Business Administration, M.B.A.

Mission Statement

The mission of the MBA program is to offer high-quality graduate education for students having varied educational and professional backgrounds. The program develops skills and knowledge necessary to progress in current positions, qualify for career changes, and progress in managerial and leadership positions in business and society. It provides a thorough education in business knowledge, skills, theories, and practices.

The MBA program serves as a catalyst for intellectual activity in the College. Graduate faculty membership requires quality teaching, as well as ongoing scholarly and professional activity through basic and applied research, professional activities, service and consulting.

The program serves regional business and industry needs by allowing students to attend full-time or part-time. The curriculum integrates quality management, ethical considerations, international dimensions, technological applications and involvement with the business community.

Program and Course Delivery

The MBA Program is designed for working professionals. The program offers three delivery modes allowing students to pursue the degree via evening courses in a face-to-face traditional semester format, accelerated face-to-face sessions on Friday afternoons and all-day Saturdays for the Executive MBA, or accelerated eight-week online courses for a 100% online program.

Discipline-focused concentrations of the MBA program are delivered in 100% online, accelerated 8-week terms, which also provides great flexibility for working professionals, time-constrained individuals balancing careers and personal obligations, and those who want to enhance their careers through the addition of an MBA. This online delivery format is taught at an accelerated pace that allows students to enroll in courses every eight weeks and can be completed in 18 months (if completing two courses at a time) or 31 months (if completing one course at a time).

The Executive MBA is designed particularly for working business professionals and mid- to senior-level executives. It consists of the same course and program requirements but is experienced in a cohort-model taught at an accelerated pace. Participants enroll as a cohort at one point in time and complete the program together over approximately a 16-month period. Courses are taught every other weekend using a Friday afternoon and an all-day Saturday schedule. Additional contact with instructors is anticipated via online and email communications.

Admission Requirements

Admission to all delivery modes of the MBA program requires applicants to fulfill the general admission requirements of the Graduate School with the requirement of satisfactory Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) scores replacing the requirement of satisfactory GRE scores.

The GMAT and letters of recommendation admission requirements will be waived for applicants who meet the following criteria:

• 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA with no relevant work experience required
• 2.75 cumulative undergraduate GPA with at least 3 years of relevant work experience

Waiver of the GMAT admission requirement will be considered on a case-by-case basis for applicants who meet the following criteria: 

• 2.5 cumulative undergraduate GPA with at least 5 years of work relevant experience

The decision to waive the GMAT for applicants with a 2.5 cumulative GPA with at least 5 years of relevant work experience will be based on the quality of the work experience and the information provided in the letters of recommendation. Following Graduate School admission policies, these applicants will be eligible only for conditional admission. 

At the discretion of the Graduate Coordinator and dependent upon the student’s undergraduate major, satisfactory GRE scores may be accepted in lieu of the GMAT. The GMAT also may be waived, at the discretion of the Graduate Coordinator, for applicants with a terminal graduate or professional degree and/or those with extensive professional experience applying to pursue the Executive MBA.

Degree Requirements and Required Courses

Requirements for the MBA degree consist of 33 semester hours. These degree requirements may increase up to 15 additional semester hours (foundation courses) depending upon the undergraduate business courses previously completed. There is no thesis requirement.

Concentrations

All concentrations listed below are available to those students pursuing the MBA degree via the face-to-face, traditional semester format or via the accelerated eight-week online delivery format. Any student who does not elect a concentration will be enrolled in the Business Administration concentration. (Some courses may only be offered online.) The Executive MBA format is available only with the Business Administration concentration.