Mar 28, 2024  
Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog 2017-2018 
    
Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog 2017-2018 [ARCHIVED CATALOG] See drop-down menu above to access other catalogs.

Business Administration, MBA


Offered through: Ricciardi College of Business  

Admission Requirements


Detailed information about admission is provided in the Admission-Graduate  section of this catalog. The following are specific requirements for application to the MBA degree program:

  • A bachelor’s degree from a four-year accredited college or university; if the degree has not yet been awarded at the time of application, the successful applicant must be nearing completion of the bachelor’s degree
  • Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work
  • Three letters of recommendation, at least one each from academic and professional references, submitted on graduate-school reference forms 
  • A resumé which demonstrates the applicant’s potential for leadership and academic achievement as evidenced by activities during his or her professional career or undergraduate business studies 
  • Official copy of scores from the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT)

Applicants to the MBA degree program who meet certain provisions will be considered for admission without submitting a GMAT. The following provisions qualify an applicant to be considered for the GMAT waiver:*

  • An advanced degree (e.g. master’s, doctorate, JD, etc.) in a specialized business field, economics, law, or related field, or in a discipline involving a significant quantitative component (e.g. engineering, science, statistics)
  • CPA, CFA or CFM certification

*Effective Spring 2018, the GMAT waiver policy has been revised to the following:

Applicants to the MBA degree program who meet certain provisions will be considered for admission without submitting the results of a GMAT or GRE. The following provisions qualify an applicant to be considered for the GMAT waiver:

  • An advanced degree (e.g. master’s, doctorate, JD, etc.) from a regionally accredited institution.
  • A professional business – related certificate or license issued in the United States that requires a test of field specific knowledge, work experience, and at least a baccalaureate degree (e.g. Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), or Certified Financial Planner (CFP).
  • An earned undergraduate degree within the last 10 years, with a cumulative minimum GPA of 3.3. Degree field must have included a significant amount of coursework in business, mathematics or quantitative analysis.
  • An earned undergraduate degree within the last 10 years, with a cumulative minimum GPA of 3.0, a minimum of five (5) years of professional (non-– clerical, non – support) managerial work experience including supervisory roles, with increasing responsibility during that period. Degree field considered must have included a significant amount of coursework in business, mathematics or quantitative analysis
  • an earned Graduate Certificate in Business Foundations from Bridgewater State University with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 and no course grade below a B-.

NOTE: The College of Business reserves the right to request a GMAT score from an applicant even if these conditions are met.

Applicants for whom English is a second language will be required to submit an official copy of results from the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System), unless they have at least two years of experience in an American college or university. Students taking the TOEFL must receive a total score of 213 from a computer-based test, 550 from a paper-based test or 79-80 on the internet-based test. Students taking the IELTS must receive a total score of 6/6.5.

Program of Study


The MBA requires students to complete courses that develop skills in business analytics, managing people and organizations, and managing the environment. Depending on the student’s undergraduate courses, the requirements for the degree range from 33 to 48 credit hours.

Foundation requirements (15 credits, advanced standing available)*


Foundation requirements (prerequisites) cover the basic content of accounting, economics, management, marketing and statistics. These requirements are satisfied with equivalent work earned either before or after admission to the MBA program. All undergraduate equivalent courses must have been taken within ten years prior to admission, and students must have earned a grade of “B-” or higher in the course to qualify for a waiver.

Advanced standing in the Foundation category may be granted upon admission to the MBA program. After admission, students may petition for waiver of a foundation requirement based on significant related work experience, professional certification, or other formal educational accomplishments. Students may petition the admissions decision during their first semester in the program.

Foundation requirements include:

Accounting
   ACFI 500 - Foundations of Financial and Managerial Accounting 
   or ACFI 200 - Financial Accounting 
   or accepted CLEP exam credit for Financial Accounting
   or a course in financial accounting from another regionally accredited school

Economic Principles
   ECON 500 - Foundations of Economics 
   or ECON 101 - Principles of Microeconomics  and ECON 102 - Principles of Macroeconomics 
   or accepted CLEP exams credit in Microeconomics and Macroeconomics
   or courses in principles of microeconomics and principles of macroeconomics from another regionally accredited school

Statistics
   ECON 501 - Foundations of Business Statistics  
   or ECON 210 - Statistics for Economics and Business 
   or a course in economic statistics or business statistics from another regionally accredited school

Management
   MGMT 509 - Foundations of Management  
   or MGMT 303 - Organizational Behavior 
   or accepted CLEP exam credit in Principles of Management
   or a course in organizational behavior from another regionally accredited school

Marketing
   MGMT 507 - Foundations of Marketing  
   or MGMT 200 - Marketing Principles 
   or accepted CLEP exam credit in Principles of Marketing
   or a course in principles of marketing from another regionally accredited school

Total minimum credits: 33-48*


*Foundation requirements may be waived based upon advanced standing as outlined above.