Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Örn Bodvarsson, Dean

Dax Jacobson, Associate Dean

William Shiflett, Director, MBA & Graduate Business Operations

Deborah Marzano, Graduate Business Programs Coordinator

Master of Business Administration Courses

Admission to the Master of Business Administration Program

The Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business is dedicated to providing distinctive academic programs within a learner-centered environment. We are purposeful in designing and facilitating learning activities that are integrated across business and liberal arts disciplines. This integration enhances the capabilities of our graduates in written and oral communication, computing and technology, international dimensions, critical thinking, ethics, social responsibility, and team effectiveness. Most importantly, our students are prepared for a life of learning within changing social, technological and economic conditions.

Accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), the programs of the Gore School of Business reflect Westminster College’s continuing commitment to provide a student-oriented learning environment and innovative education of exceptional quality. Our integrated programs contribute to students’ effectiveness as citizens and agents of change, making our alumni a very significant network of influence worldwide.

The MBA program prepares students to be executive leaders in organizations. The program is designed so that students have flexibility in completing their core and elective coursework, and can pursue their career aspirations without interrupting their professional careers. Coursework provides students with a well-integrated understanding of areas of business so that graduates are prepared to be leaders at the senior level of an organization. Students complete their core courses, they can choose to focus on a particular topic area more intensively by completing a concentration.

 

Program Goals

Graduate programs in the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business prepare students for executive decision making in dynamic business environments. Students build skills in decision making through a combination of coursework, experiential requirements, and skill-building exercises and simulations. Innovative delivery of courses gives students expertise in the functional areas of business.

In addition to building expertise in the functional areas of business, students completing graduate programs in the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business are required to demonstrate mastery in the following competency areas:

 

Program Requirements

The program requires 39 credit hours for completion. Courses are completed in the following areas: Fundamentals, Analysis, Leadership, and Communication, Strategy, and Global Orientation, Electives, and Capstone. Courses are delivered in a blended format, meaning that courses may use a combination of classroom, online, competency-based and experiential components. In the classroom, courses may use a combination of learning methods, such as lecture, case study, or in-class projects.

In addition to the course work described below, students are required to complete the ETS MBA Major Field Test prior to graduation. Exceptions may be considered by program chair when relocation or other conditions make completion of the test impractical.

Fundamentals courses focus on business concepts and skills that all graduate business students must master within the first series of their program. Topics covered are marketing, economics, quantitative analysis, finance, and accounting. Students who enter the MBA program with a mastery of these topics (i.e., through undergraduate coursework or work experience) may challenge between one and seven credit hours of Fundamentals courses by successfully completing one or more challenge exams. The credit that would have been earned through the completion of Fundamentals courses will be applied to students’ elective credit requirements. Students who do not have an undergraduate degree in business or extensive work experience are encouraged to complete the Fundamentals courses.

MBA Core: Analysis, Leadership & Communication, and Strategy & Global Orientation courses are the core of the program and may be taken as early as desired upon completion of prerequisites. An international context tour (i.e., Global Orientation) is required for graduation and may be taken after completing at least 20 credit hours in the program. The Global Orientation class focuses on the business environment of a specific region or country. Economic, social, financial, and demographic aspects of diverse and multicultural environments are considered. Students travel to the region studied (outside of the United States) for a 10-day period where they will analyze as a whole the aspects of doing business in a global environment. Students are encouraged to draw on the knowledge they have gained throughout their MBA studies when completing assignments.

The Capstone course is taken upon completion of all core courses and serves as the final course for the MBA program. The Capstone course is designed to provide students an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and ability to apply the concepts they have learned during their MBA program. The ETS examination is administered in conjunction with the Capstone course. For more information on the ETS exam, click here. Exceptions may be considered by program chair when relocation or other conditions make completion of the test impractical.

Elective courses may be taken as early as desired upon completion of prerequisites.

Transfer policy. A maximum of nine approved graduate hours may be transferred toward the MBA Program from other professionally accredited institutions (e.g., AACSB or ACBSP) upon the written permission of the program director.

Courses eligible for transfer are only those that contribute to, or build upon, the goals of the MBA program. Courses completed at other graduate institutions must be a minimum grade of B to be eligible for credit.

Lowest passing grade. A grade of C is the lowest passing grade for all courses.

Challenge exams. Students may challenge a Fundamentals course by completing a challenge exam(s) prior to the beginning of their graduate program. Each Fundamentals course can be challenged only once. To complete a challenge exam students contact the Graduate Programs Office at least 10 days prior to the start of their program to schedule an appointment for completing the exam. Passing scores vary by course. Students who succeed in passing a challenge exam will complete an equivalent number of elective credits.

 

Recommended Plan of Study for MBA