Graduate Certificate Applicants

We want to admit a diverse, intellectually curious, and interesting group of students who will contribute to and benefit from the Carlson MBA Program. The personal statement helps the admissions committee get to know you better as an individual, and allows the committee to evaluate the extent to which your skills, interests, values, and career goals are well suited for the program. Your personal statement should be no more than 1200 words (3 pages), that address the following questions:

• Candidates will verify their academic credentials from their certificate application
• Candidates will be required to upload a transcript of their University of Minnesota certificate coursework
• If a candidate has taken any additional coursework since their certificate application, additional transcripts will be required

• Candidates will be asked to verify their employment information is still valid from their certificate application or update as needed
• Candidates will also need to provide an updated resume

• Candidates can be waived the admissions test score requirement if they receive a final certificate GPA above 3.2.
• Candidates below the 3.2 GPA requirement will be asked to take a GMAT, GRE, Executive Assessment, or another test assessment option.
• If the certificate is still in progress at the time of application, the test waiver decision will be based on the in-progress GPA. The admission committee will verify the candidate’s final certificate GPA to determine that they have still met the waiver criteria or the candidate will be asked to take the GMAT, GRE, Executive Assessment, or another test assessment option.

All applicants are invited to submit an essay to be considered for one of the 50% or 15% merit-based scholarships offered to admitted candidates entering the Part-Time MBA program. Scholarships will be awarded on a merit basis to a limited number of admitted candidates who demonstrate the potential to be exemplary contributors to the Carlson School community and possess outstanding academic and professional achievements. Selected students will be notified of their award at the time of admission. 

This scholarship essay is not required for admission to the program, but is required to be considered for the scholarship. The essay also must be submitted within the application itself, as no late or alternative submission methods will be accepted.

The scholarship is non transferable to other Carlson School degrees, is not "stackable" with other scholarships or discounts, and may only be applied toward the Part-Time or Online MBA programs. 

The Scholarship Essay prompt should address the following in no less than 300 words (1 page):

• Can you tell us about a time you advocated for a more inclusive or more welcoming community, either professionally or personally? How do you plan to carry what you have learned from this experience forward and positively impact the Carlson School?