the McCOMBS A D VA N TA G E

McCOMBS MBA 2004-2005

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

Education for Leaders

Who We Are / Deans Letter . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Culture of Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Learning Environment
McCombs Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
The University of Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Academics in Practice
Curriculum and Specializations . . . . . . . 10
The Plus Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Global Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Guiding Principles
Hands-on Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Teamwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Ethics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

McCombs Community
Austin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Faculty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Careers
Career Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Recruiters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Jobs and Internships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Alumni Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

How to Apply
Admissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Costs
Program Expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
WHO WE ARE
INNOVATIVE FINANCE SPECIALIZATIONS
in private equity, energy finance,
corporate finance and real estate don’t
just track changes in industry, they
anticipate them.
THE MBA INVESTMENT FUND, L.L.C.,
the first legally constituted, private
investment company managed entirely
by students
THE PLUS PROGRAM, an innovative
series of mid-semester seminars
focusing on communication,
leadership, teamwork, and the art of
business in the real world
THE CUSTOMER INSIGHT PROGRAM,
housed in our marketing department,
teaches students to use customer
knowledge and technology to drive
value creating business processes.
MOOT CORP®, the original and most
lucrative student business plan
competition in the world
An ever-expanding NETWORK OF
ALUMNI, stretching from New York
and San Francisco to São Paolo and
Shanghai
PARTNERSHIPS WITH BUSINESS through A CULTURE OF TEAMWORK AND
sixteen research centers and a wide INITIATIVE,with nearly 40 vigorous
assembly of distinguished guest student organizations
speakers AUSTIN, a thriving business center
that’s also a great place to live
DIVERSITY, with a #1 ranking for
Hispanic business students and a
commitment to the future of business
leaders from all walks of life
 E D U C AT I O N for L E A D E R S | 1

a MESSAGE from the DEAN

At the McCombs School of Business, our

mission is to educate the leaders of tomorrow while
creating
ating knowledge that has great significance for industry
and society. Here, you will have the opportunity to benefit from a pro-
gram that, already one of the finest in the world, has its sights set on
becoming the best public business school in the country by the end of
the decade.
Following a new strategic plan, the McCombs School seeks to win na-
tional recognition in all core business disciplines. We are more fully align-
ing our MBA program with the placement markets in finance, consulting
and marketing that have long served as the primary employment oppor-
tunities for our students. We are building more strategic partnerships with
industry and alumni, creating initiatives that differentiate the school from
our competitors. We are designing new strategies to increase diversity in
order to improve the educational experience for all our students. And we
are enhancing our research environment, a key attraction for the top-flight
faculty that are the mark of a truly first-rate school.
I invite you to explore the McCombs School of Business. This is clearly
an exciting time to become a part of the McCombs community; it’s an en-
vironment of constant change and improvement where new faculty, new
programs and new opportunities present themselves at every turn. Today’s
McCombs students not only benefit from an 80-year tradition of business
education at The University of Texas at Austin shared by more than 75,000
alumni world-wide, they are helping to define a new era of possibility for
the school.

G e o r g e W. G a u
2 | McCOMBS MBA 2004-2005
a C U L T U R E of S U C C E S S
A truly remarkable collection of individuals, our
incoming MBA class includes a classical violinist, an
engineer responsible for repairs on the Hubble Space
Telescope, and the liaison to former Speaker of the
House Newt Gingrich. We have a selection of teach-
ers and artists and enough finance professionals to
run a $13 million investment fund (which we do).
KIM GOODWIN, MBA ’87 Chief Investment Officer-Equities, State Street Research
Few people are as in touch with the world of in-
vestment and financial services as Kim Goodwin.
Among her long list of industry credentials are
senior executive positions at American Cen-
tury Investment, Putnam Investments, Pru-
dential Investments, Mellon Bank, and
State Street Research, where she now
serves as Chief Investment Officer of
Equities (one of the country’s old-
est investment management firms).
It’s no surprise that, with such eclectic backgrounds, our students envi-
sion success very differently. That’s why McCombs graduates have done
everything from heading corporate energy giants to producing the Austin
City Limits Music Festival. But regardless of how our graduates define their
future, the McCombs experience provides the tools and resources to put
their most sought-after professional ambitions within their grasp: a world-
renowned faculty, a relevant curriculum, exceptional hands-on experienc-
es, a collaborative atmosphere, and countless opportunities to build on
leadership skills. It is an environment that encourages students to follow
their passions and gives them the resources to become successful leaders
throughout their careers.
A Clear Path
“I credit my education at the McCombs School with my success in
the investment business,” says Kim. “While I was senior vice presi-
dent and senior portfolio manager at American Century Growth, it
was awarded a 5-star rating from the Morningstar for the trailing
3-year period.”
Kim makes frequent appearances in the financial press, and has
been featured in Time Magazine, USA Today, Investment News, and
Barron’s. Additionally, she can be found on CNBC’s “Morning Call,”
“Market Watch,” “Business Center,” and “Closing Bell,” and is a regu-
lar panelist on “Louis Rukeyser’s Wall Street.”

A New Direction
TONY ROGERS, BBA ‘90, MBA ’97, Director of Marketing for Tostitos, Fritos, and dips, Frito-Lay
After earning his BBA at Texas and working for KPMG and
Brinker International, Tony Rogers decided to return to Mc-
Combs to make a change. “I worked in accounting and fi-
nance, and while they were great jobs and great companies, I
remember looking over the wall so many times and seeing the
marketing guys having so much fun, and I thought, you know,
that job would suit me.”
Tony found a good fit in marketing, landing a position
with Frito-Lay as an associate product manager for Tostitos.
Today, Tony is director of marketing for Tostitos, Fritos, and
dips, and until recently led Frito-Lay’s efforts to recruit Mc-
Combs’ marketing grads. Says Rogers, “McCombs students
A Global Perspective
RYAN POLLOCK, MBA ’04
For a student like Ryan Pollock, MBA ’04, the global experi-
ence is nothing new. He was born and raised in South Africa,
educated at both the University of Cape Town and Oxford, and
spent several years working for an investment management
group in London before making the move to Texas.
It’s unsurprising, given the extent of his travels, that Ryan
takes a hard line on the importance of global business to the
curriculum of any business school. “Modern business is unmis-
takably global,” he argues. “Understanding the complexities
and opportunities this poses the modern manager should be a
critical learning objective for any MBA. McCombs offers that.”
To that end, Ryan serves as the academic co-chair of the
E D U C AT I O N for L E A D E R S | 3
are very intelligent, very creative, but also very grounded.
I think there are fewer prima donnas and more people
who are willing to just roll up their
sleeves and get the job done. At
Frito-Lay we need folks that are
willing to get in and be very entre-
preneurial and do whatever it takes
to get the job done, even if it’s
outside the traditional definition of
their job. We find that kind of stu-
dent at McCombs.”
Global Business Association. He also led forty classmates
to South Africa for Plus Global, the branch of the Plus
Program that gives McCombs students an opportunity to
learn about life and business in another country.
Ryan recently recruited several of his classmates
to help him launch Starfish Charity USA, an organi-
zation that helps South African children orphaned
by HIV/AIDS. This is in keeping with the Mc-
Combs ethos as he sees it. Ryan says, “In
my experience, people in the McCombs
program are outstanding people, with
intellect and integrity.”
4 | McCOMBS MBA 2004-2005
Creating
Finding
the Right Fit
EDUARDO SOTO, MBA ’04
When Eduardo Soto was researching MBA pro-
grams, he wanted a school with strong programs
in marketing and information technology; how-
ever, his decision to choose McCombs ultimately
came down to a more subjective criterion. He says,
“McCombs was the best fit for my personality.”
Eduardo describes the prototypical McCombs MBA
as “a laidback, loyal, friendly, solid kind of person,
not pretentious, not cutthroat—but hard-working,
talented, and competitive.” A perfect fit for Edu-
ardo, whose people-oriented personality has led
him to become president of the Hispanic Graduate
Business Association (HGBA).
One of the primary goals of the HGBA, 135
members strong, is to facilitate recruitment of
McCombs MBAs to Latin America. Eduardo esti-
mates they’ve made twenty contacts with the in-
ternational offices of big-league companies such
as Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, and Pfizer—and
they’re all interested in hiring MBAs. For his part,
Eduardo will accept an offer from Johnson & John-
son in Mexico City. After completing their training
program, he will be a brand manager in the phar-
maceutical department—a path he’s prepared for
after his summer internship with Pfizer.
Eduardo, however, is in no rush to end his Mc-
Combs experience. “I’ve loved it,” he says, with a
laugh. “I would stay one more year if I could!”
Opportunity
DAISY ORTIZ, MBA ’95 Vice President, Marketing
and Sourcing, Bank of America
Daisy Ortiz, a New York City native, began her career
at JP Morgan & Co. on the foreign exchange trading
desk on Wall Street. But these days, after receiving her
McCombs MBA and holding exciting positions at 3M,
Harrah’s Casino, and Ford Motor Company, Daisy
can be found in Charlotte, North Carolina where she
works as the vice president of marketing and sourcing
for Bank of America. Says Daisy, “Getting an MBA at
Texas changed my life. The McCombs MBA differen-
tiated me because Texas is known for the influence
high-tech start-ups have on the program. It gave me
the management tools and skills to always be ready
for ‘change,’ be flexible, and above all, to always look
for opportunities that enhance my skills. It opened
doors I never thought possible.”
Along her journey, she developed a special com-
mitment to the advancement of young
Hispanics through the National
Society of Hispanic MBAs
(NSHMBA). She is the co-
founder and president of
the organization’s Detroit
Chapter. In recognition
of her efforts, Minority
MBA Magazine named
her one of the “Next
Generation of Minority
Business Leaders.”
 E D U C AT I O N for L E A D E R S | 5

An Expanding Skill Set

E D I A N N E L S O N , MBA ’05
Edian Nelson did her undergraduate degree in mechanical community as the co-chair of the Explore McCombs
engineering. “I pretty much knew, coming out of the under- Program, a diversity initiative that was started two
graduate program with my engineering degree, that I really years ago. After McCombs, Edian plans
wanted to strengthen my business acumen and that getting to start a marketing career as a brand
an MBA was the best way to do that.” Accordingly, after sev- manager, eventually at a Fortune 500
eral years as a production supervisor and product engineer company.
for Ethicon, a Johnson & Johnson company, Edian returned
to Austin to begin her career switch to marketing.
“My favorite aspect of the program is definitely the col-
laboration between the students,” Edian says. Edian gives
prospective students a window into the McCombs

A Sa m p l e o f D i s t i n g u i s h e d Gr a duates

McCOMBS MBA ALUMNI William Johnson, MBA 1974

Chairman, President, & CEO
PROFILES IN LEADERSHIP HJ Heinz Company
Jack Furst, MBA 1984
COO & Partner
Hicks Muse Tate & Furst, Inc.
Ron Harris, MBA 1992
General Partner
Southwest Capital Partners

Jim Mulva, MBA 1969 Gary Crum, MBA 1972
President & CEO Co-Founder & Retired CEO
ConocoPhillips AIM Capital Management
Kenneth Jastrow, MBA 1971 Don Evans, MBA 1973
Chairman & CEO Secretary of Commerce
Temple-Inland, Inc. U.S. Department of Commerce
Allan Hirst, MBA 1979 Robert Graham, MBA 1973
President Co-Founder & Chairman
Citibank, Russia AIM Management Group
Ellen Keszler, MBA 1987
President
Travelocity Business
Tim Arnoult, MBA 1976
Executive, Technology &
Operations
Bank of America
Michael Lynch, MBA 1976
Managing Director
Goldman Sachs
Elaine Agather, MBA 1979
Chairman & CEO
Chase Bank, Dallas
Gerard Arpey, MBA 1982
Chairman, President & CEO
American Airlines
Bryan Stolle, MBA 1987
Chairman & CEO
Agile Software
Osvaldo Setuain, MBA 1988
President & General Manager
AOL Argentina
Satish Mansukhani, MBA 1991
Director & Head of MBS Strategy
Bear, Stearns and Company
Darrell Swank, MBA 1990
CFO
Purina Mills, Inc.
Bill Gurley, MBA 1993
General Partner
Benchmark Capital
Shane Brisbin, MBA 1994
Managing Director
Smith Barney
Amelia Miller, MBA 1994
Owner & Operator
Amy’s Ice Creams, Inc.
John Wilder, MBA 1994
President & CEO
TXU Corp.
McCOMBS MBA PROGRAM RANKINGS

U.S. News 2004

#2 Accounting
M c C O M B S S C H O O L of B U S I N E S S

LEARNING at a
#3 Management Information Systems
#8 Entrepreneurship
#12 Marketing
#13 Quantitative Analysis
#13 Productions/Operations
Management
A three-building complex of 350,000 square feet, the
#16
#16
Finance
Supply Chain/Logistics
Education houses classrooms, offices, research centers
#17 International Business features a three-story Carpenter Family MBA Leadership Center
#18 Management
#23 Overall atrium and cafeteria, a Created strictly for McCombs MBAs, the Carpenter Center,
made possible by a $1 million donation from the Ben H. Car-
Wall Street Journal 2003
#3 Accounting
state-of-the-art multi- penter family, is an expansive student lounge and leadership
center complete with the latest office equipment, communica-
#3 Most Nominated for Recruiting
Minorities
media service center, and tions infrastructure, and computer technology. The center cen-
tralizes MBA student organizations, houses a “business center”-
#3
#5
Information Technology
Favorite School of Technology
one of the best corporate style workroom, encompasses numerous small study rooms,

#9
Recruiters
Entrepreneurship
interviewing centers in and boasts a conference room and lounge, providing students
with an on-campus haven away from the classroom.
#13 Worldwide
the country. Our students
Business Week 2002 Technology Infrastructure: McCombs Unwired
#21 Overall also enjoy updated cohort rooms, the The McCombs community enjoys networking capabilities,

Carpenter Family MBA Lounge and Lead- servers, and IT resources that are nothing short of state-of-
Financial Times 2004
Top 10 Salaries in Consulting the-art. While all MBAs are required to own notebook com-
ership Center, and suit lockers and chang- puters, 300 workstations are also available for student use in
Top 10 Salaries in Industry
Top 10 for Entrepreneurship ing rooms for on-campus recruiting. the buildings’ laboratories. The MBA Leadership Center and
Lounge offers a high-tech conference room and both wired
Hispanic Business 2003
and wireless network access. Nine group study rooms are
#1 Best Graduate Business School
for Hispanics equipped with electronic whiteboards, speaker phones, and
network connections. Our always expanding wireless network
Business 2.0 2003
will soon stretch to a renovated outdoor plaza, providing the
Top 25 Talent Hunter’s Guide to Business
Schools freedom and flexibility for study groups, team meetings, and
group presentations that characterize the intense collabora-
America Economia 2003
tion of the McCombs MBA program.
#13 Latin Americans Searching for MBAs

