Master of Business

Business Administration

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) program provides a graduate business program for students wishing to further their education in business beyond the undergraduate level. This program is focused on executive decision making and is information-oriented in nature. The program consists of ten three-hour courses delivered online from the Russellville campus and has a focus on the use of data and other information in making managerial business decisions.

Program Prerequisites

Students will be required to demonstrate proficiency in the course areas listed below whether they are admitted unconditionally or conditionally to the MBA degree program. Proficiency can be demonstrated by:

  1. Courses from an accredited university corresponding with those listed below; or
  2. Certification of proficiency from an approved source for each of the areas listed below; or
  3. A combination of 1 and 2 above.
Required Prerequisite Courses
  • Principles of Accounting I & II,
  • Principles of Economics I & II,
  • Business Finance, and
  • Business Statistics.

Unconditional Admission

Students are eligible to apply for unconditional admission to the MBA degree program if they meet the following:

  1. Admission Requirements for the Graduate College
  2. Students will also be required to meet one of the following standards:

    • A 3.50 GPA from an AACBS or ACBSP accredited business undergraduate program; or
    • A score of 1,000 using the formula [GMAT + 200*GPA = 1,000] with a minimum GPA of 2.50 and a minimum GMAT of 450.  A GMAT test score must be taken within the last five (5) years; or
    • A score of 1,000 using the formula [GRE (combined verbal & quantitative scores) + 255*GPA] with a minimum GPA of 2.50 and a minimum combined GRE score equivalent to GMAT of 450.  Please check the link at ETS website for the conversion: ETS Conversion Chart.  A GRE test score must be taken within the last five (5) years.

Conditional Admission

Applicants not meeting the grade point requirement specified for unconditional admission may be admitted conditionally to enroll for a maximum of six (6) credits per semester. If a student was admitted conditionally based on grade point average, the condition will be met if upon completion of twelve (12) semester hours a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or better is achieved, and all the requirements for unconditional admission have been met, including GRE or GMAT exam scores that are stated above.  A GRE or GMAT test score must be submitted prior to or upon completion of six (6) credit semester hours.

Students may be admitted conditionally if they have met the following requirements:

  1. Admission Requirements for the Graduate College;
  2. Students with a GPA below 2.50 from an accredited undergraduate program using all earned hours may earn conditional admission status if they score at least 1,000 on either of the above described formulas; or
  3. Approval from the College of Business Admissions Committee.

Academic Advisors

The College of Business will assign an academic advisor to each student admitted to the MBA degree program. The advisor will assist the student in the design of a curriculum of study that leads to the fulfillment of degree requirements. Subsequently, the academic advisor and the Graduate College monitor the student's progress. It remains, however, the student's responsibility to understand and to satisfy all degree requirements.

Degree Requirements

  1. A minimum of 30 semester hours of coursework at the graduate level.

    ACCT 6103: Accounting Analysis;
    BUAD 6103: Research Methods;
    BUAD 6203: Business Information Analysis;
    BUAD 6903: Industry Analysis;
    ECON 6103: Managerial Economics;
    FIN 6103: Corporate Financial Management;
    MGMT 6103: Organizational Management and Leadership;
    MGMT 6203: Decision Modeling;
    MGMT 6903: Corporate Strategic Management; and
    MKT 6103: Strategic Marketing Management.

  2. A cumulative grade point average of a 3.00 or better must be achieved in all graduate work attempted at Arkansas Tech University, with a maximum of six (6) hours of "C" grades. A student receiving more than six (6) hours of "C" or grades lower than "C" should refer to the section of the catalog on Academic Probation and Dismissal.
  3. The completion of a minimum of 24 semester hours of graduate course work in residence at Arkansas Tech University. Full-time residence is not required.
  4. The completion of all degree requirements within six (6) years of admission to the program.

Candidacy

Graduate students admitted unconditionally must apply for candidacy to the selected degree program upon completion of twelve (12) graduate credit hours. Students admitted conditionally cannot apply for candidacy until all conditions assigned at the time of admission to graduate study have been removed.

Upon the completion of twelve (12) graduate hours, a hold will be placed on the students' record until a candidacy form has been approved by the Graduate Dean. Failure to apply for candidacy will result in the hold remaining on the students' record, and an inability to register for subsequent coursework.

Students who have filed a candidacy form but do not enroll or receive graduate credit for one (1) academic year must submit a new candidacy form upon being readmitted into the same graduate program.  If admitted into a different academic program, students are not required to submit a new candidacy form until twelve (12) graduate credits have been accumulated within the new program.

Application for Graduation

In addition to satisfying all degree requirements, a candidate for a degree must file an Application for Graduation online or at the Registrar's Office. Students must apply for graduation upon completion of twelve (12) graduate credit hours.

Special Conditions of Graduate Credit

Graduate Credit Taken Prior to Admission to Arkansas Tech University

A maximum of six (6) semester hours of graduate credit with a grade point average of "B" or better may be transferred from an accredited graduate school if deemed appropriate to the graduate program by the head of the student's major department and the Graduate College Dean. Students must send a written request to the head of their major department to petition an acceptance of the transfer credit prior to requesting admission to candidacy to the graduate program. Graduate credit earned six (6) years prior to the completion date of all degree requirements may not be applied toward the degree without the approval of the appropriate program director and the Graduate College Dean. Credits earned by correspondence courses or for remedial purposes will not apply toward the graduate degree. No undergraduate course may be repeated for graduate credit.

Graduate Credit Taken After Admission to Arkansas Tech University

If after admission to graduate study, a student wishes to take a course at another institution to count toward degree requirements at Arkansas Tech University, the student must (in advance of enrollment) obtain written approval from the program director and the Graduate College Dean.