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The full-time MBA at the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) is an immersive two-year residential programme designed for early-to-mid career professionals. The MBA was formally established in 1981 when the school, then known as the Graduate School of Management, introduced the MBA degree. The curriculum spans 92 units of coursework across the quarter system and includes real-world internships and global experiences. Located in Orange County in Southern California, the programme emphasises leadership in a digitally-driven business environment, drawing on the tech-innovation ecosystem along the region’s “Tech Coast.” Graduates benefit from strong industry connections, a STEM-designated curriculum for international students, and a career support network aimed at securing high-impact jobs post-MBA.
If professional help for your applications is your priority, our MBA admission consulting for Paul Merage can guide you. We offer end-to-end admission consulting that covers storyboarding, career goals finalization, recommendation letters, resume development, guidance on completing the online application form, MBA interview preparation, and any other part of the application, including scholarship support. Inquire for our MBA admission consulting and we will contact you for a free profile evaluation and strategy session.
| Paul Merage MBA Class Profile | |
|---|---|
| Average Work Experience | 5 Years |
| Average GMAT Score | 675 |
| Average GPA | 3.44 |
| Class Size | 40 |
| US News Rank | 43 |
| Financial Times Rank | 53 |
| Women | 35% |
| International | 38% |
| Pre-MBA Education | Business / commerce: 24% Economics: 5% Finance: 10% Other: 5% Engineering: 24% Humanities / social sciences: 12% Science: 20% |
| Tuition Fee | Residents: $17,872.25/per quarter Non-Residents: $21,954.35/per quarter |
| Paul Merage MBA Placements | |
|---|---|
| Average Base Salary | $122,201 |
| Average Joining Bonus | $25,846 |
| Employment on Graduation | 73.5% |
| Employment 3 months after Graduation | 85.2% |
| Employment by Industry | Consulting: 3.6% Consumer packaged goods: 10.7% Energy: 7.1% Financial services: 14.3% Healthcare*: 7.1% Manufacturing: 10.7% Real estate: 10.7% Retail: 3.6% Technology: 32.1% |
| Employment by Function | Consulting: 7.1% Finance / accounting: 21.4% General management: 7.1% Human resources: 7.1% Marketing / sales: 3.6% Information technology: 14.3% Operations / logistics: 14.3% Other: 25.0% |
Amazon, Adobe Systems, Cisco Systems, Inc., Citibank, Intel, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Honeywell, SAP, T-Mobile, US Bank, Walmart, Nike, Inc., Kaiser Permanente, Danaher Corporation, ZS Associates.
The employment data above is for the class of 2023.
Paul Merage MBA application details, essay questions, deadlines, and more…
Paul Merage MBA admission consulting by Experts’ Global
Begin your journey at Merage by defining your target role, industry and geography. Are you aiming to transition into digital product leadership, analytics-driven strategy in technology, global operations management in manufacturing, or healthcare business transformation? With the two-year timeline, every course selection, internship, project and network interaction must support that destination. Create a skills-gap matrix: list your current strengths, identify what you must develop, and align the programme components to bridge those gaps.
In the first year you will complete core modules such as Business Analytics: Decision Making, Financial Reporting for Management, Operational Excellence, Strategy: Foundations & Dynamics, and other fundamentals. Use each module as an opportunity to generate a tangible deliverable you can reference in interviews. For example, if your goal is digital product strategy, in Business Analytics build a predictive model tied to your industry; if operations leadership is your aim, in Operational Excellence design a process-improvement model you refine later. These deliverables become proof points of your capability.
In your second year you’ll select from electives and focused tracks such as Accounting, Finance, Global Business, Healthcare, Information Systems, Marketing, Operations & Decision Technologies, Strategy and Choose the track that reinforces your career goal. If healthcare business leadership is your target, pick electives like Creating Value in Healthcare and Strategic Management in Medical Enterprises. If your aim is tech analytics leadership, choose electives in Analytics, Platform Strategy and Digital Transformation. After each elective produce a project-such as a market entry plan or analytics dashboard-and add it to your portfolio.
