Part-Time MBA Frequently Asked Questions

Classes meet one night a week from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. for ten weeks (nine weeks of instruction and one week of finals). Most of the students who are enrolled in the Evening MBA Program live and/or work in or around Chicago.

Classes meet every Saturday, either from 9 a.m. to noon. or from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., for ten weeks (nine weeks of instruction and one week of finals).The Weekend MBA Program accommodates those who live or work outside of Chicago to attend and receive the same experience as Evening MBA students. It is also ideal for those in the area whose schedules do not permit them to take classes on weeknights.

Flexibility is one of the hallmarks of the Chicago Booth MBA programs. If your schedule permits, you can choose to take classes with students in the Part-Time MBA or Full-Time MBA Programs. Also, if you miss a class, you can make up the session by attending an alternative section of the course during the same week.

Students come from all over the country to attend the Weekend MBA Program. You’ll meet classmates who live in Houston; Boston; San Francisco; Washington, DC; New York; Seattle; and other cities. More than 70 percent of our Weekend MBA students come from outside of Illinois.

Yes. Our Booth International Programs oversees two academic programs designed to enhance not only our students' MBA experience with an international perspective, but also Chicago Booth's global footprint. For students whose schedule permits, Booth offers an option to spend one academic term abroad at one of our 33 partner schools, situated in 21 countries around the world, through our International Business Exchange Program (IBEP). To accommodate working students, short-term programs of two to three weeks are also available.

Absolutely. A few of the activities that you can take advantage of are post exam socials in the Midway Club, a Student Advisory Council lunch with the dean, and student-group conferences. We also offer some initiatives, such as Career Treks, that students can participate in over vacation.

All Part-Time MBA students are required to complete 20 courses, in addition to LEAD, in order to graduate. Chicago Booth does not accept transfer credits from other institutions. We also do not waive any of the total number of courses required. However, our flexible curriculum offers options for fulfilling the 20 courses without having to repeat courses you have already mastered.

If you take two courses per quarter, from start to finish, you will finish the program in two and a half years. On average, it takes most students three years, allowing for a quarter off or a reduction of courses per quarter.

Both Evening MBA and Weekend MBA students have five years to complete their degree requirements.

The Evening MBA Program is designed for full-time working professionals, and we look for such during the admissions process. However, we do not require you to remain employed full time throughout the duration of the program. Many students change jobs while in the program and may have some time off between positions, for example.

For Weekend MBA students, the application is evaluated in three parts: the academic piece (including the undergraduate institution, courses taken, grades earned, post college work, and the EA/GMAT/GRE test score), the work-experience piece (including quality and quantity of the applicant's career path), and the life experience/individual fit with Chicago Booth. We take a holistic approach and evenly consider all aspects of one’s application and interview.

The application is evaluated in three parts: academic (including your undergraduate institution, courses taken, grades earned, post college work, and EA/GMAT/GRE test score), work experience (including quality and quantity of your career path), and life experience/individual fit with Chicago Booth. We take a holistic approach and evenly consider all aspects of your application and interview.

We have a holistic review and look at academic ability, professional background and accomplishments, career goals with an MBA, and interests/community involvement outside of work. In short, we are looking for well-rounded individuals who have a high level of intellectual curiosity.

The Admissions Committee values the diverse experiences and accomplishments each student brings to the Chicago Booth community. Therefore, we do not have cutoff levels for grades, GMAT scores, or number of years of work experience required for admission. To learn more about the backgrounds and experiences of our current students, see our Evening MBA and Weekend MBA pages.   

Reapplicants must wait six months before reapplying. You are considered a reapplicant within two years of your previous application. Reapplicants must complete a reapplicant essay (in addition to the traditional essays) and are only required to submit one new letter of recommendation.

Chicago Booth also offers non-degree Executive Education courses that provide the opportunity to learn from our world-renowned professors and work alongside top executives from around the globe. See our Executive Education opportunities to learn more.

Many applicants have advanced degrees. Chicago Booth’s flexible curriculum allows you to build on your existing knowledge and choose more rigorous courses rather than repeating what you have already mastered. In evaluating candidates, we seek those who show a strong desire for the Chicago Booth educational experience, so be sure to explain your reason for earning an additional degree in your application essays.

Please use our online application system to begin the application process.

Complete our information request form.

To view our upcoming deadlines, please visit our application process page.

We accept the Executive Assessment (EA), GMAT, and GRE. We have no preference for a specific exam, so take whichever test you prefer. Test scores are valid for five years. Please contact our office with any questions. The LSAT and MCAT are not accepted.

We will notify you via email if anything is missing from your application. This includes test scores, letters of recommendation, transcripts, and the application fee. If your application is incomplete, we will give you a deadline for submitting the additional materials.

Application review, on average, takes four to six weeks.

Simultaneous applications to any of the MBA programs are not accepted. Prospective students should apply to the program in which they have the strongest preference. Please email eveningweekend-admissions@chicagobooth.edu if you would like to further discuss the MBA programs and where you best fit.

