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US 1-year MBA Programs

The 1-year MBA format was introduced in the European B-schools, almost 5 decades ago. However, recently, the 1-year MBA program has also found popularity among the US B-schools for the many advantages, in terms of fast-paced training and the opportunity that the MBA format provides. In this article we will discuss the essential features of the 1-year MBA and the curriculum of the programs offered by schools.

US B-schools with 1-year MBA

Listed below, in order of rank, are the US B-schools that offer 1-year MBA:

School Program Program URL
Northwestern University – Kellogg Business School The Kellogg 1- year Full-time MBA program https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/programs/full-time-mba/one-year-mba-program.aspx
Columbia Business School, New York The Columbia J-term MBA https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/programs/mba/admissions/options-deadlines/j-term
Cornell University – S.C. Johnson College of Business, Ithaca The Johnson Full-time 1-year MBA https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/programs/full-time-mba/one-year-mba/
Emory University – Goizueta School of Business, Atlanta The Goizueta 1-year MBA https://goizueta.emory.edu/full-time-mba/one-year-mba
University of South California – Marshall School of Business, California The IBEAR MBA https://www.marshall.usc.edu/programs/mba-programs/ibear-mba
Southern Methodist University – Edwin L. Cox School of Business, Dallas (SMU Cox) The SMU Cox 1-year MBA https://www.smu.edu/cox/Degrees-and-Programs/One-Year-MBA
University of Pittsburgh – Joseph M. Katz Graduate Business School, Pennsylvania The Katz 1-year MBA https://www.katz.business.pitt.edu/academics/mba/one-year-mba
F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business – Babson College, Massachusetts The Babson 1-year MBA https://www.babson.edu/academics/graduate-school/mba/full-time-mba/full-time-mba-curriculum/
University of Florida – Warrington College of Business, Florida Full-time 1-year MBA – All Majors https://warrington.ufl.edu/mba/program-options/full-time-mba/full-time-mba-one-year-all-majors/
Full-time 1-year MBA – Business Majors https://warrington.ufl.edu/mba/program-options/full-time-mba/full-time-mba-one-year-business-majors/

Features of 1-year MBA Programs

  • Curriculum: The 1-year MBA is often referred to as the accelerated MBA, and quite rightly so as it is fast-paced. The program is streamlined so as to acquaint you with the basics of business management within limited time. The fast-track MBA program depends on your acquaintance with the business fundamentals to allow you immersive hands-on training. Thus, this curriculum generally discusses the basic tenets of business concepts, allows you to focus on your area of interest, and provides you with numerous experiential training scopes including global experiences and consulting projects.
  • Internship: A 1-year MBA program best suits individuals with strong professional experience who can hit the ground running once the program tenure is over as it does not offer you internship opportunities that gradually acquaint you with the business world challenges. The limited duration of the program does not allow you the time to hone your skills in a real-world setting. Hence, you must be experienced in the professional realm and looking to climb the leadership ladder at your firm or in your industry to be able to use the 1-year MBA curriculum to your best opportunity.
  • Networking Scopes: The cohort of the 1-year MBA format is typically comprised of highly motivated, experienced students and mostly belonging to the age group of 30+ who focus on thoroughly completing the intensive program. Thus, 1-year MBA programs hardly allow you time to form well-defined networks with relevant industry representatives.
  • Career: While pursuing a 1-year MBA, you will hardly get any scope to invest time on charting out your post-MBA route. Thus, if you are opting for the 1-year MBA program, you must be clear of the industry and function that you want to belong to. Particularly, the 1-year MBA program will suit you if you are looking to scale your leadership stand in your domain. The 1-year MBA program, being of a lesser duration, acts as a sort of a hiatus in your professional career instead of giving you a complete break. Thus, you can take a momentary off from your employment, partake of the program to hone your skill-set, and get back to work, with re-invigorated and re-furbished expertise.
  • Total Cost: If you are pursuing a 1-year MBA program, you have to invest limited financial resource to tackle your food and accommodation needs during the course of the program. Thus, the total cost of pursuing MBA is considerably less for 1-year MBA formats. The limited duration of the program provides for the best cost and opportunity planning.

