Isenberg MBA Frequently Asked Questions

Full-time MBA students will be notified by email in August by the Graduate Programs Office when contracts will be available. If at all possible you should sign your contract by the date indicated in the email, this is usually mid to late August in order for you to receive your first paycheck mid September.

Dual degree students will be provided information from their primary degree department with details on signing the necessary paperwork.

In addition to the assistantship contract you will be required to complete an I-9, W-2 and Participation Agreement. You will complete this necessary paperwork at a mandatory new graduate student employee orientation session. There are several designated dates for these sessions, dates will be provided in the email mentioned above.

For the 2007-2008 school year, the stipend was approximately $378, before taxes, paid every two weeks. You are paid through a check from the University. This can be direct-deposited into your bank account, or a check will be issued directly to you. If you don’t choose to have direct deposit, you will pick up your check in the Business Office at the end of each pay period.

For the 2007-2008 school year, the fees not covered by the assistantship were approximately $1,500 per year. If you have Federal loans, and the loan money comes in before you are billed, the fees will be taken out of your loan amounts. If not, you will need to go to the Bursar’s Office (located in Whitmore) and pay the balance on your account.

It typically takes a few weeks before the federal aid money is dispersed (Stafford loans, etc). Funds are generally available no sooner than mid-to-late September.

First year classes are run on a “quarter” system. This means you have three-four classes for the first half of the semester and then begin new classes in late October. Thus, the pace is accelerated and you will be learning a semester’s worth of work in seven to eight weeks.

The day-to-day schedule does not coincide with the overall university schedule. The length of class periods varies from three hours for some classes to an hour and a half for others. You will have some classes every day, and some only a few times per week. You will be given a detailed class schedule during orientation. Plan on being in class for the majority of the day your first semester. The earliest class is scheduled for 8am, but some semesters you will not have class until 9 or 10 am.

UMass ID cards, or “U-Cards” can be obtained at 104 Franklin Dining Hall. There is a nominal fee for this card which must be paid for in cash or with a check. You can put money on this card for use to buy food at Whitmore Cafe, to make copies, to take out library books or to print in the Isenberg School of Management computer lab. The card also gets you free use of the PVTA buses, and discounted movie tickets.

There is a computer lab in the Isenberg School of Management where you can access the computers using your university logon, and print using your UCard to pay for printing.

You will have a UMass email account, and you should receive your user name and temporary password in the mail sometime during the summer.

Most email communication to MBA students are made via the “Money List”, a group which can be used by any MBA student. However, some professors choose other methods of communication and share with students at the begining of classes. The "Money List" is used for announcements of many school-related items such as class schedule changes, club events, etc. You will hear more about the Money List and the guidelines for its use during orientation.