Corporate MBA

World-Class Education in a World-Class City. Designed for international professionals who wish to further their careers by earning their MBA degree from an AACSB-accredited program in the United States and completing the program within a year.

  • Best Value Our No.1 Best Value ranking in Illinois gives you a high-quality education with an affordable investment.

  • Powerful Network Our convenient location and 52,000 strong network gives you access to the companies and alumni to help advance your career.

  • Top-tier Research University Nearly $500M in annual sponsored research AND Chicago’s only public research university.

Degree-at-a-Glance Heading link

Completion Time 1 Year
Credit Hours 54
Degree Type AACSB-accredited MBA
Course Delivery In-person

Why Earn Your Corporate MBA at UIC Business Heading link

UIC Business students visit CBOE Trading Floor
  • Time efficient: 1 year full-time study, yet full-scale MBA program
  • Cohort-based program: Builds community and deepens learning experiences through case studies, business simulations and projects.
  • Concentrations: Choice of one of 5 Academic tracks provide depth of learning in area of interest
  • Chicago Location: One of the top ten economically influential cities in the world, enjoy close access to major financial and corporate resources in the world that serve as a living laboratory for business education.

Corporate MBA Concentrations Heading link

This track focuses on international business practices and core functional areas of business, preparing students to apply their knowledge in global contexts.

Representative courses include:

  • Corporate Strategy
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Marketing Strategy
  • Negotiations

Designed for financial professionals, this track enhances understanding of financial markets, asset management, and financial institutions in a global economy.

Representative courses include:

  • Investments
  • Portfolio Analysis
  • Fixed Income Securities
  • Quantitative Investing

This track develops the skills needed for innovative healthcare management and cultural awareness to deliver advanced healthcare solutions.

Representative courses include:

  • Strategic Management
  • Healthcare Economics
  • HR Management in Healthcare
  • Business Data Visualization

Leverage Chicago’s role as a global hub for commodities and financial derivatives to gain expertise in trading and industry-specific technologies.

Representative courses include:

  • Commodities and Asset Pricing
  • Futures and Options
  • Chicago Exchanges
  • Introduction to Quantamental Investing

Equip yourself with cutting-edge analytics skills to make data-driven decisions and optimize business performance.

Representative courses include:

  • Data Mining for Business
  • Machine Learning and Statistical Methods for Business Analytics
  • Analytics for Big Data
  • Advanced Text Analytics for Business

Admissions Heading link

Corporate MBA Student

Ideal candidates for the CMBA degrees are international young professionals who want to advance their career with an MBA but find it challenging to be away from the workplace for more than one year or those who have newly graduated and are looking for a quality program to further their education.

To be considered for admission to the program, individuals should have:

  • A bachelor’s degree with satisfactory grades
  • Strong English language skills
  • Analytical and quantitative skills and/or professional experience are preferred
  • For the FMAM and CED focuses, prior study of calculus and statistics is highly recommended
  • For the BA focus, prior study and/or work experience in business, science, engineering, technology or related fields are preferred

These minimum criteria only qualify a candidate for consideration and do not guarantee an offer of admission.​

Vivian Ding, CMBA SIM graduate

“Studying at UIC helped me acquire a wealth of knowledge and skills related to my job, and moreover, the critical thinking and professionalism I learned there have been a real treasure in my life.”

Vivian Ding  |  CMBA SIM graduate
Eugene Chang, CMBA FMAM graduate

“I strongly recommend the UIC CMBA program, which helped me not only acquire the latest professional skills but also expand my knowledge, establish business contacts, and pursue new opportunities for development in my life.”

Eugene Chang  |  CMBA FMAM graduate
Chi-Hao Chen, CMBA CED graduate

“With six years of working experience in the futures industry…this program’s systematic training has indeed equipped me with a solid foundation in the core aspects of finance and management. I really enjoyed the CED track and believe the CMBA degree will benefit my future career.”

Chi-Hao Chen  |  CMBA CED graduate
Ya-Ting Yang, CMBA FMAM graduate
“I acquired up-to-date financial and management skills through UIC’s one-year CMBA program, which greatly enhanced my career and opened up new opportunities.”
Ya-Ting Yang  |  CMBA FMAM graduate

Corporate MBA Degree FAQ Heading link

Program Structure

Courses for the CMBA degree are scheduled in a number of modules varying in length over a one-year period. There is one major vacation break at the end of December.

Coursework in the CMBA degree is scheduled to allow students to complete degree requirements within one year. The coursework is tailored to the collective needs of the students.

Students can apply through the online application portal under UIC admissions, instructed by a sponsoring organization or corporation working in partnership with UIC. Individual applicants should contact cmba@uic.edu

The relatively shorter timeframe for the CMBA degree is achieved by making the program somewhat more intensive than the traditional full-time MBA programs and by greatly reducing the amount of vacation time. Instead of four terms of study spread over 16 to 21 months in a typical 2-year program, our program requires a slightly more demanding course load: all degree requirements are met within the one-year program.

CMBA graduates can apply for one-year OPT after the study as long as they have valid F-1 student visa status. For those pursing a joint degree program (ex. CMBA-MSF joint degree), students can apply to receive up to 3-year OPT after graduating from the joint program.

UIC Business Corporate MBA Heading link

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