However, before you decide on applying for an MBA program, it is always advisable to seek the guidance of MBA admissions consultants.

1-year US MBA Programs

The US B-schools offering a 1-year MBA are:

Northwestern University – Kellogg Business School, Illinois

The Kellogg School of Business was one of the pathfinders of the 1-year MBA curriculum and boasts of rich alumni designated at vital leadership roles across top-firms; for instance: Richard Lenny (1977), Former Chairman and CEO, The Hershey Company; Ivan Menezes (1985), CEO, Diageo; Vijay Karnani (1998), Managing Director, Goldman Sachs; Martin Lau (1998), President, Tencent, and so on.

Typically, you must have an undergrad education in business fundamentals to partake of the Kellogg 1-year MBA program. However, AP credits, or work experience, CFA certifications, or online course formats are not accepted formats for pre-enrollment course completion.

The 1-year Kellogg MBA begins in the summer term with core courses in Strategy, Management, Operations, Accounting, and Finance. For the remaining session, you will be able to customize your curriculum with an option of selecting from over 200 elective courses. Importantly, you need to opt for one of the following majors (a core course in the discipline and 4 corresponding electives)

  • Finance
  • Accounting
  • Economics
  • Marketing
  • Operations
  • Strategy
  • Managing Organizations

If you do not opt for the major, your transcript will only note General Management curriculum. Further, you are also required to opt for a pathway from the following options:

  • Data Analytics
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Growth and Scaling
  • Healthcare
  • Real Estate
  • Social Impact
  • Venture Capital and Private Equity

Kellogg MBA Pathways are basically interdisciplinary courses that allow you the flexibility to strengthen your knowledge in a particular industry within the realms of business management.

Kellogg 1-year MBA program provides numerous opportunities to learn smart business management and strategizing techniques by real-world application of fundamental business management theories. Thus, you can partake of experience-based learning at Kellogg through specific practicum and labs.

Besides, the school provides Merit-based scholarships to all applicants of the Full-time 1-year MBA program and Financial Need-based scholarships to resident students. Additionally, you can select from a wide range of Kellogg scholarship options. You can also opt for Private Loans for Kellogg MBA.

Columbia Business School, New York

The 1-year MBA program at Columbia, or the J-term program, is a Full-time, 16-month program. Thus, you can partake of the rigorous Columbia MBA curriculum and learning scopes without taking on the internship option. This program is recommended only for those students who are not looking for a shift in their career domain. This program allows you to hone your business management skills and get back to your professional realm within a period of 16 months.

This program is not the typical 1-year program, however, if you are looking for an intensive accelerated training in business management skills, without having to invest time in completing internships, this is a best suited program for you. You will be trained in Corporate Finance, Financial Accounting, Managerial Statistics, Managerial Economics, Strategy Formulation, Leadership, Operational Management, Business Analytics, and Global Economic Environment with options to choose electives from an exhaustive list of almost 200+ disciplines.

Cornell University – S.C. Johnson College of Business, Ithaca

The 1-year MBA program at Cornell is a Full-time, 12-month program. This Ivy-League MBA consolidates the curriculum of the traditional 2-year MBA to provide you with a well-structured accelerated MBA program that trains you in the business management fundamentals while allowing you to focus on your area of interest. The summer term includes core courses in Data Analytics and Modeling, Leading Teams, Financial Accounting, Microeconomics for Management, Critical and Strategic Thinking, Managerial Finance, Strategy, Marketing Management, Managing Operations. Additionally, you must complete 1.5 credit hours of Leadership electives.

The Cornell 1-year MBA electives not only allows you to learn the basics of specific industry or function but also provides you with the scope to attain specialized training in sustainable global systems. Further, you can also partake of additional elective courses administered through select Cornell colleges.

