Are different degrees awarded for the various MBA programs offered at Santa Clara University?

All Executive, Accelerated, Evening, and Emerging Professional MBA students will earn the same Santa Clara University MBA degree.

Where are the classes held?

Most of our MBA classes are held in Lucas Hall, the home of the Leavey School of Business on the campus of Santa Clara University; a few classes may be held in other buildings on campus.

What is a completed application and do I need to have all my documents together before sending them to Santa Clara University?

A completed application includes

All materials do not need to be sent together; we will keep a file for each applicant as documents arrive.

An application will not go into final review with the Admissions Committee until all admissions materials are received. You are welcome to drop materials off at our office in Lucas Hall Suite 116 or mail them to:

* We can use your unofficial GMAT or GRE score and unofficial / in-progress transcripts for admissions purposes, but an official score is required before enrollment.

I noticed there are two rounds of deadlines for programs that begin in the Fall. Am I at a disadvantage if I apply for the second round?

We are on rolling admissions and review applications year round. Applicants will be notified of an admissions decision within three to five week of submitting a completed application. For the Fall, we do have two published deadlines, April 1 and June 1. Any applicant who submits a completed application by April 1 will be notified of an admissions decision by the end of April and any applicant who submits a completed application by June 1 will be notified of an admissions decision by the end of June. There is no priority given to an applicant who applies early, other than the decision timeline.

Why would I write the third optional essay?

Applicants may use the third essay to explain an element in their educational or professional history that might adversely affect their acceptance. For example, if you suffered a hardship during college that affected your GPA or have a large gap in your work timeline, the essay is your opportunity to explain that in detail to the Admissions Committee.

I see that two letters of recommendation are required. Whom should I have write them, and how do they get it to Santa Clara University?

You should have recent supervisors who can speak directly to your professional strengths and areas of growth submit recommendations directly to the Graduate Business Admissions Office. For Emerging Professional MBA applicants, academic recommendations are acceptable, but supervisor recommendations are preferred, if available. We suggest you provide recommenders with a stamped envelope, pre-addressed to:

Graduate Business Admissions
Leavey School of Business
Lucas Hall Suite 116
Santa Clara University
500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA 95053

The envelope must arrive sealed with the recommender’s signature across the seal. We do recognize that some circumstances require a faster or easier delivery method.

As such, forms can be sent to us via email at: gradbusiness@scu.edu, but the email address must be that of the recommender and not the applicant. All recommendations are completely confidential.

What can you tell me about the GMAT and/or the GRE and is one weighed more heavily than the other?

While the GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test) has been the standard exam used for business schools, the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) is also accepted. We do not prefer one exam over the other. The average GMAT score for the students accepted during the 2011-2012 academic year was 620. With the recent changes to the GRE exam, we do not have a valid average at this time. Scores from either test are valid for five (5) years. Applicants are welcome to take either exam more than once; we will only consider the highest score.

Is the GMAT/GRE required before I apply to the program?

The GMAT/GRE is a required component for most of our MBA programs; it is optional for Executive MBA applicants. The GMAT/GRE must be taken prior to the deadline for which you are applying and we do not allow for conditional acceptance while applicants prepare for the exam.

Is the TOEFL required?

Applicants whose first language is not English (regardless of whether your schooling was in English) must take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and have ETS send the scores directly to Santa Clara University, Institution Code 4851, Department 02. A minimum TOEFL score of 100 on the IBT test is required. At the Admissions Committee's discretion, the TOEFL may be waived if the applicant receives a score in the 50th percentile or higher on the verbal portion of the GMAT/GRE, or if the student holds a degree from an institution in the U.S.

Do I need to have work experience to be eligible for admission?

Most of our Evening MBA students have an average of six years of professional work experience (three years are required). With the depth of the program, the range is from one year to over 20 years. 

A student who has less than three years of combined professional and internship experience is eligible to apply to our Emerging Professionals MBA program. 

Students who attend our Accelerated MBA program have an average of six years of professional work experience, and students enrolled in our Executive MBA program have an average of 13 years of work experience.

Why do I need to submit two official transcripts from each college or university attended?

We require two official transcripts from each college or university attended, as one copy will stay with your academic file in the School of Business, and the other is required by the University Registrar office for your permanent student file. Two official copies are required to complete the application process.

Am I required to come to campus for an interview?

An on-campus interview is required for all Executive MBA, Accelerated, and Emerging Professionals MBA applicants. Once your application is complete, you will be contacted by a member of the Admissions team to coordinate this final stage. Interviews are scheduled at the discretion of the Admissions Committee for Evening MBA applicants.

Do you offer conditional acceptance?

We do not offer conditional acceptance under any circumstances.

Do I need to have the pre-program proficiency satisfied before applying? And how do I satisfy it?

Students do not need to have the pre-program proficiency satisfied before applying to the program.

Students must demonstrate math analysis/calculus proficiency by the end of the first quarter of residence in order to continue to register for courses in the program.

Calculus may be satisfied by (a) having taken a minimum of 3 quarter units of college calculus within the past 10 years with a grade of C or better; or (b) having a bachelor’s degree in engineering, mathematics, or the physical sciences if accompanied by a strong GMAT/GRE quantitative score; or (c) passing the OMIS 351 Mathematical Analysis Equivalency Exam; or (d) completing OMIS 351 with a P (passing) grade or an approved business calculus course elsewhere with a grade of C or better during the first quarter.

Students with math/science/engineering degrees are waived from these requirements.

Do you offer waiver or transfer credit for courses I have taken in the past?

Students in the Emerging Professionals MBA program and the Evening MBA program may receive waiver units for coursework previously taken, under limited circumstances. 

Waiver credit is limited to no more than 12 units total and applies to the Accounting and Statistics sequences only. Students with a professional qualification (CPA, CMA, Chartered Accounting, or similar) or recent (within six years) substantial coursework in accounting, including accounting through Intermediate Accounting, may receive six units of program credit for the core Accounting sequence. Students with substantial preparation in statistics, such as advanced-level coursework (within six years) may receive six units of program credit for the core Statistics sequence. 

Students may receive waivers in the following ways:

Admissions Committee Review An initial evaluation of the academic records of all admitted students identifies waivable courses, and students are informed of the results of this evaluation with their acceptance packages.

Petition for Course Waiver If there is a waivable course (Accounting or Statistics only) that a student believes should be waived, given the waiver rules, he or she may file a waiver petition form and accompany the request with appropriate documentation including catalog descriptions, course syllabi, list of required texts, etc. The petition form is available at: scu.edu/business/graduates/newstudents/index.cfm. Petitions for course waivers may only be filed upon matriculation (deposit) and must be filed by the end of the student’s first quarter in residence. Note: a grade of B or better is required in all courses considered for waiver and the relevant coursework must have been completed within six years prior to acceptance into the MBA program.

Graduate Transfer Credit In addition to the two waivable sequences, a maximum of six quarter units of graduate credit from another AACSB-accredited MBA program may be transferred if the course was:

• open to graduate students only
• completed by the student with the equivalent of a B or better grade
• awarded graduate credit
• part of an incomplete MBA degree program when taken no more than six years prior to application to the SCU MBA program AND is
• considered by the MBA Committee to be functionally equivalent to a course or combination of courses offered by Santa Clara's MBA program

Students who are part of the Accelerated MBA and Executive MBA programs are not eligible for course waivers or transfer credit.