S M A R T E R PA C E
McCombs School’s Kozmetsky Center for Business
and computer laboratories. The main building
Ford Career Center
More than 500 corporate recruiters come to the UT campus
each year to interview our MBAs. They come for the students,
but they also love our Ford Career Center, a board-room qual-
ity interviewing suite comprised of 43 beautifully designed
interview rooms and a recruiter lounge and work area fully
equipped with phones, fax machines, and data ports. Im-
mediately outside the facility, a bank of changing rooms and
suit lockers make preparation for interviews hassle-free for
students.
Cohort Rooms
McCombs students take their core courses in some of the
most technologically sophisticated classrooms in the coun-
try. All student seats have power and network access to enable
the usage of laptops during lectures. An audiophile speaker
system allows for superior sound during presentations. And
the front of each room is equipped with two full-size, side-
by-side projection screens that allow for simultaneous use of
computer and overhead projectors.
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT | 7
EDS Financial Trading and Technology Center
This three-room complex consists of a multi-media classroom
equipped with real-time data feeds from Bloomberg, Bridge,
and Reuters, and a conference room and trading room used
by the graduate finance students who run the MBA Invest-
ment Fund, one of the few private investment funds wholly
managed by students. The trading room, housed in the AIM
Investment Center, is a replica of a Wall Street trading room
with the hardware, software, and data feeds that enable the
Fund managers to research companies in a realistic environ-
ment using the same information services relied upon by
their New York counterparts.
The Reliant Productivity Center and AIM Reading Room
A technology-enhanced study area utilized predominantly
by MBAs, the Reliant Productivity Center has 246 seats wired
with 100MB switched Ethernet ports and electrical power.
This facility, open seven days a week, provides students with
individual workspaces and group areas to work on team proj-
ects. And, for those looking to escape the hum of group study
and the beeps of laptops, the neighboring AIM Reading Room
provides a quiet alcove to delve into the latest case study.
8 | McCOMBS MBA 2004-2005

the U N I V E R S I T Y of T E X A S at AUSTIN

Though prominent in its own right, the McCombs School benefits further from its association with
The University of Texas at Austin, the largest single-campus university in the nation. For more than
120 years, UT Austin has been the educational powerhouse of the Southwest. The campus is com-
prised of 16 schools and colleges that rank largely among the top 20 in the country. The Univer-
sity annually awards more doctoral degrees than any other U.S. institution. Internationally distin-
guished graduate programs include the McCombs School of Business, the College of Engineering,
the School of Law, the LBJ School of Public Affairs, the College of Communication, the School of
Architecture, the School of Information Studies, and the Institute of Latin American Studies.
 LEARNING ENVIRONMENT | 9

The Ransom Center is considered o n e o f t h e w o r l d ’s

most prestigious rare book and manuscript

UT l i b r a r i e s , with more than 36 million manuscripts, one million rare books, five
million photographs, and 100,000 works of art and design, including the Gutenberg

FACTS Bible (c. 1450), the world’s first photograph (c. 1826), and the

Daniel O. Selznick film archive.

UT is ranked a m o n g
the top
five U.S. campuses
in terms of performance arts facilities.

The Blanton Museum’s permanent collection includes o n e

of the
largest and most significant collections of
2 0 t h C e n t u r y L a t i n A m e r i c a n a r t in the U.S.

UT is the l a r g e s t u n i v e r s i t y in the nation The campus is home to the f i f t h

largest
with students representing a l l 5 0 U . S . s t a t e s p u b l i c a c a d e m i c l i b r a r y in the U.S.
and more than 1 2 2 f o r e i g n c o u n t r i e s .

Texas is ranked “ B e s t
Overall Athletics
P r o g r a m i n t h e C o u n t r y, ”
Sports Illustrated 2002.
10 | M c C O M B S M B A 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 5
THE CORE
A LASTING FOUNDATION
The McCombs core curriculum prepares students to lead, build, and
manage enterprises that create value for stakeholders and constituen-
cies in a dynamic, global economy. The hallmarks of the McCombs MBA
include a common educational experience that prepares all students
for success, abundant opportunity for practical work with companies
and organizations, a collaborative rather than competitive learning en-
vironment, market-driven concentrations, and program flexibility.
Our goal is to give all MBAs the same grounding in the
fundamentals of business and to endow them with general
management competence. Through the core, the faculty
seeks to instill these essential business skills and values:
• A contemporary, real-world managerial perspective
• Business ethics
• Teamwork and leadership skills
• Cross-functional problem solving
• Effective written and oral communications
• The ability to manage change, risk, and crises
• The ability to manage human resources and diversity
• Personal presentation skills
Unlike many programs, our students are not required to
choose a concentration. Each person has the option of
customizing the program based their unique strengths and
interests, perceptions of what employers want, and their
own conclusions about how best to prepare for a successful
career. And whether or not a student chooses to pursue one
of our established concentrations, our MBA academic advi-
sors can help chart the course of their degree program.

F I R S T Y E A R , FA L L SEMESTER
Statistics/Decision Analysis (3 Hours)
Presents a unified approach to basic concepts in collection, anal-
ysis, and interpretation of data, emphasizing capabilities of differ-
ent statistical methods and business applications.
Financial Accounting (3 Hours)
Covers concepts and issues in the preparation and interpretation
of financial statements and the use of financial information in
evaluation and control of an organization.
Finance (3 Hours)
Examines the theory and practice of corporate finance. The fo-
cus of the course is on investment and financing decisions. Ma-
jor topics include risk and return, valuation, asset markets and
market efficiency, capital budgeting, capital structure, dividend
policy, agency considerations, and derivative securities.
Microeconomics (1.5 Hours)
Provides an understanding of how to use models to explain how
individuals make decisions and how individual decision makers
interact with markets. The course gives the student the basic
tools for understanding questions about consumer behavior,
competition among firms, and government policy.
Operations (1.5 Hours)
Provides an introduction to the issues and decisions involved
in the production of goods and services. More specifically, the
course focuses on designing, operating, controlling, and improv-
ing the systems that accomplish production.
Plus a choice of one of the following courses:
Information Technology Management (3 Hours)
Provides an introduction to the ways managers use information
technology to gain a competitive advantage. Designed to pro-
vide a managerial understanding of IT in a business context.
Marketing (3 Hours)
Studies three distinct marketing issues—market analysis, devel-
oping a marketing strategy, and constructing the appropriate
marketing mix for a product. The course highlights the develop-
ment of action strategies, development of products and services,
establishment of effective pricing, determination of distribution
intensity, and promotion of business solutions.
A C A D E M I C S i n P R A C T I C E | 11
FIRST YEAR, SPRING SEMESTER
Strategy (3 Hours)
Examines topics like the role of the general manager, formu-
lating business and corporate-level strategy, managing strate-
gic change, strategy implementation, and developing general
managers. The focus is on the function and responsibility of the
general manager, whose primary tasks include developing and
managing an overall strategy.
One of the following core courses not taken in the fall semester:
Information Technology Management (3 Hours)
Marketing (3 Hours)
Plus a choice of three elective courses (9 hours)
SECOND YEAR, FALL SEMESTER
Managerial Accounting (1.5 Hours)
Presents the essentials of managerial planning and control
through the system of profit planning and control with an em-
phasis on improvement of the management and decision-mak-
ing processes through a systematic, flexible, and comprehensive
study approach. Examines topics like long-range planning, an-
nual profit planning, coordination, and dynamic control.
Macroeconomics (1.5 Hours)
Examines the agents, instruments, and institutions that make up
the financial system of a modern economy. The course also cov-
ers economic tools required for basic analysis of how the financial
sector works and how finance affects the rest of the economy.
A choice of one of the following “managing people” courses (3 hours):
Art & Science of Negotiation
Creating & Managing Human Capital
Managing People & Organizations: Consultant’s Perspective
Plus a choice of three elective courses (9 hours)
SECOND YEAR, SPRING SEMESTER
A choice of five elective courses (15 hours)
ETHICS CERTIFICATION
In the course of their studies, all students must complete an ethics require-
ment. This requirement is generally filled through Plus events such as the
Executive Challenge (p. 23).
12 | M c C O M B S M B A 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 5

M A R K E T- D R I V E N S P E C I A L I Z AT I O N S
D E F I N I N G Y O U R PAT H

AREAS OF SPECIALIZ AT I O N
While there are no majors for McCombs MBAs, a student may choose to concentrate in an
academic discipline, such as marketing or finance, by taking at least 15 hours of elective course-
ACCOUNTING

Financial Reporting & Control work within that concentration. Students may also choose a specialization, which is a specifical-

FINANCE
ly planned set of courses. Our market-driven specializations are designed to position graduates
Corporate Finance, Investments for outstanding employment prospects. About half of our students choose to tailor their course
& Financial Services
of study to follow a specific concentration or specialization. While optional, a concentration can
Real Estate Finance
Private Equity Finance offer an advantage in today’s challenging workplace.
Energy Finance

MANAGEMENT Innovative Finance Specializations Customer Insight

Entrepreneurship Almost half of all McCombs MBAs work in finance after gradu-
ation. Innovative specializations—in private equity, energy fi-
Operations Management
nance, corporate finance, investments, financial services, and
MARKETING
real estate—don’t just track changes in industry, they anticipate
them. Outside the specializations, students benefit from partici-
Market-Based Consulting
pation in the MBA Investment Fund, L.L.C., or simply from the
Customer Insight
breadth and depth of the Finance Department.
MSIS Operations Management
By focusing on the development of higher-level decision-mak-
Information Management
ing skills, McCombs produces Operation Management students
that are equipped to become leaders in today’s information-
and technology-intensive global market environment. Ops
graduates have any number of career opportunities available
to them and frequently take industry positions as project man-
agers, supply chain analysts, logistics planners, or managers
of manufacturing or service operations. The flexibility of the
specialization allows the student to take a strategic and ap-
plication-oriented view of operations, while the wide array of
electives creates the opportunity to mold the coursework to
the individual. A practicum course is also offered that affords
students an opportunity to interact with the industrial partners
of the University of Texas Supply Chain Consortium to solve
real-world business problems.
A unique offering, the cross-disciplinary Customer Insight spe-
cialization utilizes techniques from management, marketing, and
information management to explore and understand consumer-
based markets. By linking information and technology, students
better understand customer needs and requirements—leading
to business-changing insights. The practicums and internships
that are integral to the specialization’s curriculum leverage the
school’s connections to corporate sponsors such as 3M and Frito-
Lay. Among other things, students with a Customer Insight spe-
cialization can expect to study methods of utilizing technology,
collecting and processing marketing information, predicting con-
sumer behavior, and understanding customer and channel rela-
tionships as market-based assets that increase shareholder value.
Information Management
In 1999, when ComputerWorld coined the phrase “Techno-
MBA” to describe IT-oriented MBA programs, it ranked Mc-
Combs #2 in the country. In 2004, U.S. News & World Report
recognized McCombs as the #3 program for Management In-
formation Systems. The Wall Street Journal ranked us the #5
Favorite of Technology Recruiters and #3 for Information Tech-
nology. No matter who does the ranking or how they describe
it, McCombs consistently emerges as a leader in this core com-
petency of the information age.

