Experience during the program

Carlson is located in the heart of Twin Cities and is surrounded by Fortune 500 companies in a variety of industries. The school has a great reputation with these companies and is able to get them to recruit heavily from the program. If you want to be in the Midwest, hands down this is the place to go for career opportunities.

In addition to the career opportunities, you'll also benefit from a small class size, which allows you to gain a strong network with classmates. The faculty are also world-renowned for their research & new ways of thinking. The small class size allows you to interact with your professors and you'll be known on a first name basis. I'd highly recommend the program!

Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (5.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)

Strengths of the program:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Career opportunities provided by school
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Marketing
Tech
Entrepreneurship
Management

Can be improved:

Brand/Ranking

Read More

Experience during the program

After completing almost 1 year at the Carlson Full-Time MBA Program, I realize that I am much closer to achieving my career goals. This is primarily because of the experience that I gained through the enterprise program which provides a really good exposure for students to work hands-on for leading companies.

The flexibility with classes/electives and small class sizes means you will have multiple classes with friends who will potentially be a part of your professional network after graduation.

Overall the MBA program is meant to give you the tools necessary to become a better business leader who uses business as a force for good.

About professors, classes and curriculum

Carlson has some really good professors (their electives classes are the first to get filled). The Graduate Business Career Center (GBCC) helps the students immensely during their career discovery through placement journey.

About job placement process

As with any other MBA program, the amount of effort that students put into the program is directly proportional to what they get out of it.

Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (5.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)

Strengths of the program:

Student body, diversity
Culture & Student Support
Experiential learning

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Marketing

Can be improved:

Career opportunities provided by school

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Experience during the program

The standout difference of the Carlson MBA program is the emphasis on experiential learning. Through the unique Enterprise program, students complete live projects with real clients for credit. This builds real experience and gives the opportunity to build depth in a given industry or explore various career options in a low-risk environment. The Carlson MBA also has excellent global experience options. These range from short-term 2-week immersive experiences to partial/full semester abroad. As with the Enterprise program, the Carlson Global Institute provides real-world tools to be successful in a global business environment. Unparalleled by its peer MBA programs, Carlson's connection to its local business community is top-notch. By having such strong connections with Minnesota Fortune 500 companies, students gain access to incredible networking, class speaker/projects, and career benefits.

About job placement process

The real experience you gain as a Carlson MBA student yields real results in the job search process. As with any MBA program, you get out what you put in, but with Carlson, the tools are at your fingertips. The Graduate Business Career Center is there with you each step of the way of your job search. Recruiting options are especially strong for those looking to go into finance and/or brand/general/product management for CPG, retail, B2B, and healthcare/med. device companies located in the Minnesota area. The program is also growing its tech credentials and is forging strong recruiting relationships with companies like Amazon. As with any school, you should check the career placement report to identify companies and placement for alumni that match your goals.

Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (5.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)

Strengths of the program:

Career opportunities provided by school
Location
Enterprise Program

Best fit at this program:

Marketing
Tech
Entrepreneurship

Can be improved:

Brand/Ranking

Read More

Experience during the program

The program is highly geared towards marketing roles in consumer packaged goods industries. The culture is midwestern. People are friendly and willing to help connect you with opportunities and to collaborate on assignments. The program has yet to develop for supply chain and operations management roles. The sco faculty are great and so is the masters of supply chain program but at the Mba level this has not been mapped out in terms of development and career path. The carlson Mba means the world in the Midwest but will not be well recognized outside. For the price this is an amazing value.

