The Darla Moore School of Business | University of South Carolina

The Darla Moore School of Business seeks to enroll diverse and qualified students. We encourage you to read more about the details of the IMBA program by exploring the program overview section of this site.

The IMBA program enrolls students in the Summer II session only, which begins in late June.

CRITERIA FOR ADMISSION 

Admissions Information 

General Information
The application for admissions will ask for general personal and contact information, academic and employment information, as well as information related to an applicant’s participation in certain organizations (i.e. US Armed Forces).  Although not all information is required, we encourage you to provide as much information as possible as some of the data is relevant to certain fellowship opportunities (i.e. Peace Corps Fellows).

Essays
The application also asks for a statement of purpose (maximum of 500 words) that should outline why you want to earn the IMBA degree. There are three additional short essay questions to answer (choose 3 out of 5 questions to answer). There is also additional space to add a personal essay. This essay should be used by the applicant to explain any part of his/her application where it is thought the admissions committee may need further explanation.

Professional Work Experience
A candidate's work experience is thoroughly evaluated as it is often a valid predictor of not only a candidate's academic success in the program, but also his or her success from a career management perspective. Therefore, while work experience is not a requirement, it is strongly encouraged that candidates have at least two or more years of full-time, post-bachelor, professional work experience. The applicant is required to include a resume as part of the online application.

Should a candidate who has fewer than two years of work experience seek enrollment, we strongly recommend that the candidate highlight leadership experience, as well as any part-time, volunteer, or other academic-related work experience (internship, co-op, etc.) in the application.

Please review the IMBA Student Profile page for more detail about the most recent cohort's average profile.

Undergraduate Performance (Transcripts)
An earned undergraduate degree from an accredited institution is required to be considered for admission to the IMBA program. A degree in business is not required.  Applicants from any major are encouraged to apply as we value diversity within our cohorts.

Transcripts from all institutions attended must be submitted to the Darla Moore School of Business as part of the admissions process. These documents must be sent to the Moore School's Graduate Division in a sealed envelope. The Moore School has access to transcripts of USC graduates; no further action is required if the University of South Carolina was the last school you attended. 

The average undergraduate GPA range for a graduate of a U.S. institution is from 3.0 to 4.0. Please review the IMBA Student Profile page for the most recent cohort's GPA average.

Please send all documents to:

Darla Moore School of Business
Graduate Division
Director of Admissions
1705 College St.
Columbia, SC 29208
USA

Graduate Admission TEST (GMAT or GRE)
Applicants must provide a valid (five years or fewer) Admissions test. The applicant may provide either of the following options:

• Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT): The GMAT is composed of verbal, quantitative, written and analytical sections. Typically, the average overall score range is from the upper-500s to the upper 700s (maximum score possible is 800). Please review the IMBA Student Profile for the most recent cohort's GMAT average. You may learn more about the GMAT on the Graduate Management Admission Council Web site. To have test scores sent, the institutional/program code for the Moore School's IMBA program is:  JV2-TP-84
• GRE General Test (GRE): The GRE is composed of verbal, quantitative and analytical sections. Typically, the average overall score range is from the low 1100s to the upper 1500s (maximum score possible is 1600). You may learn more about the GRE on the GRE Web site. Please review the IMBA Student Profile page for the most recent cohort's GRE average. To have test scores sent, the institutional/program code for the Moore School's IMBA program is:  5818 
  Attention GRE Test-Takers
   
  Educational Testing Services (ETS) will re-launch the GRE® starting in August 2011, resulting in the delay of GRE® score reports. Therefore, applicants who take the GRE® revised General Test between August 1-November 18, 2011 will receive their score reports based on the following special score reporting schedule instead of the regular 10 – 15 day reporting period:

After December 2011, score reporting for the computer-based test will return to the regular reporting period of 10 to 15 days after the test date.  Score reports for paper-based administrations will continue to be reported six weeks after the test date.  Therefore, applicants wishing to enroll in the Fall 2011 term will need to take the GRE® before August 1, 2011 or take the GMAT®. Also, applicants applying for the Spring 2012 term who wish to have their completed application reviewed before December are strongly encouraged to take the GRE® before August 1, 2011, or take the GMAT®.  For further information, please visit the ETS website at http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/know.

Letters of Recommendation (2 required)
Letters of recommendation are required for the admissions review. It is acceptable to have either professional or academic letters of recommendation; however, we encourage candidates to submit recent professional letters of reference where possible.

We encourage recommenders to submit their letters through the online application system. The applicant is able to send an electronic request to the designated recommender. The recommender is then able to complete the review within the on-line system or upload a saved document.

If necessary, the applicant or the recommender may send completed letters in a sealed envelope. If this is the case, please mail documents to:

Darla Moore School of Business
Graduate Division
Director of Admissions
1705 College St.
Columbia, SC 29208
USA 

English Proficiency Test (TOEFL or IELTS)
International applicants who do not hold a degree from a U.S. institution must also submit a valid (two years old or fewer) test score demonstrating their command of the English language. The applicant may provide either of the following test options:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): The TOEFL Is composed of listening, reading, speaking and writing sections. The minimum score is 95 in the iBT (Internet-based test) format. You may learn more about the test on the TOEFL website. To have test scores sent, the institutional/program code for the Moore School's IMBA program is:  5818. 
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS): The IELTS Is composed of listening, reading, speaking and writing sections. The minimum score is 7.0 in the academic format. You may learn more about the test on the IELTS website. To have test scores sent, the institutional/program code for the Moore School's IMBA program is:  5818.