E L E C T I V E S : TA I L O R I N G Y O U R M B A
IN A WORLD OF OPTIONS
McCombs offers a wide array of electives for MBA students. This variety provides a flexible curriculum
that allows students to tailor their education. Below is a representative list of electives:
Accounting
Accounting Standards & Analysis
Advanced Accounting
Family Tax/Estate Planning
Financial Statement Analysis
Intermediate Accounting
Introduction to Assurance Services
Issues in Accounting & Control for Nonprofits
Management Auditing & Control
Managerial Accounting
Strategic Control Systems
Finance
Advanced Topics in Corporate Finance
Asset Pricing
Financial Markets & Institutions
Financial Risk Management
Financial Strategies
Financial Management of the Small Firm
Global Finance
Harvest, Finance & Negotiations
Investment Theory & Practice
Portfolio Management & Security Analysis
Real Estate Finance
Real Estate Investment Decisions
Seminar in Real Estate Analysis
Seminar in Real Estate Finance
MSIS: Legal Environment of Business
Cyberlaw
Energy Law
Intellectual Property
Law of Commercial Real Estate
Finance & Development
Security Regulations
Social & Ethical Responsibility of Business
Management
Advanced Venture Development Praticum
Art of Leadership
Art & Science of Negotiation
Business in Emerging Markets
Corporate Governance
Creating & Managing Human Capital
Economy of Competitive Strategy
Enterprise of Technology
Entrepreneurial Management
Entrepreneurial Growth
Gathering Resources & Launch
Global Business Management
International Strategy
Managing & Marketing in the Global Arena
Managing People & Organizations
Managing Projects
New Venture Creation
Operations Practicum
Operations & Marketing Strategy
Opportunity Creation for Entrepreneurs
Opportunity Identification & Analysis
Perspectives on Public Policy
Supply Chain Management
Supply Chain & Operation Strategy
Service Management
Strategic Quality Management
“I’ve complemented my marketing concentration
with classes in other strong disciplines like
management and finance. McCombs has given me
a broad, overall business understanding.”
Juan Carlos Loredo, MBA ’03
A C A D E M I C S i n P R A C T I C E | 13
Marketing
Business Spanish
Brand Management
Community Development Practicum
Consumer Behavior
Customer Insights
Customer Relationship Management
Customer Strategy: A Partnership between Ford,
Dell, Motorola, Frito-Lay, and UT
Data Mining in a Marketing Environment
Global Business Management
Innovations in Business Marketing
Marketing Analysis
Marketing Communications
Marketing High-Tech Products
Marketing & Customer Insight Practicum
New Product Design & Development
Service Management
Strategic Marketing
MSIS
Data Mining
Decision Support Modeling
Digital Economy & Commerce
E-Business Change
Information & Knowledge Management
Managing Complexity
Managing Digital Commerce
Managing Information
Managing Systems
Strategic Analysis for High-Tech Companies
Supply Chain Management
Tech. & Bus. Infrastructures for Competing
in a Networked Economy
Valuation of Real Options
14 | M c C O M B S M B A 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 5
(Left to right): A student-led Plus project presents to a Hedge Fund on Wall Street; Plus Global Study Tour participants visit Shanghai;
MBAs work the room at a “Pitch Party,” competing for best elevator pitch; student prepares for the sales showcase.
the
“We got a chance to see Dell consumer
marketing personnel in action, find out what
their immediate concerns are and how they
obtain information about the competition.
We helped them validate, and in some
instances, disprove some of their assumptions
about their retail competitors’ merchandising,
pricing, and promotional tactics.”
Anastasia Cardozo, MBA ’05
“I can sum up my trip experience as
follows: wonderful, perfectly executed,
life-changing. Thanks again for all your
amazing efforts on our behalf.”
William Sprauer, MBA ’04, India Trip
PLUS PROGRAM
At McCombs we believe that success depends on leadership skills as well as aca-
demic excellence. That’s why we created McCombs Plus – a professional devel-
opment program that lets MBAs build a bridge from the world of academics to
the real world of business. The program takes students outside of the classroom,
allowing them to reconnect with the world of work and take advantage of ex-
ecutive-level leadership coaching. Plus workshops let students improve their ex-
ecutive presence and demonstrate initiative, collaboration, and integrity. A Plus
academy explores career interests and builds job related skills. A Plus project can
connect to an internship – or even a dream job.
P l u s G l o b a l : C o u r s e s a n d B u s i n e s s Tr i p s A b r o a d
In the spring, McCombs offers a limited number of students the opportunity
to truly globalize their MBA. “Plus Global” combines six weeks of class with a
two-week business trip during the Plus period. Guest speakers, case studies, and
international-business projects prepare students for the Plus Global business trip
where they meet with local and multinational companies, connect with Mc-
Combs alumni, and collaborate on projects with MBAs from a partner school in
the region.
 HUMAN
THE
ART S
OF BUSINESS
W hen four MBA students took their first kickbox-
ing class last semester, they could honestly say
they were sweating for the cause. The students were work-
ing with Power Kickbox, an Austin-based small business,
to help the owner set up her financial systems and position
her company in the market. They’d learned that to really
help a business, you need to understand the business from
the inside out. In this case, it started with a punch.
This type of direct business experience is a key element
of Plus, a new program at McCombs that is changing the
BUSINESS STUDENTS
STEP OUT OF THE
CLASSROOM FOR
LEADERSHIP SKILLS
AND PRACTICAL
EXPERIENCE
face of graduate business education. Business schools typi-
cally take students out of the working world and put them
in the classroom to hone their analytical and problem-solv-
ing skills. Plus takes them out of the classroom and puts
them back in the world.
“Every business school has this challenge,” says Dr.
Steven Tomlinson. “The traditional academic curriculum
gives students excellent tools; but effective leadership re-
quires skills, habits and attitudes that are fundamentally
‘extra-academic.’ How can we help our MBAs become
more powerful communicators and more effective collabo-
rators? How can we help them sharpen their ethical reason-
ing skills and gain global perspective?”
Those extra-academic skills may be the very reason new
graduates find a job, especially in a tight economy. A Wall
Street Journal/Harris Interactive survey found that the
most important attributes recruiters seek in business school
graduates are “communication and interpersonal skills”
and “the ability to work well within a team.”
With Plus, professional development does not stand
outside the business school curriculum. It is central to it.
A group prepares its presentation for
the Showcase Challenge.
A C A D E M I C S i n P R A C T I C E | 15
In addition to completing projects with companies and or-
ganizations, students participate in intensive seminars like
“The Art of Sales and Persuasion,” and “Big Picture Busi-
ness” and sets of learning activities with a common theme,
called academies. Academy topics change as student inter-
ests evolve and have included new technology, film and TV
production, managing a professional sports team, doing
business in Mexico, and operating a restaurant.
Plus projects give student teams a chance to explore
career possibilities, perform community service, or con-
nect with people who are important to their future plans.
Students might create a brand strategy for the Ford Escape
hybrid SUV, analyze product innovation in the malt bever-
age industry, survey the tech
community in Austin, or “I have been fortunate enough to
strategize how the Hispanic be exposed to industries and ideas
Scholarship Fund can gen-
that I never would have had an
erate non-restricted operat-
ing cash. The possibilities opportunity to see. The program
are endless. And students has allowed me to take great
themselves lead the projects,
defining a topic they’re pas-
strides in bettering myself, both
sionate about, recruiting personally and professionally.”
team members, and engag-
Ryan Nelson, MBA ’04
ing the people, companies,
or institutions who will partner with the team.
In the final semester, the Plus Program organizes trips
to South America, Germany and Central Europe, China,
and Southeast Asia where students spend two weeks visit-
ing companies, meeting with government officials, doing
market research, and representing American businesses in-
terested in connecting with foreign markets.
Practical, experiential, and interactive, Plus helps Mc-
Combs students gain a broad perspective of business and
become adept at the “soft” skills our recruiters say are so
important to achieving success on the job.
By Vivé Griffith, edited and reprinted with
permission. Texas—The McCombs School of Business
Magazine, Spring/Summer 2003.
Photos by Marsha Miller.
16 | M c C O M B S M B A 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 5
BUSINESS WITHOUT BORDERS
Globalization is a great buzzword, but we have the connections to back
it up. With 25 percent of our 750 MBAs coming from foreign countries,
the school has a distinctly international flavor. In addition to gaining
insight into global business practices and building personal relationships
with international peers, McCombs students have an array of opportu-
nities to explore world business themselves through international ex-
change and double-degree programs, the Spanish Language Track, and
the Plus Global study tours and practicums.
“The McCombs double-degree program offered me
a unique opportunity to not only differentiate my
international experience from other executives but even
to differentiate myself among MBA peers. After immersing
for a full year in Brazil, studying and interning through
Fundação Getulio Vargas, a University of Texas partner
school in São Paolo, I can readily demonstrate proven
global credentials—operating within business, cultural,
and language challenges of the largest market in Latin
America.” Patrick Herde, MBA ‘04
The McCombs global network includes active graduate alum-
ni in 74 countries, ties to the world’s top business schools
outside of the U.S., and strategic strengths in Latin America.
Globalization infuses the curriculum—cutting across all ma-
jor disciplines to prepare McCombs MBAs for the expanding
frontiers of the 21st Century economy.
Plus Global Study Tours and Practicums
All McCombs MBA students will have the opportunity to par-
ticipate in the McCombs’ unique Plus Global Study Tour and
Practicum in their second year. They’ll gain in-depth knowl-
edge on how to conduct business in various international
regions. A semester-long program that combines a two-week
study tour to a region of interest, in-class lectures and work-
shops, and a global business-related practicum, Plus Global
equips students with practical global management skills.
P L US GLOBAL DESTINATIONS 2005
CHINA INDIA
RUSSIA TURKEY
HUNGARY/CZECH REPUBLIC
CHILE/ARGENTINA
SOUTH AFRICA
F O R INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
WASHINGTON D.C.
NEW YORK CITY
 A C A D E M I C S i n P R A C T I C E | 17

Double Degrees & Exchanges

Australian Graduate School of
Management
Sydney, Australia
China Europe International Business
School
Shanghai, China
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Copenhagen Business School
Copenhagen, Denmark
Escuela de Administración de Negocios
para Graduados (ESAN)
Lima, Peru
Escuela Superior de Administración y
Dirección de Empresas (ESADE)
Global Study Tour, Santiago, Chile. Barcelona, Spain
Fundação Getúlio Vargas
São Paulo, Brazil
Latin America HEC School of Management
Paris, France
UT Austin, home of the country’s top-ranked Institute for activities. In addition to overseeing the school’s study abroad
Helsinki School of Economics
Latin American Studies, is a leader both in educating Latin activities, CIBER promotes faculty research, sponsors confer-
Helsinki, Finland
American students and in teaching North Americans about ences, and fulfills a mission to enhance U.S. global competi- Instituto de Altos Estudios
the region. Latin American students comprise between 10 tiveness by globalizing business education. Empresariales (IAE)
Buenos Aires, Argentina
and 15 percent of each incoming MBA class. Because the Mc-
Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios
Combs School has exchange and double-degree programs Spanish Language Track Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM-EGADE)
with all of Latin America’s top-ranked business schools, any The Spanish Language Track is designed to provide students Monterrey, Mexico

student with an interest in the area has plenty of opportuni- with the opportunity to gain Spanish language proficiency as Manchester Business School
Manchester, UK
ties for cross-cultural experiences. part of their MBA. Students choose from an array of courses,
McGill University
options, and activities that assist in achieving individual goals Montreal, Canada
CIBER-McCombs for Spanish proficiency. Through a sequence of courses and Melbourne Business School
Victoria, Australia
UT’s Center for International Business Education and Research activities students learn to communicate comfortably in nor-
National University of Singapore
(CIBER) offers students the resources of a central, nationally- mal business and academic situations, and at the same time, Singapore
funded research center for promoting international business gain an understanding of economic structures and business Pontificia Universidad Católica
practices of Spanish-speaking countries. Santiago, Chile
Rotterdam School of Management
I N T E R N AT I O N A L S T U D E N T R E P R E S E N TAT I O N T O P 1 0 C O U N T R I E S Rotterdam, Netherlands
The University of St. Gallen
CHINA INDIA THAILAND JAPAN PERU St. Gallen, Switzerland
Warwick Business School
Coventry, UK
KOREA ARGENTINA BRAZIL MEXICO VENEZUELA
WHU Koblenz-Otto Beisheim
Graduate School of Management
Koblenz, Germany
18 | M c C O M B S M B A 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 5

“3M is becoming increasingly committed to

leveraging the McCombs MBA talent. We’ve
sponsored almost a dozen practicums
over the last couple of years and intend
to continue. We consider the practicum
students part of our extended team McCombs
– consultants that provide insights and to summer internships
experience on improving processes to serve
our customers.”

Stacy David, Six Sigma Black Belt, 3M Electro &

Communications Business

While many McCombs MBAs land internships around the

world, others find their best opportunities right here in
Austin, either working for major regional employers such
as Dell, Motorola and Samsung or, like Erin Bouck and
Simon Threlfall, at emerging firms like Motive.

MBAs meet with the owner of Gene’s New Orleans Style

Poboys & Deli to help plan an expansion of the popular
East Austin cafe. While McCombs MBAs routinely work on
projects for Fortune 500 firms, through Plus and other
initiatives they also contribute to non-profit organiza-
tions and small businesses throughout Central Texas.
 G U I D I N G P R I N C I P L E S | 19

HANDS-ON LEARNING
Hands-on experiences complement, extend, and continually refine the curriculum.
MBAs have an array of opportunities for hands-on learning—from independent studies
to research projects with our business partners. Students initiate
some of the best experiences, like the Graduate Consulting Group, an organization that intro-
duces McCombs MBAs to globally recognized management and technology consultancies. It
makes sense that recruiters routinely tell us our graduates are ready to work from day one—
their experience shows. CHALLENGES INCLUDE:
International Challenge
MOOT CORP® Whether you’re serious about launching a of start-ups to profitability, including Isochron Data and the
new venture or just want to understand all the steps it takes InfoGlide Corporation. Marketing Challenge

to get there, the MOOT CORP new venture competition is
a great place to start. Since UT is home to the competition,
students can take a MOOT CORP class and participate in the
preliminary round of competition. What began as a small,
local and purely academic competition in 1984 has become
an exciting forum that showcases the most promising new
businesses coming out of top-tier business schools around
the world. Winners of the competition earn $100,000 in seed
funding and a year’s office space and overhead costs in the
Austin Technology Incubator (ATI). ATI has nurtured dozens
National Real Estate Finance Challenge
Academic Challenges While annual case competitions and Deloitte Consulting Challenge
other academic challenges may appear to be mere simula- Finance Challenge
tions, they provide valuable practice and exposure. The stu- Information Management Association/
dents who participate get a crash course that teaches team- Excellence in Operations Challenge
work, how to survive in high-pressure work environments,
and highly-evolved presentation skills. Getting a chance to
hob-nob with the competition judges—executives from top-
tier companies—is just icing on the cake.

N AT I O N A L R E A L E S TAT E F I N A N C E C A S E C H A L L E N G E

H osted by the McCombs School’s Center for Real Estate

Finance, this case-based competition is the largest grad-
uate real estate finance challenge in the country, drawing stu-
dent teams from Stanford, Wharton, Kellogg, UCLA, Harvard,
Columbia, and other schools around the U.S.
The 2003 case, provided by Goldman Sachs, cast students
as managers of a global real estate opportunity fund presented
with a retail strip mall center suffering from multiple problems.
In two days, teams had to decide whether to sell, reposition
or redevelop the neglected property, then defend their choice
in a 20-minute, polished presentation to judges from financial
institutions such as Banc of America Securities, Bear Stearns,
Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo. “These students did in two
days what professionals may have taken several months to
do,” said Todd Williams, managing director of Goldman Sachs
in Dallas. “This is the best way for graduate students to experi-
ence what it’s like to be a real estate professional.”
First place in the 2003 challenge went to the Haas School of
Business at University of California at Berkeley. The McCombs
School’s team came in second place and Harvard took third.
20 | M c C O M B S M B A 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 5
Texas MBA Hedge Fund
J ust a month after coming to the McCombs School,
Holly Goodrich co-founded the Texas MBA Hedge
Fund Organization to facilitate direct interaction
between MBAs and top industry professionals. The
organization is one of the first in the country to of-
fer MBAs more direct access to the ever-changing,
intricate, and sophisticated asset management strat-
egies of hedge funds.
By March, Holly and the group’s other co-
founders had organized the first-ever MBA Hedge
Fund Symposium, which attracted students from
Duke, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, and other business
programs in the U.S. and Canada. Students came to
hear and meet industry professionals from Goldman
Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Salomon Smith Barney, Bank
of America, Bear Stearns Securities, and other key
players in the securities exchange business who had
accepted Holly’s invitation to speak at the event.
“Our goal is to educate members through the
sharing of ideas, information, and experience,” says
Holly. “Importantly, we offer an opportunity to inter-
act with individuals working in the hedge fund field.”
Now beginning its third year, the Texas MBA
Hedge Fund is gaining both momentum and atten-
tion as it lays inroads into this increasingly important
sector of one of the security exchange industry’s
most esoteric branches.
Holly Goodrich, MBA ’04
Vice President, Private Funds Group,
Guggenheim Partners
Home Town: York, England
Previous Experience: Prime Brokerage
Relationship Manager,
Bear Stearns & Co. New York, NY
A FINANCIAL FOCUS
Year after year more than forty percent of our graduates pursue careers in finance. They’re drawn to
McCombs by programs like the Venture Fellows and the MBA Investment Fund—hands-on oppor-
tunities that move our students outside of the
MBA Investment Fund: Real-world Investment
classroom and in front of the learning curve.
The MBA Investment Fund, LLC is the nation’s first and
largest student-managed investing company, with over $13 Venture Fellows: A Capital Investment
million in assets. As one of In recent years, Austin has made a name for itself as a hotbed
only a handful of real-money of entrepreneurial activity and a mecca for venture capital-
investment funds managed ists, consistently ranking among the top five regions in the
by students, the Fund offers country in sheer volume of venture capital investment. That
graduate students profes- level of activity alone is enough to draw the attention of most
sional experience managing VC-oriented MBAs, but Austin has the added benefit of being
investment portfolios, run- home to the McCombs Venture Fellows program, an organi-
ning a business, and devel- zation that offers select students the chance to learn from,
oping client relationships, and work with, some of venture capital’s luminaries.
Our MBA Investment Fund man- which makes for one of the Now in its fifth year, the student-created and student-
agers work hand in hand with
nation’s most exceptional run program supports 18 members. While many of them will
professional money managers
learning experiences in asset ultimately find careers in the venture capital industry, a grow-
to learn the business (above,
Fund managers, class of 2004). management. ing number of aspiring entrepreneurs have also joined the
Each year twenty students are selected from the first-year ranks to reap the insight the group offers into the venture
MBA class to serve as student portfolio managers who oversee capital process. Regardless of their reasons for joining, each
the Fund’s three different investment products: the growth- of the Fellows must make it through a competitive applica-
and value-oriented equity portfolios, which are managed for tion process before being placed in a semester-long internship
individual and institutional clients, and an endowment port- with the venture capital firm, private equity fund, or portfolio
folio, which supports the activities of the AIM Investment company that will allow them to gain real-world experience
Center that houses the Fund. while earning credits toward their degree. Supplementing the
Student managers are advised by investment counselors internship are weekly classes taught by prominent guest lec-
from J.P. Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, and Fayez Sarofim & turers like Bill Gurley of Benchmark Capital. Access to oppor-
Company, and an advisory committee of 41 financial profes- tunities and resources as substantial as these have left many
sionals. Fund graduates have gone on to build careers at some of the fellows citing the program as the defining aspect of
of the most prestigious firms in the financial industry. their McCombs experience.
 G U I D I N G P R I N C I P L E S | 21

