UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA News

Get the latest MBA news from UNC Kenan-Flagler.

Published: May 5, 2015

University of Illinois College of Business Launches New $20,000 MOOC-Based MBA

The University of Illinois College of Business this week announced the launch of an online-only MBA degree program designed to democratize access to graduate management education, according to U. of I. College of Business Dean Larry DeBrock. Called the iMBA, it will be the first complete online graduate business degree offered in partnership with Silicon Valley educational technology company Coursera, which offers courses from many other leading MBA programs through its platform of massive open online courses (MOOCs). The College of Business is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and development of this new program was designed to mark the occasion, according to DeBrock. “We’re entering the online MBA field motivated in part to find new ways to return to the tradition of great public universities making an elite education available to all,” he said in a statement. Read more

Published: April 28, 2015

UNC Kenan-Flagler Launches New Institute to Study Private Capital

If you don’t fully understand the role of private capital markets in the global economy, you are not alone. The University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School has launched a new Institute for Private Capital (IPC) designed to help change that. “The institute will come to define how private capital is taught and learned in every business school,” said Kenan-Flagler Dean Douglas A. Shackelford. He announced the new institute at the school’s eighth annual Alternative Investments Conference on April 24th to an assembled crowd of more than 150 business and academic leaders and business school students. Read more

Published: February 10, 2015

Which Business School’s Alumni Network Reigns Supreme?

Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business can claim top honors for the strength of its alumni network, according to a recent Economist ranking, in which current MBA students were asked to rate their school’s network. Nine of the top 10 strongest alumni networks are affiliated with U.S. schools, the Economist notes. “They, after all, have the biggest incentive, being the world leaders at tapping into their alumni networks to secure huge financial gifts. Such schools spend a lot of resources on maintaining relations with ex-students,” read the Economist’s analysis. As for what helped Tuck secure the very top spot, here’s what the Economist hypothesized: “Its fierce collegiate spirit is famous, perhaps fostered by its setting in the small, sleepy town of Hanover, New Hampshire, which means that students have little else to do but bond.” Read more

Published: February 8, 2015

UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA Admissions Interview: Round 1/ Adcom / On-campus

The following UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA admissions interview questions were provided to us by a recent Kenan-Flagler Applicant. My interview at UNC was my first b school interview, and I was very nervous beforehand. One thing I really appreciated about interviewing at UNC was that they had current students sitting in the lobby to talk to prospective students and essentially calm them down (as well as answer any questions about the program). My interviewer was also incredibly nice and really tried to make the interview more like a conversation. Her questions were: Read more

Published: February 1, 2015

UNC Kenan-Flagler Interview Report: Round 1/ Adcom / On-campus

The following UNC Kenan-Flagler interview report was submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 3 applicant. Good luck to them! My interview at UNC was my first b-school interview, and I was very nervous beforehand. One thing I really appreciated about interviewing at UNC was that they had current students sitting in the lobby to talk to prospective students and essentially calm them down (as well as answer any questions about the program). My interviewer was also incredibly nice and really tried to make the interview more like a conversation. Her questions were: Walk me through your résumé What’s been your Read more

Published: October 15, 2014

UNC Kenan-Flagler Publishes New MBA Application Guide for Prospective Applicants

MBA@UNC, the online MBA program at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, has just released a new MBA application guide designed to aid prospective applicants in the admissions process. Though produced by Kenan-Flagler, the guide was designed to serve as a resource for students applying to any business school. Through a series of online articles, MBA@UNC has compiled best practices along with tips and advice for preparing the strongest possible MBA application. Articles in the series delve into topics ranging from choosing between the GMAT and the GRE to how to secure strong letters of recommendation. You’ll also find posts devoted to strengthening your resume, writing compelling essays and acing the interview. Read more

Published: September 8, 2014

MBA@UNC Infographic Demonstrates ROI of MBA

MBA@UNC, the online MBA program at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, has created an in-depth infographic to help demonstrate the return on investment (ROI) of the MBA degree generally – as well as some specific benefits offered by online programs. The infographic notes that 96 percent of MBA graduates rate the value of their degree as outstanding, excellent or good and would recommend a graduate management education to others, citing data from the Graduate Management Admissions Council. Three out of four of those surveyed by GMAC said they could not have obtained their current job without their degree. Read more