You must complete 9 credit hours of corresponding electives. You have the option to choose one of the following Cornell 1-year MBA Areas of Focus courses:

  • Asset Management/Investment Research
  • Brand Management
  • Consulting & Strategy
  • Corporate Finance
  • Data Modeling & Analytics
  • Emerging Markets
  • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
  • Investment Banking
  • Leadership & Ethics
  • Private Equity & Venture Capital
  • Sustainable Global Enterprise
  • Technology Product Management

As part of the Cornell 1-year MBA program, you will have to partake of the Management Practicum training in the Fall term that will allow you to garner real-world experience of analyzing problems and ideating solutions for the same in your preferred domain. You may also participate in the Cornell Immersion Program, in the Spring term, to avail of hands-on learning experience in your industry of interest. Additionally, you are also required to complete the intensive Leadership Development training through such mandatory coursework as Leading Teams, Critical and Strategic Thinking, Leading Teams Practicum, etc. If you interest lies in the realm of entrepreneurship, that is if you have established an entrepreneurial initiative or are looking to found one, you can also partake of the thorough Entrepreneurship program.

Cornell considers every application for Merit-based scholarships. Besides, you can select from various Cornell scholarship opportunities. Further, you can also apply with FAFSA if you are resident student. Cornell also arranges for numerous amenities to help international students obtain private loans without co-signer. You may find details of the Cornell loan options for international students on the school webpage.

Emory University – Goizueta School of Business, Atlanta

The 1-year Goizueta MBA program is a Full-time, 12-month program. The Goizueta curriculum is a well-structured format replete with core courses, electives, keystone projects delivered through Leadership Development initiative, Goizueta IMPACT, or the experiential training program, and Global Learning experiences.

Goizueta provides several scholarship, loans, and graduate assistantship options to its students. Please check your eligibility and the criteria for availing the Goizueta financial aids.

University of South California – Marshall School of Business, California

Established in 1978, the IBEAR MBA comprises of a proud alumni base of almost 1800 students across 60 countries. This is the best suited program for professionals in the 30+ age group, who want to delve deep into the fundamentals of industry leadership and business management.

The 1-year Marshall MBA program or the IBEAR MBA is a Full-time, 12-month program. You are required to complete 19 courses or 56 credit hours over 5 8-week terms comprising of electives, experiential learning, and a management consulting project. Unlike other US 1-year MBA programs mandating a minimum work experience of 2 years, IBEAR stipulates a mandatory minimum work experience of 6 years to be eligible for applying to the IBEAR MBA program.

IBEAR provides Merit-based scholarships worth USD 50,000 to exceptionally qualified applicants. Besides, there are numerous IBEAR scholarship and Private Loan options that you can avail of as per your need.

Southern Methodist University – Edwin L. Cox School of Business, Dallas

The 1-year MBA program at SMU Cox is a Full-time, 12-month program. A fast-paced program, SMU Cox 1-year MBA acquaints you with the basics of the business fundamentals besides allowing you the option to choose one of the following concentrations:

  • Accounting
  • Finance – with scope to further specialize in Corporate Finance, Energy Finance, and Investments
  • Business Analytics
  • Information and Operations
  • Management
  • Marketing – with scope to further specialize in Customer Engagement
  • Real Estate
  • Strategy and Entrepreneurship
  • General Business

Irrespective of the discipline you select, you will have to take a maximum of 8 courses, or earn 44 credit hours, to be able to complete the program. Besides, depending upon your field of interest and your career plan you can also opt for the Joint degree programs along with your Cox 1-year MBA, namely, the Cox JD/MBA that combines the basics of law and business fundamentals to empower you in your chosen industry and function, and the Cox MS in Engineering/ MBA that combines your expertise in tech and industry with business fundamentals to help you contribute significantly to the realm of business.

