From the School
Willamette University MBA is the top-ranked MBA program in Oregon. We combine the rugged authenticity of Oregon with a tradition of excellence in being the first university in the West!
Willamette's Early Career MBA is predicated on a simple idea the earlier you earn your MBA, the better you can shape your career and increase your return on investment.
With a hands-on focus in both experiential and consequential learning, the Willamette MBA builds knowledge, experience and career management skills needed for long-term stability, flexibility and success in careers in business, government and not-for-profit organizations.
Willamette University MBA programs include the dual accredited, (AASCB and NASPAA) full-time Early Career and Career Change MBA for students preparing for their first professional position, career change or advancement; and the AACSB accredited part-time MBA for Professionals for experienced students seeking career enhancement or advancement (classes in both Portland and Salem, OR).
Overview
From The School
Applicants for the Early Career and Career Change MBA program should visit http://willamette.edu/mba/programs/eccc/index.html for information.
Applicants for the MBA for Professionals program should visit http://willamette.edu/mba/programs/professionals/index.html for information.
Applicants
117
Acceptance Rate
74%
Average Undergrad GPA
3.11
Years Work Experience
1
Average Age
23
Test Scores
GMAT (25th and 75th percentiles)
430 - 590
GPA
2.6 - 3.6
Deadlines
Early Application Deadline
October 15
Regular Application Deadline
May 1
Round 1
November 15
Round 2
December 15
Round 3
March 15
Round 4
May 2
Other Admission Factors
Academic
Non-Academic
Interviews
School Type And Accreditation
School Type
Private
AACSB-approved
Yes
Selectivity Rating
Overall
From the School
Degrees Offered
Master’s in Business Administration - MBA
Our MBA for Professionals allows individuals with three or more years of professional work experience to complete their MBA while employed. The program is 24 months long, and features experiential learning and convenient evening classes. Students immediately apply what they learn to their job and accelerate their career.
The Early Career and Career Change MBA emphasizes learning-by-doing, and does not require previous work experience. In just 21 months students learn the core principles of management and strategic decision-making, refine their career interests, build a resume of respected professional experience, and develop in-depth expertise.
Academic Programs
Our part-time MBA for Professionals is an in-person, evening program. Curricula is modeled to deliver foundational knowledge; functional knowledge; and synthesis/integration.
Our Early Career and Career Change MBA is an in-person, full-time program and is delivered as follows:
First Year Curriculum
Full-time students attend core courses designed to build knowledge and experience in the fundamental principles of management and enhance professional, communication, leadership, team and career management skills.
The core curriculum also includes highly experiential, hands-on courses and projects. These programs include PACE Service Learning/Consulting, PACE Business Plan, Career Roadmap, Integrated Knowledge Exercise Weeks (or "IKEWs") and more.
Course Examples:
- Managing Individuals, Teams and Organizations
- Marketing: Creating Satisfied Customers
- Accounting for Managers
- Data Analysis, Modeling & Decision Making
- Economics, Finance and Markets
- Operations and Systems Management
Second Year Curriculum
The second year of the Early Career MBA program is comprised of the elective curriculum and three required courses:
- Politics and Public Policy for Managers
- Leading Ethical
- Socially Responsible and Sustainable Organizations and Strategic Management
Areas Of Interest
- Accounting
- Entrepreneurship
- Finance
- Global Management
- Human Resources
- Marketing
- Operations, Analysis & Systems
- Organizational Analysis
- Public & Not-for-Profit Management
- Sustainability Management
Special Academic Programs
Through a number of unique, innovative and popular programs, students have the opportunity to learn SAP and other analytical tools, manage the student investment fund, participate as a member of an angel investing group, start their own entrepreneurial venture, and apply management skills to real organizations through class projects and internships.
Faculty
Our world-class faculty work closely to challenge and develop students all while leading the charge in their own fields with ground-breaking research. For more information on their expertise, check out their profiles.
