An MBA from the Tepper School provides a strong foundation for consulting and strategy careers, where you’ll apply problem-solving, analytics, and leadership skills to guide organizations through complex challenges.

Graduates often pursue roles in top consulting firms, corporate strategy groups, and general management positions. Tepper School alumni working in these areas actively recruit current students, helping to strengthen career pathways.

Consulting and Strategy Highlights

• 30.1% of the Full-Time MBA Class of 2024 entered careers in consulting.
   
• Mean salary: $165,134
   
• Top recruiters: Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte, EY/ EY Parthenon, McKinsey & Company, and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)

Community & Activities

Students interested in consulting and strategy join a supportive network that includes the Tepper Consulting Club—one of the largest MBA clubs on campus. In collaboration with the Masters Career Center, the club offers case prep, networking events, and workshops to help you prepare for interviews and succeed in recruiting.

A Tepper School MBA helps you channel your entrepreneurial drive into real-world ventures. You’ll gain the skills, connections, and resources to launch startups, join early-stage companies, or pursue innovation roles within established organizations.

History & Campus Resources

The Tepper School was one of the first business schools in the world to offer entrepreneurship education, beginning in 1971. The Donald H. Jones Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, founded in 1989, built on that foundation. Today, the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship serves as Carnegie Mellon’s campus hub for innovation, working with MBA students on venture creation, access to capital, and startup market entry.

Entrepreneurship Highlights

• Carnegie Mellon professors and students launch an average of 15-30 new companies annually. A few you may recognize include ModCloth, DuoLingo, and Shutterfly.
   
• Carnegie Mellon’s innovation spurs economic growth and has helped to launch more than 500 companies and 9,000 jobs in the past 20 years.

Career Development

Students in the Entrepreneurship track collaborate across Carnegie Mellon’s strengths in engineering, computer science, robotics, design, and product development. This interdisciplinary approach equips you with the tools and experiences needed to lead and innovate in technology-driven industries.

Fellowship Opportunities

Select students may apply to become Swartz Fellows, a program that accelerates careers through a mentored internship with a top VC-backed startup in Silicon Valley.

Community & Activities

Entrepreneurship-focused MBA students engage in clubs, competitions, and speaker events throughout the year. These activities foster partnerships with industry experts, venture capitalists, and business leaders, offering practical insight into startup growth and venture capital careers.

Tepper School MBA graduates build careers across corporate finance, investment banking, investment research, and finance leadership development programs. Alumni are well-represented in senior positions at global investment banks and on Fortune 500 finance teams in industries such as technology, healthcare, and manufacturing.

Finance Highlights

• 21% of the Full-Time MBA Class of 2022 entered into finance careers after graduation.
   
• Mean salary: $144,941
   
• Top recruiters: Bank of America Corporation, Citi Bank, Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Guggenheim Partners, Jefferies, LLC.

Community & Activities

Finance students engage in professional clubs that expand knowledge and connections, including the Graduate Finance Association, Alpha Asset Management Club, and the Entrepreneurship & Venture Capital Club. These groups host competitions, networking events, and speaker sessions to support recruiting and career growth.

Tepper School MBAs apply strategy, analytics, and leadership skills to marketing roles across industries. More than 90 percent of graduates who pursue marketing careers enter product management and marketing leadership development programs after graduation. Recruiting partners include Fortune 500 companies in technology, healthcare, and consumer packaged goods.

Marketing Career Highlights

• 19.1% of the Full-Time MBA entered careers in marketing after graduation.
   
• Mean salary: $145,873
   
• Top recruiting partners: Amazon, Capital One Financial Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Procter & Gamble, and Yahoo!

Career Development

The curriculum covers disciplines such as branding, pricing, B2C and B2B marketing, and strategic optimization. Students can further shape their path through concentrations and tracks.

Community & Activities

Marketing-focused students engage in clubs that expand networks and experience, including the Marketing Club, Biopharma Healthcare Club, Business and Technology Club, and Organizational Leadership Club. These groups host case prep, speaker events, and competitions to support recruiting and professional development.

Tepper School MBA graduates in operations pursue careers in supply chain management, logistics, purchasing, production management, and general management programs. The Tepper School is consistently ranked among the top schools globally for operations, supply chain, and production management, and alumni build successful careers across industries including technology, healthcare, energy, and manufacturing.

