Master of Business Administration (MBA) Program Requirements

Dax Jacobson, Interim Dean

William Shiflett, Director, MBA & Graduate Business Operations

Deborah Marzano, Graduate Advising and Co-Curricular Programs Director

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 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. Once students complete their core courses, they can choose to focus on a particular topic area more intensively by completing a graduate certificate.

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, skill-building exercises and live consulting projects. 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:

• Strategic and Innovative Thinking
  • Compare different scenarios or strategies that affect the competitive position and success of an organization.
  • Develop innovative solutions that generate value for organizational stakeholders.
  • Evaluate the success of implemented strategies.
• Global Perspective
  • Interpret business solutions from a global citizen's point of view.
  • Assess the interdependence of global systems on business outcomes.
  • Evaluate the social, legal, economic, cultural, and political issues and trends that affect the way business is conducted.
• Critical, Analytical, and Reflective Thinking
  • Explain logical solutions to complex or unstructured problems.
  • Evaluate assumptions, evidence and implications.
  • Support claims and conclusions with evidence and logic.
  • Synthesize other perspectives and positions.
  • Evaluate the results of one’s decisions and actions to guide continuous improvement.
• Effective Communication
  • Evaluate intended audiences’ characteristics and tailor messages accordingly.
  • Analyze and select communication methods and technologies that are appropriate to the objective and situation.
  • Develop well-organized, persuasive arguments, supported by evidence and reasoning.
  • Deliver verbal, written and visual messages to individuals and groups clearly, credibly, concisely, and persuasively.
  • Listen in a way that demonstrates and builds understanding.
• Ethics and Social Responsibility
  • Identify ethical issues and challenges encountered within an organization and determine how they affect the various stakeholders.
  • Explain the impact of social responsibility on an organization, relevant communities, and society.
  • Discriminate between legal and ethical standards and devise solutions to address both.
• Leadership and Teamwork
  • Articulate desired results and ensure that results are achieved.
  • Manage decision-making and problem-solving processes.
  • Motivate and influence individuals and groups to solve problems and make sound decisions.
  • Create effective teams by clarifying team goals, selecting suitable members, allocating work, establishing norms, and assigning accountability.
  • Collaborate with others in pursuit of team goals by soliciting input, giving and receiving feedback, addressing problems, and personally contributing to the team’s work.
  • Build and maintain productive interpersonal relationships with others.
• Functional Integration and Application
  • Assess quantitative and qualitative information to measure and evaluate organizational processes and performance.
  • Integrate skills learned throughout the graduate program and use them to solve business problems and make effective decisions.

Program Requirements

For students who have completed an undergraduate degree in a business discipline from an ACBSP-accredited or AACSB-accredited business school within the past five years, the MBA Program requires 32 credit hours for completion. Students with a non-business related undergraduate degree will be required to successfully complete a series of foundational literacy courses comprising an additional 7 credit hours of study. Courses are completed in the following areas: Fundamentals, Analysis, Leadership, Communication, Strategy, Global Orientation, Electives, and Capstone. Courses are deliered 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. For ETS information, click here. 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 before beginning 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 with business-related undergraduate degrees (e.g. accounting, finance, economics, information systems, marketing, management) may be exempted from 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.

A plan of study, which will show all courses necessary to meet the degree requirements, will be filed when a student is accepted into the program. The MBA Program advisor must approve each student’s plan of study. 

If a student deviates from their core program of study without PRIOR written and documented approval, those courses may NOT be counted toward graduation requirements.  Taking unapproved courses will be a costly and time intensive mistake. If you are in doubt about a course, please call or email the MBA office and make an appointment with your advisor BEFORE starting the class.

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 have 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.

* Fundamentals applied to MBA students completing 39 credit hours

Recommended Plan of Study for the MBA

Recommended Plan of Study for the MBA when Fundamentals are required