2007-08 UCI Catalogue: Merage School of Business

THE PAUL MERAGE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

GRADUATE PROGRAMS

Educational Objectives

The Paul Merage School of Business offers a generalist M.B.A. degree and a learning experience that prepares graduates for a lifetime of professional and personal growth with increasingly important enterprise-wide responsibilities. The rigorous curriculum, combined with extensive professional and interpersonal training and opportunities made available through the School's Career Services Office and Center for Leadership Development, allows students to gain theoretical perspectives that are in turn tested and affirmed with practical application. The result is an environment that fosters the development of professional and personal skills vital to contemporary executives or managers. Students are encouraged to develop their ability to lead change by mastering communication skills, to work productively and actively within a team-oriented environment, to gain a solid grasp of quantitative skills, and to appreciate and effectively employ those solutions that involve the integration and implementation of information and technology to offer creatively viable business options.

The School has developed a strategic focus on Information Technology for Management (ITM), a theme that is incorporated in many areas of the curriculum. Although a solid grounding in basic business disciplines provides the foundation for effective management, graduates are encouraged to aim higher. They learn about change as it takes place within the context of a knowledge-based, technology-driven society where information and its effective use are vital to establishing a competitive edge. Students, whether they are interested in finance, marketing, general management, strategic planning, accounting, operations, health care, human resources, international business, or other areas, will be thoroughly imbued and comfortable with the nature, importance, and handling of information in all of these and other fields. Further, they will understand the technology and the technological processes that enable the gathering, analysis, dissemination, and use of information to change the way business is done. The strategic focus of the School is to provide skills that will enable its graduates to be effective managers who are not only proficient in business procedures but have the leadership qualities and know-how to affect change by transforming conventional business practices or perhaps even inventing new business processes and management techniques.

The Paul Merage School of Business has created an information-rich environment that cuts across all business disciplines by providing its students, faculty, and staff with technological tools that enable each member of the School to retrieve and analyze information that can be used to develop new processes or solve complex problems. Five ITM laboratories in the core disciplines are a critical part of the learning experience, and students' familiarity and ease with Information Technology for Management serve as backdrop for many other courses.

Additionally, has also achieved a national reputation for excellence in graduate management education in the health care industry through the Health Care Executive M.B.A. (HCEMBA) program. Industry managers and health care professionals learn about managerial challenges and issues in the health care industry where hundreds of health care providers, medical device and instrumentation companies, and biosciences firms are headquartered. A joint M.D./M.B.A. program also is available.

General Admission Requirements

Evaluation of the applicant's file for admission to the Master's and Ph.D. degree programs will consist of an integrated assessment of all materials (test scores, transcripts of previous academic work, statement of purpose, and letters of recommendation). The University admission standard of a 3.0 or better undergraduate grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) is required. The minimum TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score acceptable for study at the School for all M.B.A. programs is 600 on the paper-based test; 250 or better on the computer-based test; or 100 or better on the Internet-based test. Substantive work experience is considered for applicants to M.B.A. programs.

Requests for application material should be addressed to either the Full-Time M.B.A., M.B.A. Programs for Working Professionals, or Ph.D. Program at the University of California, Irvine, The Paul Merage School of Business, Irvine, CA 92697-3125; e-mail: mba@uci.edu, or gsm-phd@merage.uci.edu; World Wide Web: http://www.merage.uci.edu/.

Doctor of Philosophy in Management

The Paul Merage School of Business admits students for the Ph.D. in the fall quarter only. The deadline for application is January 4. The Ph.D. program requires a commitment to full-time study. In addition to the other requirements, Ph.D. applicants are encouraged to submit a previously prepared paper (research report, Master's thesis, essay, case study) which may be indicative generally of the applicant's interests and capabilities.

