Professional MBA

The Professional MBA (PMBA) program at the Darla Moore School of Business is designed for working professionals who want to earn an MBA without interrupting their careers.  The program is available in multiple locations around South Carolina as well as in Charlotte, NC.  Information sessions are held frequently at the PMBA locations. 

Students develop a strong foundation in the business functional areas through the core courses.  Students may focus in areas such as marketing, management, global supply chain and finance.  Building on the Moore School's reputation in international business, an optional international business concentration is available.  Working professionals who attend or have graduated from select graduate schools of banking may enroll in the banking track of the PMBA program.

The PMBA program includes:

• The convenience of earning a USC MBA while living outside Columbia, South Carolina  - PMBA Class locations include Aiken, Bluffton, Charleston, Charlotte, Greenville, and Spartanburg

• On demand capture of courses

• Start dates in January and September

• A commitment to preparing students for the demands of today's global marketplace

• The academic resources of a world-class university

• Options that allow for acceleration

• Strategic career development resources

CRITERIA FOR ADMISSIONAcademic Review

Undergraduate Performance 
An undergraduate degree from an accredited institution is required to be considered for admission to the PMBA program. A degree in business is not required; approximately 35 percent of the class has an undergraduate major within the discipline of business. Our students work within a wide range of industries including, manufacturing, banking, engineering, IT and healthcare.  

Graduate coursework (whether a degree has been earned or not) will also be taken into consideration. Applicants must request a transcript from each institution attended be sent to:

Graduate Admissions
USC Darla Moore School of Business
1705 College St.
Columbia, SC  29208

If your college or university offers PDF delivery of transcripts, the PDF should be sent to Scott King, Director of Admissions for Graduate Programs at the Darla Moore School of Business. Transcripts sent to individuals, other than the director of admissions, may not be considered official.

Scott King, Director of Admissions
scott.king@moore.sc.edu   
803.777.6749
FAX 803.777.0414

GMAT/GRE Scores

Applicants must provide a valid (five years old or less) Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) score or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) to be considered for admission to the PMBA program. The GMAT and GRE are composed of verbal, qualitative, and analytical sections. You can learn more about the GMAT at the Graduate Management Admission Council's website:www.mba.com. The GMAT institutional/program code for the Moore School is JV2-TP-50. For more information about the GRE, visit www.gre.org. The GRE code for USC is 5818.

We are pleased to consider a waiver of the GMAT/GRE requirement for applicants with advanced degrees and/or significant and progressive professional experience supported by an exceptional academic record. Please contact our recruiting team to discuss your individual circumstances.

Professional Work Experience

A candidate's work experience is evaluated, as it is often a valid predictor of not only a candidate's success in the program academically, but also of success from a career management perspective. Applicants should have at least two years of full-time, post-bachelor, professional work experience. Candidates are encouraged to highlight leadership experience, as well as any part-time, volunteer, or other academic-related work experience (internship, co-op, etc) in the application and/or resume. The average student enrolled in the PMBA program has over seven years of work experience.

Letters of Recommendation

Letters of recommendation are required for the admission review. It is acceptable to present professional or academic letters of recommendation. These letters should demonstrate the candidate's capabilities in working with others, project management skills and leadership potential.

Essays

The application for admission will ask for a statement of purpose (500-word essay) which should outline why you want to attain the PMBA degree. There are three additional short essay questions to answer (choose 2 out of 5 questions to answer). There is additional space to add a personal essay. This essay should be used to explain the circumstances of any part of your application where you feel the admissions committee might have concerns.

TOEFL/IELTS

International applicants who do not hold a degree from a U.S. institution must also submit a valid (no more than two years old) test score demonstrating their command of the English language. The minimum score for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is 100 (Internet-based) and 7.0 for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The institutional code for the Darla Moore School of Business is 5818.   

Admissions Decisions

Admission decisions are made when the application is complete, i.e., all documents and the GMAT/GRE score report are received. Primary criteria considered for admission include undergraduate performance, GMAT score, and work experience.