The Mason School of Business at The College of William and Mary

College of William and Mary, The Mason School of Business at The College of William and Mary History

College of William and Mary, founded in 1693, is a public, coeducational institution. The 1200-acre campus is located in a small town 55 miles east of Richmond. Total undergraduate and graduate enrollment is 7709.

The Mason School of Business at The College of William and Mary was founded in 1968 and is located on the main campus. The Flex (part-time) MBA program is offered at William and Mary Peninsula Center in Newport News. The basic educational approach is a mixed teaching method consisting of 30% lecture, 35% case, and 20% Career Acceleration Modules (immersion modules working with teams of faculty and industry practitioners), and 15% simulation, field studies, and projects.

College of William and Mary, The Mason School of Business at The College of William and Mary Academics

The Mason School of Business offers the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Accounting (MAcc) as well as joint degrees in law (MBA/JD), public policy (MBA/MPP), and international management (MBA/MIM) with the Garvin School of International Management. Other programs include foreign exchange with Norway, Costa Rica, France, Mexico, and Germany, work-study, internships, and joint research,. The strongest areas of study are finance, marketing, operations management, and entrepreneurship. The most popular courses are the Career Acceleration Modules: Enterpreneurship, Investments and Financial Services, Corporate Finance, Business to Consumer Marketing, Business to Business Marketing, and Operations and IT Management. Regular programs bring distinguished speakers and visiting professors to campus. Distinguished speakers are incorporated into the Career Acceleration Modules, Batten Fund, and student organizations such as National Association of Women MBAs.

Sixty-eight total credits are required to complete the MBA, including 26 elective credits. Required courses include:

• Accounting and Managerial Decision Making
• IT: The Technology Infrastructure
• Applied Data and Economic Analysis
• Financial Accounting: Reporting and Analysis
• Organizational Behavior and Process
• Marketing Management
• Business, Government, and the Global Economy
• Management Communications
• Financial Management
• IT-Enabled Technological Transformations
• Global Business Strategy
• Field Consultancy
• Design and Control of the Modern Operations Function
• Business Ethics
• Leadership Advantage

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 year; maximum, 2 years. For students attending part time, the minimum is 3 years; maximum, 4 to 5 years.

There are 51 total full-time graduate business faculty, of whom 96% hold a doctorate; there are 11 part-time faculty, of whom 27% hold a doctorate. Faculty salaries are rated above average for Category I institutions, based on the AAUP rating system. Average number of courses faculty teach is 4; average business class size is 24.

College of William and Mary, The Mason School of Business at The College of William and Mary Unique Programs

Library

The university’s main library and the business school library (Professional Research Center) house a collection of more than 1,868,648 volumes, 972,482 microform items, and 27,677 audio/video tapes/CDs, and subscribe to 27,503 periodicals. The business library is particularly strong in marketing and finance. Students have access to such databases and networks as Baseline, Bloomberg, Checkpoint, Choices Two, Choices Three, Dun’s Regional Business Directory, EBSCO Business Source Premier, Factiva, Faulkner’s Advisory for IT Studies, Hoover’s Online, InfoTrac Business Index ASAP, InfoTrac General BusinessFile, Lexis/Nexis Academic, Lexis/Nexis Statistical Universe, MarketLine Business Information Center, MarketResearch.com Academic, Mergent Online, Mintel Reports, ProQuest ABI/INFORM Global, Reference USA, Research Insight (Compustat PC Plus), SRDS, STAT-USA, Thomson One Banker, Value Line Investment Survey, and Venture Reporter. Swem Library has a total of 229 databases, with 30 of those designated for business and economics.

Computers

Graduate business students must have their own PCs. The business school has its own computer facilities. Wireless network capability is available throught the campus for all students.

Career and Job Placement

Majors most in demand by companies recruiting in 2006 were finance, accounting, marketing, and management information systems. Average starting salary of the graduating class was $71,957; range was $45,000 to $110,000. Placement services are extensive. Placement services for alumni include access to an alumni database, job postings, and counseling on job search strategy. Placement is available through the Office of MBA Career Services. Ninety percent of the most recent graduating class found jobs within three months of receiving their degree.

International Students

International students must take the TOEFL and or IELTS. International students must score 600 on the Paper-Based TOEFL (PBT) or 100 on the Internet-Based TOEFL (iBT) version. They also must submit a translation of their transcripts, proof of health consisting of a form to be completed by a medical practitioner, and proof of adequate funds to cover 1 year of study. Financial aid is available for these students and consists of graduate assistantships and scholarships, based on merit, which are available to all incoming students. The application deadline for fall entry is March 1.

Calendar

The school operates on a traditional semester basis. Semesters are 14 weeks long; summer sessions, 6 weeks. Graduate programs are offered during the day and evening.

College of William and Mary, The Mason School of Business at The College of William and Mary Admissions

A bachelor’s degree is required. Most important admissions factors are motivation, academic accomplishments and ability, and management potential. A strong mathematics background is not required but is strongly recommended.

The number of applicants for the 2006-2007 class was 208; 108 were accepted; 58 enrolled. The average GMAT score was 603. Transfers are not accepted. Minority students are actively recruited by attendance at recruiting fairs at historically black colleges/universities in the United States.

Students may begin the MBA program in the fall, spring, and summer. To apply, students must submit an application form, a transcript, GMAT scores, a nonrefundable application fee of $80, 2 letters of recommendation, a resume, and essays. The application deadlines are April 1 for fall entry; December 1, spring; March 1, summer. Students are notified of the admissions decision within 2 to 3 weeks of submitting a completed application. The latest acceptable test date for fall entry is April 1 (21-month program), March 1 (11-month program), July 15 ( fall Flex), and December 1 (spring Flex). Once accepted, students may defer admission for up to 1 year, with approval of the Admissions Committee (approval is granted in rare instances) and with nonrefundable deposits of $1000 (first deposit) and $1000 (second deposit) to secure their place.

College of William and Mary, The Mason School of Business at The College of William and Mary Financial Aid

About 69% of graduate business school students receive financial aid from scholarships, loans, and graduate assistantships, for a total average of $24,090 annually; maximum $51,264. The FAFSA is required. The application deadline is May 15 for fall entry.

Tuition for in-state residents is $440 per credit, or $16,564 per year. Nonresidents pay $825 per credit, or $30,364 per year. On-campus room and board costs approximately $6338; books and supplies, $1500; personal expenses, $2700; and other fees, $750, for an estimated annual total of $27,852 for in-state residents and $41,652 for out-of-state residents. Graduate student housing is limited on campus, but off-campus housing is plentiful. There is a referral service to help procure off-campus housing.

College of William and Mary, The Mason School of Business at The College of William and Mary Students

Forty-three percent of the current graduate business school class are enrolled full time; 89% have had an average of 4 of full-time work experience prior to entering graduate school, a factor preferred by the school. The greatest percentage of students are from the South (52%). Twenty-seven percent are women, 8% are minorities, and 30% are foreign nationals. The average age at entrance is 27; ages range from 21 to 45. Eleven percent enter directly from undergraduate school. Students’ undergraduate majors were as follows: 46%, business; 17%, liberal arts; 16%, economics; 7%, social sciences; 2%, engineering; and 2%, math and science. In 2006, 151 graduate business degrees were awarded.