Robert H. Smith School of Business

University of Maryland-College Park, Robert H. Smith School of Business History

University of Maryland/College Park, founded in 1859, is a public, coeducational institution. The 1250-acre campus is located in a suburban area 8 miles northeast of Washington, D.C. Total undergraduate and graduate enrollment is 35,102.

The Robert H. Smith School of Business was founded in 1963 and is located on the main campus, in its own building. Courses also are offered at Washington, D.C. (evening/weekend MBA); Baltimore and Rockville, Maryland (evening MBA); Beijing, China (Executive MBA); Tunis, Tunisia (MS in Information Systems and Technology); and Zurich, Switzerland (Executive MBA). The basic educational approach is a hands-on educational process built on the foundation of a mixture of case study and theory. Students spend a significant percentage of their study in experiential learning, team building, and MBA consulting projects.

University of Maryland-College Park, Robert H. Smith School of Business Academics

The Smith School offers the Master of Business Administration (MBA) as well as a doctoral program in numerous concentrations, and joint degrees in law (MBA/JD), public policy (MBA/MPP), social work (MBA/MSW), nursing (MBA/MSN and MBA/PhD), and business (MBA/MS). Other programs include registration through the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area and the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, work-study programs, foreign exchange with 10 countries, and joint research with area firms and government agencies. The strongest areas of study are finance, information systems, marketing, transportation and logistics, and entrepreneurship. The most popular courses are finance and strategy. Regular programs bring distinguished speakers and visiting professors to campus. The school hosts a number of speakers series programs, conferences, and other events featuring CEOs of major corporations, entrepreneurs and founders of start-ups, international leaders, and executives and academic experts in knowledge management, finance, and organizational structures.

Fifty-four total credits are required to complete the MBA, including 24 elective credits. Required courses include:

• Introduction to Financial Accounting
• Strategic Information Systems
• Marketing Management
• Managerial Economics and Public Policy
• Managerial Accounting
• Data, Models, and Decisions
• Financial Management
• Managing Human Capital
• The Global Economic Environment
• MBA Consulting Project
• Leadership and Teamwork
• Supply Chain Logistics and Operations Management
• Strategic Management
• Experimental Learning Modules
• Case Competition

Students may eliminate or substitute requirements, but a waiver exam is required; students may substitute electives.

Business students may take relevant nonbusiness courses in other departments. The minimum time permitted to complete the master’s degree program attending full time is 1<1/2> years; maximum, 5 years. For students attending part time, the minimum is 2 <1/2> years; maximum, 5 years.

There are 110 total full-time graduate business faculty, all of whom hold a doctorate; there are 9 part-time faculty, of whom 67% hold a doctorate. Faculty salaries are rated well above average for Category I institutions, based on the AAUP rating system. Average number of credit hours faculty teach is 9; average business class size is 39.

University of Maryland-College Park, Robert H. Smith School of Business Unique Programs

Library

The university’s main library houses a collection of more than 3,016,940 volumes, 5,676,082 microform items, and 875,006 audio/video tapes/CDs, and subscribes to 33,348 periodicals. The business library is particularly strong in marketing, management, organizational psychology, international business, finance, and information technology. Students have access to such databases and networks as Lexis/Nexis plus the Virtual Business Information Center of the University of Maryland, with access to news, business, legal, reference, and industry information via on-line global databases, including Business Source Premier, ABI/INFORM, Business & Company Resource Center, RDS Bizsuite, JSTOR, PAIS, EBSCOhost, and Factiva, among others. Other opportunities for research consist of the National Archives of the United States. The Smith School also provides a behavioral lab, a finance lab, and a supply chain lab for research projects.

Computers

Graduate business students need not have their own PCs. The university’s Computer Science Center houses an IBM mainframe and DEC VAX 6220 mainframes, with 4,000 terminals available. The Smith School’s computer center for graduate students includes 80 terminals and IBM PCs and Macs. Word processing, Quattro, Lotus 1-2-3, dBASE IV, SAS, and other software is available. The school’s Netcentricity Laboratory, developed in partnership with Sun Microsystems, Oracle and other leading companies, integrates e-commerce, financial trading, and supply chain management applications, including Reuters 300xtra and Bloomberg terminals.

Career and Job Placement

In spring 2006, 470 companies recruited on campus. Seventy-five percent were national corporations. Majors most in demand were finance, consulting, marketing, and information systems. Average starting salary of the graduating class was $83,165; range was $44,856 to $115,000. The percentage of graduates finding jobs were:

• national corporations 80%
• regional corporations 15%
• local small enterprises 3%
• local large enterprises 2%

Placement services are extensive. Placement services for alumni include an on-line career center, an alumni database for networking, and networking forums within particular functional areas. Placement is available through graduate career management. Ninety-five percent of the most recent graduating class found jobs within three months of receiving their degree.

International Students

International students must take the TOEFL. International students must score 600 on the Paper-Based TOEFL (PBT) or 100 on the Internet-Based (iBT) version. They also must submit a translation of their transcripts, proof of health consisting of an immunization record, and proof of adequate funds to cover the first year of study. Financial aid is available for these students and consists of merit-based financial aid. The application deadline for fall entry is February 1.

Calendar

The school operates on a traditional semester basis. Semesters are 15 weeks long; summer sessions, 6 weeks. Graduate programs are offered during the day and evening and weekends.

University of Maryland-College Park, Robert H. Smith School of Business Admissions

A bachelor’s degree is required. Most important admissions factors are academic accomplishments and ability, GMAT results, and work experience. A strong mathematics background is required.

The number of applicants for the 2006-2007 class was 861; 326 were accepted; 114 enrolled. The average GPA was 3.38; average GMAT score was 665. Transfers are not accepted. Minority students are actively recruited by Sponsoring Kaleidoscope, a diversity weekend. The school also actively recruits at historically black colleges and universities, participates in symposiums targeting minority students, and works with a number of minority associations and professional organizations.

Students may begin the MBA program in the fall only. To apply, students must submit an application form, 2 transcripts, GMAT scores, a nonrefundable application fee of $60, 2 letters of recommendation, 3 essays, and a resume. Students are notified of the admissions decision approximately 6 weeks after the deadlines. Deferred admission is considered on a case-by-case basis.

University of Maryland-College Park, Robert H. Smith School of Business Financial Aid

The application deadline is February 1 for fall entry.

Tuition for in-state residents is $803 per credit, or $14,454 per year. Nonresidents pay $1323 per credit, or $23,814 per year. Books and supplies cost approximately $1600; personal expenses, $1500; and other fees, $13,472, for an estimated annual total of $31,026 for in-state residents and $40,386 for out-of-state residents. There is a referral service to help procure off-campus housing.

University of Maryland-College Park, Robert H. Smith School of Business Students

All of the current graduate business school class are enrolled full-time; 98% have had an average of 5 years of full-time work experience prior to entering graduate school, a factor preferred by the school. Twenty-nine percent are women, 25% are minorities, and 38% are foreign nationals. The average age at entrance is 28; ages range from 21 to 55. One percent enter directly from undergraduate school. Students’ undergraduate majors were as follows: 28%, business; 20%, engineering; 13%, economics; 11%, social sciences; 6%, liberal arts; and 6%, math and science. About 1% of entering students leave by the end of the first year due to academic or personal reasons; 99% remain to receive their degree. In 2006, 148 graduate business degrees were awarded.