Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management Overview

Introduction of Business School & MBA Program

Vanderbilt's Owen Graduate School of Management offers the top MBA program in the state of Tennessee. Conveniently located in Nashville, students at Vanderbilt can take advantage of the vibrant culture and business networks that exist in this historical Southern city. Not to mention that Vanderbilt's MBA program consistently ranks as one of the best programs in the country.

Program Structure

Vanderbilt's seven-week modular calendar gives students a fast start by allowing them to complete significant study in their chosen career field before beginning a summer internship. Students begin with the Vanderbilt MBA Core, which consists of 14 required courses that provide an intense and immediate immersion in the fundamentals of management. Students also have multiple options to customize their degrees to their personal career goals, including market-driven specializations and concentrations.

Faculty and Research

Vanderbilt's accomplished faculty fill the classroom with academic research and professional experience, which creates a cutting-edge and relevant learning environment. The program exposes students to practical business applications using a balanced mix of lectures, classroom discussions, case studies, group projects, and experiential learning opportunities in the community.

 

MBA Application Elements - Vanderbilt School of Management

GMAT Score

The average GMAT score of full-time students in the class of 2014 was 695, with 80% of full-time students scoring between 640 and 760.

Interview

Interviews are required, but only offered by invitation after an initial application review. A phone interview is possible, as is meeting with traveling representatives, but a campus visit is preferred.

Letters of Recommendation

Two professional recommendations are required for all applicants. As is true of most MBA programs, having a current supervisor or manager write a letter of recommendation would be most beneficial for enhancing your application.

Essay Tips

Two essays are required as part of the MBA application. As with most business school essays, be sure to emphasize why you would be a good fit for Vanderbilt, and vice versa.

Sample Application Essays

Examples of essay prompts previous used by the Owen Graduate School of Management:

  • "Explain your short-term and long-term career plans as specifically as possible. When combined with a Vanderbilt MBA degree, how will your previous experiences and personal attributes enable you to pursue these goals successfully?" (500 words)
  • Discuss significant challenges and opportunities currently facing the industry or functional area in which you plan to work after completing your MBA degree. As a change agent and visionary leader, how would you approach these issues to have a positive impact on business and society?" (500 words)
  • "You are strongly encouraged to provide an additional statement to clarify and explain any of the following: gaps of more than three months in full-time employment, poor academic performance, weak test scores, lack of recommendation from your current or most recent supervisor, academic misconduct, violations of the law, or anything else you think is important for the Admissions Committee to know about you that is not already addressed elsewhere in your application." (Optional Essay; No required length)
 
 

Vanderbilt MBA Program - Key Statistics

o Full-Time Enrollment: 347
o Average Undergraduate GPA: 3.40
o Average GMAT Score: 695
o Acceptance Rate: 29%
o Average Starting Salary and Bonus: $102,694
o Full-Time Graduates Employed at Graduation: 66.9%
o Average Age of New Entrants: 28
o Average Work Experience: Approximately 4-5 years
o Executive Education Program
o PhD Offered
o Average class size: 175 students
o Admissions Website:www.owen.vanderbilt.edu/vanderbilt/admissions/mba-admissions/index.cfm