UC Irvine is located in Orange County, part of the broad Southern California Tech Coast, with proximity to tech firms, digital media, startup ecosystems and large corporations. Use this location to secure internships, project sponsors and employer engagements aligned with your destination. Additionally, take advantage of global immersion options (for example international residencies) to build a story such as working with a digital-services firm in Asia or Europe if your target is global operations.
Your cohort at Merage is relatively small and allows close interaction. Form a study-and-project team early, rotate leadership among your group, and seek peer feedback to sharpen team-influence and communication skills. With faculty, go beyond classroom; attend office hours, volunteer for research or case-projects related to your interest. A professor who knows your work becomes a credible reference and connector.
Leadership beyond coursework distinguishes you in a competitive job market. At Merage join or lead student-led organisations e.g., Analytics Club, Strategy & Consulting Group, Healthcare Business Club, or a tech-start-up society. Initiate high-impact events: host a startup pitch competition, organise a company trek, launch a consulting engagement with local firms. Quantify your impact-number of participants, companies involved, outcomes achieved-and include these metrics in your narrative.
Over the course of your MBA build three to five standout deliverables that you can clearly articulate: an analytics model for a tech company, a consulting report for a manufacturing firm, a business plan for a healthcare venture, a leadership initiative in a club. For each deliverable document: context (what challenge), action (what you did), quantifiable outcome (if possible), your role and its relevance to your target job. Example: “Led a four-person team during the Merage global immersion to redesign supply-chain for a consumer goods firm; recommended changes projected 10 % lead-time reduction; role: project lead; relevance: global operations function.” Store these results digitally, reference them on LinkedIn and draw upon them in interviews.
Merage’s career services team offers coaching, employer connections and job-search infrastructure. However, you must treat your career search as a proactive project. In your first semester meet with your career advisor and submit a one-page plan: target companies, roles, timeline, required skills, networking strategy. Set weekly metrics-number of alumni conversations, employer meetings, applications submitted. Post-internship or project update your plan: what worked, what didn’t, next actions. The more you integrate your deliverable portfolio, leadership narrative and networking, the stronger your job outcome will be.
Your network spans alumni, faculty, peers and industry professionals in the Southern California region and beyond. Build a list of 30-40 contacts aligned with your target role, industry or geography. For each connection prepare a concise one-page introduction: your MBA story, key deliverables, and a clear question or ask. After each interaction follow-up briefly summarising your learning and next step. Attend employer treks, alumni events in Los Angeles and San Diego and industry sessions on campus. Track your outcomes – number of contacts made, introductions secured, job leads obtained. Networking becomes a measurable asset in your strategy.
Technical knowledge will be expected; leadership presence will set you apart. Each month block an hour to reflect: What leadership behaviour did I improve? What challenge did I face and how did I respond? What leadership trait will I focus next month? Use your journal and involvement in leadership-oriented courses and co-curriculars to deepen self-awareness, decision-making under ambiguity, team influence and impact mindset. Document one story a week-the “led cross-functional team under time pressure” type-and build your narrative bank for interviews and your long-term career.
As graduation approaches synchronise your résumé, LinkedIn profile, portfolio of deliverables and interview stories around your target role and the evidence you built. Secure two references-faculty or project sponsors who know your work. In interviews weave your deliverables with your influence story: “During my Merage MBA I led an analytics-driven project for a digital startup that reduced churn 12 % and positioned the company for scalable growth; I now bring that data-driven mindset and tech-innovation exposure to your product analytics team.” Your story must demonstrate readiness and a clear fit to the employer.
Graduation is a milestone; your professional trajectory continues. Remain active in the Merage alumni network, attend regional and national events, mentor incoming cohorts, update your deliverable portfolio quarterly and revisit your leadership journal annually. The habits you establish-goal clarity, deliverable creation, leadership action, network discipline and reflection-will underpin your long-term impact. Your Merage MBA becomes the foundation; your trajectory thereafter defines your professional legacy.