Operations Highlights

• 10.3% of the Full-Time MBA entered into operations careers after graduation. 
   
• Mean salary: $129,860
   
• Top recruiting companies: Amazon, Apple, Eli Lilly & Company, Microsoft Corporation, PepsiCo

Community & Activities

Students interested in operations careers engage with clubs including the Operations & General Management Club, Healthcare Club, Business and Technology Club, Consulting Club, and Energy Club. The Operations & General Management Club also hosts one of the longest-running international case competitions in the U.S., a tradition spanning more than three decades.

Eligible candidates are college seniors who plan to graduate from a U.S. college or university in the current academic year and do not yet have full-time work experience.

Competitive applicants will have a strong academic record, professional internships, and undergraduate leadership experience.

A candidate who is graduating in December should apply in the same academic year. (For example, a December 2024 graduate will apply by the March 2025 deadline.)

• Online application form
• Undergraduate transcripts
• Resume
• One professional recommendation
• Essays (one short answer and one essay)
• $125 application fee
• GMAT or GRE scores (waived for CMU undergraduates)
• Interview (by invitation only)

Short answer question (150 words): What are your post-undergraduate career plans? What company are you joining? What will be your role?

Essay question (350-500 words): The Future Business Leaders program offers you time to grow before entering business school. Describe the concrete steps you plan to take professionally, academically, and personally to maximize your readiness for the MBA experience.

Yes. MBA program deferred admission students are eligible for scholarships. Scholarship decisions are made at the time of matriculation. When you decide to enroll in the MBA program for the upcoming academic year, you will be asked to submit a scholarship essay and an updated resume for scholarship consideration.

During the round one MBA admission cycle for the upcoming academic year in which you enroll, you will receive an updated admission letter that will contain any scholarship award details.

Yes. In order to secure a place in the deferred admission class, you are required to pay a non-refundable admission deposit of $2,500 in total. This $2,500 non-refundable admission deposit is paid in installments each year until you matriculate.

The first installment is $500 and is required to be paid by July 31 of the year in which you are admitted to the program; each May thereafter, you must pay an additional $500 installment if you are not matriculating for the upcoming academic year or the remainder of the unpaid $2,500 non-refundable admission deposit if you are matriculating the upcoming academic year.

Upload a copy of your resume. The purpose of this document is to provide a snapshot of your education and professional achievements in your career. Use a standard (i.e. Times New Roman or Arial), 12-pt. font for your 1-2 page resume.

Pro Tip: It is important to include month and year for starting and ending dates for each position held. If this key information is not included, we will ask for an updated resume, which may delay your application.

Successful applicants will hold a four-year, bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in the U.S. or an equivalent degree from a foreign country. You will provide details of your education for each institution that you attended. Additionally, admission to the MBA program requires candidates to have taken one semester of college-level calculus with the letter grade of B or better. Those who do not meet this requirement will be required to successfully complete the Tepper’ Schools Calculus Fundamentals course prior to matriculation.

You will upload transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate programs you have attended or are attending. These may be copies of transcripts that you already have in your possession. However, these cannot be web transcripts. A web transcript is anything obtained from an online student portal, downloaded from your student record, or retrieved online.

Transcripts uploaded during the application process are considered “unofficial.” What makes a transcript "unofficial" is that you have it in your possession instead of us receiving it in a sealed, stamped envelope directly from your university.

Pro Tip: View a sample of a web transcript that you should avoid submitting.

All candidates are required to upload legible, scanned/digitized copies of their unofficial transcripts and degree certificates which include the following:

• University Transcripts: All transcripts are copies of actual university transcripts (not web transcripts), usually on watermarked paper with a seal, etc.
• Degree Name: If you earned a degree, the name is on the transcript (i.e. Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, etc.).
• Degree Conferral Date: If you earned a degree, the date the degree was awarded is on the transcript.
• Degree Certificate: If you earned a degree and the degree name/conferral date are not on the transcript, you must upload a copy of your degree certificate which includes this information. This cannot be a provisional certificate; it must be final. Still unsure what to submit? See sample degree certificates.
• Grading Scale: Include for every university so we know what the grades mean. Often on the back of the transcript; otherwise, contact the university to obtain. Still unsure what to submit? See sample grading scales.
• Official Translation: If the transcript is not in English, upload both the transcript in the original language and the official translated copy so that we can read it.

