Hello, With work and my undergrad studies I won't have the time or the inclination to spend months studying for the GMAT. I will finish my undergrad work in June and wish to start an MBA program in July. I'm wondering if there are any schools that are AACSB accredited that do not require the GMAT? I do have a 3.9 GPA for my undergrad studies so far. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you,
The only AACSB school that I know of that will waive the GMAT requirement is Marist College. However, they do require applicants to have either a masters degree or at least 10 years of business experience. Their website is www.marist.edu
Do you mind me asking why you don't want to take the GMAT? Most schools have a straight formula GPA*GMAT = admission criteria. With your high GPA, you should not have to do extremely well as get in to many schools.
Han, As I stated, the reason is that I don't want to have to try and fit hours of studying for the GMAT into my already hectic schedule. Between my travel schedule for work and the three classes/semester I'm taking at TUI I don't have any additional time to devote. My family is already complaining that I'm away from home too much and when I am home I'm always studying. So, it all comes down to being selfish and not wanting to spend any more of my limited time just to be accepted into a school. From the looks of things I guess I don't have much choice if I want a AACSB accredited school. Thank you,
Since the GMAT is a standardized test, completeion of a good undergrad business program should be more than ample preparation. Most of the study guides you find talk about studyung how to take the test, ratehr than on specific information. With a 3.9 GPA your preparation should be on getting rest, determining the best time of the day for you to take the test, and studying the types of questions. Total study time probably 8 - 10 hours over 2 weeks. More than that and you are stressing out. Spend a few bucks on a study guide (even a used one) and take some practice exams. It is not as scary as people make out.
Mike, Maybe I'm making a bigger deal out of the GMAT then I need too. My impression is that of a very hard test that requires much preparation and studying. Maybe I'll take another look at it. Thanks,
From the mba.com website: Most school want a score above 550 (note 500 is average (800+200)/2). This 2/3 includes people from all over the world, some of whom are not native english speaking. I have taken the GMAT, the LSAT and the GRE. None of them gave me trouble with the knoweldge needed, but all gave me trouble with understnading how a question was to be tackled (usually the analytical part). As I said to Mr. Engineer: Besides, if you really blow it you can 1) take it over or 2) forget about it. So, if you take it and do poorly, you will be in worse position than you are now, and with a better than 50/50 chance ((800+200)/2) to do better.
Being at a non-AACSB for the undergrad may be a strike against you for the graduate degree at an AACSB.
Marist also requires a GMAT score unless you already hold a Masters degree or higher. If you have a 3.0 or higher you can take up to six credits without the GMAT, but then must provide one. I do not believe there is an AACSB school that will allow you to enter and finish the program without a GMAT unless you hold a grad level or higher degree. As for AACSB schools discriminating against non-AACSB undergrads, I have spoken to UMASS, Marist, Suffolk, and Drexel about this subject and was told that they do not discrimnate on that issue, but rather use the GMAT/GPA formula among other criteria. The only issue you may run into is not being able to have your pre-requisites waived, this is on a case-by-case basis dependent on syllabus and content, etc., though it is almost guaranteed to be waived if it is an AACSB undergrad program. As for the GMAT, I studied for two weeks prior using the Princeton Review "Cracking the GMAT" study guide w/cd. Take as many practice exams as you can, I'd recommend three. I did not find the test hard, but rather tedious... Bill
Not from what I have seen so far. I just got off the phone with the coordinator for MBA studies for the five Georgia state schools that offer a distance learning MBA (AACSB accreditation), and I explained to him that my undergraduate degree would not be AACSB accredited and he didn't pause a beat. The only stipulation he had was that the undergrad program be regionally accredited and that my combined GPA + GMAT pass their threshold for admission. I also spoke with Florida Atlantic regarding their admission policies for admission to their Masters of Accounting program and again was told that as long as the undergraduate work was regionally accredited there would be no problem with a non-AACSB bachelors.
Florida Atlantic was another school I spoke to and was told the same. That was for their MBA specializing in Accounting and their Masters of Taxation. Bill
Hi Ray - I've got a couple of ideas. The first is that you look at the UMass online MBA (www.umassonline.com) It's certified and can be completed 100% online. I don't know what you academic backgroud might be but they've got a "foundations in business" course (I believe it's required for the online program) and you can take it over the Summer without having formally matriculated. If you did well in that course I'd bet it would go a long way toward your acceptance into the program (regardless of GMAT score). It's clear you're a bright guy, I'd bet you could do pretty well on the GMAT with just a few weeks preparation. Last, but not least, I'm stuck on how you don't have time to study for the GMAT but believe you'll have sufficient time to earn and MBA? Just take the GMAT it'll be OK. Jack
Jack, Thanks for the encouragement. The reason I'll have time for the MBA is that it will be replacing the time I currently spend on my undergrad course work. I have to come up with additional time out of my job and my undergrad studies to fit in GMAT preparation. I guess maybe it's worth the time investment to take the GMAT. Thanks everyone for your help,
I really and truly think that you are making a lot bigger problem out of the GMAT than it really is. Yes it is a comprehensive test. But it's not that bad. If you can pull a 3.9 GPA in any school you should do well with out any prep. Let me rephrase that a little, any real school.
Yep. The way a lot of schools have set up their system (formula GMAT + (2)GPA > 1000 (or 1100 or whatever)) you could probably take it cold and get a good enough score to easily gain admission at an AACSB school. A possible bigger problem would be whether the school would recognize your undergrad studies as meeting their prereqs. In the limited research that I have done (I am in the same situation, getting an undergrad degree from a school without AACSB and wanting to get into an AACSB grad program,) I have found that some will, some won't and some might. My advice? Sign up for the GMAT. Take the practice test. If you are scoring above 500, don't study, don't stress, don't worry about it. Just take the test (assuming any AACSB program will do.) Tony P.S. I am sure that I have came across some AACSB accredited schools (and candidates) that would, in some cases, accept the GRE in lieu of the GMAT. One candidate that comes to mind in SUNY-IT. Another one (maybe) CSU-DH?
Just from taking the practice tests, I also think the LSAT is the easiest. I am sure other people's opinions would differ though. Different strokes for different folks I suppose. Anyway, just making a point that the GMAT is not always required at all AACSB schools. Yep. Since this is sometimes confusing, here is the difference between three statuses. AACSB accredited = Fully accredited. What most people mean when talking about AACSB. AACSB candidate = In the process of accreditation. May or may not become accredited but most who are approved for candidacy eventually do become accredited. Two list the two examples I gave, I have to believe that both CSU-DH and SUNY-IT, as state schools, are serious about AACSB accreditation and will achieve it. AACSB member = Not in the process of accreditation. This status means very little if anything. Tony