INSIDE THE MIND OF BUSINESS Closer To Business: McCombs MBAs at Frito-Lay

W
M A R K E T I N G A N D C U S T O M E R S T R AT E G Y ith an annual revenue of roughly
$10 billion and annual profits of
Offered by the Center for Customer Insight, a market-ori- over $2 billion, Frito-Lay North America
ented research center unique to McCombs, the Customer boasts a commanding sixty percent of the
salty-snack market in the United States.
Strategy program offers MBA students a 360-degree view of
To accomplish this, Frito-Lay uses five bil-
the strategic, organizational, informational, logistical, and
lion pounds of potatoes and one billion
financial factors that drive successful business relationships pounds of corn each year.
One reason for the relationship between
Frito-Lay and McCombs is simple geogra-
phy—being a Texas company, Frito-Lay
has had good luck attracting and retaining
McCombs MBAs. Other foundations of
the relationship include the ability of the
Frito-Lay Company to prioritize personal
creative development, while maintaining

and lead to customer satisfaction, market share, and profits. Such numbers would catch anyone’s a corporate culture that prizes teamwork
eye, but they are of special interest to Mc- and consensus-building—an attractive
For our corporate partners, the program also serves as a
Combs MBAs, as the school has strong ties feature to graduates of a school that is of-
proving ground for potential new employees.
to the Texas-based company. Around 20 ten cited as an example of how a competi-
percent of the members of the marketing tive spirit is not mutually exclusive with
The Internship The Customer Strategy program consists of two parts: a summer
team at Frito-Lay North America’s head- an ability to work well with others.
internship followed by a specialized case-based course. During the summer follow-
quarters in Plano are McCombs graduates,
ing the first year, Customer Strategy students participate in a 12-week internship
with one of the sponsoring companies: Dell, Frito-Lay, or Motorola. These intern- making it a welcoming environment for

ships are cross-functional and expose the students to a wide variety of projects the many McCombs students that find
that are both challenging and rewarding. Some areas where Customer Strategy themselves taking part in the practicums
interns have added value are supply chain analysis, marketing, customer business and internships offered by the company
development, logistics, corporate finance, budgeting, and business planning. Each each year.
of the internship projects has a true impact on the company’s business, and the In recent years, the flow of McCombs
Customer Strategy students’ recommendations are often implemented within the
graduates to Frito-Lay has accelerated, and
following year. As an added advantage, Customer Strategy interns gain exposure
the company is now among the top ten
to top-level managers of the company through such events as organized break-
recruiters of McCombs MBAs. “In the last
fasts, special lunches, happy hours, and team sports.
five years or so, we’ve really started to get
a sense of a McCombs community,” says
The Class In the fall of the second year, the Customer Strategy course exposes
students to a learning environment that brings together students, faculty, and ex- Brian Graham, a senior product manager,

ecutives in discussions about relevant corporate challenges and problems facing to- who has been at Frito-Lay since earning his

day’s industries. Each week, executives from Dell, Frito-Lay, and Motorola bring live MBA in 1998. “It’s a real testament to the
Brian Graham, MBA ‘98,
cases—real and current business problems—to the Customer Strategy classroom. program and to the people we’ve hired.”
Senior Product Manager, Frito-Lay.
22 | M c C O M B S M B A 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 5

TEAMWORK
Collaborating Is A Way Of Life For Mccombs Students
Students spend their first year in cohorts (groups of about 70),
taking the same classes across the core disciplines. The co-
horts are created with diversity in mind, drawing on the com-
plementary cultural, professional, and social backgrounds of
each incoming class.
An integral part of the first-year experience is assignment
to project teams within the cohorts. These teams, usually five
students, bring together a wealth of talent and experience
across numerous industries, economies, and nationalities.
Our students are encouraged to take full advantage of this
opportunity to share experiences, support each other, expand
the team’s capabilities, and extend this important future pro-
fessional network.
On a technical level, virtually anywhere within the Mc-
Combs School, students can connect via wireless or Ethernet
to a virtual learning environment where discussions and team
ETHICS
At McCombs, we view ethics as an intensely relevant aspect
of business practice, not a purely theoretical or philosophi-
cal matter, and surely not a passing “hot topic” of the times.
After years of teaching classes on business ethics, the school
integrated the subject into the MBA curriculum in the 1990s
with a program that encourages students in all disciplines
to explore the complex ethical issues that are vital to the
long-term health of organizations. Students encounter ethics
in virtually all of their classes, where they address practical
considerations relating to such issues as executive compen-
sation, social responsibility, corporate governance, financial
disclosure, marketing, and the balance between short-term
gain and long-term value.
“One of the main reasons I chose UT was the culture of the
students in the MBA program. My experiences here have
confirmed that initial impression. I have never seen such a
group of smart, collaborative, and friendly professionals as I
have in the McCombs School of Business. The students here
make the learning experience more productive and fun through
their great work ethic and collegial attitudes.”
Brenda S. Haroian, MBA ’04
projects are taking place 24 hours a day. McCombs
MBAs all use laptops running on a common operating
environment modeled on the highest corporate stan-
dards. Our students don’t have to worry about connec-
tivity or software compatibility—they just plug in and
get on with the business of working together.
G U I D I N G P R I N C I P L E S | 23
An Executive Perspective
As highlighted in the Wall Street Journal ar-
ticle, “A Delicate Balance,” the fall installment
of the McCombs MBA Plus program caps
off with the Executive Challenge, an intense
three-day simulation of corporate life and
leadership in which participants confront the
complex challenges that arise in the course of
running a multinational operation.
The challenge puts students in teams of
thirty, each with their own managers, direc-
tors, and executives, who must work together
in order to face down a complex
barrage of challenges from rivers
contaminated with toxic PCBs to
terrorist threats.
As students decide how to
face these challenges, they
are simultaneously intro-
ducing new product lines,
maintaining old ones, and
balancing the pressure to
achieve short-run profit-
ability while trying to
maintain their company’s
long-term health. Their success in each of
these areas is ultimately decided by a board
of real-world executives from such corporate
sponsors as Dell and H-E-B. The team that
survives this examination and performs at the
highest level of play wins not only the game,
but a cash prize.
Students participating in the challenge said
they were left with a much clearer sense of
how executives were expected to view com-
plicated problems. Corporate sponsors re-
marked on the enhanced level of interaction
they enjoyed with the competition’s partici-
pants as a result of the student’s heightened
insight into the executive perspective.
24 | M c C O M B S M B A 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 5

“Building and maintaining strong personal

and working relationships is critical
for leaders to effectively accomplish
organizational goals and objectives. My
experience as president of the BGBA will
provide a great opportunity to further
enhance my leadership and strategic
planning skills, which will be highly
applicable to my corporate and political
career aspirations after I complete my
MBA.” Arthur Mills, MBA ’04, President,
Black Graduate Business Association

DIVERSITY
cha n g i n g t h e f a c e
of business
The McCombs School offers a welcoming environment
for people from all backgrounds—a value confirmed
by numerous recognitions, such as being named
the number one business school in the countr y for Hispanics
(according to Hispanic Business magazine) for the last three years.
Through small study groups, school-sponsored activities, and stu-
dent organizations, McCombs MBAs are encouraged to explore
and exchange their diverse experiences. Active organizations
such as the Black Graduate Business Association, the Consortium
Fellows Business Association, and Graduate Women in Business
call attention to the diversity of the class and promote the trans-
formation of the traditional corporate landscape.
The Consortium For Graduate Study In Management
The McCombs School is an 19-year member of the Consortium
for Graduate Study in Management (CGSM)—a thirteen-univer-
sity alliance that seeks to increase the number of minorities in
MBA programs and managerial positions. CGSM recruits African
Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans for merit-based fel-
lowships. Each candidate admitted to a Consortium MBA pro-
gram competes for a full-tuition fellowship.
To find out more:
mba.mccombs.utexas.edu/diversity
G U I D I N G P R I N C I P L E S | 25
The Forté Foundation
McCombs is a founding member of the Forté Foundation—a na-
tional non-profit organization designed to increase the number
of women business owners and business leaders. We have joined
other educational institutions, businesses, and non-profit groups
to build awareness of business education among young women,
to increase the number of women entering business, and to sup-
port the careers of women through business networks.
#1 for Hispanic Business Students
In September 2003, when Hispanic Business completed its latest
ranking of the best graduate business schools for Hispanics, Mc-
Combs ranked #1 for the third time in a row. Said editors, “The
McCombs School of Business offers a welcoming environment
for people from all backgrounds.” The magazine singled out the
school’s extensive academic and professional support network,
ties to Latin America, and it’s reputation with employers as a
great resource for Hispanic professionals. The article also noted
McCombs encouragement of organizations like the Hispanic
Graduate Business Association, the Consortium Fellows Business
Association, and its participation in the conference for the Na-
tional Society of Hispanic MBAs.
“As a Rhode Island native, my first time in Austin was

A U S T I N
when I visited McCombs. I immediately fell in love
with the city and knew it would be a great place to
spend two years. It offers all of the advantages of
a big city: culture, nightlife, museums, great food,
and, of course, live music—with the beauty of a small
Austin used to be the big surprise awaiting
town: lakes, state parks, and hiking and biking trails.”
Mandy Forry, MBA ’05 but even long-time residents are

AUSTIN HAS:
BUSINESS PEOPLE OUTDOORS ARTS & CULTURE
Dell, Motorola, IBM, AMD, National 680,000 residents 172 city parks Professional symphony, ballet, and
Instruments, Tivoli, Samsung, Applied opera companies
1,300,000 metro area 30 miles of urban hike-and-bike trails
Materials, 3M
along scenic Town Lake and Barton More than 35 art galleries and
Ranks third in the country for net
3.1% Job Growth (Forbes 2003) Springs museums
migration, at 2.7% per year (Forbes
5.8% Income Growth (Forbes 2003) 2003) 9 wilderness areas 1,200 musical acts annually
#3 city for patenting activity (Forbes #5 most educated metro area in the 26 golf courses 120 live music venues
2003) U.S. (Forbes 2003)
150-mile long chain of lakes South by Southwest annual music,
#5 city for initial public offerings per film and interactive festival
11,800 acres of greenbelt for
$10 billion of gross metro product
recreation
(Forbes 2003)
300 annual days of sunshine
Mild winter climate and year-round
outdoor recreation
North America’s largest urban bat
Red’s Runners, a student organization, enjoy population—1.5 million Mexican
the hike and bike trail on a weekend morning. free-tail bats
 M c C O M B S C O M M U N I T Y | 27

prospective students. Today, the secret is pretty much out,

surprised by the scope of the city’s economic transformation—from laid-back
university town to the technopolis Forbes now ranks as the
#1 city in the U.S. for businesses and careers.
Demographers call Austin a “City of Ideas,” one of a handful of American regions where a new
creative class of entrepreneurs, business leaders, artists and visionaries are reshaping the model
for American prosperity. Through its economic changes, Austin remains a city of lakes, hills, live
music, and cosmopolitan culture. “On earth as it is in Austin” is a favorite local bumper sticker.
Live here a while and you will understand why.