Pro Tip: If your uploaded transcript doesn’t include all the required information, we will need to contact you to send the missing items, and your application may be delayed.

Pro Tip: Official transcripts (those sent directly by the degree-granting institution) are not required during the application process. Should you be admitted, you will be required to submit official transcripts later.

The Tepper School accepts the GMAT, GMAT Focus, GRE, and Executive Assessment (EA). Successful candidates submitting an EA score will have extensive quantitative academic coursework and/or will have professional experience in a STEM-related field. One of these tests is required regardless of previous advanced academic work or professional experience.

We accept both in-person and online versions of the GMAT, GMAT Focus, GRE, TOEFL and IELTS.

Once we receive the official score, we will update your application checklist accordingly.

Request that the official score is sent to us using the following instructions:

GMAT and Executive Assessment: Select the program that applies:

• Full-Time MBA: 69H-XH-99
• Part-Time Flex MBA: 69H-XH-02
• Part-Time Online Hybrid MBA: 69H-XH-01
• Part-Time Accelerated MBA: 69H-XH-01
   
• GRE Program Code: Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business: 4883

Pro Tip: GMAT and GRE scores are valid for five years and must be valid at the time you submit your application.

Pro Tip: If you have taken the GMAT/GRE more than once, report the highest overall score from any one testing date when completing the online application.

The Tepper School MBA program is focused on the success of our students in the classroom and in employment outcomes. The application process allows us to assess readiness of candidates and provide guidance in improving future academic and career outcomes.

We believe standardized exams are one way that business programs gauge academic readiness; however, while many Tepper School MBA applicants will submit a GMAT/GRE/EA score, we also recognize there are multiple ways to demonstrate academic readiness. This is the reason we offer a test waiver option.

Here is some guidance on our test waiver option:

• Waivers will be granted on a case-by-case basis.
• Waivers are evaluated on the basis of academic readiness for the Tepper School MBA.
• If you are granted a waiver by the Admission Committee, it does not signal admission to the Tepper School MBA.
• The admission decision will be based on a holistic review of the application.
• Even if you are granted a waiver, the admissions committee may require or recommend additional academic preparation prior to the start of the program that will improve your academic outcomes.
• Applying with a test waiver will not affect your eligibility for scholarship.
• Upon submission of your application, the waiver request will be reviewed, and you will receive a response to the waiver request via email within 10 business days of the application deadline. Please note, only complete applications will be reviewed for test waivers.

Candidates Applying Through the Consortium

If you are applying through the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management (CGSM), make sure you have read the Consortium application instructions and meet the requirements to submit an application through the Consortium.

If you would like to apply for a standardized test waiver, complete this form by Oct. 15 for Round 1 or Jan. 5 for Round 2.

If you receive a test waiver approval from the Tepper School, forward a copy of the waiver confirmation to the Consortium to complete your application. Upon completion of your application, it will be forwarded to the Tepper School.

Candidates are required to demonstrate a level of competence in English to meet the admissions requirements of the university. You are required to take a TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo exam unless:

• You attended an undergraduate institution, earning a bachelor’s degree, where the sole language of instruction was English.
• You earned a graduate degree where the sole language of instruction was English. (Although not required, we do recommend that you take the English Language Proficiency exam.)
   

You must request that the official score be sent from the testing agency to our program for us to verify the score entered into the application. Request that the official score be sent to us using the following codes:

TOEFL Program Code: Institutional Code = 2074; Organization: Carnegie Mellon University, Graduate Business Organization

• Pro Tip: The recommended TOEFL score is 25 on each section of the Internet-based test. Reading: 25, Listening: 25, Speaking: 25, Writing: 25

IELTS Program Code: Select Carnegie Mellon and the Tepper School of Business

• Pro Tip: The recommended IELTS score is 7 overall and 7 in each band. Listening: 7, Reading: 7, Writing: 7, Speaking: 7, Overall Band: 7

Duolingo Program Code: Select Carnegie Mellon University – Tepper School of Business

• The recommended Duolingo English Test (DET) score is 120 overall.