Program Types
Full-Time
Yes
Part-Time
Yes
Evening
Yes
Executive
No
Online
No
Faculty Information
Student/Faculty
3:1
Total Faculty
34
68
Full-time
32
Part-time
27
Female
17
Underrepresented Minorities
Students Say
Willamette University’s Atkinson Graduate School of Management certainly has a “reputation as a leader [throughout] the northwest.” Indeed, the school is known for producing top-notch, innovative graduates. It also places a focus and priority on young professionals through its early career program, which prepares students for their first professional position, career change, and future career success. Additionally, Willamette emphasizes “experiential,” “hands-on” and “cultural learning.” And it provides “small classes” and a “comprehensive curriculum.”
While MBA candidates can explore a wide variety of topics and interests, students rush to highlight Willamette’s “exceptional entrepreneurship classes” and the school’s “focus [on] sustainable development.” Of course, Willamette’s “greatest strength” might be its unique Angel Investor course. Open to second-year MBAs, the class pairs “each student . . . with an Angel Investor and [grants] access to a class fund of $1M. They invest alongside the Angels, evaluate opportunities and try to make money on the companies they decide to fund.” As if that wasn’t enticing enough, there’s “also a new venture class where students create new products and then present their ideas to investors.” We’re told that “each year, the investors actually invest in the best ideas.”
Willamette MBAs also have glowing remarks for their professors. They love that “the majority . . . have years of outside experience.” Indeed, they’re not “just academics who understand the concepts in theory but have never applied them in real life situations.” Importantly, instructors are “also approachable and ready to help and offer advice.” Praise extends to the administration as well. As one satisfied first-year sums up, “The school administration is amazing; every single person makes you feel at home and is always available to help you with any situation you encounter. I’ve only been here nine months but it’s been a phenomenal experience in terms of learning and growing my skill set.”
Concentrations
Accounting
Entrepreneurship
Human Resources
Finance
International Business
JD/MBA - Dual Degree
Marketing
Non-Profit Management/Public Administration
Organizational Behavior
Entrepreneurship
Human Resources
Finance
International Business
JD/MBA - Dual Degree
Marketing
Non-Profit Management/Public Administration
Organizational Behavior
Specialized Masters
Business Administration
Data Science
Data Science
Certificate Programs
Data Science
Center for Research
Non-Profit Management/Public Administration
Specialities of Faculty
Academic specialties of faculty
URL
Global Human Resources
General Management
Operations, Systems and Analysis
Public and Not-for-Profit Management
Organizational Analysis
Management Science & Quantitative Analysis (STEM)
Sustainability
Courses in Sustainability
Yes
Sustainability course is
Optional
Description
1. Course: Organizational Integrity: Ethics and Sustainability
2. Sustainability is integrated into courses across the curriculum thus all faculty teach sustainability to some extent.
Research Opportunities in Sustainability
Yes
Description
Willamette University Center for Sustainable Communities
http://www.willamette.edu/centers/csc/
School's environmental commitment 1:
Curriculum:
1) Elective course in sustainability and ethics and integration of these topics in other courses across the curriculum;
2) Sustainability is good business strategy and is part of all courses
School's environmental commitment 2:
Student Organizations:
Our professional student organizations include a chapter of Net Impact -- a global network of leaders changing the world through business http://www.netimpact.org/
School's environmental commitment 3:
Atkinson Graduate School of Management has been recognized for its Portland facility which is housed in a sustainable building. The Atkinson School has also been named one of the 100 Best Green Companies to Work For in Oregon by Oregon Business magazine. This ranking shows that our workplace has implemented a variety of green policies, and that our employees place a high value on sustainable practices and feel that our commitment to them is exceptional.
Career Overview
From The School
Our Career Management team works with students on a 1:1 basis to insure we are best preparing graduates for their professional life. Services include the best practices of career management, workshops, internships, networking, employment connections and interviews, individual counseling, mentoring, coaching, career and networking fairs, peer advisors and student professional organizations.
