MBA without GMAT in USA: The USA is without doubt one of the most popular destinations for a management programme. Yes, the country does attract the highest number of STEM students anywhere in the World, but this does not mean that USA is behind management studies either. A student planning to pursue management in USA has to go through a rigorous admission process which includes putting in place a well prepared application package, appearing for an interview and most importantly submitting standardized scores like GMAT and GRE. While GRE is steadily being taken up by students opting for an MBA in USA, GMAT is unarguably the most sought after test with majority of the MBA aspirants submitting GMAT scores for admission to top business schools in USA.
However, while GMAT is an important and integral part of the admission process, not all MBA programmes offered by business schools in US ask for GMAT score. In fact, there are programmes in business schools that offer MBA without GMAT in USA. These programmes, usually, include executive programmes which demand higher work experience from the students in place of a GMAT score. So, while they offer an MBA without GMAT in USA, they ask for around 10-14 years ofwork experience for MBA in most cases which could even include a couple of years of experience in a managerial position. Of course, the business schools do consider students with less than 10 years of experience but, it has been observed that in most cases the conversion possibility is high for students with more than 10 years of experience.
Below are some of the top programmes offered by business schools that offer MBA without GMAT in USA:
UCLA – NUS Executive MBA: An interesting factor in this Executive MBA programme is that it offers two MBA degrees- one from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the other from National University of Singapore (NUS). At 59% of the class, majority of the students in the class are from Asia. Although GMAT is accepted for entry into the programme, students can still opt for an MBA without GMAT in USA as it is not mandatory. In fact, many of the students in the class are known to hold managerial positions previously. Further, 40% of the class has even had held senior managerial positions previously. To make the course more competitive, the school has a very rigorous interview round and candidates require at least 12 -19 years of experience to gain entry.
Stephen M. Ross School of Business: A part of the University of Michigan, the Stephen M. Ross School of Business offers one of the top ranked executive MBA in both USA and the World. It falls among the top 10 EMBA programmes according to Bloomberg Businessweek ranking and among the top 20 as per The Economist. Ross offers a 21 month long programme and is of the top courses which offer an MBA without GMAT in USA. A typical class consists of over 100 students with 15% of them being from international shores. Generally, students with an average work experience of 15 years are accepted into the programme.
NYU Stern executive MBA: While the 22-month long executive programme offered by Stern at New York University is in itself one of the best executive programmes in the US, the icing on the cake is that the programme does not demand GMAT score from the students. Interestingly, to maintain its global management curriculum the programme also conducts two international study tours. The perk of offering an MBA without GMAT in USA is, however, countered by the work experience required by the programme. NYU Stern’s usual classes have students with average 14 years of work experience which also includes around 9 years of managerial experience in many cases.
Want to know which business schools around the world offer MBA without GMAT?Click here for the complete list of the top programmes.
The Kellogg-HKUST Executive MBA Program: A combined degree by Kellogg school and the Hong Kong University of Science Technology’s school of business and management, the Kellogg-HKUST Executive MBA Program or KHEMBA is repeatedly ranked among the top EMBA programmes in the world by major ranking platforms. The 18 month long programme attracts around 800 students from the World annually and offers an MBA without GMAT in USA. Candidates, however, need to have around 14 years of experience to be eligible for the programme.
Thunderbird School of Global Management executive MBA: Ranked in the seventh position by the Economist, the Thunderbird school of global management comes within the University of Arizona. Thunderbird’s executive MBA is especially designed for experienced professionals who want to climb the organizational hierarchy through a global leadership programme. The programme is 16-month long and is one of the schools which offers an MBA without GMAT in US. While a student can submit his/her GMAT score, it is not the mandatory element of the application package. The school, however, requires candidates to have a strong work background with average work experience going as high as 14 years.
Business schools offering MBA without GMAT in USA:
| University | Work exp (average) | Duration | Tuition fees |
| NYU Stern | 14( 9 years managerial) | 22 months | $177,800 |
| The Kellogg-HKUST | 14 | 18 months | $161,200 |
| UCLA – NUS | 12 -19 years | 12 sessions (6 sessions in 2 weeks every 3 months) | $112,940 |
| Thunderbird School of Global Management
|
14 years | 16 months | $70,000(for 3 semesters) |
| Stephen M. Ross School of Business | 15 years | 21 months | $149,200 |
| Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management | 13 years | 18 months | $93,645 |
| Texas Christian University – Neeley School of Business | 17 (11 years managerial experience) | 18 months | $95,000 |
| Cornell University – Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management | 12 years | 17 months | $129,000 |
| University of Notre Dame – Mendoza College of Business | 10 years (5 years managerial experience) | 18 or 22 months | $129,000 |
| University of Maryland – Robert H Smith School of Business | 15 years (5 years managerial experience) | 19 months | $117,900 |
