2017-2018 Academic Catalog & Student Handbooks 
    
    Mar 29, 2024  
2017-2018 Academic Catalog & Student Handbooks [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Master of Business Administration


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Statement of Purpose

The Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) program provides advanced study for anyone currently in managerial or administrative positions or who aspire to such positions. The primary purpose of the program is to provide students with realistic business knowledge and skills essential for successful functioning as administrators in business, industry, churches, non-profit, government, or other types of organizations. Specific learning objectives of the program include:

  1. Students demonstrate attainment of business knowledge and skills for successful careers;
  2. Students develop an ethical approach to making and applying managerial decisions;
  3. Students attain analytical, problem-solving, and decision making skills;
  4. Students have skills to work effectively in teams;
  5. Students exhibit strong professional communication skills;
  6. Students are able to identify, evaluate, and analyze business problems employing an integrative approach;
  7. Students are able to use appropriate technological applications in analyzing an organization’s strategic situation and in decision making;
  8. Students are able to analyze an organization’s opportunities and challenges in a global context.

Criteria for Admission

A student seeking admission to the M.B.A. program should address all inquiries to the office of graduate programs. The completed application and supporting documents should be received at least three weeks prior to the desired entrance date. Applicants may be admitted in one of the following categories.

Unconditional Admission

Unconditional admission may be granted to applicants who:

  1. Hold a bachelor degree in any discipline from an accredited institution of higher education;
  2. File the application for admission to graduate programs and furnish the various materials listed in the instructions;
  3. Pay a non-refundable application fee;
  4. Furnish official transcript(s) from each institution attended, showing all credits previously earned;
  5. Have an overall undergraduate GPA of 2.50 on a 4.00 scale from the graduating institution; and
  6. Have successfully met foundation area requirements with “C” or better in the academic courses or 80% or higher score on IVY courses.
  7. Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) will not be required of applicants with an overall undergraduate GPA of 2.50 or above.

Conditional Admission

Conditional admission may be granted to:

  1. An applicant with a GPA no lower than 2.00; and
  2. An applicant with a combined total of no less than 950 on the formula (GMAT score and GPA X 200).

A student who is granted conditional admission is expected to earn a “B” or better on each graduate course. A student who falls below this will be subject to academic suspension. Appeals may be made to the academic vice president, the dean of the School of Business and the M.B.A. faculty. The conditional status may be changed upon the recommendation of the business dean to “unconditional admission” for an individual who makes a sufficient score on a retake of the GMAT or a “B” or better grade in each of the first three graduate courses in the program.

Criteria for Admission of International Students

International students who graduated from four-year institutions outside the United States must meet the same admission requirements as other M.B.A. students. In addition, such students must:

  1. Submit an official TOEFL score of 550 or better on the paper-based test, 213 or higher on the computer-based test, or 79-80 or higher on the internet-based test.;
  2. Have received a degree that is equivalent to the B.S. or B.A. at a U.S. institution;
  3. Register as a full-time student;
  4. Maintain a grade of “C” or better in all foundation area courses and an overall GPA of at least 3.00;
  5. Submit a GMAT score with a combined total of no less than 950 on the formula (GMAT score and GPA X 200) before enrolling in a graduate level class.

International students who hold three-year degrees from non-U.S. accredited institutions may also be considered for admission provided that such students:

  1. Take thirty additional hours of foundation area courses at the University of Mobile. These include (a) the foundation area requirements listed for all M.B.A. students, and (b) six hours consisting of COM 101 , and BA 336  .
  2. Meet all the other requirements listed above for international students.

Criteria for Early Admission

Integrated accounting program and business administration and CIS to M.B.A. applicants must meet the following criteria for unconditional admission:

  1. File the application for admission to graduate programs and furnish the various materials listed in the instructions;
  2. Pay a non-refundable application fee;
  3. Obtain a recommendation from the advisor;
  4. Have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.50 or better on a 4.00 scale at time of filing the application for admission;
  5. Applicants with a cumulative undergraduate GPA below a 2.50, submit an official report of test scores obtained on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) acquiring a total of at least 950 on the formula (GMAT score and grade point average X 200); and
  6. Have earned “C” or better in completed foundation area courses.

Students in the University of Mobile’s integrated undergraduate/graduate accounting program and accelerated business administration to MBA program and computer information systems to MBA program may be cleared to register for graduate classes following completion of their junior year provided other criteria for admission to the M.B.A. program are met. The integrated accounting program consists of 117 undergraduate hours followed by thirty-three graduate hours in the University of Mobile’s Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) program. Students completing the integrated accounting program will be awarded Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and M.B.A. degrees simultaneously.

The accelerated business administration to MBA program and computer information systems to MBA program consists of 117 undergraduate hours followed by thirty graduate hours in the University of Mobile’s Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) program. Students complete the chosen track in business administration or computer information systems major with the exception of three courses (BA 430 , BA 454 , and MGT 426 ), which are taken as part of the MBA program on the graduate level (BA 530 , BA 554 , and MGT 526 ). Students completing the accelerated program will be awarded the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration or Computer Information Systems (B.S.) and the M.B.A. degrees simultaneously.

Students must complete the application process, be recommended by their advisor, and be accepted into University of Mobile’s graduate program before any graduate-level courses may be taken. Students in this track will be allowed no more than six hours of undergraduate credit and six hours of graduate credit as transient work.

Capstone Experience

Satisfactory performance, defined as a grade of B or above, in the capstone course BA 554 Strategic Management is required of all candidates seeking the M.B.A. degree at the University of Mobile.  This course may not be transferred into the university from another instituation.

Graduation Requirements

Application for a degree should be made during the fall academic period (semester) prior to graduation. The candidate’s application will be reviewed upon receipt of:

  1. An application for a degree;
  2. Satisfactory completion of program requirements (a minimum of thirty semester hours is required);
  3. A grade of “B” or higher in BA 554 Strategic Management; and
  4. A minimum overall 3.0 GPA on all work attempted.

NOTE: All requirements for a degree must be completed within six years from the time of initial enrollment.

Course Offerings

Please see the Course Descriptions  sections of this catalog for Graduate level course listings.

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