Besides, SMU-Cox 1-year MBA allows enough experiential learning opportunities:

  • Global Immersion at Cox: With deep-seated connections with global industry heads, Cox MBA offers the most intensive global immersion experience. You can avail of the opportunity to understand the global market through classroom discussions, speaker series, class treks, and the Global Leadership program, which is an international study trip that allows you to obtain first-hand understanding of the business dynamics of select global economic capitals.
  • Hands-on Training Opportunities at Cox: The hands-on learning opportunities at Cox sets you with interesting scopes to understand the global business cultures. You get to learn from the industry heads at Dallas or worldwide through the Associate Board Mentoring Program. Particularly, depending upon your area of interest and expertise, you can even learn about Energy Investment and Real Estate Investment, Risk Assessment, and Development nuances.
  • Leadership Training: The Business Leadership Center at Cox, further, ensures that your leadership training and development do not remain limited to classroom lectures by conducting 3 off-campus learning programs that allows you to test your skills in real-world environment.
  • The other popular Cox experiential training programs for 1-year Cox MBA are the Non-Profit Consulting Program, the Southwest Venture Forum, the Cox MBA Venture Fund, Private Equity and Venture Capital Practicum Partner.

The school provides Merit-based scholarships of a maximum amount of USD 15,000 to all applicants of the Full-time 1-year MBA program. You can also avail of educational loans and additional financial help by filling up the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that enables you to receive up to USD 20,500 Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans. Other Cox financial aid options are the Federal Grad PLUS loan or the Consumer Based loans.

University of Pittsburgh – Joseph M. Katz Graduate Business School, Pennsylvania

The 1-year MBA program at Katz is a Full-time, 11-month program. You have the option to choose one of the following concentrations:

  • Finance
  • Management Information Systems
  • Marketing
  • Operations
  • Strategy
  • Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Management

Irrespective of the discipline you select, you will have to complete 15 credit hours (summer) in the core business courses, followed by 18 credit hours (fall) in discipline-specific courses, and 18 credit hours (spring) in Leadership Development, Capstone, and elective courses.

Besides, for each discipline that you select, you will also have the option to opt for the additional Katz certificate, worth 10.5 credit hours, that will allow you experiential learning opportunities.

Moreover, Katz provides numerous opportunities to learn smart business management and strategizing techniques by real-world application of fundamental business management theories. Thus, you can partake of experience-based learning at Katz through such initiatives as case competitions, consulting field projects, Katz Invitational and the Katz Global Learning initiatives.

Katz provides Merit-based scholarships to all applicants of the Full-time 1-year MBA program. Besides, once you have received the admission, you can even apply for educational loans or private loans to sponsor your program at Katz.

F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business – Babson College, Massachusetts

The 1-year Babson MBA program is a Full-time, 12-month program. The program focuses on building your leadership skills and cultivating your understanding of the business fundamentals through experiential learning scopes. You need 45 credit hours to complete the program. The program is so designed that you will have to take 12 credit hours worth of core courses in the summer session delivered through 2 modules: Leading through Innovation and Growth and Leading through Opportunity and Design, along with elective courses. In the fall session, you will have to complete 3 credit hours worth Babson Consulting program, Leading through Intrapreneurship, and elective courses. In the spring session, you will have to complete your remaining credit hours from elective courses.

Babson provides several scholarship and loan options to its students to help them effectively complete the 1-year MBA program. Please check your eligibility and the criteria for availing the Babson financial aids.

