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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. The program offers 1) the general business track, 2) MBA with a Business Data Analytics concentration, and 3) MBA with a Digital Marketing concentration. All the MBA courses are offered online. The goal of the program is to prepare students for a successful business career in management and leadership roles with an emphasis on helping students develop important information analytical abilities and data driven decision-making skills needed in today’s fast-paced business world.

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 AACSB 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 minimum combined GRE score equivalent to GMAT of 450.  Please check the link at ETS website for the conversion: https://www.ets.org/gre/institutions/about/mba/comparison_tool. After a combined GRE score is converted into a GMAT score, the GMAT score should also meet a score of 1,000 using the formula [GMAT + 200*GPA = 1,000] with a minimum GPA of 2.50. 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 the above described formula for GMAT/GRE; 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.

Core Curriculum

The core curriculum includes eight courses (24 hours)

ACCT 6103: Accounting Analysis
BDA 6203: Business Information Analysis
ECON 6103: Managerial Economics
FIN 6103: Corporate Financial Management
MGMT 6103: Organizational Management & Leadership
MGMT 6203: Decision Modeling in Supply Chain Management
MGMT 6903: Corporate Strategic Management
MKT 6103: Digital Marketing Strategy

Degree Requirements

1. The MBA program offers 1) The general business track, 2) MBA with a Business Data Analytics concentration, and 3) MBA with a Digital Marketing concentration.

1) General Business Track

24 hours of Core + 6 hours elective courses outside Core = 30 hours

24 hours MBA core curriculum (see above)

Note that the 6 hours electives may be chosen from any MBA courses other than the core courses.

 

2) MBA with a Business Data Analytics Concentration

24 hours of Core + 9 hours required/electives = 33 hours

24 hours MBA core curriculum (see above)

Required:

BDA 6323: or MKT 6323: Applied Predictive Analytics
BDA 6343: Advanced Analytics
BDA 6363: Analytic Strategy

Elective:

BDA 6353: Big data Strategies
BDA 6073: Special Topics in BDA

Note that an elective may be offered to substitute one of the required courses.

 

3) MBA with a Digital Marketing Concentration

24 hours of Core + 9 hours required/electives = 33 hours

24 hours MBA core curriculum (see above)

Required:

BDA 6323: or MKT 6323: Applied Predictive Analytics

Elective:

MKT 6113:Strategic Social Media Marketing
MKT 6153: Consumer Insights
MKT 6093: Special Topics in Marketing

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.

Degree Works

Degree Works is a software tool utilized by Arkansas Tech University designed to detail academic progression. It allows both students and advisors to monitor course progress towards degree completion and clearly indicates which course requirements have been met as well as how courses transfer into a program. Transfer courses must be approved through the use of a substitution/waiver form available via the Registrar for progress to display correctly within Degree Works. 

Degree Works will display course progression based on the current program of study, but a "what-if" scenario can be generated for any program to see how progression looks with the courses currently completed and in progress. Note that if you have applied to and been admitted to a graduate program while still finishing your undergraduate program, Degree Works will show your new program of study in the graduate program and you would have to generate a "what-if" query to see your undergraduate degree progress.

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 Graduate College.  Students must apply for graduation upon completion of fifteen (15) 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.