Published: August 24, 2014

Ice Bucket Challenge Continues Its Ripple Through Top Business Schools

It started last week with one section challenging another at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, ultimately leading to a school-wide dousing and a challenge issued to rival schools UNC Kenan-Flagler School, the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and UVA’s Darden School. And the ice-cold water just keeps flowing (as do the donations). The challenge, of course, is the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge that began going viral in late July and has amassed an incredible $79.7 million in donations to date (as compared to just $2.5 million during the same time period last year [July 29th to August 25th]). The ALS Association reports that it has gained 1.7 million new donors along the way. Those who are challenged are supposed to have ice water dumped over their heads and then challenge others to do the same—or to make a donation to fight ALS—within 24 hours. In taking up the mantle, business school classes have called upon their peers to both endure the icy shower AND donate. Read more

Published: August 19, 2014

Business School Students Accept ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, Pass It On

With the likes of Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and former President George W. Bush pouring buckets of ice over their heads in support of ALS awareness, surely top business schools are getting in on the action as well, right? At Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, it began with one section (Section 4) challenging another (Section 5). That section upped the ante, challenging the entire rest of the class, as well as all of Fuqua’s MMS Cross Continent students. So on August 13th, Team Fuqua did the #ALSIceBucketChallenge as one. Read more

Published: August 4, 2014

The Economist Group Launches $25,000 MBA Scholarship Contest

The Economist Group’s business education division, Which MBA?, yesterday launched its second Brightest Minds MBA Scholarship Contest, which will award a $25,000 scholarship to the prospective MBA or EMBA student who scores highest on a simulated GMAT exam. The first Brightest Minds MBA scholarship ran earlier this year, drawing more than 4,500 entrants, The Economist Group reports. The winner, Rishabh P. from India, is currently applying to several business schools, with plans to begin an MBA program in fall 2015. Read more

Published: August 3, 2014

Admissions Director Q&A: Sherry Wallace of the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School

Today we hear from Sherry Wallace, director of MBA admissions at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. We are grateful to her for making time to share some of the things she’s most excited about in the year ahead – not the least of which is welcoming a new class of students to campus today for orientation. But that’s not all. With a new dean at the helm, Kenan-Flagler is in the midst of wide-spread growth and improvement. Increased application volume, record numbers of job postings, a new energy concentration and continuing emphasis on leadership are just a few of the things you’ll learn about in the interview that follows. Read more

Published: July 7, 2014

UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Announces Second Online Degree Program

The University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School will offer a second online degree, its top-ranked Master of Accounting (MAC) Program, the school announced this week. Pending approval, the new program, called Accounting@UNC, is scheduled to launch in July 2015. The decision to offer this second degree was driven both by the school’s successful track record in delivering quality online education and by strong hiring demand for the school’s MAC graduates, Kenan-Flagler reports. The school launched its first online degree program, MBA@UNC, in 2011. It has grown from 19 students in the first class to 550 students today. Read more

Published: June 8, 2014

Better Storytelling Leads to Soaring Application Volume at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School

The Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill saw the number of applicants to its MBA program increase 28 percent this year over last, growth the school attributes to better “storytelling” and branding, according to a report in Triangle Business Journal. UNC as a whole has been working to increase brand recognition, and the increase in applicant volume at the business school is in part a result of these branding efforts, Sridhar Balasubramanian, associate dean for the MBA program, told the Triangle Business Journal. Read more

Published: May 21, 2014

UNC Kenan-Flagler School of Business Joined by Growing Number of Partners in OneMBA® Program

Kenan-Flagler was one of the four founding partner schools of the OneMBA® Program. Other founding partners include Mexico’s EGADE Business School Tecnológico de Monterrey (EGADE Business School), Brazil’s Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo da Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV-EAESP) and Erasmus University's Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) in the Netherlands. This week, OneMBA announced its newest partner, the School of Management at Xiamen University. OneMBA is a global executive MBA program offered in partnership by business schools around the world. In the 12 years since its launch, OneMBA had established a reputation for itself as one of the world’s most unique and diverse international MBA programs, according to Yifeng Shen, dean of the Xiamen University School of Management (SMXMU). “OneMBA's vision and goals reflect those of Tan Kah Kee, the ‘Henry Ford of Asia,’ who founded Xiamen University and its business program in 1921 with the call to serve China while embracing world cultures,” Shen said in a statement. Read more

Published: April 6, 2014

UNC Kenan-Flagler School of Business Teaches the Languages of Global Business

Do you know about the Working Languages program at UNC Kenan-Flagler School of Business? It’s a series of courses designed to help business students develop communication skills in foreign languages that will allow them to thrive in today’s increasingly international business environment. So far, nearly 400 students have taken part, the school reports. Working Language courses are offered to both undergraduate business and MBA students through the Global Business Center (GBC), with partial support from a CIBER grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Currently, Spanish, Portuguese and Mandarin classes are available. Participants in the Working Language program learn through a combination of classes, online exercises and conversation hours with native speakers. Read more