The School offers the Ph.D. in Management to students with backgrounds in a variety of disciplines. While a master's degree is preferred, students may be admitted to the doctoral program directly from the baccalaureate degree. There are many appropriate undergraduate majors, including (but not limited to) psychology, political science, business or public administration, mathematics, computer sciences, economics, sociology, and so forth. Students with academic strengths in disciplines not usually considered as precursors for management (e.g., natural sciences, humanities, and the arts) are encouraged to apply. The Ph.D. program is designed to prepare students for academic careers in a number of the fields of management, e.g., organization and strategy, operations and decision technologies, management information systems, finance, accounting, and marketing. Requirements of the Ph.D. program include a broad knowledge of core management disciplines. In addition, the Ph.D. student must qualify as a skilled researcher and must complete a dissertation demonstrating these skills. There are no foreign language requirements in the Ph.D. program. In some circumstances, the M.S. degree in Management may be awarded to some students upon completion of requirements.

The Ph.D. program is divided into two phases: qualification and dissertation. In the qualification phase the student prepares for dissertation research in an area of specialization. This phase is completed when an oral qualifying examination is passed and the candidacy committee recommends advancement to candidacy for the Ph.D. The normative time for advancement to candidacy is three years. The dissertation phase involves a significant original research project which demonstrates the Ph.D. student's creativity and ability to launch and sustain a career of research. The normative time for completion of the Ph.D. in four years, and the maximum time permitted is six years.

Requests for information should be addressed to the University of California, Irvine, The Paul Merage School of Business, Doctoral Program Admissions Office, 418 Graduate School of Management, Irvine, CA 92697-3125; e-mail: gsm-phd@merage.uci.edu; World Wide Web: http://www.merage.uci.edu/AcademicPrograms/DoctoralProgram/index.aspx.

Master's Degree Programs

The Paul Merage School of Business offers a variety of programs leading to the M.B.A. (Master of Business Administration) degree. These include a two-year, full-time M.B.A. program, and three part-time M.B.A. programs: a 21-month Executive M.B.A. program, a two-year Health Care Executive M.B.A. program, and a three-year Fully Employed M.B.A. program. A five-year joint M.D./M.B.A. program is offered in conjunction with the School of Medicine.

M.B.A. PROGRAM

The Paul Merage School of Business admits students to the two-year, full-time M.B.A. program in the fall quarter. Students from a variety of undergraduate disciplines, including liberal arts, social sciences, physical or biological sciences, computer science, and engineering, are encouraged to apply. The final deadline for completion of all phases of the application procedure is April 15. In addition to the general University rules governing admission to graduate study, the School normally requires the following:

1. Completion of the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT).

2. Completion of a course in both introductory calculus and statistics with probability with a grade of B or better.

The evaluation of an applicant's file for admission consists of an integrated assessment of all materials submitted including test scores, transcripts of previous academic work, statements on application forms, and letters of recommendation. Above and beyond these factors, substantive work experience is given serious consideration in the evaluation process.

The Innovation Economy we live in dictates that change, technology, information, and adaptation are the major mechanisms in the growth of the modern enterprise. Companies that are able to consistently grow harness innovation to drive increased company performance. They launch new products and services in shorter time frames, create new products that can immediately threaten well-established brands, and have the ability to quickly assess and integrate emerging technologies in order to sustain profitability and growth.

The M.B.A. program at The Paul Merage School of Business is distinctive for its focus on providing students the capabilities and skills to succeed in the Innovation Economy. Students develop a sophisticated understanding of the new requirements for success in the School's new curriculum that emphasizes the three critical drivers of the Innovation Economy: Strategic Innovation, Information Technology, and Analytical Decision Making.

This understanding is advanced through experiential learning course work in which teams of students work on challenging assignments for leading companies. Another distinctive feature of the program is the new capstone course on the future of business where students explore specific industries and companies and discover what actions must be taken today to reap the benefit from long-term trends in technologies, geopolitics, demographics, and macroeconomics.

The full-time M.B.A. program requires a minimum of 92 units with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in the Core and overall. The curriculum consists of courses divided into two groups designed to achieve specific educational objectives. The courses are divided as follows: 13 required Common Core Courses (50 units) and 42 units of elective courses which students select to emphasize career goals and educational interests. A thesis is not required.