AUSTIN IS:
#1 Best City For Singles, Forbes (2003) #4 Best City For Women, Ladies Home Journal (2002)
#2 Best City For Job Growth, Forbes (2003) #4 Safest Big City, Morgan Quitno’s 10th Annual Safest/Most Dangerous
City Awards (2003)
#2 Best People in “America’s Favorite Cities,” Travel+Leisure (2004)
#4 Friendliest People in “America’s Favorite Cities,” Travel+Leisure (2004)
#2 Educational Attainment, University of Wisconsin (2003)
#4 Hottest Job Market, Business 2.0 (2004)
#3 Best Place for Businesses and Careers, Forbes (2004)
#5 Cleanliness “America’s Favorite Cities,” Travel+Leisure (2004)
#3 City for Hispanics, Hispanic Magazine (2003)
Top 5 Best Bets Entrepreneurial Activity, Entrepreneur (2003)
#3 Best City for Mountain Bikers, MountainBike.com (2002)
Named American Capital of Culture, American Capital of Culture (2004)
#3 Best Looking People in “America’s Favorite Cities,” Travel+Leisure (2004)
28 | M c C O M B S M B A 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 5
“I still
“I still relyrely
on on
thethe skills
skills I learned
I learned from
from terrific
terrific professors
professors in running
in running mymy venture
venture fund
fund
today—a
today—a $500 million
$500 million fund focused
fund focused on investments
on investments in early
in the early stage
stage technology
technology companies.”
companies.”
Jim Jim Armstrong,
Armstrong, MBAMBA
’96,’96, Managing
Managing Director,
Director, Clearstone
Clearstone Venture
Venture Partners,
Partners,
Forbes
Forbes 2003
2003 “Midas
“Midas List”
List” of of Tech’s
Tech’s TopTop Venture
Venture Investors.
investors

Professor Janet Dukerich was chosen by MBA

students for the 2003 MBA Faculty Honor Roll

“Professor Dukerich was able to bring our out-

side learning into the classroom each week in
an engaging and fun manner. By the end of her
Negotiations class, I had such a great experi-
ence, that I didn’t realize how much I learned
until I actually had to write it down for our last
assignment.” Rachel Gonzalez, MBA ’04
 M c C O M B S C O M M U N I T Y | 29

“Professor Hirst was an incredible financial accounting professor. He had

Michael Clement, Accounting
the ability to take a complex subject and really relate it to the real world. National Black MBA Doctoral Fellow

I learned so much more than just accounting in his class—it was a great
foundation for future classes!” Caren Williams, MBA ’04

Julie Irwin, Marketing

CBA Foundation Advisory Council Centennial Fellow

M c C O M B S FA C U LT Y: T H O U G H T L E A D E R S
When McCombs MBAs describe their favorite aspects of the school, they often cite the quality
and accessibility of the faculty. They are a dynamic, interactive group of knowledge leaders who
rank eighth nationally in terms of research impact. Yes, UT Austin is a research university, but
Stephen Magee, Finance
that doesn’t mean that teaching comes second. Stephen P. James L. Bayless/Enstar Corporation
Chair in Business Administration

Because successful researchers know more about their fields
than anyone else, they tend to be the best synthesizers of
knowledge for students, and that means new knowledge
reaches McCombs MBAs more quickly than most business
students. This strength is evident in every discipline. The
faculty will challenge you to consider the business core
from new perspectives, and you will benefit from your ac-
cess to the first-hand knowledge they are able to share.
tants’ 2002 Teacher of the Year, and Michael Granof, one of
the nation’s leading voices on accounting reform.
Other premier scholars and teachers at McCombs in-
clude Sheridan Titman, one of the country’s most frequent-
ly cited finance researchers; Robert Prentice, a nationally
renowned expert on securities law; James Westphal, whose
Sheridan Titman, Finance
work in corporate governance and management in the last Walter W. McAllister Centennial Chair in
decade has spurred the greatest increase in academic cita- Financial Services

The Department of Management Science and Infor-
mation Systems hosts world-renowned leaders like Andrew
Whinston and Anitesh Barua, pioneers in the Internet
economy. Accounting, which the Public Accounting Report
has ranked the number one graduate program for ten years
in a row, boasts many national leaders, including William
Kinney, the American Institute of Certified Public Accoun-
tions for any single scholar in the entire field of econom-
ics and business; John Doggett and James Nolen, anchors
of the popular entrepreneurship curriculum and two of the
most highly rated teachers on campus; and Julie Irwin, who
is one of the prolific scholars in marketing who have helped
make the department the number two research program in
John N. Doggett, Entrepreneurship
the nation according to the Journal of Marketing Education. Senior Research Fellow, IC2
30 | M c C O M B S M B A 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 5

ACCESS to LEADERS
The McCombs School views business not just as the customer for our graduates, but as a full
partner in their education. By bringing students into direct contact with corporate leaders
involved in the most pressing concerns of to-
day’s business, McCombs MBAs uncover the
truest sense of what it means to push into the
frontiers of business knowledge.

McCombs School Advisory Council

Since 1960, accomplished business people have been sharing
their strategic perspectives, industry knowledge, and connec-
tions to the wider business community as members of the
CBA Foundation Advisory Council (renamed the McCombs
School of Business Advisory Council in 2000).
Tasked with assisting the dean in achieving and main-
taining “best of class” status for the School, the Advisory
Council also supports fundraising efforts; provides counsel
on strategy, programs, and external affairs; introduces faculty
and students to valuable contacts for research, collaborative,
and employment purposes; and provides input to the dean,
faculty, and staff for assessing the progress of the School and
charting its future.
With about 100 lifetime and active members, the Mc-
Combs School Advisory Council draws on a wide range of tal-
ent, and includes such industry luminaries as Herb Kelleher,
Chairman of Southwest Airlines; Kenny Jastrow, CEO of Tem-
ple-Inland; Jim Mulva, President and CEO of ConocoPhillips;
Gerard Arpey, President and CEO of American Airlines; and
William Johnson, President and CEO of Heinz.
 M c C O M B S C O M M U N I T Y | 31

Tom Hicks, chairman, Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst

The MBA Executive Speaker Series

The Executive Speaker Series (ESS), tailored to the interests of McCombs MBAs, provides McCombs
students with an executive’s perspective on leadership, management, competition, and professional
development. Exposure to corporate leaders is a key component of the overall MBA experience, as it en-
ables students to learn from leaders’ past and present challenges and understand real-world approaches
to business dilemmas.

To find out more: www.mccombs.utexas.edu/news/speaker_series/

RECENT SPEAKERS
AT McCOMBS

Dan Austin, vice president, Dow Jones, Michael Dell, chairman, Dell Computers Rex Tillerson, Sr. Vice President, ExxonMobil

Inc.; Al Bru, CEO, Frito-Lay; Robert

Bryce, author, Pipe Dreams; Greed, Ego, and the Death of Enron; Michael Dell, chairman, Dell Computers; Marian Wright Edelman, founder & president, Children’s Defense Fund;

James Flores, chairman & CEO, PXP; Seth Goldman, president and TeaEO, Honest Tea; Bill Gurley, partner, Benchmark Capital; Tom Hicks, chairman, Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst; Gerry

Hunsicker, general manager, Houston Astros; William Johnson, president and CEO, the H.J. Heinz Company; Herb Kelleher, chairman, founder and former CEO, Southwest Airlines;

James W. Keyes, president and CEO, 7-Eleven; Gary Kusin, president and CEO, Kinko’s; Reginald Van Lee, SVP of Booz Allen Hamilton, New York; Scott A. Lewis, vice president, Merrill

Lynch Investment Banking Division; Joe Liemandt, CEO, Trilogy Software; Dr. Richard Lindsey, president, Bear, Stearns Securities; Red McCombs, entrepreneur, school patron, owner,

Minnesota Vikings; Bob McTeer, president, Dallas Federal Reserve Bank; David Moross, chairman and CEO, Falconhead Capital; Jim Mulva, chairman and CEO, ConocoPhillips; Jim

Quigley, CEO, Deloitte; Ross Perot, Jr., chairman, Hillwood Development Corporation; Kevin Rollins, president and COO, Dell Computers; Charles Stanford, Jr., retired chairman and

CEO, Bankers Trust; David Steinberger, president of HarperCollins Publishers Adult Trade Group; Todd Stitzer, CEO, Dr. Pepper/Seven-Up Companies; Rex Tillerson, Sr. Vice President,

ExxonMobil; Lynn Utter, Chief Strategy Officer, Coors Brewing Company

32 | M c C O M B S M B A 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 5

MBAs congregate at Hula Hut, one of the

more popular hangouts on Lake Austin.
 M c C O M B S C O M M U N I T Y | 33

“After four years in the cold weather of Chicago, McCombs was like an oasis! It had the best of
everything...great friends, intellectual growth, and fantastic weather. My husband and I have
strong connections with McCombs even though we live in Minneapolis. Business trips allow
us to keep in touch with our classmates around the country, and serving on General Mills’
recruiting team is a great excuse to return to Austin.”
Carla Vernon, MBA ’95, Marketing Manager, General Mills

THE STUDENT COMMUNITY

Not only will you learn with your fellow MBAs, you’ll learn from them. Our students say that their
classmates are the most impressive group of people they have ever met—that they learn as much
from each other as they do from their case studies. Students especially appreciate the culture of
McCombs, an atmosphere of laid-back intensity that blends competition and collegiality, social
activity and individuality, a sense of community and an appreciation for diversity.
Nowhere is the culture more evident than in our graduate stu- ment a close-knit community. Whether McCombs MBAs are
dent organizations. From the Marketing Network to Red’s Run- editing the Texas Business Weekly, recruiting CEOs for the
ners, the Entrepreneur Society to the Black Graduate Business Executive Speaker Series, or organizing the next Women in
Association, our 40-plus student organizations offer a place Business Leadership Conference, they create a culture that is
for everyone. Students routinely start new initiatives, and truly distinctive among top MBA programs.
their activities invigorate the school. Many organizations, like
the Graduate Real Estate Society, lead to professional contacts.
Others, like the Students and Significant Others Network, ce-
B E Y O N D the C L A S S R O O M
McCombs MBA Student Organizations

McCombs provides many opportunities for our students to tailor their MBA experience. Student organizations open the
doors to relationships, leadership, professional growth, increased understanding, and just plain fun. With so many differ-
ent organizations to choose from, it’s easy to find your niche at McCombs. To find out more: www.mccombs.utexas.edu/students/

Women in Business
Leadership Conference
The 2004 Women in Business Leadership Conference at McCombs

brought together one of the greatest concentrations of female execu-

tive talent ever assembled in Texas. Through panels, speeches and

workshops, the conference aimed to recognize the unique strengths

that women bring to corporate America. Participants also considered

some of the issues and challenges that still affect women who pursue
graduate degrees and careers in business.

Speakers such as Ellen Keszler, president of Travelocity Business;

Jane Burruss, VP of the AYCO Co., L.P.; and Wanda Bunkers, VP Human

Resources at Citigroup’s Citi Cards, moderated panels on topics like

“Work/Life Balance (How Do You Fit Everything in Your Backpack),” and

“Nontraditional Households.” The annual conference is co-sponsored

by the school’s Bureau of Business Research and the Graduate Women

in Business (GWIB) student organization.

“It is through my activities that I have grown the most in this program. My experience leading the Women in Business Leadership Conference
has provided a daily opportunity to apply lessons learned in the classroom. Some ideas work; some don’t, but I can go back to the classroom
equipped with a new set of questions. It has been so refreshing to be in an environment where my gender really does not matter. Faculty,
students; in the classroom, in small groups; I am respected for my contributions in thought and in action.”

Melissa Evers-Hood, MBA ’03, Former Chairman, Women in Business Leadership Conference (WBLC), 2002-2003
 M c C O M B S C O M M U N I T Y | 35

Spouses & Significant Others

Deciding to attend an MBA program is not an easy choice, es-
pecially if a family or significant other is part of the decision.
However, the Student and Significant Other Network (SAS)
can make the transition easier and much more fun for every-
one involved by providing a means for significant others and
families to share in the MBA experience.
By offering members a wide variety of activities, includ-
ing Book Club, Game Night, and SAS Outdoors, SAS provides
a support network of people sharing the same experiences and
fosters life-long friendships. SAS also makes a concerted effort
to help answer questions about the types of jobs available in
Austin, where you’ll live while your student is in school, and
what life is like in Austin. SAS is here to make your move to
Austin and into the business school community seamless.

McCombs MBA Student Organizations “SAS helped welcome our family into the Longhorn
Armed Forces Alumni Association Austin Power Black Graduate Business Association community. The demanding MBA schedule makes
(BGBA) Brazilian American Business Group Central Charity Challenge China Business it essential that spouses have a support network;
Association CI.org (Customer Insight) Consortium Fellows Business Association Digital SAS has provided that for us. Through SAS, our
Entertainment MBA Association E-Business Club Energy Finance Group Entrepreneur family has been able to participate in the McCombs
Society Excellence in Operations Global Business Association Graduate Business Coun- community. We have formed foundations of
cil (GBC) Graduate Business Wine Club Graduate Women in Business (GWIB) Gradu- friendships that will last a lifetime.” Ty Bricker and
ate Circle Graduate Connections Graduate Consulting Group Graduate Finance Asso- Jude Bricker, MBA ’04, VPs of SAS, Little Longhorns
ciation Graduate Marketing Network Graduate Real Estate Society Hispanic Graduate
Business Association (HGBA) Indian Graduate Business Association Information Man-
agement Association (IMA) International MBA Student Organization (IMBASA) Jewish
MBA Organization MBA Christian Fellowship (MBACF) MBA Golf Association (MBAGA)
MBA Hedge Fund Organization MBA Investment Fund MBA Outsource (GLGBN) MBA
Rugby Club MBA Soccer Club Mexican Business Association Net Impact (Students for
Responsible Business) Quality Management Consortia (QMC) Red’s Runners Sports and
Entertainment Management Association Student and Significant Other Network Texas
Business Weekly Venture Capital Fellows
36 | M c C O M B S M B A 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 5

“MBA Career Services provided me with a

roadmap for success. They helped me focus
my search and prepare for interviews—
conducting mock interviews, reviewing my
resume, and helping me tell my story in the
best possible way.” Todd Haskins, MBA ’04,
Associate, Goldman Sachs

CAREER SERVICES: THE NEXT STEP

Dedicated to producing results, the MBA Career Services team helps students develop the focus,
skills, and contacts needed to achieve their professional goals. In addition to coordinating thou-
sands of interviews each year, our career services team runs seminars in career exploration and
job search skills; offers workshops on topics like case and behavioral interviewing, resume writing,
cover letters, job search strategies, and salary negotiation; brings in groups of executives to discuss
various MBA career paths; and helps to coordinate on-campus career forums. All of our career ad-
visors have extensive recruiting and/or corporate experience from such companies as Booz Allen
Hamilton, Motorola, and JPMorgan Chase, and students benefit from their first-hand knowledge.
The career services team also works closely with students to ing the role of career goals in our admissions process, pursu-
find rewarding internships for the summer months between ing greater alignment of the MBA program with recruiters,
the first and second year. Consequently, most of our students and hiring additional career advisors and a new MBA Career
work in internships or on company projects that allow them Services director. The school is also attracting a wider array of
to gain insight about specific companies, industries or re- national and international recruiters while beefing up rela-
gions, enhancing their long-term career prospects. tions with key corporate partners.
Starting in 2004, McCombs began enhancing a program From setting up your first job interview on campus to
that corporate recruiters already place consistently among facilitating your professional network across industries and
their top schools for new hires. McCombs heightened the in- continents, the MBA Career Services team doesn’t just talk
tegration of career services within the MBA program, increas- about exciting careers—it helps launch them.
 C A R E E R S | 37

M B A C L A S S of 2 0 0 4 Salary Average: $79,119

Salary Median: $80,000
P R E L I M I N A RY S TAT I S T I C S
Average Signing Bonus: $12,901
This data is based on 194 useable guaranteed base salaries reported by students as
of June 4, 2004. This report complies with MBACSC standards. . Average Guaranteed Bonus: $14,569

I N T E R N AT I O N A L DOMESTIC

BY FUNCTION
Function Average Salary % of Accepts
BY REGION

Central/South America 3% 43% Out-of-State: Marketing 77,362 22%

Asia (Other than Japan) 3% 15% West/Southwest Finance/Treasury 79,933 17%
Other International 3% 10% Northeast/ General Management 77,277 11%
Mid-Atlantic
Investment Banking 76,548 11%
10% Midwest
Consulting 89,253 10%
8% Southeast
Investment Mgmt/Research 77,059 9%
48 % In-State Operations 75,418 6%
Information Mgmt 82,200 3%
Other 79,156 11%

