Business Administration (M.B.A.)
Effective Spring 2008
All MBA program courses are taught by College of Business graduate faculty. Graduate faculty are dedicated teachers with doctoral degrees who have demonstrated subject area expertise by extensive scholarship. MBA faculty provide an active learning experience with a variety of teaching methods, such as, case studies, applied research, problem solving, and team projects.
One of the strengths of the MBA program is the high quality of students enrolled. Recent graduates scored an average of 500 on the GMAT. Most bring considerable business experience to the classroom. As of Fall 2004, the 80 active students were comprised of 39 percent female and 61 percent male. About 14 percent of the MBA students are from historically-disadvantaged groups (other than women). The program has about 625 alumni pursuing careers around the world.
Admission
The program admits students based on an evaluation of past academic achievement, aptitude for advanced study, professional accomplishments, and motivation to succeed. Applicants must provide a completed application to the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research (570) 389-4015 The MBA Coordinator will evaluate MBA applicants with complete applications. Complete applications include the following items:
- Official transcripts from an accredited academic institution indicating an earned baccalaureate degree.
- Official transcripts from all institutions where the applicant earned undergraduate or graduate college credit must be provided. Degrees earned from non-United States universities will be judged individually.
- Official Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores within the 5 prior years.
- Three letters of recommendation.
- A statement of career goals (that is, an essay that addresses why the applicant wishes to pursue the MBA degree).
- A current resume.
International applicants whose native language is not English must achieve a minimal TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 550 (old test) or 215 (new electronic test). The score must have been earned within the prior year. International students must also provide current evidence of financial capability.
Required Courses
The curriculum consists of 36 graduate credit hours delivered in ten required and three elective courses. Students without sufficient preparation also complete prerequisite foundation courses.
Foundation Courses - Students must possess the common body of knowledge essential for the advanced study in business. Students with an undergraduate degree in business will likely have taken course covering those areas. Students with non-business undergraduate degrees will usually be lacking a least some of these courses and therefore must take foundation courses to make up for this deficit. Foundation courses are not included in the 36 hours of credit required for the MBA degree.
The following chart lists foundation courses and their undergraduate equivalents. Students who have earned a C or better in an undergraduate equivalent course are exempt from taking the foundation course
| Foundation Course | Undergraduate Equivalent |
|---|---|
| 40.512 Economic Theory | 40.121 Micro Economics and 40.122 Macro Economics |
| 91.504 Introduction to Financial Accounting | 91.220 Financial Accounting and 91.223 Managerial Accounting |
| 93.500 Managerial Principles | 93.244 Principles of Management |
| 93.511 Statistical Analysis and Design | 40.256 Inferential Statistics and a college-level math course |
| 97.510 Marketing Foundations | 97.310 Principles of Marketing |
Core Courses - All students are required to take the ten core courses. These courses cover the core of knowledge of a business education in the basic function areas of accounting, finance, management and marketing and the supporting field of management information systems. Strategic management is the capstone course of a business education program and is the major integrative force in an MBA program. It is here that specific information from the functional areas is put together to address the concerns of the total firm.
92.554 Management Information Systems
91.524 Managerial Accounting
97.551 Marketing Management
91.500 MBA Outcomes Assessment (0 credits)
93.560 Operations Management
93.566 Organizational Behavior
96.535 Financial Management
98.550 Law, Ethics, and Public Policy
93.581 Strategic Management
And one research course from among the following:
91.599 Research in Accounting or 93.520 Business Research Methods
Elective Courses - select three courses from the following list:
91.501 Financial Accounting
91.502 Advanced Financial Accounting
91.503 Government and Fund Accounting
91.521 Advanced Cost Accounting
91.522 Advanced Auditing Theory
91.523 Advanced Tax Accounting
91.551 International Accounting
91.552 Controllership
91.553 Special Topics in Accounting
93.532 Professional Development Skills
93.545 Human Resource Management
93.547 Decision Models I
93.548 Decision Models II
93.550 Quality Management
93.556 International Management
93.558 Social Responsibility and Business Ethics
93.562 Organizational Theory
93.567 People Management Skills
93.582 Human Resource Skills for Managers
93.583 Human Resources Development
93.584 Seminar in Leadership
93.599 Special Topics
94.500 Office Systems and Information
94.510 Office Systems Applications
94.520 Administrative Communications
94.530 Telecommunications
94.540 Training and Development
94.550 Integrated Office Systems
96.540 International Finance
96.545 Investment Management
96.550 Security Analysis and Portfolio Management
96.599 Special Topics
97.530 Strategic Buyer Behavior
97.599 Special Topics
98.507 International Legal Environment of Business
98.560 Employment Discrimination and Affirmative Action
98.599 Special Topics