Published: March 20, 2014

Online Here We Come, Says Harvard Business School

Harvard Business School (HBS) today announced that it is joining some of its peer business schools in launching an online learning program. Called HBX, the online initiative is one the school hopes will successfully convey its signature case method digitally. HBX’s initial offering, called CORe (Credentials of Readiness), will provide participants with a primer on the fundamentals of business. “The HBX launch marks an important milestone in our ongoing efforts to educate leaders who make a difference in the world,” HBS Dean Nitin Nohria said in a statement. The program embodies the school’s hallmark highly engaged, interactive learning and will provide an important means of engaging with new and wider audiences, he added. Read more

Published: February 19, 2014

UNC Kenan-Flagler to Co-Host Inaugural Clean Tech Summit

The Center for Sustainable Enterprise (CSE) at the University of North Carolina (UNC)’s Kenan-Flagler Business School will co-host an inaugural Clean Tech Summit next week, where the focus will be on how to support clean technology growth in North Carolina’s Research Triangle. The event, co-hosted by the UNC Institute for the Environment in partnership with the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster and Strata Solar, will take place on Wednesday, February 26th. Specifically, it will examine ways for the Research Triangle to take a global leadership position in the clean tech filed, through the use of smart grid technology, efficient water management, efficient multimodal transportation, environmentally sustainable waste disposal technologies and more. Read more

Published: February 17, 2014

UNC / Kenan-Flagler MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Adcom / On-Campus

My interview went very well. It flowed much more like a casual conversation than a structured interview. My interviewer started by telling me about himself and the admissions process, then asked me the following questions/prompts (while taking notes directly on the resume that I handed him): 1. Walk me through your resume. 2. Tell me about your hometown / did you attend a public or private high school? 3. Do you feel as though your GMAT verbal and quant scores (which he said he had not yet seen), are a good indicator of your academic ability? Why or Read more

Published: February 12, 2014

UNC / Kenan-Flagler MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Adcom / On-campus

My interview went really well. Here are the interview questions: 1) My interviewer’s opening question was why an MBA? Why now? 2) What was I most proud of? 3) If I had any regrets or had I made any decisions I wish I could take back. 4) Tell her about a time when I exhibited teamwork. 5) What risks do you see in taking 22 months off from your career to attend a full time MBA program? Read more

Published: February 12, 2014

UNC / Kenan-Flagler MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 3 / Adcom / Skype

I was interviewed by a member of the Adcom. It was a blind interview. My interviewer was very friendly and amicable. I expected a very conversational style with follow-up questions from my prompts, but the interview was mostly Q/A type. Meaning, she asked me a question and I replied. My response did leave room for follow-up questions, but that was not the case. She asked me a bunch of questions, and the interview concluded with when I should be getting a response. Questions asked-: 1) Resume walkthrough. 2) Career goals 3) Why MBA 4) Why Read more

Published: January 26, 2014

Harvard Business School Again Tops Financial Times Global MBA Ranking

Harvard Business School (HBS) appeared at the top of the Financial Times Global MBA annual ranking, released yesterday. It was HBS’ second consecutive claim to the number-one spot and its fifth time topping the rankings since they debuted in 1999. Stanford Graduate School of Business also remained steady this year, reclaiming the number-two spot it held last year. The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania slipped to fourth as London Business School stepped into the number-three spot. Columbia Business School and INSEAD tied for fifth. The FT compiles its annual global MBA rankings based on two surveys of the business schools and their alumni. (For this year rankings, alumni who graduated in 2010 were surveyed.) Based on the responses to these surveys, the MBA programs are measured according to the career progression of their alumni, the school’s idea generation and the diversity of students and faculty. Read more

Published: January 22, 2014

UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Appoints New Dean

The Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill yesterday announced that Professor Douglas A. Shackelford has been appointed to serve as the school’s next dean. Shackelford, a professor of taxation and associate dean of the MBA@UNC Program, will assume this new role beginning February 1, 2014, pending approval by the UNC Board of Trustees. UNC Chancellor Carol Folt and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost James W. Dean Jr. picked Shackelford for the dean’s position after an international search led by Susan King, dean of the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Read more

Published: January 20, 2014

UNC / Kenan-Flagler MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1 / Adcom / On-Campus

My Kenan-Flagler interview questions were as follows: 1. Tell us about all your professional experience post college. 2. Career goals. 3. Why MBA? 4. Why Kenan-Flagler? 5. One of your weakness, and how have you worked on that? 6. Three strengths. 7. Have you read any Business books lately? 8. Leadership experience 9. Teamwork experience 10. Asked about my volunteer activity 11. At Kenan-Flagler, there are a lot of extracurricular activities and rigorous academics – how would you manage? 12. Questions for them. Read more

