Master of Business Administration — Graduate Bulletin 2014-2015

[1] Objectives

The MBA program is designed to meet the needs of students preparing for positions in upper management in business and related organizations. The program offers students advanced study in the various functional areas of business, emphasizing teaming, communication, problem solving, research, computer technology, case studies, and project-based instruction. The program is flexible in allowing students to select an area of concentration reflective of their interest. Areas of concentration include Finance, Health Care Administration (HCA), and International Business.

[2] Admission Requirements

In addition to the Graduate School admission requirements, the Master of Business Administration requires the following:

Score of at least 500 on the GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) or the equivalent GRE (Graduate Record Examination) score or a minimum score of 110 on the aptitude portion of the Chinese National Postgraduate Entrance Examination (NPEE) for Management and Economics majors.
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
Undergraduate cumulative GPA of at least 2.70, or 3.00 in last 60 credit hours.
A Written Statement of Purpose of 750 words or less describing reasons why the prospective student wishes to pursue the MBA degree.
Two (2) letters of recommendation
A current professional résumé
International students must complete the TOEFL exam with a minimum score of 550 on paper version, 213 on the computerized version, 79 on the iBT, or 6.5 on the IELTS. Not required for graduates of U.S. institutions.

Note: Students that do not meet the minimum GMAT of 500 or the equivalent GRE score or the minimum NPEE score, or minimum GPA requirements may be admitted on a conditional basis. Conditional admission will depend on undergraduate performance, GMAT score, other relevant measures of scholastic performance, a record of successful employment at increasing levels of responsibility, and recommendations. Conditionally admitted students must obtain a 3.00 GPA in the first nine (9) hours of coursework towards the degree. After this point, the conditional status will be removed.

Applicants for admission to the MBA program must submit a completed application packet that includes: a completed application form, official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate schools attended, official GMAT, GRE, or NPEE scores, statement of purpose, résumé, and two letters of recommendation, to the Graduate School by the following dates:

Fall Semester: August 1
Spring Semester: December 1
Summer Semester: May 1

Note: The following GMAT/GRE exemptions are available to qualified students entering in the fall semester 2015.

Applicants to the MBA program are generally required to supply GMAT or GRE scores as part of their application process.

The following persons may be exempt from taking the GMAT or GRE:

Applicants who hold a terminal degree (e.g., Ph.D., M.D., J.D., D.D.S., Ed.D.) from an accredited institution in the United States.
Applicants who hold a master’s degree from an accredited institution in the United States, having graduated with a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or better.
Applicants who hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in the United States, with a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or better and can supply a comparable score on the MCAT/LSAT or equivalent examination as determined by the Graduate Dean in consultation with the MBA director. Scores should be no more than five years old.
Applicants who have completed and passed all parts of the CPA exam (must submit official copy of license).
Applicants who hold a bachelor’s degree in Business from an AACSB-accredited undergraduate program (including UCA) with an undergraduate cumulative GPA 3.25 or higher.
Applicants who hold a degree outside of business from a regionally accredited school with an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher and coursework which covered the following: management information systems; accounting principles; microeconomics; macroeconomics; statistics; finance; management; human resource management; and operations management.

To request an exemption, complete and submit the exemption request to the MBA Director at the time of application to the Graduate School.

[3] Petition for Candidacy

In the semester following the completion of nine semester hours of graduate work the student must apply for candidacy for the MBA degree. Courses taken prior to applying for candidacy will be used toward the degree provided they are appropriate for the program and were approved by the MBA Director. The Petition for Candidacy must include all courses completed and to be taken for completion of degree and the semester and year in which course was/will be taken.

[4] Degree Requirements (MBA)

To receive the MBA degree, the student must complete the following 21-hour MBA core courses plus 9 hours of electives with a GPA of 3.00 or higher. Students with a non-business undergraduate degree are required to take prerequisite courses prior to enrollment in the MBA core courses. Some or all of the MBA prerequisite courses may be waived by the MBA director.