Nearly all full-time MBA students participate in an internship. A sample of internship employers includes Adidas, Deloitte, Hewlett Packard, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Intel, Microsoft, Nike, Tektronix, Willamette Humane Society, Mercy Corps Northwest, and State of Oregon.
Eighty five percent of Early Career and Career Change students generally receive a job offer for a professional position within three months of graduation. Typical employers include Avanade, Bank of America, Ford Motor Company, Nike Inc., Hewlett Packard Company, Intel Corporation, Overstock.com, State of Oregon and Tektronix.
Average Starting Salary
$65,311
Accepted employment by 3 months after graduation
27%
Finding Jobs & Internships
Source Of Full-Time Job Acceptances
61%
Graduate Facilitated
39%
School Facilitiated
Source Of Internship Acceptances
52%
Graduate Facilitiated
48%
School Facilitiated
Graduates Employed by Area of Practice
6%
Finance/Accounting
6%
Other
4%
Operations/Logistics
3%
Consulting
3%
General Management
3%
Human Resources
Graduates Employed by Region
91%
West
3%
International
3%
Mid-Atlantic
3%
Southwest
Students Say
Job prospects for Atkinson graduates are pretty rosy. This is certainly due in large part to the industrious administration which provides “amazing networking opportunities.” Credit should also be given to Willamette’s beloved Career Services office. After all, the office works diligently to “make sure all students have jobs over the summer break and by the time they graduate.” More specifically, it runs a robust mentorship program, pairing students with business professionals whose expertise matches their development goals. The office also hosts numerous personalized, career-focused events like employer spotlights which give students the opportunity to interact with companies and corporate partners in small groups and/or one-on-one. And, of course, these MBAs are also privy to mock interviews, résumés workshops and programs of that ilk.
Companies that tend to recruit and hire Willamette MBAs include: Ford Motor Company, Ernst and Young, Sherpa Adventure Gear, Intel, Hitachi Consulting, Manzama, Rubicon International, Urban Science, Nike, Inc. and Vanguard.
Job Function
| Job Function | % of Grads Seeking Employment Who Accept Jobs w/in 3 Months |
Median Salary | Mean Salary | Low Base Salary | High Base Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finance / Accounting | 6% | $62,500 | $68,438 | $55,000 | $91,000 |
| Other | 6% | $50,000 | $51,972 | $35,360 | $83,000 |
| Operations / Logistics | 4% | $65,000 | $69,270 | $54,080 | $93,000 |
| Consulting | 3% | $65,000 | $69,000 | $42,000 | $100,000 |
| Human Resources | 3% | $70,000 | $75,333 | $70,000 | $86,000 |
| General Management | 3% | $58,236 | $66,745 | $52,000 | $90,000 |
Industries
| Industries | % of Grads Seeking Employment Who Accept Jobs w/in 3 Months |
Median Salary | Mean Salary | Low Base Salary | High Base Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology | 7% | $86,000 | $79,000 | $50,000 | $93,000 |
| Other | 5% | $54,080 | $57,216 | $54,000 | $75,000 |
| Non-profit | 4% | ||||
| Consulting | 3% | $70,000 | $78,333 | $65,000 | $100,000 |
| Government | 3% | $58,236 | $59,289 | $49,632 | $77,000 |
| Manufacturing | 3% | $50,000 | $54,490 | $43,472 | $70,000 |
| Financial Services | 2% | ||||
| Pharmaceutical / Biotechnology / Healthcare | 1% | ||||
| Real Estate | 1% |
Prominent Alumni
Punit Renjen
Deloitte Global CEO, Deloitte Consulting
Grace Crunnican
General Manager BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit)
Neil Bergquist
Co-Founder and CEO, Coinme & UpToken.org.
