Business Administration M.B.A.

(33 credits minimum)

To qualify for the awarding of a master of business administration degree, the candidate must meet the following requirements  in addition to any requirements of the School of Graduate Studies and Indiana State University:

1. Complete all degree program requirements
2. Complete all course work in the degree program with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
3. Have a grade of C or lower in no more than two courses in his/her degree program
4. Successfully perform on a set of comprehensive exit exercises.

CURRICULA

Program Mission: Individuals who participate in the M.B.A. Program at Indiana State  University will receive quality graduate-level preparation for a career as a manager or business professional in an ever-changing environment. The program emphasizes both theory and practice, and develops skills in problem solving, strategic thinking, and the management of organizational change.

The M.B.A. Program at Indiana State University is targeted toward individuals who hold an undergraduate degree, who are early in their business management or professional careers, and who are seeking advanced business knowledge and skills necessary for increased responsibility and career advancement.

Program General Goals

Problem Solving: Each student will be able to systematically diagnose problems and/or opportunities, especially in business settings, and develop alternative courses of actions to resolve the problems or take advantage of the opportunity.

Strategic Thinking: Each student will have an understanding of long-range/strategic management and will be able to develop, implement, assess, and refine a strategic plan in a business setting.

Organizational Change: Each student will be able to systematically diagnose an organization’s environment and operations to identify needed changes and to develop plans to successfully implement those changes in ways that achieve the organization’s goal(s).

International/Global: Each student will have an understanding of global influences on business decisions/plans and/or develop plans for managing a business in a global environment.

Workgroup Functioning: Each student will be able to contribute to the success of his/her workgroup by occupying a leadership role and/or as a team member.

The M.B.A. Program includes an introductory course, business tools courses, core courses, a culminating experience, and elective course work. The tools courses generally precede the core courses. The culminating experience is generally taken after all required courses have been completed.

The M.B.A. Program assumes some fundamental knowledge and competencies related to business. Individuals who were undergraduate business majors would most likely have had these as part of their program. For those who were not business majors, the prerequisite knowledge and competencies can be met in a variety of ways including, for-credit classes, self-study and testing out, or special programs offered by the College of Business. The prerequisite areas that must be satisfied are: accounting—financial, finance, statistics, economics (micro and macro in one combined course or a combination of two), and United States business law. In addition, for those who were not business majors, the following two areas are strongly recommended: marketing and production and operation management.

Each individual admitted to the program will have his/her academic record evaluated by the M.B.A. director to determine which prerequisites should be met. If the prerequisites are satisfied by undergraduate course work, the work generally should have been taken within the five years preceding the program.