You may apply for an application fee waiver if you are a/an:

• Full-time enrollee in an undergraduate program (non-University of Chicago student)
• Summer Business Scholar graduate
• Teach for America participant, instructor, or alumnus who completed service within the past five years
• AmeriCorps and Peace Corps participant and alumnus who completed service within the past five years
• Forté MBALaunch Member
• JumpStart fellow
• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship Recipient
• Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) Fellow
• Posse Member
• Prospanica Member
• QuestBridge Member
• Riordan Member
• ROMBA Member
• Service to School Participant
• Toigo Fellow
• Civic Scholars Nominee
• Working in government or nonprofit
• Active-duty military or military veteran
• University of Chicago employee
• University of Chicago student (all degree-granting programs)

Please note that Chicago Booth does not grant fee waivers on the basis of financial status or any other circumstance outside of the options listed above.

Applicants may email eveningweekend-admissions@chicagobooth.edu to receive a letter confirming their payment.

Applicants must submit all transcripts from each university, college, or graduate institution they have attended. However, if course names and grades from other institutions are included on another transcript, that is acceptable.

Yes. Credentials are held for two years. However, please email eveningweekend-admissions@chicagobooth.edu to verify that your transcript is still on file.

We highly suggest letters come from a more objective source than a family member. A colleague or client may be better suited in this scenario.

It is requested that one letter of recommendation come from a direct supervisor or a manager at work. For the second letter of recommendation, it is more acceptable to request it from another supervisor or colleague at work.

Prospective students are encouraged to attend a Chicago Booth MBA Masterclass, and you are required to register in advance. Please join us for the MBA Master Class Series here.

We would be happy to introduce you to a member of the Booth network. Our students represent various interests and career paths, and are open to sharing their unique perspective as a student with you. Reach out directly to students via our Connect with a Student page, or email Admissions to request a facilitated connection.

Booth has a single Career Services team that works with all of our MBA students and alumni. Their services are wide-ranging and tailored to the needs of each audience. For Evening MBA and Weekend MBA students, this means primarily working with the Career Services team at Gleacher Center, our downtown campus. Resources and programming for Evening MBA and Weekend MBA students are designed for those working full time while getting their MBA.

You are introduced to Career Services at LAUNCH (your three-day orientation) and can start taking advantage of resources as soon as you are enrolled in courses. You retain access for life as a Booth graduate.

Career Services staff and resources are available virtually and in person. Career Services at Gleacher Center are open from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, making them available when you are on campus for class, and many students utilize coaching by phone and other resources when they are not physically on campus.

Yes. You must fulfill eligibility requirements including but not limited to: at least 1200 units completed by the time Campus Recruiting begins (Autumn Quarter), attendance of all required participation sessions, and enrollment in and completion of at least 100 units while participating in Campus Recruiting.

If your company is paying $8,000 or more toward your MBA during any calendar year in which you are a student, you will need their written permission to participate in Campus Recruiting. Keep in mind this is the only Career Services resource that requires company permission, and that most students landing with a new employer source their role outside of Campus Recruiting.

Campus Recruiting is a great opportunity, but it is time consuming and demanding. Last year about 22 percent of those who changed employers did so through Campus Recruiting. The majority of changers (78 percent) found their next opportunity through other sources such as a Booth job posting or alumni contact. Learn more about employment sources for those looking to make a change here. Whichever the method, our Career Services team provides programs, search tools, and coaching at each step of the process.

There are a few differences in the process.

Full-Time MBA students can use bid points to gain an interview with some firms. Evening MBA and Weekend MBA students must be invited by firms.

The preparation is the same, but the experiences can differ. For example, Full-Time students tend to participate in Campus Recruiting for internships as well as full-time positions. Also, most Full-Time students have more time to allocate to their job search. That additional time and practice can impact the level of preparedness and overall Campus Recruiting experience.

The level of Career Services resources for internships differs between the Full-Time MBA and the Evening MBA and Weekend MBA Programs. Since the Evening MBA and Weekend MBA Programs are designed for full-time working professionals, participating in internships is very uncommon. Seeking an internship is a time-consuming process. It can require a similar amount of time that students report spending during Campus Recruiting for a full-time job, which is approximately 30 hours per week.

Evening MBA and Weekend MBA students can participate in school-facilitated internship recruiting only if they are invited by a company. Full-Time MBA students do not have this restriction. Those Evening MBA and Weekend MBA students who are invited work very hard to make connections and to leave a positive impression at a company to end up on their list.

Yes, but internships are very uncommon for Evening MBA and Weekend MBA students, given that the programs are designed for full-time working professionals. However, for those who decide to pursue an internship, they are attained through a variety of sources, such as Booth’s job-posting database, networking with alumni, and personal invitations from employers to internship-recruiting activities. For comparison, these are the same sources used by around half of Full-Time MBA students who secure internships.

We have a combination of programs, one-on-one coaching, job postings, and self-serve resources that can be put together à la carte to best suit you. See Career Impact for more details.

For the process of advancing in your company, there are a number of ways we can help support you. Our coaches can work with you to determine which programming offerings can best support your unique situation. We can also provide one-on-one coaching to create a road map and business case. Regardless of your aspiration, taking the time to learn about different careers through Career Services programming and resources will benefit your broader business knowledge.