About professors, classes and curriculum

Very healthy blend of adjunct faculty and also professors with research experience

About job placement process

Career center has all the connections for roles in the Midwest. You won’t be without options. This is not the right fit if you don’t want to stay in the Midwest after graduating however unless you are self sufficient

Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (4.0)
Classmates rating (4.0)

Strengths of the program:

Student body, diversity
Culture & Student Support
Specialization in a particular area (e.g. Finance, Consulting, Healthcare, etc)

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Marketing

Can be improved:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Location
Brand/Ranking

Read More

Experience during the program

I came to Carlson for the Enterprise program to gain additional working experience in the 2 year time frame. In addition to the hands on enterprise projects, I also was able to benefit from my diverse classmates, my enticing coursework, and the city and community of Minneapolis. Through this program I have been able to travel, work rigorously on live cases, and apply my skills in a diverse way. There are also many ways to exercise personal interests in the clubs or intramural sports opportunities at this school. The connections made at this school are invaluable and I am proud of the education I am receiving.

About professors, classes and curriculum

The curriculum is very rigorous but it is set up to be conscious of the recruiting schedule for most industries. It is well remembered that students are in business school to get a job and to develop their career.

About job placement process

This school's graduate business career center staff will work tirelessly to help you prepare for and find a job that is a good fit for your skills and career goals. The faculty is well connected and are extensive sources of knowledge. The alumni network is incredibly diverse and are quick to help a fellow Carlson grad out no matter the ask. It's a wonderful community to be a part of.

Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (4.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)

Strengths of the program:

Student body, diversity
Alumni Network
Career opportunities provided by school

Best fit at this program:

Finance
Marketing
Entrepreneurship

Can be improved:

Brand/Ranking
Facilities
Admissions Team

Read More

Experience during the program

When considering business schools, I needed one that could provide the most value in return for the investments made (time and money). I found this in Carlson. Not only did the school provide a compelling aid package, but also offered far more opportunity for career switchers than similarly ranked schools around the country. Carlson consistently sends students to top CPG, Medical Device and Consulting companies. Moreover, the MSP market is loaded with strong, global companies with an alumni group that is driven to recruit talented Carlson grads. The one downside that a few of my classmates learned is that it is more difficult to secure internships and jobs on the coasts. The MBA market is saturated and the higher ranked schools are located in the Bay area and in New England. Carlson students have to do a lot more leg work and networking to make those opportunities a reality. For future applicants, I would suggest considering where in the U.S. you want to live in work. If it is the Midwest, you'd be hard pressed to find a better school than Carlson.

Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (5.0)
Classmates rating (4.0)

Strengths of the program:

Alumni Network
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Marketing
Entrepreneurship
Management

Can be improved:

Brand/Ranking
Specialization in a particular area (e.g. Finance, Consulting, Healthcare, etc)

Read More

Experience during the program

I have had an awesome experience at Carlson. Because of the smaller class size (~100), the team oriented environment is very pronounced. I appreciate knowing and having a relationship with every member in the program and I think those relationships will be the most valuable thing I take away from the program. Additionally, due to it's location in the Twin Cities metro area, there are a ton of job opportunities that our dedicated Graduate Business Career Center does an excellent job of connecting us with. The Carlson name carries weight and is very well respected across a wide variety of industries. The experiential learning through the Enterprise program is an invaluable experience giving students the opportunity to work with real companies on real projects in order to better understand what its like to work as an MBA professional. I would recommend Carlson for anyone looking for a FT-MBA program.

About job placement process

I have not been concerned about job placement. The Graduate Business Career Center does an exceptional job connecting students with multiple Fortune 500 companies both locally and nationally across all industries through on-campus retruiting.

Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (5.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)

Strengths of the program:

Career opportunities provided by school
Brand/Ranking
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Finance
Marketing
Entrepreneurship

Can be improved:

Facilities
Specialization in a particular area (e.g. Finance, Consulting, Healthcare, etc)

Read More

Experience during the program

My experience at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota has been more than what I expected stepping in. I have been challenged to work outside my comfort zone and had the privilege to collaborate with a great class of individuals who come from diverse academic and professional backgrounds. This had made for interesting class discussions and a holistic learning experience. The small class size at Carlson, in comparison to several other MBA programs, sets us apart and has helped our whole class to develop meaningful relationships that we hope to carry into the future. To new applicants who are looking for a program that will challenge you and will give you the opportunity to engage in the rich business community in the Twin Cities through the Carlson Enterprise Programs, this is the place to be.