Pro Tip: TOEFL and IELTS scores are valid for two years and must be valid at the time you submit your application.

Pro Tip: If you earned a degree from a non-U.S. institution, your academic documents should state that the sole language of instruction for the entire university was English in order to be eligible for a TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo waiver. If your academic documents don’t include this, you should upload an official letter from the University Registrar indicating English as the mode of instruction for the entirety of the degree.

There is one required essay (maximum 500 words) for all Tepper MBA applicants (except college seniors). You are now able to choose which essay question resonates most with you and how you can present your best application. Please choose 1 of the following 2 questions. We do not have a preference on which question you answer. Here are the 2 options:

1. At the Tepper School, we value leaders who can make confident decisions when facing complexity and uncertainty. Tell us about a time when you had to take action without having all of the answers. How did you navigate the situation and what was the outcome?
   
   OR
    
2. The Tepper School of Business is committed to helping students reach their full potential by supporting their professional and personal transformation. How do you hope to transform, both professionally and personally, during your time in the program? Please describe your development goals and steps you plan to achieve them.
    

College Seniors applying through the Tepper Future Business Leaders should answer the essays provided in the Deferred Admission for College Seniors section.

There also is an optional essay for additional information about your candidacy that you may wish to share with the admissions committee. Use this essay to convey important information that you may not have otherwise been able to convey. This may include unexplained resume gaps, context for recommender selection, etc. However, do not feel obligated to complete the optional essay.

Are you a re-applicant? Use the optional essay to explain how your candidacy has strengthened since your last application.

We know this is an important component of your decision to attend business school. We take it seriously as well. Please describe your post-MBA career goals.

It would be helpful to consider the following information in your response:

• You have up to 2 minutes to respond to this question.
• Please be as specific as possible. If you have not yet identified specific companies, that is okay. Just tell us what interests you for your next role or company. What about the industry, company, or functional role is appealing to you?
• If you have any criteria you are using to evaluate career opportunities, please share those as well. We may have great opportunities to add to your list.
• How does this post-MBA career goal relate to your long-term career plan?

We require just one recommendation. Ideally, you would pick a supervisor (current or previous), however, anyone who can speak to your professional work experience in detail would be appropriate.

We use the GMAC Common Letter of Recommendation (LOR). The Common LOR is intended to save you and your recommender valuable time by providing a single set of recommendation questions for each participating school. This allows your recommender to use the same answers for multiple letter submissions, alleviating the workload of having to answer different questions for each school multiple times. You benefit because it makes the ask for several different letters to be written on your behalf much easier.

A $200 application fee is required of all applicants. This fee can be paid online using a credit card at the time of submission.

You may earn an application fee waiver by attending one of our events.

Once you have completed your online application, if you have any supporting documents, they should be uploaded directly to your application via your application status page in the application portal.

If you have submitted all the application components, it isn’t necessary to send anything else to us at this point. Upon admission, you’ll need to send your official transcripts/academic documents. These details will be included in the admission letter, so no need to worry about it now.

Following submission of your application, you may be invited to interview with a member of our MBA Admissions team. Our evaluative interviews are by invitation only and are required.

We begin to invite applicants to interview within one week of the application deadline. However, you may receive an invitation any time prior to the decision notification date.

How We Conduct Admissions Interviews

At the Tepper School, the Admissions team conducts behavioral interviews. The behavioral interview technique is used to review a candidate’s specific experiences and behaviors in an attempt to predict his or her potential for success at the Tepper School.

We are particularly interested in learning about candidates' skills and perspectives on teamwork, leadership, success, and failure. To prepare, we suggest that you:

• Reflect on and clarify your short-term goals and your transition plan.
• Think about specific questions related to how you might advance toward your future goals.
• Identify specific examples when you have worked in a team, led a team, were challenged, succeeded, or learned something new.

Consider watching our application workshop webinar for tips on how to ace the interview.

If you have submitted an application for the Tepper MBA program within the last year, you will be able to log into the site with the same email address and password that you used last year. Some of the information from last year will carry over but you will need to fill in anything that is missing before you submit your new application. However, we will waive your application fee.