Published: December 22, 2013

UNC / Kenan-Flagler MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1 / Adcom / Skype

Very nice talk. Here are the questions: 1/ Walk me through your resume 2/ Why MBA 3/ Why Kenan-Flagler 4/ Your team work experience 5/ One weakness that you want to address during bschool 6/ Looking back on your work experience, anything you wish you could have done better 7/ Your most proud achievement 8/ What do you do for fun Read more

Published: December 17, 2013

UNC Kenan-Flagler, AACSB to Co-Host Seminar for Business Schools on Leadership Curriculum Development

The University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, together with business school accreditation organization the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB), will take the lead in helping business schools think about how best to develop a leadership curriculum as part of a seminar in late January. The Curriculum Development for Leadership seminar, which will take place January 23rd and 24th in Chapel Hill, will prepare participants from a range of business schools to tailor leadership development experiences according to their schools’ specific capabilities and resources. Read more

UNC Kenan-Flagler

CLASS SIZE: 249

Women: 31%

MEAN GMAT: 707

MEAN GPA: 3.42

Livewire Decisionwire Interview Reports Essay Topic Analysis MBA Admissions Deadlines View Full Profile

MBA Applywire

December 20, 2024 5:17pm ET

Applying: Columbia, Duke / Fuqua, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, Northwestern / Kellogg, Stanford GSB, U. Chicago Booth, UPenn / Wharton

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Healthcare

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting Companies: Bain , BCG

GRE: 332

GPA: 3.5

Years of Work Experience: 3

Location: Florida

Post MBA Location: Consulting

Notes:

25F, lgbtq, 3 years as a registered nurse. also have started working for an early stage VC in the past several months.

December 19, 2024 4:44pm ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Stanford GSB

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Insurance

Post-MBA Target Industry: Entrepreneurship

GRE: 318

GPA: 3.59

Years of Work Experience: 3.5

Location: Georgia

Post MBA Location: Southeast

Notes:

Looking to launch a tech startup post MBA, without any background in tech. Come from a quant heavy background and undergraduate coursework. I regularly attended admissions events, in person and online at my schools. I hope that focusing energy on my few top schools and spending a lot of time on essays will help me overcome the less than average test score (164 quant 154 verbal) and GPA.

Serial entrepreneur with a history of profitable small businesses. Was promoted twice in 3.5 years. Involved in many extracurricular activities in and outside of work. My background is very centered around financial services/insurance, is this a red flag for a pivot to Tech Entrepreneurship?

Transferred between two state schools in the southeast. School I graduated from is a top 25 undergrad business program. Obtained a few professionals designations post grad.

December 18, 2024 11:38am ET

Applying: Michigan / Ross, UNC Kenan-Flagler, Vanderbilt / Owen

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Held various positions in Finance and Accounting in a healthcare institution

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Other Companies: BCG , Deloitte , Other

GPA: 3.0

Years of Work Experience: 11

Location: International

Notes:

I am passionate about healthcare enhancing patient quality care. So exploring in that field is what I would love. Got a 72k scholarship from Vandy and named Forte Fellow. UNC 50k. I'm having a hard time deciding though my heart is leaning towards Owen

December 18, 2024 10:23am ET

Applying: Arizona State / W.P. Carey, Indiana / Kelley, Ohio State / Fisher

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Facility management

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting

GRE: 309

GPA: 2.8

Years of Work Experience: 3

Notes:

Graduate GPA -3.869

December 18, 2024 2:57am ET

Applying: IESE, INSEAD, MIT Sloan, U. Chicago Booth

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Engineering

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology, Undecided Companies: Amazon

GMAT: 690

GPA: 3.26

Years of Work Experience: 4

Location: Chile

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MBA LiveWire

December 21, 2024 8:37am ET

Accepted to Duke / Fuqua

Round: Round 1

Received via phone on December 11, 2024

GMAT: 675

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Consulting

December 21, 2024 2:38am ET

Waitlisted at Duke / Fuqua

Round: Round 1

Received via phone on December 10, 2024

GPA: 3.27

GMAT: 760

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Finance

Application Location: CA

December 20, 2024 11:16pm ET

Accepted to Babson / Olin

Round: Round 1

Received via email on December 17, 2024

GPA: 3.9

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Consulting

Application Location: South Asia

December 20, 2024 7:50pm ET

Accepted to Columbia

Round: Round 1

Received via portal on December 10, 2024

GMAT: 750

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Application Location: India

Note:

$100k scholarship

December 20, 2024 3:21pm ET

Accepted to Yale SOM

Round: Round 1

Received via email December 20, 2024

GPA: 4.0

GMAT: 750

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Note:

100% scholarship

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