Carlson School of Management – University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota’s Curtis L. Carlson School of Management is located in central Minneapolis, along the Mississippi River on the state’s east side. It was founded in 1919, and the following year, the university became the 18th school accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Carlson offers a two-year, full-time MBA program as well as STEM-designated management science, dual degree, part-time, executive, and online options. The school’s hallmarks include its experiential learning curriculum, global business education and enterprises, and strong extracurricular professional and social networks.
FAQ
What is the tuition for Carlson's MBA program?
The tuition for Carlson's MBA program per year is $43,600 for local residents, which includes Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Manitoba, and Wisconsin residents, and $59,040 for out-of-state and international students.
What is the average GMAT score for admission to Carlson's MBA program?
The average GMAT score for the incoming class at Carlson is 649.
Does the Carlson MBA program accept the GRE?
Yes. The Carlson MBA program has accepted the GRE for a few years now.
What is the average GRE score for admission to Carlson's MBA program?
The average GRE score for the incoming class at Carlson is 308.
What is the minimum number of years of work experience required for admission to Carlson's MBA program?
Carlson does not state a minimum requirement for years of work experience. However, it is important for candidates to be aware that they are being considered against other candidates with an average of 5.8 years of experience.
What is the average number of years of work experience for admission to Carlson's MBA program? (or, What is the average age of a Haas MBA student?)
The average number of years of work experience among students in Carlson's MBA program is 5.8. On average, Carlson students are 29 years old.
What is the average starting salary for graduates of the Carlson MBA program?
The average starting salary for Carlson MBA graduates is $141,471, with a mean signing bonus of $31,049.
How long is Carlson's full-time MBA program?
Carlson offers a traditional 2 year MBA program.
What are the application deadlines for Carlson's MBA program?
The Round 1 MBA application deadline is October 1, 2024. The Round 2 deadline is December 1, 2024. The Round 3 deadline is February 1, 2025. The Round 4 deadline is April 1, 2025. The Round 5 deadline is June 1, 2025. All International Applications must be complete by February 1st at the latest. Deadlines that occur on a weekend or holiday are extended through the next business day.
Admissions
Class Profile
Seventy-two students joined the MBA Class of 2026 at the Carlson School of Management. Forty-two percent are women and 18% are international. Thirty percent of U.S. students identify as minorities and 22% as underrepresented minorities.
During their undergraduate years, Carlson MBA students earned an average GPA of 3.46. When it came time to take the GMAT, Carlson MBAs landed an average score of 649; for those who took the GRE, they reported an average score of 308. Altogether, they averaged 5.8 years of work experience before matriculating.
Application Procedures
Applicants are invited to apply in one of five admissions rounds, on the first days of October, December, February, April or June. International applicants must apply by the February deadline. Candidates must complete Carlson’s online application, which requires submitting a résumé, two personal references, a personal statement, unofficial college and graduate transcripts, and a video essay. Applicants also must report their GMAT or GRE test results (waiver available), and, when applicable, TOEFL, PTE, or IELTS scores. Interviews are required for admission, upon invitation from the Admissions Office. A $75 application fee is required, though the fee is waived for active-duty military and recent veterans.
Essay Topic Analysis
Recommendation Questions
Minnesota / Carlson Q&A's
Minnesota / Carlson LiveWire and DecisionWire
Academics
Faculty
Carlson School of Management employs over 150 full-time faculty members, 102 of whom are tenured track. These faculty members serve across 11 research institutes & centers, and seven departments, which include accounting, finance, information & decisions sciences, marketing, strategic management & entrepreneurship, supply chain & operations, and work & organizations. Carlson’s full-time MBA faculty is comprised of renowned scholars as well as seasoned business leaders who serve as educators, corporate advisers, and researchers who apply their knowledge in real-world business solutions.
Curriculum
The Carlson School full-time MBA program concentrates its academic experience on global and experiential learning. The program requires 64 credits across two academic years. Students’ education begins before the first fall semester with online “pre-launch” webinars, survey, career assessment, and accounting pre-work. Subsequently, orientation in late August prepares students to dive into the fall semester’s 20 credits of core classes, which include Strategic Management, Data Analysis, Financial Accounting, Operations Management, Financial Management, Marketing Management, and Economics. Five more core credits are completed over the spring semester, including digital age competition and leadership classes. Students also begin taking electives and credits towards the Enterprise Program in the spring semester. The Carlson School Enterprise Programs enables MBA students to collaborate with Fortune 500 business managers to identify and resolve challenges. In essence, the program lets students operate as a professional consultancy firm serving multiple clients—all while applying their classroom knowledge and high-level strategy.
Electives and Enterprise credits continue into Year Two. Students also complete more courses on leadership and ethics. Full-time MBA students must complete Global Enrichment, whether through a two-week experience, a semester abroad or experiential domestic course. Traveling in cohorts, Carlson students can spend two weeks abroad in January with faculty, learning about the global marketplace and different business practices, philosophies, and cultures. The additional global enrichment programs are based as electives at Carlson, but also allow students to visit local and multi-national firms around the world.
Other MBA Degree Options
Beyond the standard full-time MBA, Carlson offers a full-time dual-degree option that pairs an MBA with fields such as applied economics, healthcare administration, or public policy. The school offers a standard part-time MBA and an online MBA as well as executive MBA programs in Minneapolis, Vienna, and southern China. Their Management Science MBA requires two business analytics courses and at least 12 elective credits to be completed from a pool of STEM-designated courses across disciplines.
