Yale School of Management

MBA Program Stats

Academics And Programs

This year, the B-School has an enrollment of 738 MBA students. Yale has moved well beyond the conventional case-based style of teaching, employing a whole team of people both in their 21-month MBA and in the wider Global Network for Advanced Management (GNAM) network of over 32 international schools to put together its unique “raw” cases. Rather than tidy, paper-based cases, students are presented with a mass of information in several media channels like videos, news reports, interviews, and data. There is by design too much for any individual to absorb, meaning that students are forced to work in teams to create a coherent analysis all completed in 72 credit units or 624 instruction hours. The point, of course, is to mimic the way information presents itself, and the way people make decisions, in the real world.

When it comes to electives, Yale SOM students have the amazing opportunity — rare, even in business schools that are embedded in world-class universities — to take as many as they like from other university schools and departments. MBA candidates have taken perspective-broadening courses such as Native American Art & Architecture and Faith & Globalization. DelMonico says roughly 10% of SOM students are pursuing a joint degree with another Yale school.

Of course, leadership is also central to this MBA. At Yale SOM, they look at developing leadership in four dimensions: individual, which involves developing skills and knowledge, but also understanding your own strengths and limitations and ways to persuade and influence others; working in, and leading, teams; seeing an organization, rather than broken down by geography or function; and being aware of global challenges such as inequality and climate change.

Yale founded the Global Network for Advanced Management (GNAM), a network of 31 leading business schools from diverse regions and countries, and MBA candidates are encouraged to develop global perspectives by traveling to these partner schools for courses. Students have visited IE Business School in Madrid for a course on the euro crisis, and Renmin University Business School in China to learn about entrepreneurship in emerging markets. If they like, they can take courses in languages or international relations.

Students are required to complete a summer internship between their first and second year. As for co-curricular activities, the SOM hosts student-led conferences and case competitions at the school annually. The SOM also houses multiple research and learning centers where students can get involved, such as the Center for Customer Insights, the Program on Social Enterprise, the International Center for Finance, the Center for Business and the Environment, the Program on Entrepreneurship, and many more.

Why Students Chose

“Yale is so much more than the sum of its parts. The interdisciplinary collaboration occurring at Yale SOM with other graduate schools is what makes this program so special. I was attracted to SOM because its program is consistently breaking down barriers to allow students to fully explore their scholarly interests so that we are best equipped to solve the world’s most pressing challenges.” Hana Ezaldein (‘24)

“A key draw of Yale SOM’s MBA curriculum was the flexibility to take elective courses across Yale’s various academic programs. This is especially true for someone like me, who is interested in exploring the intersection of sustainability and well-being. The ability to attend classes at Yale School of Environment, Yale School of Public Health, and Yale Center on Climate Change and Health will broaden my understanding of the health impacts of sustainability. Classes at these schools in addition to my MBA education will also allow me to naturally expand my network across Yale’s other graduate schools and hear the thoughts of my peers at the respective schools on how the private sector can support and advance public health and climate justice efforts.” Eunjee Koh (‘24)

“I was attracted to the integrated curriculum that pushes you to look at a problem or decision point from multiple perspectives and underscores the importance of breaking down silos. In all my conversations with students, faculty, and alumni, it was clear to me that through this approach, and throughout the program as a whole, Yale SOM trains empathic leaders ready to tackle real world problems.” Joe Califiore (‘24).

Career Stats

From The Yale School of Management

At the Yale School of Management, our mission is to educate leaders for business and society.

We view those two components—business and society—as inseparable; the health of one depends on the vitality of the other. The most effective leaders in any arena comprehend the interconnectedness of their organizations with their communities. The scope of the challenges we face today—including the climate crisis, the global pandemic response, and the imperative to root out injustice and racism in all our institutions—calls for leaders who can advance organizational goals while also facilitating progress on major societal challenges.

Curriculum

Yale’s integrated MBA curriculum is unique in how it ties together the pieces of a business school education into a meaningful whole. Built around a series of stakeholder perspectives, courses traverse traditional business functions to explore the distinct points of view of multiple stakeholders across private and public realms. Examples of core courses include: Customer, Competitor, Innovator, Workforce, Investor, and State & Society.

The core curriculum is carefully planned to cover all the business fundamentals, while expanding your understanding of the whole organization, eventually building to complex decisions at an organizational level.

Learn more about the Yale MBA core curriculum.

Inside a core course: Modeling Managerial Decisions

Student Experience

At Yale SOM, students advance their aspirations by being part of a community of people who help each other reach their goals. We assemble students who bring a strong set of values to our community, and the Yale SOM experience is designed to help each of them hone and strengthen their sense of individual purpose. Being part of a community with this orientation serves as training for cultivating healthy communities in organizations of all sorts and scales.

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Visit Edward P. Evans Hall

Careers

At Yale SOM, there are a variety of resources to help students define and pursue their professional goals. The Career Development Office provides a professional development curriculum that includes self-assessments, explorations of possible career paths, and workshops on career search strategies, résumé and cover letter writing, networking, interviewing, and negotiation. Student clubs offer training to help prepare first-year students for internship interviews in particular industries, and classmates are eager to help with support and networking. Students also benefit from the support of the close-knit SOM alumni network.

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Admissions

View demographic and career data about the Class of 2024.

Find an Admissions Event

Visit the Yale SOM website to learn about the school’s MBA for Executives, Master of Advanced Management, Master’s in Systemic Risk, Master’s in Global Business & Society, Master’s in Asset Management, and doctoral programs.

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Essay Questions For Yale

Sharing what matters to you.

We want to know what matters to you, and our essay question is designed to help us gain insight into your background, passions, motivations, responsibilities, ideals, identities, challenges, or aspirations, depending on where you take your response. To ensure that you’re able to write about something important to you, we offer you three essay prompts from which to choose:

1) Describe the biggest commitment you have ever made. Why is this commitment meaningful to you and what actions have you taken to support it?

2) Describe the community that has been most meaningful to you. What is the most valuable thing you have gained from being a part of this community and what is the most important thing you have contributed to this community?

3) Describe the most significant challenge you have faced. How have you confronted this challenge and how has it shaped you as a person?

Choose the prompt that speaks most strongly to you and about which you have the most enthusiasm. In answering the prompt – whichever one it is – you should think about the life experiences that have been most meaningful to you and that you most want to communicate to the committee, and pick the question that will best allow you to express that aspect of yourself. We find that the most compelling essays are the ones that are truly important to you, so make sure that’s your guide in choosing what to write about; don’t try to guess what we’re looking for or what you think we want to hear. Importantly, regardless of which prompt you choose, you’ll want to support your essay with concrete examples.

Rankings Data For Yale

Yale MBA Rankings

MBA Program Consideration Set

If you believe you’re a close match to this school–based on your scores, age and work experience, you could look at these other competitive full-time MBA programs as well. We list them by stretch, match, and more to consider. These options are presented on the basis of brand image and ranking status as a general guideline. These are meant to be a starting point for further exploration.