American University is located in Washington, D.C. It is home to the Kogod School of Business. In addition to various advanced degree programs for tax, accounting, finance and real estate, Kogod also has an American University MBA degree program. The program is popular with both U.S. and foreign students and has both full-time and part-time options. Those seeking to get accepted into this MBA program should get familiar with the standards and procedures used by American University for student selection.
Testing
The typical requirement for MBA students in America is the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). American University is no different in this respect. The 201 had an average GMAT of 580. While not as competitive as some of the more prestigious programs like Wharton or Stanford, this is still a rather competitive score. Aspiring business students will need to do better than average to get accepted into American’s MBA program.
It should be noted that Kogod School of Business just instituted the GRE as a second MBA exam option for 2011. There is no guarantee that this option will continue into the future. But no average scores are even available for this, so it would be wise to submit a GMAT score unless you feel that your GRE score is superior (and that your GMAT is probably too low for acceptance).
Visit the official MBA website to get study software and materials for the GMAT.
Work Experience
American does not allow students to go straight from undergraduate courses to the MBA program. You must have some full-time experience. It it recommended that you have at least two years of experience. Note that internships do not count as full-time employment even if you attended those internship programs on a full-time basis.
Interview
American University officials will interview you if they feel you are otherwise qualified based on your GMAT/GRE test scores, GPA and other factors. For this phase, it is good to have some future business goals set out before attending the interview. You will almost certainly be asked about your current or recent employment and your future business pursuits, so make sure you prepare a good CV. Do not take this lightly, as a poor interview could cause you to get rejected for enrollment into the MBA program.
GPA
It always helps to have a solid GPA, especially if your GMAT score is lower than the average. The 2010 American University MBA class had an average of 3.34.
Getting Further Information and Applying
The Kogod School of Business has a web page on the American University website (see Resources below). Refer to that page for a brochure and application. Of course, you can get up-to-date GMAT and GPA averages on that site, as well.
Resources:
American University Kogod School of Business MBA Degree Program Details