University of Arkansas, Sam M. Walton College of Business Admission
University of Arkansas, Sam M. Walton College of Business Undergraduate Program
University of Arkansas, Sam M. Walton College of Business Application

The Facts

The University of Arkansas' Sam M. Walton College of Business is a rather small, public coeducational institution located in the town of Fayetteville, Arkansas. The university has a total undergraduate and graduate enrollment of about 16,000 students, and a graduate business student population of approximately 250. Over 80% of the graduate business students have already had an average of 3 years full-time professional experience, which is a factor taken into account by the admissions committee when reviewing portfolios. The average age of enrollment is around 29, however, ages range from 21 all the way up to 53. Approximately 24% of students enroll directly after undergraduate school, and over 21% of graduate business students already hold a graduate degree of some sort. The Sam M. Walton College of Business offers graduate degrees in the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Accountancy (MAcc), Master of Arts in Economics (MAEcon), Master of Information Systems (MIS), Master of Transportation and Logistics Management (MTLM), as well as doctoral programs in economics and business administration, and a joint degree in law (MBA/JD). The school also has an extensive study abroad program with partnerships in China, Japan, Italy, Canada, Mexico, as well as France. Some of most popular programs of study include courses in transportation and logistics, accounting, management information systems, as well as the strategic management partnering project.

Admission to the University of Arkansas' Sam M. Walton College of Business is quite competitive among the students who apply; last year, over 340 students applied for admission to the school and approximately 253 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 183 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming semester. The admitted students had an average undergraduate GPA of about a 3.36 as well as an average GMAT score of about a 566. The admissions committee requires applicants to have a minimum undergraduate GPA of at least a 2.7 as well as a minimum GMAT score of 500. Students are able to begin the MBA program in the fall, spring or summer, and there is no rolling admission.

Placement Services

The school has extensive placement services available to both current students as well as alumni for an unlimited number of years after they obtain their degree. Last year, over 75 companies were actively recruiting on campus, 95% of which were national corporations. The majors most in demand were marketing, finance, accounting, computer information systems as well as logistics. The average starting salary of last year's graduating class was about $56,850, however, it ranged from $30,000 to $125,000. Furthermore, over 60% of the most recent graduates were able to find a job within three months of receiving their graduate degree. The school has several placement services available, including the Walton College of Business Career Development Center where students can receive advisement on the best way to present themselves to the business world.

What's Good

"We get an incredibly rounded education here. We aren't required to take courses in only our area of interest; we get a chance to experience all fields of business."

"The placement services are incredible. If you don't already have a full-time job that you love, you will once you graduate."

"The classes are just the right size. We are able to have a lot of really interesting discussions together."

What's Bad

"There are some professors who seem a bit more interested in their own careers rather than the potential careers of their students."

"I think there are just way too many requirements we have to complete before we can even begin on our specialty."

"There can be quite a bit of unhealthy competition between students. It's a fairly cutthroat environment."

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