Master of Business

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.

A student is required to have a "C" or better grades in the required prerequisite courses. If a student has a "D" in any required prerequisite course, the student needs to show proficiency by completing an undergraduate course with a "C" or better grades or by successfully completing a designated online module after the student is accepted conditionally into the program.

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:
   
   • An overall 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 2.75 from an accreditated undergraduate program or a score of 1,050 using the formula [GMAT + 200*GPA = 1,050] with a GPA for the last 60 hours from an AACSB or ACBSP accredited business undergraduate program.  In addition, 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 overall GP A of 2. 75 from an accredited undergraduate program or a score of 1,050 using the formula [GMAT + 200*GPA = 1,050] with a GPA for the last 60 hours from an AACSB or ACBSP accredited business undergraduate program. A GRE test score must be taken within the last five (5) years.

Conditional Admission

A minimum overall undergraduate GPA of 2.75 from an accredited undergraduate program or a minimum 3.0 GPA for the last 60 hours from an AACSB or ACBSP accredited business undergraduate program. 

Students not meeting the grade point requirement specified for the unconditional admission may be admitted conditionally to enroll for a maximum of six (6) credits per semester. If a student earns a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or better upon completion of twelve (12) credit hours of 6000-level MBA courses, the student will be moved from conditional to unconditional admission. If a student fails to meet this requirement, the student will not be allowed to continue in the program unless the minimum GRE/GMAT scores for the unconditional admission are achieved.

The GMAT/GRE requirement is waived for the following conditions if a student meets the requirements of the conditional admission.

1. 5 years of progressively responsible positions at a supervisory or managerial level;
2. Minimum three years of managerial experience with a 3.20 overall GPA from an AACSB or ACBSP accredited business undergraduate program;
3. Professional certifications: CPA, CFA, CFP, CTP (Certified Treasury Professional), and PMP (Project Management Professional);
4. A master's degree from AACSB or ACBSP accredited schools or a terminal degree such as Ph.D., MD, JD, etc.

If a student has an overall undergraduate GPA below 2.75 from an accredited undergraduate program, the student may be admitted conditionally if the student meets the admission requirements for the Graduate College and one of the following requirements:

1. The student meets the minimum GRE/GMAT scores for the unconditional admission;
2. The student has at least 5 years of progressively responsible positions at a supervisory or managerial level;
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 and Leadership
MGMT 6203 Decision Modeling in Supply Chain Management
MGMT 6903 Corporate Strategic Management
MKT 6103 Digital Marketing Strategy

Degree Requirements

The MBA program offers 1) The general business track, 2) MBA with a Business Data Analytics concentration, 3) MBA with a Digital Marketing concentration, as well as, 3 graduate certificate options.

1) General Business Track (30 credit hrs)

MBA Core Curriculum  (24 credit hours) (see above)

Electives (6 credit hrs)

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 (33 credit hrs)

MBA Core Curriculum  (24 credit hours) (see above)

BDA 6343 Advanced Analytics
BDA 6363 Analytics Strategy

BDA 6353 Big Data Strategies
BDA 6073 Special Topics

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

3) MBA with a Digital Marketing Concentration (33 credit hrs)

Graduate Certificate in Business Administration (12 credit hrs)

and two courses from the following electives:
BDA 6323 Applied Predictive Analytics / MKT 6323 Applied Predictive Analytics 
MGMT 6103 Organizational Management and Leadership
MKT 6103 Digital Marketing Strategy 
MKT 6113 Strategic Social Media Marketing 

Graduate Certificate in Business Data Analytics (12 credit hrs)

Graduate Certificate in Digital Marketing (12 credit hrs)

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.