Specializations
- Entrepreneurship & Innovation
- Food & Agribusiness
- Information Systems
- Medical Industry Leadership Institute
- Supply Chain & Operations
- Sustainable Environmental, Social, and Governance Management Marketing
- Finance – Banking, Corporate Finance & Investment Banking, Security Analysis & Portfolio Management
- Management – General Management, Organizational Management, Strategic Management
Degree Offerings
Full-Time MBA
https://carlsonschool.umn.edu/graduate/mba/full-time
Dual Degrees
Human Resources and Industrial Relations/MBA, MS in Applied Economics/MBA, Juris Doctor/MBA, Medical Doctor/MBA, Master of Healthcare Administration/MBA, Master of Public Policy/MBA, Doctor of Pharmacy/MBA
https://carlsonschool.umn.edu/graduate/dual-degrees
Part-Time MBA
https://carlsonschool.umn.edu/graduate/mba/part-time
Online MBA
https://carlsonschool.umn.edu/graduate/mba/online
Executive MBA
https://carlsonschool.umn.edu/graduate/mba/executive
Campus Life
Clubs, Conferences and Competitions
Carlson students have diverse opportunities to get involved with their school community. There are more than 20 clubs and organizations that invite students to expand themselves socially, professionally, culturally, and athletically. Some of the business-related extracurricular groups explore specific industries including energy, medical, and finance—all of which serve to delve deeper into a niche understanding, employment opportunities, and networking.
Cultural and affinity groups further enrich Carlson students’ on- and off-campus experiences. Groups like the Carlson 4 Community, Graduate Women in Business, Military Veterans club, Compass LGBTQIA+ group, and Sports Business Club serve as social outlets with educational opportunities.
Carlson also maintains relationships with partner organizations beyond the university, each one with national and global ties. One of them is the Forté Foundation, a consortium of corporations and business schools that help educate and connect talented women with business-leadership roles.
Campus Spaces
The Carlson School of Management is located by the Mississippi River in central Minneapolis. Its main five-story building is on the University of Minnesota’s West Bank Campus and houses 33 classrooms, 35 meeting rooms, a lecture hall, a large auditorium, and a dining center on the basement level. The nearby Hanson Hall is also home to additional business school offices.
The university campus is situated between vibrant urban neighborhoods and is just a 10-minute drive from the city’s famous Walker Art Center and professional sports arenas. Carlson is in an ideal metropolitan area for MBA studies, 17 Fortune-500 companies headquartered in Minnesota.
MBA Careers
Career Services
The Carlson Business Career Center (CBCC) offers a variety of resources for MBA students, from internship placements to postgraduate employment. On campus, the center hosts workshops to help prepare students in their job searches, and it connects them with professional career coaches who help candidates craft their employment strategy and manage interviews and job offer negotiations. The CBCC also coordinates year-round events to connect hiring managers with MBA candidates, including company information sessions, on-campus recruiting fairs, and the Career Exploration Conference. These resources are also available even after students have graduated from Minnesota Carlson.
Career Statistics
Within 90 days of graduation, 89% of the Class of 2023 had received job offers and 87% accepted one. Seventy-five of the 87 graduates of the Class of 2023 were seeking employment. The mean starting base salary was $141,471, with a mean signing bonus of $31,049.
Carlson graduates of the Class of 2023 found employment in a variety of industries. Consulting was the most popular industry of choice, hiring 31% of grads. Financial services followed at 17%. Healthcare took in 15% of Carlson MBAs. Manufacturing and retail each saw six percent of the MBA Class of 2023.
With regard to region, a vast majority of the Class of 2023 stayed in the school’s area. Ninety-two percent of graduates settled in the Midwest. Six percent settled in the West and two percent in the Southwest.
Financing
Carlson’s 2024-2025 tuition is $43,600 for local residents, which includes Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Manitoba, and Wisconsin residents, and $59,040 for out-of-state and international students. There is an additional annual international student fee of $572. With additional fees such as health insurance, student services fee, and books, however, the estimated annual cost of full-time MBA attendance for twelve months is $54,794.46 for in-state; $65,234.46 for out-of-state; and $68,806.46 for international students. One year’s living expenses (excluding transportation) in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul is approximately $14,000. Carlson also recommends an “international experience” that would amount to additional costs. The school requires a nonrefundable $1,500 tuition deposit to confirm MBA-program enrollment, and it is paid in two installments. Additionally, international students are required to prove their ability to pay for their tuition and personal expenses prior to enrollment.
Full-time MBA applicants are automatically considered for scholarships for which they are eligible, and the school awards several merit-based fellowships. Applicants also should consider external scholarships based on their demographic categories and personal experience, such as military specialization. All MBA students are able to apply for financial aid, including federal loans and work study. International students may seek loans through various programs, though the University of Minnesota does not offer co-signed, non-U.S. loans.
Cost of Attendance (one year)
In-state tuition and fees (includes Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Manitoba, and Wisconsin residents): $43,680
Out-of-state/international tuition and fees: $55,920
International student fee: $572
Other Expenses:
Estimated Room and Board: $14,000/year
Books: $3,000/year
Student Services Fee: $1,015.78/year
Collegiate & Technology Fee: $1,160
Health Insurance: $3,590/year
MBA Association dues, one-time fee (optional) $450
Personal: $2,000
Global Experience (excluded from tuition): cost varies
Recent News
Contact
Mailing Address:
Carlson School of Management
321 19th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Phone: 612-625-0027 or 877-625-6468
Email: [email protected] (general: [email protected])
Website: carlsonschool.umn.edu