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Applying for Willamette's Early Career & Career Change (Full-Time) MBA Program

Ready to take the first step? We’re excited to hear your story.

The path to launching your professional career starts with choosing the right MBA program. Willamette’s full-time MBA for Early Career and Career Change is designed to prepare you for success in business, government, or nonprofit sectors. Through hands-on learning and real-world experience, this program is perfect for students looking to start their careers, switch fields, or take the next step toward leadership.

We welcome applicants from across the U.S. and around the globe. Our admissions process looks beyond the numbers—we evaluate your academic performance, leadership potential, unique experiences, and how you’ll contribute to our dynamic, collaborative community.

No prior work experience? No problem. Willamette’s MBA program builds your professional skills through client projects, internships, an innovative curriculum, and career services that set you up for success in today’s competitive job market.

Best of all? There’s no application fee, so you can explore the Willamette MBA risk-free to see if it’s the right fit for you.

At Atkinson, we don’t see you as just a collection of test scores and grades. Sure, graduate exam scores and transcripts are important, but they’re only part of your story. We take a holistic approach, reviewing each candidate to ensure you’re ready to thrive in a program that emphasizes experiential learning, teamwork, and leadership development.

Our students come from all walks of life—from big cities and small towns, with backgrounds ranging from liberal arts to engineering and business. The average age is 21-23, and many are recent college grads looking to fast-track their careers. Others are seeking to pivot into new fields.

Willamette MBA students support and challenge each other, both in and out of the classroom, and build lifelong friendships. Whether your goal is to lead in business, government, or the nonprofit world, you’ll find a community here that’s ready to help you make a difference.

And with our commitment to the Willamette motto, "Not unto ourselves alone are we born," you’ll be part of a program dedicated to bettering the world through personal and professional growth.

Application Requirements

All applicants to the Willamette MBA must have:

  • A baccalaureate degree from a college/university accredited by the appropriate U.S. regional institutional agency, or an equivalent degree from another country, completed prior to the first semester of enrollment in the MBA program.

Applicants must submit all of the application documents listed below.

International Applicant Information

Deadlines

We are currently reviewing applications for Fall Semester 2025. Applicants are encouraged to apply Early Action for maximum consideration for admission and scholarship assistance.

Early Career and Career Change MBA (also known as our Full-Time MBA) application deadlines:

  • Application Opens: Sept. 1
  • Early Action Deadline and Decision Release: Dec. 15/Jan. 15
  • Priority 1 Deadline and Decision Release: Feb. 15/March 15
  • Priority 2 Deadline and Decision Release: April 15/May 15
  • Final Deadline and Decision Release: May 15/June 15

After May 15, we accept applications on a rolling basis as space is available.

Consumer Information

For information on safety, student right-to-know and equal opportunity on campus and other disclosures, please visit our consumer information page.

All application materials and documents submitted as part of the application process become property of Willamette University MBA and cannot be returned. 

The Mudd Building, home of Willamette's MBA program in Salem.

Contact

MBA Admissions

Your admission team is here to help you through the process. Please contact us directly with your questions and information needs.

Willamette University

Office of Admissions

  • Graduate and Professional Center

    Address

    Ecotrust Building
    721 NW 9th Ave
    Portland Oregon 97209 U.S.A.