“Before coming to the MBA program, my MBA CAREER SERVICES

background was in sales, marketing, and MBA CAREER ADVISORS are available to help students with all phases of their job
business development, but my long-term search and career transition. Students are encouraged to have ongoing meetings
with the career advisors not only in their job search, but throughout their tenure at
career goal is to follow a general management
McCombs.
career track. I utilized the resources available
RESUME BOOK A book of resumes for each MBA class distributed to hundreds of
through the MBA Career Services, the employers to encourage them to hire our students.

concepts learned in my finance classes, and EMPLOYER PANELS Each year, MBA Career Services brings select company representa-

the experience obtained in my internship, in tives to campus to talk about MBA career options.

combination with hard work preparing my WORKSHOPS on a wide variety of career-related subjects from self-assessment to case
interviewing.
interviews, and I got a great job in finance
and business analysis after graduation.” PEER ADVISORS are 2nd year students who were selected, interviewed, and trained
by the MBA Career Services to assist 1st years in key areas like resume and cover letter
Rodrigo Perez, MBA ’03, Business Analysis Manager, review, general advising strategy, and videotaping mock interviews.
Celanese Chemicals
THE INTERNATIONAL TASK FORCE assists with marketing and outreach to both inter-
national students and employers.
 38 | M c C O M B S M B A 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 5

“I came to McCombs to leverage my business

experience in the technology industry with new

skills in many areas such as marketing, finance

and management. I knew I wanted H U N D R E D S of R E C R U I T E R S

T H O U S A N D S of
to continue in the same industry, and being a
McCombs MBA gave me the opportunity to get
my foot in the door of great companies such as
Microsoft, IBM, and Dell. During the interviews,
I applied the concepts I learned in many of
my classes and the preparation sessions with
the MBA Career Center. That was the plus that
helped me get an internship and a full-time offer
with Microsoft Corp.” Javier Arrupea, MBA ’03,
Product Manager, Microsoft
POSSIBILITIES
Our real-world approach to education makes graduates of the McCombs School among the
most sought-after in the nation. Each year recruiters from hundreds of the world’s leading
companies come to our Ford Career Center in search of future leaders and managers.
The career center begins marketing students to employers even before classes begin. Em-
ployers then get to know students in formal and informal settings throughout the year as
employers host informational presentations prior to their on-campus interviews.
But on-campus recruiting only tells part of the story. Our key corporate partners en-
gage with the school in dozens of ways—in classrooms, research projects, student organi-
zations and events. To help firms get the most out of the school, a team of staff dedicated
to corporate relationships cultivates key companies such as 3M, Accenture, ConocoPhil-
lips, Dell, Frito-Lay, and Microsoft, among many others, to leverage internal contacts and
strengthen areas of mutual interest.
What does this synergy mean for McCombs MBAs? It means they enter a corporate
network that is far greater than the sum of its already considerable parts.

ABBOTT LABORATORIES ACCENTURE ADJOINED TECHNOLOGIES ADVANCED ENERGY A.T. KEARNEY ADVANCED MICRODEVICES ADVANCED SOLUTIONS AIM FUNDS AIR LIQUIDE ALCOA FUJIKURA LTD. THE ALEXANDER GROU
SURANCE AMERICO RETIREMENT SERVICES AMERICREDIT CORPORATION AMICA MUTUAL INSURANCE AMVESCAP ANADARKO PETROLEUM ANHEUSER-BUSCH APACHE CORPORATION APPLIED MATERIALS AQUILA ENERGY ARC
E CORPORATION BANK UNITED BARRINGTON CONSULTING BASF B.D.O. SEIDMAN THE BEACON GROUP LLC. BEAULIEU OF AMERICA BEAR STEARNS & CO. INC. BERNSTEIN PHALON AND CONKLIN BERTLSMANN BLACK & D
NSULTING BROADJUMP BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE RAILROAD BUSINESS SOFTWARE ASSOCIATES CALPINE CORP. CAMBRIDGE ASSOCIATES CAMBRIDGE INCUBATOR CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY CAP GEMINI ERNST
STEMS CENSUS BUREAU CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY CHARLES SCHWAB CHEVRON TEXACO CHUBB INSURANCE CIBC WORLD MARKETS CINTAS CORPORATION CISCO SYSTEMS CITGROUP CITICARDS CITIGATE CUNNI
MPUTER SCIENCES CORPORATION CONAGRA CONOCO CONSOLODATED GRAPHICS CONTEXT INTGRATION CONTINENTAL AIRLINES COOPER INDUSTRIES CORAL ENERGY CORDIS CORP. COX & LORD COX COMMUNICATI
COTIISERHARD INC. DEER & CO. DEFENSE CONTRACT AUDIT AGENCY U.S. GOVERNMENT DELL DELOITTE & TOUCHE DELOITTE CONSULTING DELPHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS DELTA AIRLINES DELUXE CORPORATION DENTS
BERTSON AND LAMME DYNAMIC DETAILS DYNEGY E&J GALLO WINERIES EDS EDWARD JONES EL PASO CORP. ELI LILLY EMERGENT TECHNOLOGIES ENFINITE MEDIA ENTERCON INTERNATIONAL ENTERGY ENTERPRISE RENT-
LLAS FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT CAREER PROGRAM USA FIREMAN’S FUND INSURANCE FIRST AMERICAN BANK TEXAS SSB FIRST SOUTHWEST COMPANY FIRST UNION SECURITIES FISHER SCIENTIFIC FMC CORPORATION FO
E SOFTWARE GROWTH CAPITAL PARTNERS INC. GTE DIRECTORIES GUARANTY BANK HALL KININON HALLIBURTON HAMMES COMPANY HANKE GREEN & STEIN PC THE HARBOR GROUP THE HAY GROUP H.E.B. HEALTH MA
IOTT INC. HUMANSCALE I2 TECHNOLOGIES IBM IBM CONSULTING INFORMATICA CORPORATION INFORMATION RESOURCES INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES ING BARINGS INTEGRATED INFORMATION SYSTEMS INTEL CORPORA
HNSON PROFESSIONAL COMPANIES JP MORGAN CHASE & CO. KIMBERLY-CLARK KINZAN.COM KLA TENCOR KOLES DEPARTMENT STORES KPMG CONSULTING KRAFT FOODS-OSCAR MAYER DIVISION KURT SALMON ASSOCIAT
ARATHON OIL COMPANY MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL MARSH INSURANCE BROKERAGE MASS MUTUAL MAXIM GROUP MCGEE WHEELER & COMPANY MCKINSEY & CO. MEDIAPLUS THE MEDLEH GROUP MERCK-MEDCO MER
SOCIATION NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS NATIONAL MBA SOURCE NATIONAL OILWELL CREDIT NATURAL DATA NAVIGANT CONSULTING INC. NCH CORP. NEIMAN MARCUS NESTLE USA NETWORK ASSOCIATES NEW ENGLAND
CIDENTAL CHEMICAL OLDE DISCOUNT CORPORATION PACCAR PG & E ENERGY TRADING PEABODY ENERGY PEACE CORPS. PENNZOIL-QUAKER STATE PEPPERS & ROGERS/MARKETING 1TO1 PERRIER GROUP PETRIE PARKMAN
NSULTING THE PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL GROUP THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY PROLOGIS PROVIDIA NFINANCIAL PRUDENTIAL CAPITAL GROUP PRUDENTIAL SECURITIES PUBLIC CONSULTING GROUP PULTE HOMES OF T
ERGY REVENEW INTERNATIONAL REXTON INTERACTIVE THE RICHARDS GROUP THE ROBINSON-HUMPHREY COMPANY LLC ROYCE HOMES LP. RUSH ENTERPRISES RYAN & COMPANY RYDER SYSTEMS INC. SABRE INC. SANDERS
ICON LABORATORIES SILICON VALLEY BANK SIMMONS & CO. INTERNATIONAL SMITH BREEDEN ASSOCIATES SOFTWARE ARCHITECTS INC. SOLUTIA INC. SOURCENET SOLUTIONS SOUTHERN UNION GAS CO. SOUTHTRUST B
NK STONEBRIDGE TECHNOLOGIES SUMMIT PROPERTIES SUN MICROSYSTEMS SWS SECURITIES GROUP INC. SYSCO FOOD SERVICE TACTICA TECHNOLOGY GROUP TANGLEWOOD CORPORATION TARGET TAYLORED SYSTEM
OLI IBM TMP WORLDWIDE TOWERS PERRIN TOYS-R-US TRAMMELL CROW TRICON GLOBAL RESTAURANTS TRIDENT INSURANCE TRILOGY TRIQUINT SEMICONDUCTOR TRW INC. TUCKER ALAN INC. TURNER BROADCASTING
 C A R E E R S | 39

For its 2003-2004 rankings, The Wall Street Journal surveyed

2,200 MBA corporate recruiters—ten times as many as Business Week surveys.
T H E R E C R U I T E R S R AT E D M C C O M B S :

#
13
MBA Overall Worldwide

5 #
Favorite School of

3
Te c h n o l o g y R e c r u i t e r s

# for Accounting

#
9
for Entrepreneurship #
3
Most Nominated for
Recruiting Minorities
#
3
f o r I n f o r m a t i o n Te c h n o l o g y

UP ALLEGIANCE HEALTHCARE CORP. AMERICAN AIRLINES AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS AMERICAN EXPRESS FINANCIAL ADVISORS AMERICAN GENERAL CORPORATION AMERICAN MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AMERICAN N
CON GROUP ARGO DATA RESOURCE CORP. ARTHUR D. LITTLE ASHLAND DISTRIBUTION AND SPECIALTY CHEMICAL CO. AUTODESK AVANTUS GROUP AXA ADVISORS BAIN & CO. BANC OF AMERICA SECURITIES BANK OF AMER
DECKER BLOCKBUSTER BLUEBELL CREAMERIES B.M.C. SOFTWARE BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM BOOZ ALLEN & HAMILTON BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP BP AMERICA BRANNFORBES BRAUN CONSULTING BRISTOL MYERS SQU
T & YOUNG LLP THE CAPITAL GROUP CAPITAL ONE CAPITAL SECURITY FINANCIAL SERVICES CARGILL CARLSON CAPITAL L.P. CARREKER CARTER WALLACE CATAPULT SYSTEMS C.B. RICHARD ELLIS CCI MANUFACTURING CD3
INGHAM CITIGROUP CORPORATE AND INVESTMENT BANK CLINICALWEB.COM CMS ENERGY COASTAL CORPORATION COBANK COCA-COLA COCA-COLA FOUNTAIN COMERICA BANK COMMERCIAL SERVICES COMPAQ CO
IONS INC. CREDIT SUISSE FIRST BOSTON CORPORATION THE CROSSROADS GROUP CROW HOLDINGS CUNNINGHAM COMMUNICATIONS CUTTER & BUCK D. HILTON ASSOCIATES DAYMON ASSOCIATES INC. DECKER & AS
SPLY INTERNATIONAL DEUTSCHE BANK DHL WORLDWIDE DIAMONDCLUSTER INTERNATIONAL DILLON CORPORATE SERVICES DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY DOW JONES & CO. DRW INVESTMENTS DUPONT FLOORING SYSTE
-A-CAR EQUIS CORPORATION EQUIVA SERVICES ERICSSON INC. ETHOS GROUP EXXONMOBIL CORPORATION FACT SETRE SEARCH SYSTEM INC. FAYEZ SAROFIM & CO. FCM INVESTMENTS FEDERAL EXPRESS FEDERAL RESERVE
ORD MOTOR COMPANY FREIGHTWISE INC. FROST SECURITIES FTI CONSULTING GA SULLIVAN THE GAP INC. THE GARTNER GROUP GATEWAY COMPUTERS GENERAL MILLS GENUITY GRANT GREAT-WESTLIFE GREENHILL & C
ANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES HEALIX HEWITT ASSOCIATES HEWLETT PACKARD HILTI INC. HINES HONEYWELL INC. HOAK BREEDLOVE WESNESKI & CO. HOULIHAN LOKEY HOWARD & ZUKIN HOUSTON PRESS HOWARD FRAZIE
ATION INELLIMARK INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE INTERNATIONAL PAPER ITU VENTURES JC PENNY. JC BRADFORD JD EDWARDS JEFFERIES & COMPANY INC. JOHNSON & JOHNSON JOHNSON & JOHNSON INTERNATIONAL JO
TES LABATT FOOD SERVICE LAM RESEARCH LEHMAN BROTHERS LEIF JOHNSON FORD LIBERTY MUTUAL LOCKHEED MARTIN LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY LOUIS DREYFUS CORP. LUMINANT WORLDWIDE MANULIFE F
RRILL LYNCH METLIFE METASOLV SOFTWARE MICROSOFT MILLER BREWING COMPANY THE MINUTEMAID COMPANY MIRANT MORGAN KEEGAN MORGAN STANLEY MOTOROLA NASA JOHNSON SPACECENTER NATIONAL BA
D FINANCIAL NEWELL RUBBERMAID NEWS AMERICA MARKETING NISSAN NORTEL NORTHERN TRUST BANK NORTHROP GRUMMAN NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL FINANCIAL NETWORK NORWEST FINANCIAL NOVELL NULL-LAI
& CO. PFIZER INC. PFSWEB PHILIP MORRIS PHILLIPS PETROLEUM CO. PHOENIX HOMELIFE PINNACLE SOLUTIONS INC. PITTIGLIO RABIN TODD & MCGRATH PRELUDE SYSTEMS PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS PRICEWATERHOUSE
TEXAS LP. Q INVESTMENTS L.P. QUINSTREET QUAKER OATS QUORUM BUSINESS SOLUTIONS RAYMOND JAMES & ASSOCIATES RAYTHEON SYSTEMS R.B.C. DAIN RAUSCHER REAL NETWORKS RELIANCE STANDARD INSURANC
S MORRIS HARRIS AND BROTHERS SAPIENT SATURN CORPORATION SCORE SENSE CORP. SG COWEN SECURITIES CORP. SHELL OIL COMPANY SHOWTIME NETWORKS INC. SIBSON & COMPANY SIECOR SIEMENS ENERGY & AUT
BANK N.A. SOUTHWEST AIRLINES SOUTHWEST BANK OF TEXAS SOUTHWESTERN BELL SPEAR LEEDS AND KELLOGG STANDARD & POOR’S STANLEY WORKS STAPLES INC. STATE FARM INSURANCE STEELCASE STEPHENS INC.
MS TEACHER RETIREMENT SYSTEMS TEJAS SECURITIES GROUP INC. TEK SYSTEMS TEMPLE-INLAND INC. TENET HEALTH SYSTEMS TEXAS INSTRUMENTS THE THOMSON CORPORATION TIDEWATER INC. TITAN TECHNOLOGY P
G TXU TYSON FOODS UBS WARBURG UNITED CAPITAL UNIVERSITY DIRECTORIES UNUMPROVIDENT US BANK US GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE US WEST USAA VALOR TELECOMMUNICATONS VAN KAMPEN VELOCITY ELEC
A SAMPLING OF JOBS HELD
B Y 2 0 0 4 G R A D U AT E S
Kimberly-Clark Corporation Strategic Alliance Analyst
American Airlines Financial Analyst
Gartner Group Senior Consultant
Intel Corporation Senior Financial Analyst
FedEx Services Senior Marketing Analyst
Booz, Allen & Hamilton Associate
DuPont Marketing Specialist
Guggenheim Partners Vice President
Goldman Sachs Associate
Dell Computer Software Brand Manager
Dell Computer Operations Manager
PepsiCo Category Manager
General Mills Senior Financial Analyst
Miller Brewing Company Manager - Business Analysis
Procter & Gamble Assistant Brand Manager
Pfizer Marketing Manager
General Mills Associate Marketing Manager
Johnson & Johnson Senior Analyst
Johnson & Johnson Brand Manager
Black & Decker Product Manager
Bain Consultant
Microsoft Product Manager
GE Company Marketing Leadership Program
Merrill Lynch Associate
ExxonMobil Business Analyst
A G R A D U AT E P E R S P E C T I V E
A L o o k Fo r ward: Life And
Ca re e r s A f t e r M c C o m b s
DARRIN EARL
l Senior Marketing Analyst, FedEx Services
M e m p h i s , Te n n e s s e e
My first post-MBA position will be as a senior market-
l
ing analyst with the Customer Management Analytics
group of FedEx Services, part of the FedEx corporate
office. Our task is to support and work with deci-
l
sion makers in the FedEx operating companies—like
Express, Ground, and Freight—as well as the corpo-
rate office to help quantify and justify their strategies.
There are four separate groups in analytics, nearly all
with MBAs or other advanced degrees. Not only will
l
this be a great place to hone a new skill set, but also a
great entry into a excellent company.
HOLLY GOODRICH
Vice President, Guggenheim Partners
N e w Yo r k , N e w Yo r k
The Guggenheim name represents a worldwide tradi-
tion of innovation and achievement in business, phi-
lanthropy, education and the arts. This legacy is carried
forward by Guggenheim Partners, a private wealth
management firm, where I’ll be working as Vice Presi-
dent, Private Funds Group upon graduation. Owned by
the Guggenheim family and a small group of founding
partners, our firm provides investment advisory and
asset management services to our partners and select
clients involving $70 billion of traditional and alterna-
tive assets. As vice president, my primary responsibili-
ties will involve marketing and business development
of the funds group where I’ll be working closely with
senior management to plan, organize, implement, and
maintain all of the group’s client services and market-
ing-related activities.
JODI ELLIS
Category Manager, PepsiCo
D a l l a s , Te xas
As a career switcher with an undergraduate degree in
finance, I was very excited about accepting a marketing
position at Pepsi-Cola. As a category manager, I’ve been
given the responsibility of driving Pepsi-Cola’s volume
and profitability at two major retail chains by designing
programs and promotions in the Pepsi beverage cat-
egory. For me, the attraction of the position comes from
being given so much responsibility and performance
accountability immediately after graduating. I also have
the good fortune of being able to work cross-function-
ally with a variety of groups, which will equip me for
further career progression down the road.
CARLOS SORIA
Senior Analyst, Johnson & Johnson
P i s c a t a w a y, New Jersey
After spending my summer internship at Health Care
Systems (HSC), the logistics arm for several of J&J’s
medical device divisions, I was so impressed by the
working environment, interesting projects, and ad-
vancement opportunities that I happily accepted their
offer for full-time employment. As part of their logis-
tics strategy group, I’ll have the opportunity to work
on projects including supply chain initiatives, inven-
tory management and logistics improvement. And
not only will HCS be an excellent career opportunity
for me, but the New Jersey area will also provide my
wife with an excellent location to pursue her career in
public health.

