Graduate Programs
Being successful in today’s business world means having not just an understanding of global theories and principals, but having a real experience with another culture to draw from.
Hear what our students have to say about the Winter Study Abroad Trip to India in the video below, and then consider coming out to the Open House on Friday, October 14th from 4:30pm-5:30pm to expand your horizons, and change your perspective!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vda0I05ZwBk&feature=youtu.be
When preparing your application for a graduate program, one of the key elements will be submitting your exam scores for consideration. With many business schools now accepting both the GMAT and the GRE, knowing which one to select can be an interesting, if not intimidating challenge.
There are many factors to consider, but three in particular will likely influence your decision greatly.
Academic Background
Deciding to a pursue graduate business degree can be a major change from your undergraduate background, or just a continuation of what you have already have been studying. In general, if your undergraduate degree was in business, management, or economics, you will likely find the GMAT exam more in line with the type of questions, terminology and scenarios that you are already used to in an exam. If, on the other hand, you are relatively new to the academic disciple of business studies, you may find the GRE to be more in line with your academic experience for exams.
Cost
Each exam has its own cost, of course, and you should check out the individual websites for each institution that administers the exams for the most up-to-date pricing. Currently the cost for the GRE is $195, and the cost for the GMAT is $250. While the $55 difference is minimal when compared to the overall cost of the degree you are pursuing, you should keep in mind that many students will take the exam more than once in order to get the best score possible.
Format
As noted above, each exam is geared toward different academic populations, and these differences can also be seen in the format of the exams. The GRE is made up of four distinct sections, covering analytical, integrated reasoning, quantitative and verbal sections. The GMAT also has an analytical writing section, verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and a randomized either math or verbal section. While the various sections are similar in nature, the format and method of how they are administered will vary. You can take sample exams for each, to get a sense of the structure of each exam, and then decide which one you are more comfortable taking.
Of course there are many other factors involved, but making an informed decision can help you get off to a good start in terms of your exam preparation. The Princeton Review website has a quick breakdown between the two exams, under their GMAT vs GRE: What Are the Differences? section for more insight. You can also find details about their prep courses there as well.
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As we move into the final weekend
before the start of Fall ’16 classes, I wanted to share a couple of reminders that should be helpful in the beginning weeks of the semester.
Student ID and Program: Please include your Student ID and Program in all emails to Tara, Steve and I. We strive give all of our students the best service, advising and assistance that we can, and in a timely manner. Including your Student ID and Program in your email will aid in our response time, and confirming your degree details.
Registration Request: “HELP! WISER is giving me an error!” – Though this happens all too often, we in the GPO have created a streamlined process to address your registration needs for any Wiser errors. Simply fill out and submit the Registration Request form, and we will process your request within 24-48 hours (often much sooner).
Student Resources: We’ve also developed the Student Resources page as a destination for many Frequently Asked Questions, forms, and information that you might be looking for.
Immunization holds: Each semester, University Health Services will confirm if each student has verified their immunization records with them. This is of course important for the health and well being of our campus community. If you have not done so yet, please refer to the University Health Services webpage, as well as the immunization details to begin that process, as it will affect your ability to register come Spring Registration in November.
Just a few helpful hints to keep in mind!
Enjoy your weekend, and have a great first week of classes!
Jeff Masse
Graduate Program Specialist
College of Management
University of Massachusetts Boston
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The Blackboard portal can be accessed from the main www.umb.edu page, at the top of the page header, next to the WISER link. You will use your student email and password to access it from there.
Blackboard functions as a separate portal for any online aspects for the on-ground classes. All fully online classes will use Blackboard as the primary mode of communication, content and access, so be sure to check it regularly once online classes begin if you are enrolled in an online class. Online classes begin one week after on-ground classes begin.
Any other on-ground class may or may not use Blackboard to varying extents. Some professors will use it sparingly, maybe putting up the syllabus and a reading or two. Others will use it extensively to facilitate threaded chats, assignments, and regular communication.
Be sure to make use of the Getting Technical Help section if you are running into issues trying to log in or other tech-type glitches.
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A memo issued from James Overton, Interim Co-Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Robert Pomales, Executive Director, University Health Services outlines the Campus wide Tobacco-Free policy in effect as of January 19, 2016.
For information about Smoking Cessation, resources and support, please visit the UMass Boston University Health Services – Tobacco-Free Living page.
— Memo Begins–
This memo is to inform you of the implementation of the UMass Boston Tobacco-Free Campus Policy. This policy will be implemented on January 19, 2016.
There is considerable evidence that concentrations of smoke are harmful to nonsmokers, as well as smokers. Findings of the Surgeon General indicate that tobacco use in any form, active and passive, is a significant health hazard. The University of Massachusetts Boston has a responsibility to its faculty, staff, students, and visitors to provide a safe and healthy environment.
The Tobacco-Free Campus Policy is intended to eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke, provide an environment supportive of tobacco free lifestyles, mitigate the risk of accidental fire, eliminate the health risks associated with expectoration from smokeless tobacco, and eliminate the environmental impact of cigarette litter.
With this action, the University of Massachusetts Boston will join the other four campuses of the UMass System, which have implemented a tobacco-free campus policy.
This Policy applies to anyone within the UMass Boston campus including students, staff, faculty, contractors, and visitors.
Definitions:
Tobacco: For the purposes of this policy, “tobacco” refers to any and all tobacco and/or nicotine products, whether inhaled or ingested, as well as electronic cigarettes.
Policy:
The chancellor has appointed a Tobacco-Free Policy Committee representative of students, faculty, and staff to promote the success of this policy. Members include representatives from:
Student Affairs
University Health Services
Faculty Council
Human Resources
Environmental Health and Safety
Undergraduate Student Government
Faculty and staff shall have access to on campus coaching and counseling, including private consultation and group cessation programming, through the University Health Services and through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
The university will develop and fund a smoking cessation program to assist students, faculty, and staff who wish to quit smoking.
