Full Time MBA

The Carlson School of Management’s full-time MBA program was one of the first to offer experiential learning as a standard part of its curriculum. Its MBA program is rigorous, hands-on, and a global experience.

The Carlson MBA curriculum is an intense 64-credit program, that is two years in duration. The program is divided between core courses that provide a solid foundation, and customized modules that fit with candidates’ desired career path. Core classes include strategic management, marketing management, operations management, leading others, and leading the self.

The specialization options provide fundamental business knowledge across a wide range of managerial functions; students can choose which ones to study to fit their own career goals. Specializations include entrepreneurship, finance, information systems, management, marketing, medical industry, and the supply chain. Within each specialization, there are specific tailored opportunities and experiences. For example, in the entrepreneurship specialization, there is the STARTUP course, where students can test business model assumptions and gain feedback, and the ventures enterprise, in which students create, develop, and sustain new business ideas.

The Carlson School of Management prides itself in its experiential learning methods. Signature Carlson School Enterprise Programs see students partake in real projects for paying clients, ranging from nonprofits to Fortune 500 companies. Programs include brand enterprise, where students develop brand and marketing strategy, the consulting enterprise, where students analyze and solve business challenges, the funds enterprise, where students manage more than US$30 million in real investments, and the ventures enterprise, where students identify, evaluate, and implement new ideas. MBA students can take two semester-long assignments, spread over the MBA program.

The full-time Carlson MBA includes a capstone international experience project, mandatory for all students. The trip is two weeks in duration, with pre-departure coursework, academic sessions and company visits while abroad, and a post-symposium for all participants. The experience is a chance for students to explore the global business climate through a short-trip. Students can also take intensive global enrichment projects.

97% of Carlson MBA graduates received job offers within three months of graduation in 2016, and 100% of students received internship offers. Organizations that recruit from the MBA program include Google, Deloitte, Ecolab, LinkedIn, Pepsi, and Johnson & Johnson.