Required Course Work. Common Core Courses, each of which is four units, are: Management of Complex Organizations, Statistics for Management, Management Science, Operations Management, Organizational Analysis, Financial and Managerial Accounting, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics or Business and Government, Information Technology for Management, Marketing Management, Managerial Finance, Business Strategy.

International Requirement. Students must fulfill the requirement in one of the following ways: completion of a Paul Merage School of Business international elective in a functional area; participation in a Paul Merage School of Business international exchange program; or completion of an upper-division or graduate international course offered by another UC school, with the approval of The Paul Merage School of Business Associate Dean.

Electives. In addition to the core courses, 42 more units of elective courses are required. The major emphasis in the elective courses is to develop additional depth in a discipline or interdisciplinary area or specialized competence in the use of a particular set of technical tools and methods. Students select their electives in light of their educational and career goals and interests.

The 3-2 Program for Undergraduates

In addition to the full-time master's program for students who have already received a bachelor's degree, outstanding UCI undergraduate students may apply to enter a cooperative 3-2 Program with the School and most other campus units. Acceptance into the 3-2 Program constitutes advanced admission to the graduate program. Such students complete their undergraduate major requirements by the end of their junior year. During their senior year, they take graduate courses in the School. These courses are used to satisfy their undergraduate unit requirements, and at the same time apply toward their graduate degree. Successful completion of the requirements in the program normally leads to the bachelor's degree in the cooperating discipline after the fourth year, and the M.B.A. degree after the fifth year. Students should consult with their academic counselor in their major school early in their academic careers for further information about completing undergraduate requirements in three years. Students contemplating entering such a program should contact The Paul Merage School of Business prior to, or early in, the start of their junior year for the purpose of program consultation.

NOTE: With the exception of 3-2 students, no undergraduates will be enrolled in Paul Merage School of Business graduate-level courses.

M.D./M.B.A. Degree Program

The M.D./M.B.A. program requires five or six years for completion. It is aimed at individuals who are exceptional in ability and motivation and who seek a career as physicians with major responsibility for administration and management in health care organizations and institutions.

Students in this program pursue a combined curriculum for an M.D. degree from the School of Medicine and an M.B.A. degree from The Paul Merage School of Business.

Students must be currently enrolled in the M.D. program and in good academic standing in order to apply to the combined M.D./M.B.A. program. During their second or third year of medical school, interested students submit an application to The Paul Merage School of Business Admissions Committee, after review by the School of Medicine. Final acceptance to the program is granted by The Paul Merage School of Business, and M.B.A. course work begins following completion of the student's third year of medical school. Students should be aware that enrollment in the M.D. program does not guarantee acceptance into the M.B.A. program.

The MCAT, along with the completion of three years of medical school training in good standing and passage of USMLE Step I, currently serve as a waiver for the GMAT entrance examination usually required for application to the M.B.A. program. The total number of units required to graduate for each program separately are satisfied in the M.D./M.B.A. program. Contact the M.D./M.B.A. Advisor at (949) 824-5388 for more information.

Special Opportunities

In addition to the standard admissions criteria, the Admissions Committee is particularly interested in how prospective candidates envision the current role and future potential of information technology in business.

The Paul Merage School of Business offers course work in health care management within the M.B.A. program. The courses provide training not only in health care and related issues, but also expose students to professionals in the areas of management, finance, marketing, and strategic planning.

In today's interconnected global business world, it has become increasingly important for management students to learn to operate in an international environment. M.B.A. students in the full-time program can gain first-hand knowledge of the culture and management practices of other industrialized countries by participating in an academic exchange with universities located abroad. This experience, combined with course work in international management, prepares students for the demands and complexities of the growing global economic environment. Currently, The Paul Merage School of Business has exchange relationships with Bocconi University, Milan, Italy; Budapest University of Economic Sciences (BUES), Budapest, Hungary; ESSEC Graduate School of Management, France; Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Hong Kong; Maastricht University, Netherlands; The Monterrey Institute of Technology, Monterrey, Mexico; National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore; Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile (PUC), Santiago, Chile; Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, Vienna, Austria; and Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea.

