The Paul Merage School of Business MBA: What You Need To Know

The Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California Irvine is located in the heart of Orange County’s tech coast, meaning MBAs are surrounded by a network of tech businesses like Google, Amazon, and Western Digital as well as digitally savvy firms including Capital Group, Edwards Lifesciences, Experian, Hyundai, Pacific Life and Johnson & Johnson. At UC Irvine, the goal is for students to learn how to thrive as leaders in a technology-intensive global economy through a combination of innovative coursework, real-world experiences and career development.

The Full-Time MBA, now fully STEM-designated, is designed for prospective students at an early-mid point in their career, and they come primarily from the consulting, finance, government/military, education, and tech industries.

The MBA is flexible by design and can be completed in as little as 18 months or as many as 21 months. Around 80% of students receive some type of scholarship. Class sizes are small, with just 40 students per cohort on average.

“I came to UCI because I wanted a smaller class size. I knew that I would know everybody on a more personal level. I really liked the people that I met when I visited the school. I also liked that we were going to have classmates from all over the world, so the international focus of the school was evident from the jump,” says MBA Brandon Scott in a blog post on the Merage MBA site.

During the first year after completing MBA Boot Camp, an intensive two-week orientation designed to prepare students for the rest of their MBA experience, Merage MBAs begin the program with the core courses in business analytics, financial accounting, principles of marketing, and corporate finance.

All the while, they have support of the career center, where coaches help MBAs plan their journey to the career they desire.

Merage MBAs can enhance their degree through a summer internship – not required but recommended. Of those seeking internships, all landed paid internships and 41% of MBAs went on to work for their internship employer post-grad. A total of 90% of MBAs were employed within three months of graduation.

The second year of the program involves customizing the MBA through one of four specializations in Digital Transformation, Healthcare Management & Policy, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Real Estate & Urban Development. There’s also the option to study abroad in a quarter-long international exchange or complete a week-long international study program providing a first-hand look at the global economy. Past cohorts traveled to Amsterdam, Ho Chi Minh City, Dubai, Japan, Colombia and Cuba.