College of Graduate Studies & Research: Georgia Southern University

College of Business Administration
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION M.B.A. 33 HOURS

Advising: College of Business Administration,
Dr. J. Michael McDonald,
P.O. Box 8050,
Statesboro, GA 30460-8050,
(912) 681-5767,
mmcdonal@gsaix2.cc.gasou.edu
Fax: (912) 486-7480

Strong functional skills that can be applied from a management perspective across the firm and that can be applied to cross functional problems.
Analytical problem solving and decision making skills that emphasize management concerns regarding the firm.
A global management perspective on strategy and business practices.
A sense of social responsibility and environmental concern and stewardship.
Adaptability to changing technology and information systems.
Team work skills, interpersonal and leadership skills, and persuasive communication skills.

A prospective student who has earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university and plans to take courses in the MBA program must be admitted under one of the following classifications:

Students who are admitted to the College of Graduate Studies with the expressed intention of following a program leading to a graduate degree are classified as degree students. When admitted as a degree student, the applicant will be placed in one of the following categories:

A prospective candidate for the MBA degree who meets all requirements for unqualified admission and has been recommended by the Director of Graduate Studies in the College of Business Administration and approved by the College of Graduate Studies is classified as a regular degree student. A student with a standard formula score of 1000 or higher (or with an upper-level score of 1050 or higher)1 will be admitted as a regular MBA student. Student transcripts are evaluated for the prerequisite requirements prior to admission. The requirement to make up deficiencies in the prerequisite courses is listed on the notification of acceptance as a condition of acceptance.

A prospective candidate for a degree that does not satisfy the full admission requirements as defined by the standard formula1 may be classified in this category under conditions specified at the time of admission by the College of Graduate Studies upon the recommendation of the Director of Graduate Studies in the College of Business Administration. A student with an index equal or greater than 950 and less than 1000 will be admitted as a Provisional MBA student provided the undergraduate GPA is 2.80 or higher, or the GMAT score is a 470 or higher. A student admitted in this category will be required to make a grade of "B" or higher in each of the first three graduate courses. Only credit earned at Georgia Southern University may be used to satisfy this admission requirement. A student admitted in this category will be reclassified to regular admission when the conditions have been met. Failure to satisfy the conditions in the specified course limit will result in the student's ineligibility to continue work in the MBA program.

1 - Standard formula score is calculated by multiplying undergraduate GPA times 200 plus the GMAT score, [(UGPA x 200) + GMAT => 1000]. Upper level formula is [(Last 60 semester hours UGPA x 200) + GMAT => 1050].

An applicant may be admitted to the College of Graduate Studies as a non-degree student to earn credit in graduate courses without working toward a degree. One who is admitted as a non-degree student may apply to the MBA program at any time. Students are admitted non-degree in business in one of the following categories:

An applicant admitted to the College of Graduate Studies with the intention of enrolling in MBA courses but not to the MBA degree program that holds a Master's degree may enter as non-degree, post-graduate. Once admitted under this classification an acceptable GMAT score must be submitted to the College of Graduate Studies by the completion of the third graduate level course in order to continue with additional graduate courses in the MBA program.

An applicant admitted to the College of Graduate Studies but not to the MBA degree program is limited to earning a total of 9 semester hours of credit in graduate courses. A student who has not taken the GMAT may be admitted under this classification provided that the overall undergraduate GPA is 3.25 or higher, or the upper-level (last 60 semester hours) GPA is 3.50 or higher. Once admitted under this classification, an acceptable GMAT score must be submitted by the completion of the second graduate level course in order to continue with additional graduate courses in the MBA program. The requirement to make up deficiencies in the prerequisite courses is listed on the notification of acceptance as a condition of acceptance. Graduate credit earned under this classification may not count toward the degree program except under special conditions decided at the time of admission to the MBA degree program.

The College of Business Administration accepts graduate transient credit only from AACSB accredited programs. A maximum of 3 courses not to exceed nine (9) semester hours may be considered for graduate transient credit.

The College of Business Administration accepts graduate transfer credit not to exceed six (6) semester hours subject to review and approval by the COBA Graduate Curriculum and Programs Committee.

A terminal oral examination is required of all candidates for the degree of Master of Business Administration. MBA students may exempt the oral examination provided the student earns a grade of "B" or better in Global Business Strategy (BUSA 7530). If required, the terminal oral examination must be scheduled at least two weeks prior to graduation. The comprehensive examination will be conducted by a committee consisting of members of the Graduate Faculty in the MBA program appointed by the Dean of the College of Business Administration. The date, time, and place of the examination will be set by the Director of Graduate Studies in the College of Business Administration after consultation with the committee. The Dean of the College of Business Administration will be an ex-officio member of the committee.

The Director of Graduate Studies of the College of Business Administration shall notify the Dean of the College of Graduate Studies, five days prior to the examination, of the proposed date and time of the final examination and the composition of the committee.

The Director of Graduate Studies in the College of Business Administration shall notify members of the examination committee of appointment, time, and place of the examination.

The candidate is expected to demonstrate a competency to discuss basic facts, justify interpretations and defend opinions.

The decision on the candidate's performance on the examination shall be reported "Pass with Distinction," "Pass," or "Fail" to the Dean of the College of Graduate Studies within five days after the examination on a standard form furnished by the College of Graduate Studies. Should the decision be reported as "Fail," the candidate for the degree will not be permitted a re-examination until the conditions set forth by the committee have been met.

The candidate is eligible to receive the degree of Master of Business Administration upon completion of all course work in the planned program and a satisfactory report on the terminal examination.

Requirements in the Program of Study leading to the Master of Business Administration include the satisfactory completion of graduate courses with a minimum of thirty-three (33) semester hours, plus a terminal oral examination. MBA students are exempt from the terminal oral examination provided the student earns a grade of "B" or better in the capstone Global Business Strategy (BUSA 7530) course.

A student admitted to the College of Graduate Studies as a prospective candidate for the Master of Business Administration must present evidence of satisfactory completion (a grade of "C" or better) of the following course content in Business Administration or take the undergraduate equivalents:

Selected from 7000-level courses offered by the College of Business Administration or from approved electives offered elsewhere in the University

NOTE: ALL ELECTIVE COURSES TAKEN FOR CREDIT TOWARD COMPLETION OF ANY MASTERS LEVEL DEGREE PROGRAM IN THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION MUST BE APPROVED BY HIS/HER ADVISOR AND MUST INCLUDE ONLY THOSE COURSES RESERVED EXCLUSIVELY FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS.

Advising: College of Business Administration, Dr. J. Michael McDonald, P.O. Box 8125, Statesboro, GA 30460, or (912) 681-5767, or FAX (912) 681-0292

Accountancy (see catalog, MBA with Accounting Concentration), Health Service Administration, and International Business concentrations are available for prospective MBA candidates.

The Accounting concentration requires the completion of fifteen (15) semester hours in addition to the MBA prerequisite courses and the MBA general requirements (See MBA with Accounting Concentration.) The Health Service Administration and International Business concentrations requires the completion of twelve (12) semester hours in addition to the MBA prerequisite courses and the MBA general requirements. (See concentration course requirements below.)

In addition to the prerequisites for the MBA program in general, a student who desires to complete the accounting concentration must present evidence of satisfactory completion ( a grade of "C" or better) in the following

Students pursuing the MBA with an accounting concentration do not take ACCT 7230 in the MBA core. They take 15 hours of the following graduate accounting courses:

A student may also earn an MBA with no specific concentration. The student chooses his/her four elective courses from the elective courses offered for a particular academic term.