THEN
NOW …exciting careers
»
From left Trey Gannon, MBA ’01
to right: Concentration: Information Technology
Internship: Diamond Technology Partners
(now DiamondCluster) - a technology-focused
management consulting firm
Current position: Chief Research Scientist, Institute
for Security Technology Studies at Dartmouth College
Emily Bright, MBA ’01
Concentration: General, with a focus on non-profit/
international management, including a semester
abroad at ESAN in Peru
Internship: “Business Plan Initiative,” Redwood
National and State Parks
Current position: HR Analyst, North America, Marsh, Inc.
»
great classes, meaningful inter nships...
Lane Pollack, MBA ’01
Concentration: Management and International
Business, including a double degree at PUC in Chile
Internship: Austin Social Venture Partners
Current Position: Program Director, Aid to Artisans
Shad Driggs, MBA ’01
Concentration: Finance
Internship: VTEL—a manufacturer of video
conferencing equipment
Current position: Associate, Booz Allen Hamilton
C A R E E R S | 41
Jaxie Stollenwerck, MBA ’01
Concentration: Marketing
Internship: TManage - an Austin high tech firm
Current position: Associate Brand Manager,
Innovation, Dr Pepper/7-Up Corporation
Timothy Tokerud, MBA ’01
Concentration: Operations and Strategy
Internship: Coca-Cola Operations
Current Position: Finance Manager, Frito-Lay
Operations finance group.
Jorge Enciso, MBA ’01
Concentration: Entrepreneurship
Internship: None-started own company
Current Position: Co-founder, Desin-Intertouch
42 | M c C O M B S M B A 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 5

ALUMNI NETWORK
With more than 1 5,000 graduate business alumni in
leadership positions around the world, our students enter
“Getting my MBA at UT was the best career a net work of exceptional contacts.
decision I’ve made. Upon graduation, I was
recruited to work for American Express in The experiences McCombs students enjoy during their two years in Austin foster life-long ties
New York City, where I found I was well
with classmates, alumni, and the school. After graduation, alumni stay connected to the Mc-
prepared to manage in a Fortune 500
company. I’m still in New York, now leading
Combs community by attending local chapter events across the country and around the world,
the $140 million e-commerce business for assisting with MBA recruiting, and participating in class reunions. In addition to the strong
J.Crew. Because of my experience at UT, I
chapters where alumni exchange ideas, socialize, and refresh their skills, the McCombs MBA
was able to establish myself as a leader
early in my career. Alumni Network provides a vital communications link by keeping friends and classmates in
Dave Towers, MBA ’95, Vice President, touch as their careers move forward. CHAPTER LOCATIONS: DOMESTIC
E-commerce Operations, J.Crew
SEATTLE NEW YORK CITY
WHAT WE DO
BOSTON
The McCombs MBA Alumni Network seeks to: CHICAGO

Provide Reach: Promote McCombs as a leading business pro-

SAN FRANCISCO
WASHINGTON D.C.
gram by providing a dynamic venue for connecting, knowl-
LOS ANGELES
edge sharing, and business advancement on a global basis.
DALLAS
ATLANTA

Deliver Value: Deliver value to students, alumni, the MBA pro- AUSTIN
SAN ANTONIO
gram, the McCombs School, and the business community.
HOUSTON

Foster Loyalty: Create and foster the tradition of the lifelong

CHAPTER LOCATIONS: INTERNATIONAL
McCombs MBA community.

Encourage Exchange: Build a constructive and stra-

tegic channel of communication between alumni GERMANY

and the school that encourages business exchange BEIJING, CHINA

and program development. TOKYO, JAPAN

MONTERREY, MEXICO SHANGHAI, CHINA

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL

LIMA, PERU

SANTIAGO, CHILE
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

We recognize that the decision to get an
MBA is one of the more important deci-
sions of your career. At McCombs, we strive
to prepare you for leadership in this ever-
changing, competitive global marketplace
by maintaining the highest standards for
the faculty and staff, the curriculum, your
fellow students, and our alumni. Our goal
is to make your time at McCombs worth
ADMISSIONS & APPLICATION
Eligibility Requirements
» The equivalent of a four-year U.S. bachelor’s degree
from an accredited institution. International students
with three-year degrees should check for further
information on our admissions Web site (“Common
Questions”).
» A minimum of 24 months of full-time post-baccalau-
reate work experience
» Fluency in the English language
How To Apply
The McCombs School only accepts applications online.
Admissions is on a rolling basis, which means that appli-
cations are reviewed on a first-in first-out basis and are
not batched by deadlines. For the online application visit:
mba.mccombs.utexas.edu/admissions/adm/.
To be reviewed, the application must be complete as defined
by the application checklist. Incomplete applications will en-
counter processing delays, which could affect the admissions
decision. It is the responsibility of each applicant to moni-
tor the status of his/her application through the web site at:
mba.mccombs.utexas.edu/admissions/adm/status.asp.
H O W t o A P P L Y | 43
your investment by providing an excep-
ADMISSIONS
tional, internationally recognized program
and preparing you to excel academically,
professionally, and personally. We invite
you to become a part of our community. cl ass of 2 0 0 6
(As of June 22, 2004)
—The McCombs Admissions Committee
All application materials must be submitted directly
to the University’s centralized graduate admissions of-
fice—the Graduate and International Admissions Center
(GIAC). After processing, GIAC forwards the materials to
the McCombs School of Business for review by the MBA
Admissions Committee. The complete admissions pro-
cess normally requires 10 to 13 weeks. If the application
is received between January and March, processing time
could take longer. National Origin Undergraduate Degrees Gender
Throughout the admissions process, the McCombs 70% Domestic 42% Technical/Science 80% Male
MBA Admissions Office will communicate to applicants 30% International 34% Business 20% Female
through e-mail. Submission of an e-mail address is re- 24% Liberal arts
quired. Applicants who do not have an e-mail address
should take steps to obtain one prior to the submission
of their application. GIAC sends official admission deci- Incoming Class 340
sions to applicants via U.S. first class mail to the listed
permanent address. Decisions are also posted online at:
Number of Applicants 1,700
mba.mccombs.utexas.edu/admissions/adm/status.asp. Average Age 28
Applicants should carefully read: Average GPA 3.40
» The overview of the application process and the crite-
Avg. Years Work Experience 5
ria that the admissions committee seeks in applicants.
Average GMAT Score 673
» The checklist, which details all materials that must be
submitted with the application.
44 | M c C O M B S M B A 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 5
Suggested submission dates are:
November 1: Suggested early submission for all
applicants
February 1: Final date for all international applicants
April 15: Final date for domestic applicants
Characteristics Of A Strong Application
The admissions committee carefully considers each com-
pleted application, with particular attention to personal
essays, work history, post MBA goals, undergraduate per-
formance, letters of recommendation, extracurricular and
community activities, honors and achievements, and test
scores. Personal characteristics that add to the diversity
of the class may also be considered, such as country of
citizenship, gender, family background, multi-lingual
skills, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic history. Strong
applications convey careful research on McCombs and
enthusiasm for the program. All of these components are
considered holistically; no specific weight is assigned to
any criterion, and no formulas are used.
P E R S O N A L E S S AY S
Essays are a critical means of assessing an applicant’s rea-
sons and motivation for attending the McCombs School
of Business, background and interests, communication
skills, and presentation skills.
WORK EXPERIENCE
MBA applicants must have a minimum of two years full-
time, post-baccalaureate work experience. The admissions
committee is especially interested in the quality of profes-
sional skills as evidenced in level of responsibility and chal-
lenge, leadership, promotion, supervision, and teamwork.
The committee also considers the relevance of these skills
both to the applicant’s intended course of study at Mc-
Combs and to the career goals as stated in the essays.
Applicants with significant work experience prior to the
bachelor’s degree are welcome to apply to the program,
but they should carefully explain in the essays the circum-
stances and nature of the work involved. Due to the vol-
ume of queries, we cannot evaluate work experience prior
to application, nor do we review a prospective applicant’s
credentials in order to provide feedback on the likelihood
of admission.
U N D E R G R A D U AT E A N D P R E V I O U S G R A D U AT E E X P E R I E N C E
The McCombs School has no mandatory minimum grade
point average. For admission purposes, the University
calculates a G.P.A. using undergraduate, upper-division
(junior- and senior-level) coursework, and any graduate
work already completed. McCombs does not require prior
coursework in management or business administration. The
ranking and reputation of the applicant’s undergraduate in-
stitution may be taken into consideration, as will extracur-
ricular involvement during one’s undergraduate experience
and civic and community service since graduation.
L E T T E R S O F R E C O M M E N D AT I O N
References should be professional in nature and should
speak to the applicant’s professional work, qualities, ca-
reer potential, and potential to succeed in the classroom.
Recommenders should know the applicant personally
and be familiar with his/her work history, credentials, and
career aspirations.
SERVICE, ACTIVITIES, AND RECOGNITION
Public, community, or military service, travel experiences,
extracurricular activities, hobbies or special aptitudes, and
any honors or recognition received are all important in-
dicators of an applicant’s motivation and character. The
admissions committee looks for these details throughout
the application.
Test Scores
UT Austin’s GMAT and TOEFL school code is 6882.
G M AT
All applicants must submit official Graduate Management
Admissions Test (GMAT) scores through ETS. While Mc-
Combs has no minimum score, GMATs are an important
component of each application. Candidates should pur-
sue this component aggressively, seeking the best possible
score before they apply. Applicants are encouraged to take
the GMAT as early as possible to avoid processing delays.
Applications are not considered complete-and cannot be
evaluated-until official GMAT scores have arrived at UT. If
an applicant takes the GMAT more than once, McCombs
will only consider the highest score and does not average
GMATs. GMAT scores are valid for five years. The GRE can-
not substitute for the GMAT.
To register for the GMAT, contact ETS at:
Educational Testing Service
GMAT
P.O. Box 6103
Princeton, NJ 08541-6103 USA
(609) 771-7330 (TEL)
(609) 771-7714 (TTY)
www.mba.com
T O E F L ( F O R I N T E R N AT I O N A L A P P L I C A N T S )
Applicants whose native language is not English must take
the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and
have their scores submitted directly from ETS to UT Aus-
tin. Although the McCombs MBA has no minimum score,
we recommend a score of at least 260 on the computer-
based TOEFL (620 on the paper-based). Applicants will be
granted an automatic TOEFL waiver if they have earned
an undergraduate degree in a country whose only official
language is English, or if they have a 35 or greater on the