MBA Prerequisite courses (12 credit hours)

ACCT 2310 Principles of Accounting I [ ACTS: ACCT2003 ]
ECON 2321 Microeconomics [ ACTS: ECON2203 ]
FINA 3330 Managerial Finance
QMTH 2330 Business Statistics [ ACTS: BUSI2103 ]

MBA core courses (21 credit hours)

MBA 6301 Information Technology for Managers (formerly Decision Modeling in Information Systems)
MBA 6302 Accounting for Management Decisions
MBA 6305 Financial Decision Making
MBA 6308 Marketing Strategy
MBA 6320 Strategic Management
MBA 6325 Organizational Behavior
MBA 6330 Operations Management

MBA elective courses (9 credit hours)

MBA 5331 Bank Management
MBA 5332 Investments
MBA 5333 International Finance
MBA 5334 Financial Derivatives
MBA 5341 Quantitative Analytical Methods
MBA 5345 Governance of the Sustainable Organization
MBA 5355 Project Management
MBA 5361 Principles of Information Security
MBA 5376 Entrepreneurial and Small Business Finance
MBA 5380 Business Intelligence
MBA 6303 Managerial Economics
MBA 6306 Legal Environment of Business for Managers
MBA 6307 Entrepreneurship: The Act of Wealth Creation
MBA 6382 Internship
MBA 6390 Special Problems
INSU 5324 Fundamentals of Risk and Insurance
ACCT 6305 Advanced Business Law for Accountants
ACCT 6309 Tax Research and Planning
ACCT 6310 Seminar in Accounting Theory
ACCT 6317 Seminar in Auditing
ACCT 6319 Corporations & Shareholder Taxation
ACCT 6320 Seminar in Accounting Information Systems
ACCT 6329 Partnership & S-Corporation Taxation
ACCT 6339 Estate & Gift Taxation
ACCT 6340 Seminar in Case Studies in Accounting
ACCT 6350 Seminar in Accounting Leadership

Undergraduate accounting majors may choose to substitute approved classes from the Master of Accountancy program for MBA 6302.

[5] Areas of Concentration

[5.1] Finance

Students that plan to receive an MBA degree with a concentration in Finance must complete the following 30 hour program with a GPA of 3.0 or higher:

MBA core courses (21 credit hours)

And three MBA electives (9 credit hours) from the following classes:

MBA 5331 Bank Management
MBA 5332 Investments
MBA 5333 International Finance
MBA 5334 Financial Derivatives
MBA 5376 Entrepreneurial and Small Business Finance

[5.2] Health Care Administration

Students that plan to receive an MBA degree with a concentration in Health Care Administration (HCA) must complete the following 30 hour program with a GPA of 3.0 or higher:

MBA (HCA) core courses (24 credit hours)

MBA 6301 Information Technology for Managers (formerly Decision Modeling in Information Systems)
MBA 6302 Accounting For Management Decisions
MBA 6305 Financial Decision Making
MBA 6308 Marketing Strategy
MBA 6320 Strategic Management
MBA 6325 Organizational Behavior
MBA 6330 Operations Management
H ED 5370 Administration of Health Programs

And two electives (six credit hours) from the following classes:

FACS 5321 Nutritional Services Administration
H ED 5303 Environmental Health Problems
H ED 5320 Health Promotion Interventions
H ED 5343 Health Strategies for Multicultural Populations
H ED 6350 Contemporary Health Problems
H ED 6371 Directed Independent Study
H SC 6379 Research in Health Sciences

[5.3] International Business

Students that plan to receive an MBA degree with a concentration in International Business must complete the 30 hour MBA courses and six hours of additional requirements with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. The additional requirements include: six hours of elective at graduate level in international business, international culture, or undergraduate foreign language, or internship with business. Electives must be approved by MBA Director and be taken abroad.

[6] Graduate Course Links

[6.1] Courses in Business Administration (MBA)

Follow this link for MBA course descriptions: course link.

[6.2] Courses in Other Areas (ACCT, FACS, H ED, INSU)

Follow this link for ACCT course descriptions: course link.

Follow this link for FACS course descriptions: course link.

Follow this link for H ED course descriptions: course link.

Following this link for H SC course descriptions: course link.

Follow this link for INSU course descriptions: course link.