MBA program is a two-year program designed to meet the needs of academically qualified midcareer professionals who wish to pursue an MBA degree while continuing to carry the full responsibilities of their jobs. Classes are held on alternate Fridays and Saturdays. This rigorous and demanding program requires a serious commitment from both the student and the student’s employer. All students must complete thirty-six semester hours of required coursework and six hours of electives.
Prospective students should have at least five years of experience in management. The average work experience of currently enrolled students exceeds twelve years. A brochure describing the program is available from the Executive Education Office. Information is also available at the McCombs School Web site and by e-mail.
Evening MBA. This three-year graduate business program is designed for working professionals who choose to work while pursuing the MBA. Classes are held on Monday and Tuesday evenings. Students attend classes in the fall, spring, and summer, and must complete forty-eight semester hours of coursework. The evening MBA program is designed to prepare students to lead, build, and manage enterprises that create value for stakeholders and constituencies in a dynamic, global economy.
Prospective students should have at least two years of work experience. The average work experience of currently enrolled students exceeds six years. A brochure describing the program is available from the evening MBA office. Information is also available at the McCombs School Web site. The high academic standards and dedicated faculty are the same as in the full-time MBA program.
Weekend Programs outside Austin
MBA at Houston and MBA at Dallas-Fort Worth. These rigorous, twenty-two-month graduate business programs are designed for managers and professionals who wish to pursue an MBA degree outside normal working hours. Classes are held Friday evenings from 4:00 to 8:30 pm and Saturdays from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm on alternate weekends. The Houston program is held at the Houstonian Hotel; the Dallas-Fort Worth program is offered at the Hilton Anatole Hotel. In addition, the programs include two one-week intensive seminars in Austin and a week-long international trip.
The high academic standards and dedicated faculty are the same as in the full-time MBA program. Information about the Houston program is available at the Texas MBA at Houston Web site; and about the Dallas-Fort Worth program, at the Texas MBA at Dallas/Fort Worth Web site.
Executive MBA at Mexico City. This two-year program for working professionals is taught by McCombs School faculty members at the Tecnológico de Monterrey-Campus Sante Fe. Students who complete the forty-two semester hours of coursework earn both the MBA degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master’s of Administration degree from Tecnológico de Monterrey-Campus Sante Fe. Classes meet Friday evenings and all day Saturday on alternate weekends. In addition, students take part in three one-week intensive seminars, two in Austin and one at an international location. Information about the program is available at the Texas Executive MBA at Mexico City Web site.
Dual Degree Programs
The McCombs School of Business offers several dual degree programs in cooperation with other divisions of the University. The dual degree programs allow students to prepare for careers that encompass both business and another discipline. Each program is administered by faculty and staff members from the McCombs School and from the cooperating field. All requirements of both programs must be met, and both programs must be completed, in the same semester, for either degree to be awarded.
A student seeking admission to a dual degree program must apply through the Graduate and International Admissions Center; to enter the MBA/JD program, the student must apply for admission both to the Graduate and International Admissions Center and to the School of Law. The student must be accepted by each individual program in order to be admitted to the dual program. Like all other graduate applicants, the student is responsible for submitting any additional information required by the Graduate Studies Committee for each program and for meeting any admission conditions imposed by either program.
Prospective students should be aware that the area studies degrees listed below—Asian studies; Latin American studies; Middle Eastern studies; and Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies—all include a language proficiency requirement. Further information about prerequisites, requirements, and coursework for the dual programs is available from the MBA Program Office.
| Field of Study | Degree | Total Hours Required |
| Advertising | Master of Arts | 78–81 |
| Asian studies | Master of Arts | 75–78 |
| Communication studies | Master of Arts | 78–81 |
| Journalism | Master of Arts | 78–81 |
| Latin American studies | Master of Arts | 75–78 |
| Law | Doctor of Jurisprudence | 134 |
| Mechanical engineering, with a concentration in manufacturing and decision systems engineering | Master of Science in Engineering | 81–84 |
| Middle Eastern studies | Master of Arts | 78–84 |
| Nursing, with a concentration in nursing systems | Master of Science in Nursing | 81[1] |
| Public affairs | Master of Public Affairs | 75 |
| Radio-television-film | Master of Arts | 78–81 |
| Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies | Master of Arts | 78 |
International Program
Students interested in a Master of Business Administration degree with an international focus may seek admission to the International Program. This program allows students in the full-time MBA program to take a substantial part of their coursework at a partner school outside the United States. The student must complete at least thirty-six semester hours of graduate coursework in residence at the McCombs School and must also fulfill the partner school’s requirements for coursework in residence. Students who complete the program earn both the MBA from the University and the equivalent degree from the partner school.
Applicants must be proficient in English and must meet the language requirements of the partner school. The McCombs School offers this program in cooperation with the Chinese University of Hong Kong; ESADE Business School in Barcelona, Spain; Escuela de Administración de Negocios para Graduados, Lima, Peru; Fundação Getúlio Vargas, São Paulo, Brazil; Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico; Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago; and WHU Koblenz—Otto Beisheim Graduate School of Management, Vallendar, Germany. Additional partner schools may be added in the future. Further information on the International Program is published by the McCombs School.
For More Information
Campus address: College of Business Administration Building (CBA) 2.316, phone (512) 471-7612, fax (512) 471-4131; campus mail code: B6004
Mailing address: The University of Texas at Austin, MBA Program, McCombs School of Business, 1 University Station B6004, Austin TX 78712
E-mail: mccombsmba@mccombs.utexas.edu