About professors, classes and curriculum

The curriculum is rigorous and will teach you the importance of prioritizing and multitasking in a high performing yet collaborative environment. The courses are designed you give you a strong foundation in business through core classes in the first semester and then the option to pursue various tracks of your choice. (Ex: Strategy, Marketing, Entrepreneurship...etc). The Professors are well reputed and very experienced in their fields, with many of them winning accolades for their research.

Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (4.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)

Strengths of the program:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Alumni Network
Culture & Student Support
Admissions Team
Specialization in a particular area (e.g. Finance, Consulting, Healthcare, etc)

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Marketing
Entrepreneurship
Management

Can be improved:

Student body, diversity
Brand/Ranking

Read More

Experience during the program

The enterprise program at Carlson makes Carlson stand out. In the enterprise program students join one of 4 enterprises (Consulting, Brands, Ventures and Funds) and work on consulting projects with real clients for 2.5 semesters. This is a wonderful platform to apply classroom (and soft skill) learning to understand and appreciate them better.

Having a small class size, it is easy to get to know classmates and get support from faculty, career center and other school leaders to create a better experience.

Working with the Graduate Business Career Center (GBCC) has been great. Even before we joined school through skype appointments we were able to finalize our resumes and LinkedIn profiles

About professors, classes and curriculum

UMN is know for the research quality of its faculty members. Strategy and marketing classes are pretty popular and it is easy to get the classes with the professor of one's choice. Some classes are not offered in the day time, and hence students may need to talk those classes at night with the Part Time MBA students.

About job placement process

I would like to explain why I have ticked all the boxes on the career tracks that fit this program. Carlson certainly draws students who are interested in a wide array of career interests and diverse recruiters visit Carlson too.

Being a small class size I think a good number of students get opportunities to interview with multiple firms and to tailor their career they want to. There are students who land jobs in consulting, IBs, tech firms and marketing, and also become entrepreneurs. However, I think CPG marketing is the biggest recruiter of Carlson MBAs.

For international students, consulting companies, Amazon, Ecolab, General Mills, Dannon Whitewave and Innavalon are the most consistent recruiters. International students not placed with these companies get jobs with other companies each year.

Like in most schools in the US, recruiting for international students is challenging. I have felt that the career center is easily approachable and are willing to help in every way possible.

Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (5.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)

Strengths of the program:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Culture & Student Support
Specialization in a particular area (e.g. Finance, Consulting, Healthcare, etc)
Experiential learning programs

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Finance
Marketing
Investment Banking
Tech
Entrepreneurship
Management
Marketing is the best fit

Can be improved:

Student body, diversity
Career opportunities provided by school
Brand/Ranking
Facilities

Read More

Experience during the program

As a first-year MBA, I've throughly enjoyed business school at Carlson so far. The core classes and professors are wonderful. It's been some time since I've been out of school, and the professors are always willing to answer questions and help student seek deeper understanding. Diversity in every facet is celebrated in the program. We have a variety of international students and students who've worked around the U.S. in different industries. Everyone brings a unique and interesting prospective in and out of the classroom. The Career Center coaches also go above and beyond helping us with resumer writing, interview prep and just general encouragement. Finally, the student groups are fantastic. There's a club for everyone - Consulting, Finance, Marketing, Sports Business, Arts - you name it, we have it. And if we don't have it, you can petition to start it.

My advance to applicants is to come to informational sessions or attend online. Really learn about Carlson and our school. If you can come to campus for an event, even better. Business school is about fit - you need to know if you are going to be happy and thrive here. As for the formal application, take it seriously but also don't stress. I know its easy for me to say now - I was totally stressing last year - but be yourself and show Carlson adcom why you would uniquely add to our program. What do you bring that others can't? Remember, the GMAT score is only one data point in the process.

Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (5.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)

Strengths of the program:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Alumni Network
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Finance
Marketing
Entrepreneurship
Management

Can be improved:

Brand/Ranking

Read More