Opportunities for students to take part in ongoing research exist through the Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations (CRITO), which was recently designated by the National Science Foundation (NSF) as one of six industry-University Information Research Centers in the United States. CRITO is a consortium of corporations working together with faculty at UCI and elsewhere to better understand the evolving fabric of the information society and its implications for the design, use, and management of information and technology in various user environments. These environments range from the individual user's environment to work-groups, organizations, social communities, and society. The aim is to determine how organizations can more effectively use information and better design and manage new technology for improving organizational performance and society more generally.

CRITO faculty associates are recognized internationally for their excellence in the study of information technology as it applies to complex organizations. This tradition of excellence has been established by faculty from The Paul Merage School of Business, the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, and the School of Social Sciences. These associates have collaborated since 1974 on theoretical and empirical research projects studying a broad array of questions about the relationship between information technology and organizational structure, society, political behavior, productivity, and performance. Research conducted through CRITO focuses on the management, use, and impact of information technology in the emerging global, competitive marketplace and the policy issues raised by such use. Qualified Paul Merage School of Business students are encouraged to participate in the various CRITO research activities and to avail themselves of this unique opportunity to interact with scholars from allied disciplines and to study in-depth the effects of the information technology revolution.

M.B.A. Career Center

The M.B.A. Career Center, located within the School, was established to serve the unique placement needs of M.B.A. students and alumni. It has two main functions: (1) attracting a variety of organizations to interview and hire graduates and (2) counseling students in career opportunities and the techniques necessary to conduct effective job searches, not only for their first jobs but throughout their careers. The relatively small size of the M.B.A. program allows considerable interaction between the Career Center and students.

EXECUTIVE M.B.A. PROGRAM

The Executive M.B.A. (EMBA) program presents a challenging 21-month course of study specifically designed for working professionals and managers with a minimum of eight years of work experience. Students meet on alternate weekends (Friday and Saturday) at The Paul Merage School of Business. Class size allows students the opportunity to actively participate in class discussions and interact closely with their peers. Information technology is an integral part of the program.

The program offers an applications-oriented curriculum with an international focus designed to give the working professional contemporary management tools for successfully doing business on a national and international level. Students participate in an in-depth, week-long international seminar abroad. The added dimension of overseas study provides them with first-hand knowledge of the challenges inherent in doing business on a global scale, and brings them in direct contact with global markets.

Further information may be obtained by contacting the University of California, Irvine, M.B.A. Programs for Working Professionals, 202 Graduate School of Management, Irvine, CA 92697-3125; telephone (949) 824-4565; Web site: http://www.merage.uci.edu/.

HEALTH CARE EXECUTIVE M.B.A. PROGRAM

The Health Care Executive M.B.A. program is a two-year program designed for professionals and managers with experience in the health care industry. Classes are held once a month on a Thursday evening beginning at 7 p.m. and continuing until noon on Sunday. In addition, there are three week-long residential courses which address specific issues and topics while developing team-building skills.

The curriculum is a carefully structured program that assures each student exposure to the full range of disciplines which are essential components of a management education. The core and elective courses are specifically customized for application to a health care professional's daily challenges. Distinguished speakers from the industry are an integral part of the program. This activity has been approved for AMA PRA credit.

FULLY EMPLOYED M.B.A. PROGRAM

The Fully Employed M.B.A. (FEMBA) program gives emerging managers an opportunity to earn an M.B.A. degree with minimal disruption to their professional lives. Students attend classes on weeknights and/or Saturdays during the program. The FEMBA Program admits new students for enrollment in spring or fall. Students beginning the program in spring attend classes nine consecutive quarters and complete the program in 27 months. Students beginning the program in fall attend classes nine non-consecutive quarters (summers off) and complete the program in 33 months.

The program consists of both core courses and electives, allowing students to establish a solid foundation of traditional business skills and then customize their education based on personal interests and goals. The curriculum provides constant interaction between information presented in the classroom and what is being used on the job, reinforcing and enhancing the student's learning experience.

In addition to classroom work, students attend three residential sessions including one abroad focusing on global markets. In this concentrated setting, students and faculty have an opportunity to explore in depth a variety of business challenges and how those challenges can best be met using contemporary management tools.