Business Administration (Archived 2016-17 Graduate Catalog)

Graduate Coordinator: David Chatfield
371 Business Administration Building
Phone: 419-372-2488 or 800-247-8622
Fax: 419-372-2875
Email: mba-info@bgsu.edu
Program Web Page: http://www.bgsu.edu/business/students/future-students/graduate-programs/mba.html

Degrees Offered
Master of Business Administration

Accreditation
Bowling Green State University has offered the Master of Business Administration degree since 1966. The degree is accredited by AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Program Offered
The mission of the College of Business Administration’s Master of Business Administration degree is to be the premier M.B.A. degree in the region and one of the best in the nation, with a commitment to excellence and continuous improvement in graduate business education.

The Master of Business Administration degree prepares tomorrow’s global leaders by involving students and faculty in the exploration of the significant challenges, opportunities, and problems facing organizations in both the private and public sectors. M.B.A. students at BGSU pursue integrative, continuously improving curricula that simultaneously challenge and stimulate. The integrative nature of the M.B.A. degree encourages students to observe the interdependent nature of organizational problems and to identify creative, comprehensive solutions. Apart from being highly relevant to the needs of organizations in the global economy, the degree helps students improve their teamwork, leadership, and critical thinking skills in a learning environment that fosters cross-cultural sensitivity and adherence to the highest ethical standards.

Individuals may pursue the M.B.A. degree through the full-time, Professional, or Executive program. The M.B.A. curriculum covers the following areas:  accounting, economics, ethics and law, finance, information technology, international business management, leadership and change, quantitative methods, marketing, operations management, strategy design and implementation and electives.

Prerequisites to Graduate Work

Admission Procedure
All three of the M.B.A. programs are designed for individuals with or without an undergraduate degree in business. All three programs require a Bachelor`s Degree with a minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75. The full-time program does not require professional experience as a condition of admission. However, the Professional and Executive M.B.A. programs require three or more years of full-time professional or managerial experience for admission. The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is required for admission into all programs leading to the M.B.A. degree. Applicants who earned a prior graduate degree from a regionally accredited university are eligible for an exemption from the GMAT requirement based upon their academic performance in their programs, whether their programs required a standardized admission test, and their professional qualifications. Executive MBA applicants with ten or more years of professional work experience, at least five years of full-time experience in a significant management capacity, and an undergraduate grade point average of at least 2.8 on a 4.0 scale may be eligible for an exemption from the GMAT.  Similarly, Professional MBA applicants with five or more years of professional work experience, and an undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale may be eligible for an exemption from the GMAT, or applicants with a master’s degree from a regionally accredited US university (e.g., a university accredited by the North Central Association) may be also eligible for an exemption from the GMAT.  Please contact Graduate and Executive Programs in Business, Dave Chatfield – dchatfi@bgsu.edu; 419-372-2473 for more information on the GMAT waiver.

Applicants seeking admission to one of the three M.B.A. programs should follow the instructions outlined in the Graduate Admission section of this catalog. Application forms and instructions are available from Graduate & Executive Programs in Business or can be obtained from the M.B.A. website at www.bgsumba.com. Applicants are reminded that the full-time M.B.A. program begins in late August. Applicants should contact Graduate and Executive Programs in Business for application deadlines and plan their application process accordingly.

Degree Requirements

Full-time and Professional M.B.A. Programs
The full-time program serves individuals who plan to enroll in 12 or more graduate credit hours per semester. The full-time program requires 39 graduate credit hours of course work, and at least two graduate credit hours of professional development seminars. The 14 required courses and the professional seminars must be completed in a specific order. This format is designed to foster integration across the program and a strong learning community among the program’s participants. Enrollment in the full-time program is limited, and students may enter the program only in the fall semester. Students can complete a general M.B.A. degree in 3 semesters or complete an M.B.A. degree with a specialization in 4 semesters of full-time study.

The Professional M.B.A. program serves individuals who must pursue their M.B.A. degrees as part-time students. Classes are offered Monday through Thursday evenings. The professional program requires 30-36 graduate credit hours, depending upon a student’s previous academic background.  Professional students are encouraged to take two courses per semester so they can progress through the program lock-step with their cohort. At two courses per semester, the M.B.A. degree can be completed in as little as 23 months.

The full-time and professional programs share 12 required courses. The four foundation courses include ECON 6000, and MBA 6000, 6010, and 6030. The seven core courses include STAT 6010, MBA 6020, 6040, 6050, 6060, 6070, and 6080. The capstone course is MBA 6090. Full-time students are required to enroll in MBA 6100 - Challenges and Responses of the Global Firm and two credit hours of MBA 5830, Topics in Management. Professional students are not required to complete these two courses.

Both programs require that the foundation courses be completed before taking the core courses, with the exception of STAT 6010, which must be taken prior to MBA 6010. All core courses must be completed before taking the capstone course. The full-time M.B.A. program offers formal specializations in accounting, finance, and supply chain management. The accounting specialization requires ACCT 3210, 5220, 5510, 5600, and 6410. Students are also required to complete one additional 5000-level accounting courses. A 6000-level accounting course may be used to fulfill the elective requirement of the specialization with the consent of the Director of Graduate Studies in Accounting. The finance specialization requires MBA 5510 and 5520, and two additional courses selected from MBA 5530, 5540, 5560, 5570, and 5590. The supply chain management specialization requires MBA 5410, MBA 5420, MBA 5450, and MBA 5470. Full-time M.B.A. students may select electives from other graduate offerings on campus or may combine their M.B.A. degrees with a second graduate degree. Interested students should contact Graduate and Executive Programs in Business for further information.

Executive M.B.A. Program
Bowling Green State University began offering an Executive M.B.A. program in 1977 making it the oldest in Ohio and among the 10 oldest in the United States. The EMBA program serves motivated and experienced managers who desire an opportunity to interact with other highly motivated and experienced professionals in an intensive learning environment. The Executive M.B.A. is a rigorous, accelerated program that requires eleven graduate courses: ECON 6000, MBA 6050, 6060, 6070, 6200, 6510, 6520, 6540, 6580, 6590, and 6620. The courses are offered in a “lockstep” format. Students attend class one weekend per month, except during the week-long international field trip. Classes meet on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. - noon and 1 p.m.-5 p.m. The format promotes the development of a supportive learning community among the participants. Interested students should contact Graduate and Executive Programs in Business for further information.

Graduate Courses
Please access graduate courses online at http://www.bgsu.edu/registration-records/courses-and-classes/class-course-information.html. Graduate courses required by Master Business Administration use the prefixes: ACCT, ECON, MBA, and STAT.