Dual MSF-MSBA Degree Admissions

Completion of Statistics Course

Completion of at least one-semester college-level statistics course from an accredited institution of higher learning is required at the time of application. If the course on your academic transcript does not include the word "statistics" in the course name, please upload a course description or syllabus on the  "Carlson MS Programs requirements" page of the application for the course that satisfies this requirement.

Applicants who have not yet completed a statistics course should not submit an application to the program until they have completed the course and received a final grade.

NOTE: MOOCs (e.g., from Coursera, edX, Udemy, or similar) do not satisfy this requirement. The course must be offered directly from an accredited college or university, with a final grade appearing on an official academic transcript.

Completion of a Calculus Course

Completion of at least one college-level calculus course is required, at the level of Calculus I or higher. Short Calculus, Pre-Calculus, or Survey of Calculus courses do not meet this prerequisite. Applicants who have not yet completed a calculus course should not submit an application to the program until they have completed the course and received either a final grade or official, verifiable certificate of completion.

This requirement can be satisfied in one of two ways:

• Academic coursework, with course title and final grade appearing on an academic transcript from an accredited university or college (Upload a course description or syllabus on the "Carlson Masters Programs requirements" page of the application).

OR

• Completion of one of the MSBA faculty-approved online certificate options listed below (Upload your official, verifiable certificate of completion on the "Carlson Masters Programs Requirements" page of the application).

These are the only online certificate courses that may be used to satisfy the calculus prerequisite.

Demonstrated Computer Programming Competency

Demonstrated competency in computer programming is required. The following programming languages satisfy the requirement: Python, C, C++, C#, VB (not VBA), or Java. Competency is required in only one of these languages. Competency may be demonstrated one of three ways:

1. Academic Coursework - University class on transcript showing formal education in and successful completion of programming coursework as an undergraduate or graduate. Upload a course description or syllabus which includes the name of the programming language learned. This course must appear on your transcript (uploaded in the Educational Background section of this application.) Do not re-upload your transcript on the "Carlson Masters Programs requirements" page of the application; this upload must be a course description or syllabus indicating the language learned in your programming class.
2. Professional Experience - Resume indicating specific projects, assignments, or responsibilities with clear details of how computer programming was utilized in a professional, full-time work capacity. Simply listing the programming language you know is not sufficient. You must have bullet points indicating which programming language you use and how you use the programming language to complete your professional work. 
3. Completion of Online Coursework* - Certificate(s) of completion for an online course (or a course sequence) in computer programming (preferably Python) with a duration of no less than 20 hours*. The course (or course sequence) must cover basic programming concepts and techniques including but not limited to: conditional statements, loops, functions, input/output, file handling, foundational data types and structures such as strings, lists, and dictionaries. Please upload a verifiable certificate of completion on the "Carlson Masters Programs requirements" page of the application. If the certificate title does not include the programming language used, please include a course description or syllabus with the upload indicating programming language taught.

Applicants who have not yet satisfied the computer programming requirement should not submit an application to the program until they can demonstrate competency in one of the three ways listed above.

To be considered for admission to the program, please submit essay responses to the questions detailed below (approximately 2 pages maximum). You may copy/paste each prompt into your document and answer each separately. The admissions committee will review both the content of your responses and your ability to communicate clearly in writing:

• Briefly describe your short-term and long-term career goals. Why are you choosing to pursue an MSF and an MSBA at this time in your career, and what are you hoping to accomplish by doing so? (approximately 275 words) 
• Why are you interested in pursuing these degrees at the Carlson School of Management? (approximately 200 words)
• An aptitude for technical and quantitative work is necessary for success in the Business Analytics program. Please provide a specific example(s) from your past academic project, internship, or professional experience where you used a technical/quantitative tool or method to solve a problem. Please provide details describing the problem/situation, the actions you took, the specific tools, programming languages, and methods you used, and the results of your actions. (approximately 275 words)

To be considered for admission, MSF/MSBA programs require a first university degree that is equivalent to a 4-year U.S. bachelor's degree. Students with a 3-year degree from India do not satisfy this minimum requirement and must complete an additional year of post-baccalaureate study before submitting an application to the program. If a student is unsure whether their degree is equivalent to a 4-year U.S. bachelor’s degree they should email their transcripts and proof of degree to the Office of Graduate Admissions for review. Their email is gsquest@umn.edu.

Unofficial transcripts can be submitted through the online application. You will need to submit a transcript from each college or university where you have completed coursework before your application will be considered complete and reviewed by the admissions committee. Non-English transcripts must be accompanied by an English translation. If you have previously enrolled at any University of Minnesota campus, you can obtain electronic copies of your transcripts from OneStop student services. For more information regarding transcripts/academic credentials you need to apply please review these details. 