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For more information about Smoking Cessation, resources and support, please visit the University Health Services – Tobacco-Free Living page.
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If your room is listed in Wiser as UMassCenter 1 Beacon St Boston, your class will be held off of the main harbor campus. It will instead be held in downtown Boston, at the One Beacon Building, in the lower level.
Example – Room: UMassCenter 1 Beacon St Boston
You can get to One Beacon by way of the MBTA, using either the Red line or Green line stops of Park Street or Downtown Crossing.
One Beacon Building Highlighted with MBTA stops Park St and Downtown Crossing.
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If you are trying to determine the location of where your class will be meeting, good news! We’re here to de-code the coding on your class schedule from Wiser.
The first thing to do is log into Wiser, and then look under the heading “My Schedule” – it should be in the center of the landing page when you log in.
Remember, Wiser is the official record system for your classes, so you should start here to verify your class schedule and enrollment. Unless you are enrolled in an online only class, consider Blackboard to be a supplementary tool which some professors may use for their classes.
Blackboard does not ‘go-live’ until the first week of classes, so until then it may look blank for you when logging in there. If you are in an online-class, Blackboard will be your main point of contact for that specific class.
Second, you can use the Campus Map navigate to the Building that your class is in.
Finding Your Classroom Location
In Wiser, you will notice codes such as the following:
Example – Room: Wheatley W01-0044
This will be held in the Wheatley Building, on the 1-st floor, in Room # 44. You can find the Wheatley Building and the rest of the campus buildings on the campus map. Wheately is noted as location #12 on the map.
Campus map marked to illustrate the examples above.
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The Graduate Program Office is currently undergoing space renovations in our McCormack offices.
Fortunately, the work has been in progress over the winter session, and completion is expected sometime over the next few weeks of Spring 2016 semester.
During this time, the Graduate Program Office does remain open.The GPO staff, (Tara, Jeff and Steve), have been temporarily relocated.
Interim Office Locations
We will remain available as always by email. To arrange an appointment, email Steve.Sze@umb.edu. You may also email Tara and Jeff directly at: Tara.Norton@umb.edu or Jeffrey.Masse@umb.edu.
Thank-you for your patience and flexibility as we undergo these renovations.
We will be continue to keep you updated as the project progresses, and share with you the grand re-opening of our offices.
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Connect with UMass Boston at our new location @ One Beacon.
COME TO THE OPEN HOUSE
Thursday, December 17, 2015
One Beacon Street, Boston
Refreshments will be served
The College of Management staff and faculty are looking forward to launching Spring 2016 semester classes at our new location. We hope you share in our excitement of having a UMB presence in downtown Boston, just footsteps away from the Financial district, Capitol Hill, Faneuil Hall, and City Hall.
Opportunity to enter you name in a raffle for a gift certificate to the UMass Club,
now located on the 32 floor @ One Beacon.
We encourage you to invite any co-worker, family or friend that may be considering an MBA to join you and us that day. We look forward to share with them the new opportunities that UMass Boston can offer at One Beacon.
Throughout the day interested students will be able to meet with graduate admissions representatives, advisors, and faculty from the College of Management. Transcript evaluation and course registration will be available throughout the day as well.
Open House Agenda – Thursday, December 17
12:00 – Open House Begins
12:15 – 12:45 – Brief Information Session
1:00 – 5:00 – Tours, One-on-One Meetings, Transcript Evaluation and Course Registration
5:30 – 6:00 – Brief Information Session
6:30 – Open House Concludes
Stop by anytime – Admission advisors and staff will be available throughout the day to meet with you.
Let us know you will be joining us!~ RSVP today!
We look forward to seeing you,
College of Management Graduate Programs
University of Massachusetts Boston
We See the World in Boston, and Boston in the World.
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The College of Management is happy to announce that starting with the Spring 2016 semester, we will be offering courses right in downtown Boston at the new UMass Club building, located at One Beacon Street.
Spring 2016 courses offered:
MBA AF 620 Financial Management
Tuesdays 5:30pm-8:15pm (section 03, class #13834)
MBA MS 635 Operations Management
Thursdays 5:30pm-8:15pm (section 02, class #13833)
MBAMGT 650 Organizational Analysis & Skills for Managers
Mondays 5:30pm-8:15pm (section 03, class #13770)
These classes are open to students from all CM Graduate programs.
Register today to join us right in downtown Boston for Spring of 2016!
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MBA Degree Requirements:
Changes to the degree and what that means for MBA students.
Starting Fall 2015, there are now 2 sets of degree requirements for MBA students, which are based on when a student matriculated (entered) into the MBA program.
Requirements for each program can be found on the Student Resource page, under Course Planning Guides. You can also view them below:
Course Planning Guides (linked below, MS-Word format)
MBA (Flex) Planning Guide (started Fall 2015 and after)
MBA Planning Guide (started prior to Fall 2015)
Professional MBA (P-MBA) Planning Guide
MSA Planning Guide
MSF Planning Guide
MSF with Investment Specialization Planning Guide
MSIM Planning Guide
MSIT Planning Guide
This is a change to the MBA program only, that takes effect for matriculated students starting Fall 2015. It is a University policy that program changes can only take effect for the student population that enters during the first semester the change is approved. This means that students already entered into the program are not eligible for the new requirements, and must complete the requirements for the degree that were in effect at the time that they matriculated into the program.
This has been discussed at the University and Registrar’s levels already, and the policy stands as stated above.
The BBJ event originally scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, has been postponed.
An update will be posted when rescheduled.