verbal section of the GMAT. Questions regarding waivers
should be sent to McCombsMBA@mccombs.utexas.edu.
TOEFL scores are valid for two years. As there has been a
recent reduction in the number of TOEFL testing sites, ap-
plicants are encouraged to make arrangements as early as
possible. The TSE cannot substitute for the TOEFL.
To register for the TOEFL, contact ETS at:
Educational Testing Service
TOEFL
P.O. Box 6151
Princeton, NJ 08541-6151 USA
(609) 771-7100 (TEL)
e-mail: toefl@ets.org
www.toefl.org
Admission to the McCombs School of Business is highly
competitive. The admissions committee reviews applica-
tions on an individual basis looking at both quantitative
and qualitative aspects of an applicant’s professional and
academic background. In reviewing applications, the
committee seeks to assess an individual’s potential for
academic success and future professional growth.
Special Considerations
R E A P P L I C AT I O N S
Most application materials are kept for one calendar year.
Applicants reapplying must submit a new online Texas
Common Application, a new resume, essays, and the ap-
plication-processing fee. Additional letters of recommen-
dation and test scores are not required, but may be sub-
mitted if they can be improved upon. Transcripts must be
re-submitted only if additional coursework has been taken
since the last application. International students must sub-
mit an updated statement of financial support.
MCCOMBS MBA/DUAL DEGREE APPLICANTS
Dual degree applicants, whether or not they are currently
enrolled at UT Austin, should follow the regular MBA ap-
plication procedures using the appropriate dual degree
major code. There are approximately 12 dual degrees
and each has a unique major code. Only one application
needs to be submitted for the dual degree. Please select
the correct dual degree major as appropriate. Please also
contact the admissions office of the other department
included in the dual degree program for any additional
required application materials.
Both dual degree partner programs must admit applicants
before they may be considered for admission to the dual
degree. Applicants admitted to only one program may
choose to pursue that particular program.
All dual degree students begin their first year of study in
the non-business side of their dual degree program and
begin their business studies in the fall of their second year.
A complete list of available dual degree opportunities can
be found on the web site at: mba.mccombs.utexas.edu/
students/academics/jointdeg
Interview And Campus Visits
The admissions committee strongly encourages all appli-
cants to visit the McCombs School of Business to learn
more about the school’s offerings from current students,
faculty, and staff. The following options are available for
those interested in visiting the McCombs School of Busi-
ness full-time MBA Program:
» Information sessions
» McCombs School tour
» Lunch with current MBA student
» UT campus tour
H O W t o A P P L Y | 45
» Class visit with current MBA student
For instructions on scheduling your visit and specific
dates, times, and locations please visit:
mba.mccombs.utexas.edu/admissions/cam/visit.asp
PREVIEW WEEKEND
Candidates who have already been offered admission are
invited to visit campus, typically in early April, to partici-
pate in the McCombs MBA Preview Weekend.
INTERVIEWS
The interview provides more information about the appli-
cant’s career background and goals, communication skills,
maturity, character and “polish.” Interviews at McCombs
are conducted mainly by alumni and current students
both off and on campus. While they are evaluative, they
are also an opportunity for the applicant to hear firsthand
about the actual experience of being a student in the Mc-
Combs MBA program, which helps to determine his or
her fit.
Interviews are by invitation only. Applicants selected for
an interview will receive an invitation by e-mail at any
time from the point of file completion until the end of
the review process. For more information, please visit our
Web site.
OTHER MCCOMBS BUSINESS PROGRAMS
Among its programs, the McCombs School offers a two-
year Executive MBA Program (Option II); a three-year,
part-time program known as the Texas Evening MBA Pro-
gram (TEMBA) in which students continue to work while
earning their degrees; Executive MBA Programs in Mexico
City and Dallas; and an array of targeted management de-
velopment programs through Texas Executive Education.
For more information, contact:
46 | M c C O M B S M B A 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 5
Texas Executive Education
The University of Texas at Austin
P. O. Box 7337
Austin, TX 78713-7337
(512) 471-5893 (TEL)
(512) 471-0853 (FAX)
e-mail: execed@mccombs.utexas.edu
www.mccombs.utexas.edu/execed
The McCombs School also offers the country’s top-ranked
Masters in Public Accounting (MPA). For more informa-
tion, contact the Department of Accounting:
The University of Texas at Austin
Department of Accounting
CBA 4M.202
Austin, TX 78712
(512) 471-6559 (TEL)
e-mail: texasmpa@mccombs.utexas.edu
www.mccombs.utexas.edu/dept/accounting/mpa/
FINAL DETAILS
A P P L I C AT I O N S TAT U S C H E C K
To monitor the status and location of your application
packet, visit the UT Applications Status Check site at
mba.mccombs.utexas.edu/admissions/adm/status.asp
A P P L I C AT I O N PA C K E T C H E C K L I S T
Listed below are the items that collectively constitute a
complete application package for admission to both the
University of Texas and the McCombs School of Business
throughout the majority of the application season.
» Application review will begin after GIAC has received
and processed the complete application package, and
the application has been forwarded to the McCombs
School. The applicant should track the status of
his/her application through the web at
mba.mccombs.utexas.edu/admissions/adm/status.asp.
» At the end of the admissions season, decisions may be
rendered on applications that have submitted items
1-4. Submission of only these four items is greatly
discouraged and, in fact, will delay an admissions
decision to the very end of the cycle when the class is
almost always full.
» The application fee, the Texas Common Application,
and the application essays can be submitted online.
Everything else should be submitted together in one
packet to GIAC (not McCombs) to avoid processing
delays. Please do not forget to include your resume.
Items to be forwarded to the University of Texas at Austin,
Graduate and International Admissions Center (GIAC):
1. The online Texas Common Application
2. Application Processing Fee ($125, made payable to the
University of Texas - applicants who have previously attend-
ed UT should add $10 for processing their UT transcripts)
3. College/University Transcript(s)-one (1) official copy in
its original language plus an English translation if original
is not in English. (Do not list on the application or include
transcripts from professional development programs, cer-
tificate programs, language programs, or workshops that
you have attended.)
4. Photocopy of GMAT score report - official score re-
port must be sent from ETS before application can be
processed.
5. Photocopy of TOEFL (international applicants only)—
official score report must be sent from ETS before applica-
tion can be processed
6. Photocopy of Green Card (U.S. Permanent Residents
Only) Note: Applicants who have applied for U.S. Per-
manent Residency, but who do not yet have the Green
Card in hand, must apply as international students.
Should the Green Card arrive thereafter, the applicant
may notify GIAC and the status will be changed to do-
mestic applicant.
7. Resume (suggested two-page maximum length)
8. The three required application essays
9. Two letters of recommendation
MAILING ADDRESS
GIAC
P.O. Box 7608
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX 78713-7608 USA
FAX: (512) 475-7395
COURIER ADDRESS
GIAC
The University of Texas at Austin
2608 Whitis Avenue
Austin, Texas 78712
PHONE: (512) 475-7390
Note to Applicant: Submission of an application to the
McCombs MBA program affirms your desire to be part
of the honorable community at the McCombs School of
Business and assures that all information contained in the
application is complete, accurate, and the result of your
own individual efforts. Submission of false information will
justify a denial, withdrawal, cancellation of enrollment,
and/or other appropriate University action.
A P P L I C AT I O N S TAT U S C H E C K
To monitor the status and location of your application
packet, visit the UT Applications Status Check site at
mba.mccombs.utexas.edu/admissions/adm/status.asp
 H O W t o A P P L Y | 47

PROGRAM EXPENSES
FINANCIAL AID & SCHOLARSHIPS MAJOR SCHOLARSHIPS INCLUDE:
All applicants are automatically considered for recruiting RECRUITING SCHOLARSHIPS

scholarships during the admission process; no additional
paperwork needs to be submitted. Scholarships are of-
fered to students who demonstrate a superior record of
academic and professional accomplishment in their ap-
plication materials.
Financial aid usually comes in the form of student loans
for first-year students. Applicants can apply for most loans
through the University's Office of Student Financial Ser-
vices (OSFS). To apply for federal and state assistance, stu-
dents will need the Free Application for Federal Student
Aid (FAFSA). It is available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov
OFSF's Application Guide: Applying for Financial Aid gives
information about the application process. It is available
online at www.utexas.edu/student/finaid and by clicking
'Graduates' then 'Applying and Deadlines.' Interested ap-
plicants may contact OSFS:
Office of Student Financial Services
University of Texas at Austin
P. O. Box 7758, UT Station
Austin, TX 78713-7758
e-mail: finaid@www.utexas.edu
www.utexas.edu/student/finaid
The recommended date for the financial aid application is
March 31. Additional information is available through the
school's in-house financial aid officer at (512) 471-7698.
McCombs annually offers close to $300,000 in cash individual donors and its corporate supporters. Applica-
awards distributed during the admissions cycle as re- tions are available online at the beginning of the spring
cruiting scholarships. Cash awards range from $2,000 to semester of the first year. More than $100,000 will be
$10,000 and consist of both one- and two- year awards. awarded through MBA Current Student Scholarships with
In addition, approximately half of these awards are ac- amounts ranging up to $5,000.
companied by out-of-state tuition waivers, which save the
Decisions are made on the basis of merit (academic record
student an additional $15,000 per year. The total amount
during the first semester in the program) and need. A rotat-
of tuition differential reduction distributed annually at
ing faculty committee determines the recipients each year.
McCombs currently approximates $600,000. Recruiting
scholarships are distributed almost exclusively on the ba-
EXTERNAL SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
sis of merit.
Scholarship programs that come to the attention of the
MBA Program Office from other sources are posted in the
THE SYLFF FELLOWSHIPS
MBA Program Office. Questions about outside scholar-
Applicants seriously interested in the international double-
ships can be addressed to Cindy Benton, Director of Stu-
degree programs are eligible to be considered for the
dent Services.
SYLFF Fellowship that pays $5,000 in the first year of the
program and a possible $10,000 in the second year of
M B A E S T I M AT E D E X P E N S E S
(foreign) study. Two scholarships are awarded each year
during the admissions cycle. All applicants who demon- Costs In-State Out-of-State International
strate strong interest in the double-degree program in Tuition & Fees $14,606 $30,116 $30,767
their application essays are automatically considered. Est. Books $1,400 $1,400 $1,400
McCombs Orientation Fee $300 $300 $300
MBA CURRENT STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS Housing $12,566 $12,566 $12,566
During the first year, current students may apply for a Laptop $1,300 $1,300 $1,300
number of scholarships and awards given by the Mc- One-year Costs $30,172 $45,682 $46,333
Combs School of Business through generous support of
Tuition and fees are estimates.
48 | M c C O M B S M B A 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 5
MINORITY STUDENTS
McCombs is a member of The Consortium for Gradu-
ate Study in Management, a thirteen-university alliance
that seeks to increase the number of minorities in MBA
programs and managerial positions in business. The Con-
sortium recruits African Americans, Hispanics, and Native
Americans to compete for merit-based fellowships. Each
candidate admitted to a Consortium MBA program com-
petes for a privately funded, full-tuition fellowship. Inter-
ested students must complete both a Consortium and
McCombs MBA application.
For more information, visit the McCombs MBA web site,
at mba.mccombs.utexas.edu or contact the Consortium
for application materials:
The Consortium For Graduate Study
In Management
5585 Pershing Avenue, #240
St. Louis, MO 63112
(tel) 314-887-5500
www.cgsm.org
International Students
All applicants, internationals included, are automatically
considered for recruiting scholarships at the time of ap-
plication and during the admission cycle following. No
special application is needed. In addition, international
students may apply for Continuing Student Scholar-
ships. Scholarship application forms are available in the
spring semester in the MBA Program Office. However,
such scholarships are extremely limited and should not be
relied upon. Therefore, international students should be
prepared to meet all expenses for two full calendar years
from their own resources. We would recommend that you
contact the International Office (phone: (512) 471-1211)
for more advice on financing your graduate education.
T U I T I O N A S S I S TA N C E F O R M E X I C A N S T U D E N T S
TAMS is a waiver of non-resident tuition for a limited num-
ber of Mexican students who have demonstrated financial
need. In order to be eligible for this scholarship, you must
first be admitted to a degree program. International dou-
ble-degree students from Mexico are also eligible to apply.
GOOD NEIGHBOR SCHOLARSHIP
Students who are native born citizens and residents of any
country in the Caribbean and North, Central, or South
America (except the U.S. and Cuba) and who have com-
pleted one semester of academic study on a valid non-res-
ident visa and plan to return to their home country upon
completion of the academic program are eligible to ap-
ply for the Good Neighbor Scholarship, which is awarded
in the second year of study. This scholarship, if awarded,
pays for all tuition (not fees) in the second year.
For more information on these scholarships, please visit
www.utexas.edu/international/cs/finaid.html.
For any additional questions, contact Linda Butler in the
International Office at lindab@mail.utexas.edu.
 TR
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Plan for a 20 to 30-minute drive from Austin Bergstrom International Airport (ABI) to the University

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of Texas campus. Exit ABI onto state highway 71 west and soon thereafter veer
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onto US 183 north.

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Follow it about two miles to Airport Boulevard. Drive north on Airport about
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five miles and turn left

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at the intersection with Martin Luther King Boulevard. Follow MLK for about two miles, crossing over

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IH 35. Go through the second light once you’ve crossed IH 35 and turn rightSTinto
. the Brazos parking
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garage. Cost is $7 per day. ST
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The McCombs School of Business is on the northwest corner of 21st and Speedway.
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Additional maps

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are available on the web at: www.utexas.edu/maps/main/areas/tower.html. The McCombs School

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of Business is in the tower section. For more information on ABI, please visit its web site at: www. CI

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Directions from I-35 MA

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Take the MLK exit and turn right at the light if you’re traveling south. If traveling north, turn left

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and follow MLK over the highway. Pass the lights at San Jacinto and Trinity. Then turn right into the

E.
Brazos parking garage. Parking is $7 per day.
McCOMBS SCHOOL BRAZOS PARKING
OF BUSINESS GARAGE

The University of Texas at Austin GRAPHIC DESIGN

McCombs School of Business Zócalo Design • zocalodesign.com

MBA Program Office, Admissions
1 University Station, B6004 PHOTOGRAPHY

Austin, TX 78712-0205 Tommy Kile

Tel: (512) 471-7698
Marsha Miller
Fax: (512) 471-4243
Jon Pattillo

McCombsMBA@mccombs.utexas.edu Mark Rutkowski

mba.mccombs.utexas.edu Steve Schwartzman
Texas Department of Transportation

McCombs reserves the right to change any information presented in this publication with-
out notice. Specific degree requirements, policies, tuition, fees, curricula, etc. should be
discussed with appropriate advisors prior to acceptance and/or registration. As a matter of
policy, The University of Texas at Austin does not discriminate among applicants or par-
ticipants on the basis of race, religion, sex, national origin, or handicap.

©2004 The University of Texas at Austin. All rights reserved.