Mar 28, 2024  
2014-2015 Graduate Catalog 
    
2014-2015 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Business Administration (Online), M.B.A.


Online MBA Program


In addition to ULM’s accredited face-to-face, on-campus MBA program, ULM offers an accredited online distance MBA Program (dMBA) specially designed for graduate students who work and cannot commute easily to ULM. Admission requirements are the same as the face-to-face MBA program as presented below. Two graduate MBA courses offered in a lock-step format are offered each semester. Students may enter the program any semester. To participate in the online MBA program or any online MBA course, students must have Microsoft Office™, high-speed Internet access, and computer equipment with audio and video capability, including a headset with a built-in microphone and a Webcam.

Program Admission


Admission to the Master of Business Administration Degree program is at the discretion of the Graduate Admission’s Committee of the College of Business Administration and the Dean of the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the following requirements:

  1. Meet all of the general requirements for admission to the Graduate School.
  2. Submit a satisfactory Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) score, minimum of 450, or its equivalent Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score using ETS’s ‘GRE Comparison Table for Business Schools’. The GRE score will be converted to its equivalent GMAT score in calculating an applicant’s formula score for possible admission. (See below for special exceptions to waive the GMAT/GRE score requirement for admission.)
  3. Demonstrate high promise of success in postgraduate business study. Evidence of high promise may include submission of three letters of recommendation, a summary of work experience, and academic achievement in the form of a resume.
  4. International students must be exempt from the English language proficiency test by submiting an IELTS score of 7.0; submitting an official TOEFL score of 100 or more on the internet-based exam (600, paper based, or 250, computer based); or by graduating from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university with a full four-year baccalaureate degree or a two-year master’s degree (all credits must be earned in the U.S.)

Admission exceptions to waive GMAT/GRE: 1.) A business graduate from any AACSB-International accredited business school (including ULM) who graduated with a 3.0 or higher GPA within the past five years can enter the MBA program as a Non-Degree AutoAccept to Conditional or Regular status without taking the GMAT if one earns at least a ‘B’ in two BMBA graduate courses at ULM taken in non-degree status. 2.) MBA applicants with approved professional/terminal degrees (ie., Ph.D., M.D., J.D., PharmD) from accredited institions may enter under Conditional or Regular status without submitting an acceptable GMAT/GRE score. Master’s degrees are not allowed for this GMAT/GRE exemption waiver. The Graduate Coordinator and/or CBA Appeals Committee will determine degrees approved for GMAT waiver exemption.

Decisions by the Graduate Admissions Committee are based on a broad range of criteria, and no particular level of academic performance or test scores will guarantee acceptance.

Admission Requirements


The following are used to determine a student’s eligibility for admission, regular or conditional, for the Master of Business Administration.

The minimum requirements for regular status are ALL of the following:

  • Minimum GMAT score of 450 or GRE equivalent of 450 GMAT
  • Minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.50 (based on a 4.00 scale)
  • Minimum formula score of 1,000 (GPA * 200 + GMAT score)

The minimum requirements for conditional status are:

  • Minimum GMAT score of 450 or GRE score equivalent of 450 GMAT
  • Minimum undergraduate GPA of:
    • 2.50 (4.0 scale) - missing required background course(s); must have 1,000 minimum formula score
    • 2.20 (4.0 scale) - missing required background course(s); must have 1,050 minimum formula score
    • 2.20 (4.0 scale) - using last 60 hours towards graduate study/undergraduate degree; must have 1,050 minimum formula score

Managerial work experience may be factored into the MBA formula score calculation.

As noted above, managerial work experience can be factored into the MBA formula calculation. The CBA Graduate Coordinator and CBA Graduate Admissions Committee will determine what constitutes as eligible and acceptable managerial work experience and will assign work experience factor points based on review of documented managerial work experience. A maximum of 50 points could be allocated for work experience.

In rare circumstances, applicants with documented extensive executive work experience not meeting minimum program admission requirements may appeal in writing to the CBA Graduate Admissions Committee through the CBA Graduate Coordinator for admissions into the MBA program.

Non-Degree Status: Students not eligible to enter the MBA program under conditional or regular status can elect to take up to two MBA courses (totaling six hours) toward the degree under non-degree status . These students are not eligible for financial aid, graduate assistantships, or graduate work study positions.

Program Requirements


Background Course Requirements


Requirements for business background courses include taking undergraduate or graduate courses as found below.

Undergraduate courses  or  Graduate courses
ACCT 2012 Financial Accounting  
ACCT 2013 Managerial Accounting  
ECON 2001 Macroeconomic Principles  
ECON 2002 Microeconomic Principles  
FINA 3015 Business Finance  
MGMT 3001 Management Concepts and Practice  
MRKT 3001 Fundamentals of Marketing  
QMDS 2010 Statistics and Quality Control  
MGMT 3009 Operations Management  

Undergraduate course requirements can be met by

  1. passing CLEP/DSST examinations for undergraduate credit
  2. passing non-credit proficiency/test-out examinations in the foundation areas in which no CLEP/DSST examinations are available, or
  3. completing the undergraduate background courses with a grade of ‘C’ or better; completing the graduate background courses with a no grade lower than a ‘C’ and a cumulative grade point average of 3.0.

Helpful information to study background course content in preparation of taking a CLEP, DSST, or test out for a background course can be obtained at www.4ltrpress.cengage.com.

Degree Requirements for All Students:


Concentrations Outside Business:


Students desiring a concentration outside of business must take the three specified electives as follows in the chosen program instead of the six semester hours of electives in the field of business administration.

Unless all three courses are taken in a concentration outside of business, none of them may be used to satisfy the elective course requirements for the MBA degree.

Graduate Courses


Note: To receive graduate credit for a 4000-level course designated ‘For Undergraduate and Graduates,’ a student must be in graduate admission status at the time credit is earned in the course. Credit earned in undergraduate admission status cannot be changed to graduate credit.