If admitted, you must submit official transcripts or academic records prior to your enrollment at the University of Minnesota. Official transcripts must be sent directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions Office from the institution. An official, certified (signature and seal) English translation must accompany non-English transcripts. The University of Minnesota reserves the right to require the submission of official transcripts or credentials at any time during the admission review process.

English language translation services in the Twin Cities

GMAT or GRE General Test scores are now optional for admission to the MSF-MSBA Dual Degree program for domestic or international applicants who meet the following requirement:

• Cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale (or overall B grade equivalent on another scale)

In the online application, in the "Carlson Masters Programs Requirements" section, you will indicate whether or not you meet this GPA requirement.

If the grades on your undergraduate academic transcripts do not meet our minimum requirement (3.0 or B grade), you must submit official GMAT or GRE General Test scores with your application in order to be considered for admission.

If you indicate in your application that you meet our GPA requirement, but the cumulative grades on your undergraduate academic transcripts show otherwise, your admissions decision may be severely delayed, and we will still require official GMAT or GRE General Test scores before moving forward with your admissions consideration.

NOTE: Full-time work experience is not required, but preferred. We recommend having at least some related internship(s) involving analyzing data, using technical software, and/or applying computer programming languages (e.g., Python, R, SQL, C, C++, C#, VB, or Java), in addition to having related academic or extracurricular experiences.

Prepare a current resume that includes a detailed education and employment history in no more than 3 pages.

Resume guidelines:

• List both employer(s) and official position(s) held.
• Specify both month and year for dates of employment in each role.
• Detail job responsibilities and accomplishments in approximately 3-5 bullet points.
• Include details of any programming languages, technical software, and/or analytical methods used in each.
• You may include a separate section for academic projects with significant quantitative and/or technical components.

For additional guidance, watch a video tutorial from our Graduate Business Career Center (GBCC), and view the corresponding template. 

Upload your completed resume in the online application where prompted for your Resume or CV.

We require two recommendations for the dual degree application. These recommendations can be from any combination of professional and academic recommenders, though we suggest that at least one recommendation come from a supervisor if you have professional experience. 

Please note that you do not need to solicit letters of recommendation from your recommenders. We partner with GMAC for the Common Letter of Recommendation, so you simply need to provide contact information for your recommenders and the form will be automatically routed to them via email for completion. The form does include an optional section to attach a letter of recommendation if your recommender chooses to add that component.

We recommend getting started on your application early so you can enter the recommender contact information right away before continuing to work on your application. Both recommenders must complete the aforementioned GMAC form before your submitted application is considered complete. This means all recommendations must be received before the deadline for which you would like to be considered. 

International and domestic applicants whose first language is not English must provide proof of English language proficiency. Proof of English language proficiency is measured according to the categories detailed below. You are not exempt if you have lived in an English-speaking country for several years, but have not completed any prior education in English.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• Applicants providing an exam score must have an exam date within two years of the graduate program start date. Exams exceeding two years will not be accepted.
• We do not offer an option for the English language ability to be assessed upon arrival on campus.

For additional details regarding this requirement, please visit the Office of Graduate Admission's website or contact them at gsquest@umn.edu.

The application fee is $75 (non-refundable) for U.S. citizens; and $95 for international applications and U.S. residents with foreign credentials. Your application fee will be automatically waived if you have served in the US Armed Forces for any length of time prior to submitting an application. We are unable to offer application fee waivers to any other applicants.

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• The video essay is a required component of the application that provides candidates with an opportunity to show the admissions committee the authentic you.  Think of this video essay as if you were answering an interview question with a member of our admissions committee.
• You will need to use a computer with camera and microphone capabilities. You will have the ability to test your technology before starting the video essay and submit a practice video essay.
• You can test your technology and run the practice simulation as many times as you wish to be comfortable with the format and technology.  You will be able to review your practice video essay(s) and your recording(s) will not be saved beyond the testing phase and will never be reviewed.
• You can also practice responding to impromptu questions offline with a friend or colleague before completing the video essay portion of your application.
• You will be prompted to click "Ready" once you are prepared to submit an official video essay.  You will be asked one impromptu question from a bank of imaginative or behavioral questions selected by our admissions team.
• Two minutes (120 seconds) will be provided to prepare an answer and two minutes (120 seconds) to record an answer.   Recording will automatically stop after two minutes.  You are not required to use the full two minutes.  If you have time remaining once complete with your response, click the "Stop Recording" button to end the recording.
• You will only be provided one attempt to record your official video essay.
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Admission interviews are by invitation only. Not all applicants will be interviewed. Interviews may be conducted on campus or via Zoom. The interview is approximately 30-45 minutes in length with a member of our admissions committee. The goal is to gain a better understanding a candidate’s academic, professional background, and reasons for applying to our program. You should treat the interview as you would a job interview. Appropriate attire is business professional.