Gurpreet Pall
CEO and Founder, t.acuity
Colin Schilling
Founder and CEO, Schilling Cider
Overview
From The School
- 2016-17 tuition for the Early Career and Career Change MBA is $39,100 per two-semester academic year.
- 2016-17 tuition for the MBA for Professionals is $69,200 (total cost) for the six semester program. MBA for Professionals tuition includes the cost of books, fees and dinner each class night.
Merit-based scholarships, Federal Unsubsidized Loans and Federal Graduate Plus Loans are available to eligible students.
Dates
Application Deadlines
Jul 1
Financial Aid Statistics
Average Aid Package
$46,000
Average Scholarship / Grant Aid Package
$17,073
Students Receiving Some Form Of Aid
90%
All Students Receiving Scholarships / Grants
85%
New Students Receiving Some Form Of Aid
90%
New Students Receiving Scholarships / Grants
95%
New Students Receiving Loans
40%
Tuition Full-Time (per year)
Tuition (In-State)
$44,900
Tuition (Out-State)
$44,900
Fees (In-State)
$390
Fees (Out-State)
$390
Expenses per Academic Year
Estimated Room And Board On-Campus
$12,000
Estimated Room And Board Off-Campus
$12,000
Academic Expenses
$1,200
Student Body Profile
Total Full-Time Enrollment
68
Part Time
0%
In State
42.0%
Out of State
58.0%
Foreign Countries Represented
10
Demographics
30.00%
Underrepresented Minorities
10.00%
International
32% female
68% male
Campus Life
From The School
Willamette University MBA boasts a student population representing diverse backgrounds, both domestic and international. Extra-curricular opportunities include:
- Atkinson Student Association (ASA) Governing Body
- Atkinson Accounting Association (AAA)
- Atkinson Finance Association (AFA)
- American Marketing Association (AMA) AGSM Chapter
- Business Technology Association (BTA)
- International Graduate Students Association (IGSA)
- National Association of Women MBAs (NAWMBA) AGSM Chapter
- Prospanica fka National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) Campus Liaison
- Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) AGSM Chapter
Students Say
Willamette draws its MBAs from quite a diverse pool. In fact, “international students make up a large percentage of our class.” Most students view this as an incredible asset. As one first-year explains, “It really brings a lot of interesting aspects into class discus- sions when students have such diverse experience and backgrounds!” No matter where they come from, most individuals prove to be “energetic,” “creative,” “bright” and “pro- fessional.” Even better, they all seem to embrace the “prevailing notion is that if we help one another learn, we will all learn more down the road.”
Outside of the classroom there is “always something to do.” A first-year excitedly shares, “We have a weekly social get together at different local pubs where we get to relax, visit, and spend time not doing school work!” Additionally, “there are also several student associations that are very active so on nearly any given week at least one event is going on that is open to the students to enjoy.” Best of all, these activities and social options help to foster a “close-knit community” at Atkinson.
More Information
% of Classrooms with Internet Access
100%
Campus-wide Internet Network
Yes
Internet Access for All Students
Yes
Admissions Office Contact
From The School
Campus and Location
With locations in Salem and Portland, Oregon, Willamette University MBA offers an excellent quality of life; friendly people; mild climate; and the outdoor playground that is the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Our Salem campus is situated with Willamette University College of Liberal Arts and Willamette University College of Law - all across the street from the Oregon State Capitol. Our Portland campus (which serves our MBA for Professionals program) is located in the bustling Pearl District.
Facilities
The Salem campus includes two libraries, recreational and fitness facilities, dining centers, student center, concert hall, art museum, and more. The Portland Center is conveniently located in the Pearl District with easy access to public transportation and public parking. All facilities offer WiFi, email, network software and printing services.
Contact
Alex Subert
Senior Associate Dean and Director of Admission
Senior Associate Dean and Director of Admission
Address
900 State Street
Salem, OR 97301
United States
Salem, OR 97301
United States
Phone
503-370-6167
Fax
503-370-3011
Email
97301
