Business Administration, M.B.A.

Accreditation

The Master of Business Administration program is accredited by AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Face-to-Face MBA Program

All graduate classes required in ULM’s accredited face-to-face, on-campus MBA program are offered at least once a year at night to accommodate working professionals. Students attending ULM as a full-time graduate student generally complete the MBA program in 1 ½ years contingent on the completion of required background courses prior to entry into the program. Part-time students take courses as based on one’s capabilities in completing the MBA degree.

ULM’s Hong Kong MBA Program

Since its inception in 1978, ULM’s MBA Program in Hong Kong at Shue Yan University has enhanced global understanding and cooperation between ULM’s College of Business and Shue Yan University. The College of Business offers the same MBA program at Shue Yan that is offered at ULM. MBA courses are taught over the Wintersession and throughout the summer.  For more information on how to participate in this global experience, see the College of Business’s Graduate Coordinator.

ULM Student Fast-Track Option

For entry into the MBA program on conditional or regular admission status, the College of Business will waive the GMAT/GRE admission requirement for ULM undergraduate students earning a B.B.A. who majored in a traditional business program and graduated with a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.2. This entry option is contingent upon ULM business graduates beginning their MBA classes within two years of receiving their Bachelor of Business Administration degree.

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; and
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; and
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; and
4. International students must submit a satisfactory score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) examination and meet all the additional requirements of the Graduate School outlined in the ADMISSION OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS  section.

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 Formula Calculation

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

• Regular: (Cumulative Undergraduate GPA * 200) + GMAT (min. 450) + Work Experience Factor = 1,000
• Conditional: (Last 60 hours towards graduate/undergraduate degree GPA * 200) + GMAT (min. 450) + Work Experience Factor = 1,050

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.

For conditional admission into the MBA program, GPA is calculated on the last 60 hours of coursework in recognized graduate study (if applicable) and towards undergraduate degree.

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) under non-degree status. These students are not eligible for financial aid, graduate assistantships, or graduate work study positions.

Program Requirements

Requirements for business background courses include:

• Accounting 2012 and 2013 or
• Accounting 5002

• Economics 2001 and 2002 or
• Economics 5002

• Finance 3015
• Management 3001
• Management 3009
• Marketing 3001
• Quantitative Methods 2010

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 background courses with a grade of ‘C’ or better.

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.

Admission Requirements

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.