Interviews will be granted only at the invitation of the admissions committee based on our review of your submitted MBA application. Note that interview invitations may be extended at any time after you submit your reapplication, up until the date on which your admission decision is released.

The Tepper School of Business is proud to be a long-standing member of The Consortium. Applicants should submit their application via The Consortium application.  

The mission of the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, an alliance of more than 20 graduate business schools and some of our country's top corporations, is to expand access and increase representation in business education and leadership.

The Tepper School's supplemental application includes one essay (maximum 500 words). You are now able to choose which essay question resonates most with you and how you can present your best application. Please choose 1 of the following 2 questions. We do not have a preference on which question you answer. Here are the 2 options:

1. At the Tepper School, we value leaders who can make confident decisions when facing complexity and uncertainty. Tell us about a time when you had to take action without having all of the answers. How did you navigate the situation and what was the outcome?
   
   OR
    
2. The Tepper School of Business is committed to helping students reach their full potential by supporting their professional and personal transformation. How do you hope to transform, both professionally and personally, during your time in the program? Please describe your development goals and steps you plan to achieve them.
    

For Consortium questions or to schedule an informational meeting, please contact Tony Gomez, Senior Associate Director of Masters Admissions.

Certification of Financial Resources

As an applicant from a foreign country, you will be required to verify financial resources equal to the total cost of tuition and living expenses for the duration of the program. If admitted, students will be required to submit the following forms with appropriate supporting documentation in order to obtain a valid visa for entering the United States.

• Graduate Student Financial Statement including official documentation such as personal bank statements and letters of support from any sponsoring organizations.
• If sponsored by an employer or other third party, an Affidavit of Support including official documentation such as bank statements and verification of sponsor support.

Visa Regulations

Visa regulations can be quite complex, and it is the applicant’s responsibility to be aware of the regulations. Carnegie Mellon University has a foreign student advisor to assist applicants in visa matters, and we strongly recommend that you use this service.

The contact information for any applicant who would like to contact our foreign student advisor is:

Office of International Education
Carnegie Mellon University
Cyert Hall, First Floor Atrium
Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
412-268-5231
Email: oie@andrew.cmu.edu

The United States' visa-granting authority in the country of origin, ordinarily the United States Embassy, requires proof that sufficient funds are available to a student to cover both years of study before he/she is granted either the student visa (F-1) or an exchange visa (J-1).

Applying to Online Hybrid Program With For-Credit In-Person Activities

Students enrolled in the online hybrid program are not eligible for a U.S. student visa. International students who cannot legally enter the U.S. to attend Access Weekends are not eligible for admission to our online hybrid MBA programs.

The Accelerated MBA is designed for candidates who already have a strong business background. You may qualify if:

• You have a business-related undergraduate or graduate degree.
• You have completed the required core business courses within the last 10 years from an AACSB- or EQUIS-accredited program.
• Each course was at least 3 credit hours, and you earned a grade of B or better.
• You have 3–7 years of professional work experience related to the career acceleration or transition you seek.

Required courses for eligibility include:

• Accounting
• Finance
• Marketing
• Microeconomics
• Operations

If you are missing one or more courses, you may be able to complete them before the program begins. Our admissions team can help you determine a path to eligibility.

Check Your Eligibility 

The Accelerated MBA allows you to bypass select foundation courses while still earning the full Tepper School MBA degree.

Program Features

• Reduced Core Requirements: Receive credit for prior coursework and complete a refresher course in your first semester.
• Same Degree. Faster.: Graduate with the same Tepper School MBA credential as traditional students.
• Flexible Formats: Choose either the Full-Time MBA or Part-Time Online Hybrid MBA pathway.
• Lower Tuition Investment: Pay for fewer semesters while earning the same degree.

Credit Structure

• All Tepper School MBA students complete 192 units (about 6 units per course) to graduate.
• Accelerated MBA students transfer 48 units and complete 144 units at the Tepper School.

Time to Completion

• Full-Time Accelerated MBA: 12 months (16 months with internship) instead of 24 months
• Online Hybrid Accelerated MBA: 24 months instead of 32 months