Real Humans of the University of Georgia Terry College of Business
The University of Georgia can seem daunting from a distance. With nearly 40,000 total students, it is the largest university in the entire state, with over 400 buildings attached to its name spread across 30 Georgia counties. The university offers an impressive 140 degrees from its 17 constituent schools, including the C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry College of Business, located on the main campus in Athens. Because of this, one may expect the size its MBA classes to be quite intimidating. But despite the grand scope of UGA, Terry MBA students have an intimate setting and an even more surprising bonus: extensive affordability.
Tuition for in-state full-time MBA students at the Terry College of Business starts at a comfortable $13,404 per year, while non-Georgia residents pay $32,112 per year. Compared to the tuition costs of some of the state’s other well-known universities, such as Emory ($124,000 for the entire two-year MBA), the price tag is relatively paltry. In fact, the Terry College of Business full-time MBA program is one of only five in the U.S. News & World Report top 50-ranked business schools that offers yearly in-state tuition under $15,000.
Alongside the impressive affordability, UGA Terry MBAs boast some eye-popping career statistics. Roughly 90 percent of the Class of 2018 was employed within just three months of graduation, reporting an average starting salary of $90,250 and an average signing bonus $14,214. When factoring in the meager tuition rates, it becomes readily apparent that the Terry MBA is one of the best returns on investment not just in Georgia, but in the U.S. as a whole.
But what kind of students make up the UGA Terry College of Business MBA Class? On the surface, the statistics may seem familiar. Just over 100 students are currently enrolled in the business school’s full-time MBA program, with nearly 66 percent male students and 34 percent female students. Those enrolled in the program boast an average GMAT score of 665 with a relatively high undergraduate GPA of 3.53. The vast majority of students in the class come from Georgia at 50 percent, while 25 percent of students are of international status. However, statistics like these could hardly tell the rich and complex stories of each individual student enrolled at UGA Terry.
To get a greater understanding of what it means to be a UGA Terry MBA, we spoke with several current students, including a former Army intelligence officer, a Fulbright recipient, and a Minneapolis marketing guru, alongside many other promising future grads. Read on to see their stories and what the future may hold for life after an MBA.
Quinlan Professor Heads to India as new Fulbright Scholar
Arup Varma is taking part in the research project of a lifetime. The professor of management at the Loyola University Quinlan School of Business and recently-named Fulbright Scholar will spend five months in India participating in the prestigious Fulbright exchange.
According to the Quinlan School, Varma will study the performance management of expatriates and develop a model that can be used by multinational companies worldwide as they develop their performance management systems. There is currently no proper model in the academic literature for evaluating expatriates when they are working in other countries.
“I decided to combine two topics of interest to me: performance appraisal and expatriates,” Varma said. “My Ph.D. advisor once told me that the best research topics come out of your personal experiences, and both of these topics are very close to my heart.
Varma will be hosted by the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, one of the top business schools in India. While collaborating with faculty and doctoral candidates from Lucknow, he will travel the country and meet with top HR leaders and expatriates to learn how they are evaluated and managed.
Professor Arup Varma/Photo by Heather Eidson.
There is also some altruism behind Varma’s decision to be a Fulbright in India: the Quinlan professor wanted to help his home country in whatever way he could.
“It is clear that academic research in India has started to improve, but is not yet where it should be,” he said. “As I grew up and studied there, the least I can do is pay it back, and help the academic environment there move to the level that it needs to be and play a global leadership role.”
Varma has studied expatriate work issues for the past 15 years, and his research on expatriate issues has been published in notable peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Managerial Psychology, the International Journal of Human Resource Management, and the European Journal of International Management.
“It is also a great honor as a faculty member and for Loyola. It means we are not just a good teaching school, but we are also a good scholarship school and that continues to be reinforced. I have been very lucky that Quinlan has been very supportive of those of us interested in pursuing research.”
You can read more about Varma’s work and upcoming trip here.
McDonough Dean Paul Almeida Delivers State of the School Address
Paul Almeida addressed faculty and staff at the annual State of the School event earlier this month. The newest dean of the McDonough School of Business discussed his vision for the school, as well as the future of business education, and commitment to interdisciplinary solutions. Continue reading…
Wilfrid Laurier Appoints Dr. Mitali De, New MBA Director
The Lazaridis School of Business & Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University offers one of the top MBA programs in Canada. Whether you’re looking for full-time or part-time study, the school has an MBA program that should fit your schedule. Home to more than 120 faculty members, the Lazaridis MBA program is known for distinguished research as well as engaged teaching. Recently, one of those professors, Dr. Mitali De, was appointed as the school’s new MBA Director. Continue reading…
USC Marshall MBA Alum Talks Myanmar Business Opportunities
Sometimes, success is about being at the right place at the right time. That was the case for Paul Wilson, an ’94 IBEAR MBA graduate from the USC Marshall School of Business and the Managing Director of Four Rivers—a Myanmar-based consulting company building businesses in Myanmar, Russia, India, Iraq and the UAE. Using his MBA and military background, Wilson has had the unique opportunity to influence the emerging Myanmar economy. Continue reading…
New GMAC Report: Is the GMAT Getting Easier?
Is the GMAT getting easier? That’s the question that the Graduate Management Admission’s Council (GMAC), a non-profit organization of leading graduate management schools, set out to answer in their recent market intelligence report: The GMAT Exam Is Not Getting Easier: The Fallacy of Score Increases and the Impact of Score Preview. The 26-page white paper is the first in an annual series that will serve as a sort of quality assurance (QA) report for the GMAT.
