Cornell SC Johnson College of Business - Two-Year MBA

Johnson Graduate School of Management Two-Year MBA

The Two-Year, full-time MBA program at the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University is defined by its tight-knit community, one-of-a-kind curriculum, and dual-campus approach. Students are prepared to hit the ground running and stand out among their colleagues—first during their internship and then again as they begin their new career.

Johnson’s full-time Two-Year MBA program features one-of-a-kind curriculum, with fully integrated leadership development components and the opportunity to take advantage of programming offered in partnership with Cornell Tech in New York City.

The first semester of the program is centered around core courses, while the second semester allows students to pursue a particular course of study through an immersion. Students complete a summer internship and complete their remaining year of the program with electives and an optional area of focus.

Curriculum

Johnson’s faculty and lecturers employ a variety of teaching methods, such as case studies, lectures, group projects, team building and leadership activities, and industry treks. MBA classes at Johnson typically begin in late August and end in mid-May, and Commencement occurs shortly thereafter. Johnson works on a semester system, with full-time students completing coursework during the fall and spring terms, and nearly all students go on to complete a summer internship at the end of their first year. Throughout the academic year, Johnson students have short breaks each semester for holidays such as Thanksgiving, with a longer break in between semesters.

Beginning during Orientation and extending throughout the first semester, all first-year students participate in the required Johnson Leading Teams Practicum course. In this course, which is designed to help students develop their leadership skills, MBA entrants work together in small teams of five to six students on problem-solving challenges and core course group projects.

Within the first year of study, Johnson students must complete nine core classes, taking seven in the fall term and completing the remaining two in the spring. The core covers foundational business principles in accounting, marketing, management, operations, strategy, and finance. First-year students must also complete an immersion learning experience in the spring semester by choosing from eight available offerings. Each immersion learning experience includes elective courses, site visits, and case studies that prepare students for post-MBA careers in fields such as strategic marketing, investment banking, and sustainable global enterprise.

In the second year of the MBA program, students can shape their studies by choosing from the school’s more than 80 elective course offerings. Students may further tailor their education to their career interests by pursuing an area of focus from a list of 12 options. Johnson also allows students to take courses at other Cornell University schools and apply them to the MBA degree. Finally, students looking for international exposure can spend a semester studying abroad at one of Johnson’s 30 exchange partner institutions.

Class Profile

The Johnson Two-Year MBA Class of 2024 enrolled 303 students. Students in the class of 2024 had a median GMAT score of 710 and a median GPA of 3.30. The incoming class also had a mean of five and a half years of work experience. Thirty-nine percent of the first year students were women, while 16 percent were underrepresented minorities, which refers to students of African American, Native American, and Hispanic American backgrounds. Domestic students accounted for 57 percent of the class, with the remaining portion of students coming from outside of the United States.

Career Statistics

About 93 percent of Johnson’s Two-Year MBA Class 2020 received job offers. The average starting base salary for Johnson graduates was $138,767, while the mean signing bonus accepted by recently minted Johnson MBAs was $36,391. Thirty-four percent of the Class of 2020 accepted finance positions, including 22 percent pursuing roles in investment banking. Consulting was the second-most popular function and was chosen by 30 percent of the class. Meanwhile, 21 percent of 2020 Johnson MBA graduates moved into management and about 9 percent opted for marketing.

Tuition, Scholarships, and Financial Aid

The tuition for the Johnson full-time MBA is $76,690 per year. However, the school estimates that with additional expenses such as rent and textbooks, students will pay up to $107,622 in that time. To help students finance their studies, Johnson offers a range of merit-based scholarships. Admitted students are automatically considered for certain merit-based awards, and about 30 percent of Johnson students receive related financial support. The most prestigious of scholarships offered to incoming students is the Park Leadership Fellowship, which provides a full-tuition grant for up to 25 entrants who apply for this fellowship.

Johnson is part of The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, an organization devoted to promoting diversity in business schools. MBA candidates may apply to Johnson through The Consortium, and they are then eligible for full-tuition fellowships. For those applicants who did not receive awards during their first year, there is one scholarship opportunity open to returning students: the Fried Fellowship. There are also a variety of loan options available to Johnson students, including federal loan programs for U.S. citizens and private loans for international students.

Admissions for the Cornell Johnson Two-Year MBA

Applicants can elect to apply to Johnson during one of four admissions rounds, which usually occur in October, November, January, and March. Johnson requires applicants to submit their completed online application along with essays, a resume, GMAT or GRE scores, and transcripts from all collegiate and post-collegiate institutions attended. Applicants must also submit one letter of recommendation and an optional second letter. For applicants whose first language is not English are required to submit TOEFL or IELTS score. All applicants must pay a $200 non-refundable application fee. After applications are evaluated, the admissions committee conducts interviews on an invitation-only basis. Interviews may take place on campus with a current second-year MBA student or member of the admissions committee, while those applicants who cannot travel to Ithaca can complete an interview via Skype.

Application Checklist:

• Completed online application form
• Resume
• List of activities
• Goals Statement and one required essay (a second essay is optional)
• Academic records and transcripts for all post-secondary coursework and degrees*
• GMAT or GRE score report (test waiver optional)*
• TOEFL or IELTS score report (for applicants whose first language is not English)*
• One letter of professional recommendation (a second letter is optional)
• Non-refundable $200 USD application fee

*You may submit unofficial copies of your transcripts and test scores for your application; however, if you are admitted and enroll, you will be required to submit official copies of these documents by the required deadline. Offers of admission are not binding until we verify your official academic records and test scores.

2022-2023 Cornell Johnson Two-Year MBA Deadlines

Round 1: September 22, 2022

Round 2: January 10, 2023

Round 3: April 11, 2023

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