Liautaud Graduate School of Business – University of Illinois at Chicago - Weekend MBA

University of Illinois Weekend MBA Program Structure

University of Illinois Liautaud Graduate School of Business’ Weekend MBA option began in 2013. Just like the full-time and part-time MBA options at Liautaud, it’s is a 54 credit hour program. Classes meet only meet on Saturdays and the program takes two years to complete. During the fall and spring semester, students attend two courses every Saturday. During the summer, students take three courses.

Currently the Weekend MBA is only an option in the Liautaud application system beginning in the fall semester. Students in this cohort program attend class together for the duration of their studies; offering sustained collaborative learning in a team-based setting.

Curriculum

The University of Illinois Weekend MBA program is a 54 credit hour, 13.5 course program. Students begin by completing six core courses (26 credit hours), which are designed to deepen functional business knowledge: financial accounting, corporate finance, marketing, microeconomics, operations management, and organizational behavior. The remaining 7.5 courses (28 credit hours) can be made up of advanced electives, which MBA students can customize to meet their individual career interests. Core courses are typically larger ranging in size from 45-70 students. Electives are smaller with class sizes in the 15-40 student range.

Students who complete at least three courses within one of the following fields of study may earn a concentration: accounting, business analytics, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, international business, management, management information systems, marketing, real estate, operations and supply chain-management, and a self-directed option developed on an ad hoc basis with faculty advisors. Students must complete at least one concentration. A second concentration is allowed but not required.

A unique feature of the Liautaud program is the Professional Topics Series, which provides students the opportunity to enroll in up to three, half-semester (eight-week) courses. These offerings change frequently, reflecting current business trends as well as student and faculty interest. Each course in this series is worth two credit hours.

Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 at all times throughout the program.

Part-Time MBA Rankings

• U.S. News & World Report: 65 (tie)

Class Profile

Liautaud doesn’t have separate cohorts for its full time and part-time MBA students, so classes are mixed. There are about 238 students enrolled in the MBA program (includes full time, part time, and weekend).

Liautaud’s Admissions Office does not provide specific information on recent classes, but describes a “typical class profile” for which the average undergraduate GPA is 3.3 and the average GMAT score is approximately 600. Students in the typical class average six years of professional work experience before enrolling.

Careers

The Career Services Center provides individually tailored job search services to students, including guidance in building networks of faculty, alumni, employers and industry experts. Career coaches for each degree program are available for consultation and personalized career testing and assessment throughout a student’s studies. Liautaud also provides access to a series of career workshops covering a range of topics from Job Interview Strategies and Techniques, to Research Tips to Support Your Job Search, to Charting Your New Career Course. Mock interviews are available for students looking to practice their interviewing skills. University of Illinois Weekend MBA’s are also able to participate in program sponsored networking, career fairs, and recruitment events and on-campus interviews with employers such as Accenture, Bank of America, Ernst & Young, IBM Global Services and Microsoft.

Tuition & Financial Aid

Since UIL is a state institution, tuition differs for Illinois and non-Illinois residents. Total annual tuition and fees for the UIC Liautaud Graduate School part-time MBA vary depending on number of credit hours taken per semester and are in four ranges:

• Range I (12 hours or more): $5,830 in state, $11,950 out of state
• Range II (6-11 hours): $3,887 in state, $7,967 out of state
• Range III (1-5 hours): $1,943 in state, $3,983 out of state
• Range IV (0 hours): $972 in or out of state

There is also a tuition differential for MBA students that must be included in a student’s budget. The fee schedule for the four ranges is as follows:

• Range I: $4,600
• Range II: $3,067
• Range III: $1,533
• Range IV: $767

University of Illinois at Chicago MBA students who are enrolled for eight or more credit hours during the fall and spring semesters can apply for graduate assistantships. These provide students with on-campus opportunities to work in order to earn a partial tuition waiver and stipend.

There are a small number of partial tuition and fee waivers available for incoming UIC Liautaud students based on academic merit. Students who are being considered for a Liautaud scholarship and/or a partial tuition waiver are notified during the admissions process. You do not need to apply separately for the waiver.

If you have prior educational and professional experience with science or technology and have a demonstrated interest in technology commercialization or early stage venture funding, you may be considered for a science and technology fellowship. Liautaud partners with UIC’s Office of Technology Management and Illinois Ventures to offer two-year graduate fellowships, which include base tuition exemption and a monthly stipend in exchange for 20 hours of work per week with the Office of Technology Management or with Illinois Ventures.

U.S. citizens and permanent residents may apply for loans if they satisfy certain criteria. By filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), applicants may become eligible for up to $20,500 per year in FAFSA government loans for domestic students. For the fall term, the priority filing date is March 1.

Admissions

Applicants to the University of Illinois at Chicago Weekend MBA program must complete an online application and supplemental application. This process includes uploading academic transcripts from all previous post-secondary institutions. Applicants are also required to submit GMAT scores, two letters of recommendation, a current resume, a $70 application fee, and a personal statement.

International applicants must also submit an official TOEFL score. Liautaud also accepts the IELTS.

Deadlines are as follows:

Spring 2022: September 1st, 2021 for international and November 1st, 2021 for domestic students
Summer 2022: March 15th, 2022 for domestic students (international applications are not accepted for summer term)
Fall 2022: December 15th, 2021 for domestic students and international students (Round 1), March 15th 2022 for domestic students and international students (Round 2), April 1st, 2022 for international students and July 1st for domestic students (Round 3)

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