University of Florida – Warrington College of Business, Florida

The Full-time 1-year MBA at UF Warrington is provided in 2 formats to the students:

a.   Full-time 1-year MBA – All Majors – You can apply to this program regardless of the discipline that you pursued your undergraduate education in. This is a Full-time, 12-month program. The curriculum provides you an in-depth training in the basic business fundamentals and you must complete 10 – 16 core course in the summer term, the remaining 4 core course can be completed alongside your 9 elective courses that are to be taken up in the fall and spring term. Thus, you must earn 48 credit hours to be able to complete the program. You have the option to choose one or more of the following concentrations:

  • Finance
  • Human Capital
  • Marketing
  • Supply Chain
  • Strategy
  • Real Estate

Under this format, you can avail of numerous opportunities to learn smart business management and strategizing techniques by real-world application of fundamental business management theories. You can partake of the optional Global Immersion Experiences (administered in the fall break and the spring break) that also allows you to narrow down your 2 credit course in to a weeklong class.

b.  Full-time 1-year MBA – Business Majors – You can apply to this program only if you have pursued an undergraduate program in business management. This is a Full-time, 10-month program. The curriculum of this program is so designed as to provide you with in-depth training in the industry that you wish to up skill yourself. As you have already completed an undergraduate course, much of the core business fundamentals are not concentrated upon in this format. Therefore, your summer courses will require you to attend a weeklong Fundamental Review intersession course and take the compulsory courses in Corporate Finance, Quantitative Managerial Decision Making, Professional Writing, and Professional Communication that will help you prepare for the concentration courses. Herein, you will be attending your concentration course lectures along with the UF Warrington Full-time 2-year MBA students.

In the fall and spring session, you must complete 32 credits hours including 8 elective courses, the Strategic Management Capstone, and any other elective course that may be required to complete the stipulated credit-hours. You have the option to choose one or more of the following concentrations:

  • Finance
  • Human Capital
  • Marketing
  • Supply Chain
  • Strategy
  • Real Estate

UF Warrington provides numerous opportunities to learn smart business management and strategizing techniques by real-world application of fundamental business management theories. You can partake of the optional Global Immersion Experiences (administered in the fall break and the spring break) that also allows you to narrow down your 2 credit course in to a weeklong class.

The school provides 100% tuition waiver to its 1-year MBA students if they possess significant professional experience, academic record, any notable achievement, and proven impeccable leadership record. As all applicants are considered for UF Full-time scholarship during the process of application, you need not apply for the scholarship separately. You will receive priority scholarship consideration if you apply by the 1st application deadline. Further, the Full-time Business Majors scholarship will cover 32 credits and the Full-time All Majors scholarship will cover 48 credits. As this scholarship will only cover your tuition fee, you can opt for the FAFSA grant to take care of your other expenses.

University of Notre Dame – Mendoza College of Business, Indiana

The 1-year Mendoza MBA program is a Full-time, 12-month program. The program focuses on building your leadership skills and cultivating your understanding of the business fundamentals through experiential learning scopes and global experiences. You need 46 credit hours to complete the program: you will have to complete 17 credit hours in the summer session of the track wherein you will be taught the Mendoza 1-year MBA core courses and 14 – 16 credit hours in each fall and spring session wherein you will have to complete 1 credit-hour worth Mendoza interterm-intensive course in each session along with electives, concentration, and immersion programs.

The Mendoza 1-year MBA core courses that you must partake of include Financial Accounting, Marketing Management, Managerial Economics, Career Leadership, Finance, Leading People and Teams, Introduction to Business Analytics, Strategic Decision Making, and Process Analytics.

The Mendoza 1-year MBA concentration tracks that you can opt from include

  • Business Analytics
  • Business Leadership
  • Consulting
  • Corporate Finance
  • Innovation and Entrepreneurship
  • Investments
  • Marketing
  • Supply Chain and Operations Management

Mendoza provides several scholarship and loans. Please check your eligibility and the criteria for availing the Mendoza financial aids.

Irrespective of the MBA program format you chose, you must obtain a good GMAT score to be able to ace the admission decision of your desired program. In keeping with the rationale for opting for the accelerated MBA program, that is, save time while positing you with maximum experience and training in business fundamentals, you must also opt for such resources that help you prepare for and manage your MBA applications easily. Thus, opt for online GMAT prep, or download the free GMAT mobile app and prepare on the go. Alternately, you can also partake of the GMAT Prep and MBA admissions consulting bundle to reap the maximum benefits.

All the best!

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