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.

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.

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 five 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.
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 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. For the online MBA program, 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

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.