Graduate Program In Business Administration

Overview of the Program

The objective of the Urbana University Master of Business Administration (MBA) program is to equip individuals with advanced business skills that will enable then to enhance their career potential in the workplace. The target audience for the program is individuals who have already obtained an undergraduate degree and entered the workplace.

The MBA program features a curriculum and instruction that focuses on broadening and deepening the management and leadership skills of its graduates.

Educational Outcomes

Graduates will:

• Have an awareness and understanding of general business practices and specialized knowledge and skill in general management which prepares them for responsible leadership positions in the business environment or entry into a doctoral program.
  
• Be successful in securing a leadership position in business employment in their chosen field or entry into a doctoral program.  
  
• Be satisfied with their graduate program and feel confident they are prepared to seek a leadership position in business employment or enter a doctoral program.

Admission Requirements

To enter the program students must meet the following requirements:

• Possess an earned baccalaureate degree from a state and regionally accredited college or university.
• Have earned an acceptable undergraduate grade point average. "Acceptable" is defined as 2.7 on a 4.0 scale, or its equivalent.
• Have submitted an official copy of acceptable results on the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT).  An acceptable score is defined as 450 or better.
• Have submitted official copies of all college transcripts.
• Present three supporting letters of recommendation from professors and/or employers attesting to the applicant's aptness as a manager and probable success as a graduate student.
• Provide evidence of significant experience in the workplace, at least two years.
• Demonstrate knowledge in business from specific course work in the areas of economics, management principles, accounting principles, marketing, statistics, and finance within the last ten years.
• Provide a satisfactory score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), where appropriate.  An acceptable score is defined as 550 or better.
• Complete the admission application provided by the University's Office of MBA Studies and pay the $25.00 application fee. 
• Provide official transcripts of all university work.

Requirements listed above may be petitioned.    

Students may take graduate courses for credit without being accepted into the MBA program, provided the necessary application form (unclassified) is completed and a transcript showing an appropriate bachelor's degree from a state and regionally accredited institution is filed with the Office of MBA Studies.  If a student wishes to transfer to degree status from unclassified student status, graduate admissions standards must be met and not more than nine semester hours of graduate classes as an unclassified student will be accepted toward the MBA.

Conditional Acceptance:  If either the GMAT standard is not met or the GPA is between 2.5 and 2.7, but not both, students may be admitted under a conditional status, with the consent of the faculty and the Office of MBA Studies.  Conditional students must complete nine semester hours and maintain a minimum of a 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale with no grade lower than a B to be granted regular status.

Graduate Advisor:  Each graduate student will be assigned an advisor upon admission to the program.

Additional Program Information

Sufficient Progress:  Students are expected to maintain sufficient progress toward a degree.  At various intervals, usually at each registration period, and especially at midpoint in the program, the advisor or program director will discuss the rate of progress with the student.  Students not showing promise of completing the program in a reasonable time may be advised to withdraw from the University.

Transfer Credits:  Graduate credits earned at other institutions may, upon approval, be transferred.  A grade point of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale must have been earned for each course transferred. No more than nine credit hours, or three courses, may be transferred. Students are not required to repeat satisfactory work done elsewhere.  The 27 semester hour Urbana University residency requirement for graduation will not be waived.

Program Length:  The MBA program will comprise a 36-hour (12-course) curriculum. The standard course load for students will be two courses per semester. Instruction will be offered each semester-fall, spring and summer. Thus, with continuous enrollment and with satisfactory academic performance, a student will be able to graduate in 24 months.

Instruction:  Classes will be taught as full semester courses in the evening or on Saturday during the fall, spring, and summer

Tuition:  Tuition for the 2007-2008 Academic Year is $402 per MBA graduate credit hour. MBA tutition rates through the School of Adult & Graduate Education program vary according to site. Contact SAGE for further details.

Foundation Preparation:  The following business foundation courses must be completed within ten years preceding admission to the MBA program (the following courses are available in the undergraduate curriculum for non-traditional Adult & Graduate Education business management students). 

                BUS 355                Economic Issues (Macro and Micro Economics)

                BUS 356                Management and Leadership Techniques and Methods

                BUS 357                Accounting Principles and Concepts

                BUS 455                Tactical and Strategic Marketing

                BUS 456                Statistics and Quantitative Methods

                BUS 457                Financial Decision Making

Academic Standards:  To be in good standing, a graduate student must have a 3.0 quality point average at all times.  Grades are expressed on the student's permanent record in the following manner:

Appeal For Change of Grade:  Any appeal for change of grade for a particular course should be directed to the Director of MBA Studies.

Academic Suspension:  Students will be suspended from the MBA program for any of the following reasons:

• Their GPA falls below a 3.0 after completion of 9 semester hours

• More than two grades are below a B.

• One grade of F is received.

Readmission requirements will be defined on an individual student basis by the graduate faculty and, if the conditions are accepted by the student, conditional status would be granted.  (Conditional students must complete nine semester hours and maintain a minimum of a 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale with no grade lower than a B to be granted regular status.)

Core Curriculum:  Students will take a required nine-course sequence; each course carries three semester hours of graduate credit.  

BSG 501 - Ethics & Legal Issues in Business

BSG 502 - Managerial Economics

BSG 503 - Management Science

BSG 504 - Organizational Behavior

BSG 505 - Managerial Accounting

BSG 506 - Marketing Strategy

BSG 507 - Managerial Finance

BSG 508 - Global Environment of Business

BSG 600 - Business Policy  

Elective Curriculum:  Students must choose three courses as electives in order to complete the 36-hour degree requirement; each course carries three semester hours of graduate credit.  

BSG 520 - Negotiation in Business

BSG 530 - Entrepreneurship/Intrapreneurship

BSG 540 - Production/Operations Management

BSG 550 - Organizational Design - Theory and Application

BSG 560 - Business Information Systems

BSG 570 - Accounting Theory

Capstone Experience:  Business Policy, BSG 600, is the capstone experience for MBA students. The course incorporates case studies that utilize accumulated knowledge from the total graduate curriculum.  In addition, students will be required to engage in an integrative research project that demonstrates the skills and knowledge associated with their professional careers as well as the courses that comprise their entire MBA degree program.  

Graduation Requirements:  Students must complete 36 graduate semester credit hours with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in order to graduate.  Candidates for a degree must file an application with the Office of MBA Studies during the student's next-to-last semester of enrollment.

Time Limit:  All course work must be completed within six (6) years of beginning the program, including any transfer credit.

For more information about the MBA Program at Urbana University please e-mail at mba@urbana.edu or call (866) 396-1107 or (937) 484-1237.