University of Colorado – Leeds School of Business

75. University of Colorado

Leeds School of Business

995 Regent Drive

Boulder, Colorado 80302

Admissions: (303) 492-8397

Email: leedsmba@colorado.edu

Website: http://www.colorado.edu/leeds/

Apply Online: http://www.colorado.edu/leedsmba/admissions

Leeds’ emphasis on entrepreneurship and innovation has given rise to such notable business successes as Crocs, Mad Greens, as well as other new companies through startup accelerator, Techstars . The school prides itself on counting five Nobel prize winners among its faculty.

As the eight oldest business school in the United States, Leeds combines a rich history in business education with a commitment to producing innovative and principled business leaders.  The school’s location on one of the nation’s most beautiful campuses makes it an easy sell for students seeking a customizable program with international opportunities.

Leeds’ full-time MBA program is designed to be a flexible and immersive experience. The curriculum blends core courses, such as Quantitative Methods and Business Writing, with elective options offered in the Spring Semester of the first year. The core courses are standardized for all students and provide a foundation in business essentials.

In their Fall Semester, first years are enrolled in Socially Responsible Business alongside three to four seven-week modules.  By Spring, students select two electives and can opt to focus on Finance, Management, Marketing, Sustainability, Real Estate or Entrepreneurship.

Students looking to develop experience beyond their business portfolios can enroll in up to four elective courses in other graduate departments on campus. MBAs also have the option to earn a second degree from another school or college on the CU-Boulder campus in less time than it would take to earn both diplomas sequentially.  For their second degree, students can study everything from law and computer science to fine arts and Germanic languages.

Leeds MBAs also have the opportunity to gain global business savvy through a variety of study abroad opportunities, ranging from full-semester exchange programs in India and Spain to several-week International Study Seminars in Europe.

Students with a service bent can take advantage of Leeds’ four-year MBA/Peace Corps Master’s International Program, which combines the school’s two-year MBA with the Peace Corps service experience. Here, students apply their B-school skills to real-world situations in a high-need international environment.

Latest Up-to-Date MBA Rankings:

Poets&Quants (2014): 75

BusinessWeek (2014): 83

Forbes (2014): 70

U.S. News & World Report (2014): 86 (Tie)

Financial Times (2014): NR

The Economist (2013): NR

Ranking Analysis:

Between 2012 and 2013, Leeds made a significant jump in Poets&Quants‘ ranking, going from No. 93 to No. 76. Two main factors came into play. First, in the same time period, the school went from 84th place to 79th place in the U.S. News ranking. And while Forbes didn’t include the school in its 2012 list, in 2013, it ranked Leeds No. 70.

Tuition & Fees (full-time): $16,860 per year (In-State)/$31,392 per year (Out-of-State)

Average GMAT: 611

GMAT Range (10th-90th percentile): 540-770

Average GPA: 3.36

Acceptance Rate: 61%

Mean Age: 28

Full-Time Enrollment (full-time): 149

International: 17.4%

Female: 30.9%

Minority: 9.4%

Class of 2014 Employment Information:

Average Base Salary: $72,767

Average Signing Bonus: $5,757

Percentage of MBAs with Job Offers at Graduation: 38.9%

Percentage of MBAs With Job Offers Three Months Later: 66.7%