The Arkansas State University MBA Program is a professional degree program designed to prepare students of all educational and professional backgrounds for management positions in all types of organizations. As such, the program stresses the development of analytical, problem- solving and decision making competencies for the dynamic, complex global organizational and social environments.
The program of study includes the functional areas of business with the opportunity to obtain emphasis areas in each, as well as the option to select specialty emphasis areas. This provides students with the flexibility to tailor their MBA degrees to individual needs and goals. With courses offered on campus in late afternoon and evenings and also on-line, the program accommodates working professionals seeking career advancement and/or career changes as well as recent graduates desiring to move into positions of responsibility in organizations.
Unconditional Admission
Entering students will be granted unconditional admission if they meet one of the following sets of criteria:
- A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75, or its equivalent on a 4.0 scale, on all under graduate coursework completed AND a minimum GMAT composite score of 480. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00, or its equivalent on a 4.0 scale, on the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework completed AND a minimum GMAT composite score of 480.
- A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75, or its equivalent on a 4.0 scale, on all undergraduate coursework completed AND a minimum GRE composite score of 300 with a minimum of 145 on the Verbal Section and a minimum of 145 on the Quantitative Section.
- A minimum GPA of 3.00, or its equivalent on a 4.0 scale, on the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework completed and a minimum GRE composite score of 300 with a minimum of 145 on the Verbal Section and a minimum of 145 on the Quantitative Section.
- GMAT/GRE exams are waived for individuals with a minimum 3.0 GPA for the last 60 hours of undergraduate education at a U.S. AACSB college of business, or 5 years of progressively responsible positions at a supervisory or managerial level, or 5 years experience at a commissioned officer level in the U.S. military.
Information pertaining to the GMAT or GRE may be obtained by contacting the Testing Center at (870) 972-2038. International students must submit the required TOEFL or IELTS scores.
Conditional Admission
An applicant for the Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree program may be admitted conditionally in one of the following ways at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Programs:
- A minimum overall undergraduate GPA of 2.75. However, no more than nine hours of MBA coursework (excluding foundation courses) may be taken by an individual who has not met the minimum GRE/GMAT score;
- A minimum overall undergraduate GPA of 3.25 AND a minimum GMAT composite score of 450;
- A minimum overall undergraduate GPA of 3.25 AND a minimum GRE composite score of 280 with a minimum of 140 on the verbal section and a minimum of 140 on the quantitative section.
- If the candidate has five or more years of managerial work experience, as determined by the Director of Graduate Programs, the minimum GPA requirement is waived and the candidate must score a minimum of 450 on the GMAT OR a minimum of 280 on the GRE (with a minimum of 140 on the verbal section and a minimum of 140 on the quantitative section).
To be moved from conditional to unconditional admission under option #1 above, the candidate must complete either the GRE or the GMAT with the required minimum score for unconditional admission. If admitted conditionally under options #2 - #4 above, the candidate must have achieved a minimum GPA of 3.25 in the first twelve hours of 6000-level courses in the MBA program. If the candidate fails to meets these requirements, they will not be allowed to continue in the program unless the minimum GRE/GMAT scores for unconditional admission are achieved.
MBA Foundation Courses
The foundation courses serve students who wish to enter the MBA program from a nonbusiness baccalaureate background. The required foundation courses may be taken at the graduate level (fast track) or the undergraduate level, or a combination of both. Each graduate level course substitutes for one or two undergraduate courses, as shown below. No foundation course is a part of the MBA program and the grades received from the Fast Track courses will NOT be counted toward your graduate GPA for retention/graduation purposes as discussed under “Eligibility for Degree” of the Academic Policies and Procedures detailed in this bulletin.
Deficient Grades: Should a student receive more than 6 hours of “C” or lower in 5000- or 6000-level graduate degree credit courses within the Neil Griffin College of Business, that student will not be allowed to continue in the program in subsequent semesters regardless of overall GPA.
(NOTE: 5000-level Foundation Courses do not carry graduate degree credit in the Neil Griffin College of Business).
All applicants who enter the program without the necessary foundation courses must complete the foundation courses or their undergraduate equivalent at an IAME accredited institution with a grade of “B” or better. When a student has completed the foundation course(s) in a specific area, she/he may take the core course in that area. All the foundation courses must be taken before a student is admitted to candidacy.
Non-degree candidates cannot enroll in Neil Griffin College of Business graduate courses unless they meet all of the admission requirements of degree candidates. Students admitted into graduate programs outside of the Neil Griffin College of Business will not be permitted to enroll in non-foundation graduate courses within the Neil Griffin College of Business unless they either meet the minimum GPA requirement required for admission into the program OR have maintained an overall graduate GPA of 3.00 or higher since admission at Arkansas State.
Major in Business Administration
Six hours of electives may be selected in business or economics, as approved by the director of graduate business programs. Under special circumstances, a student may substitute a directed individual study for an elective. All directed individual studies must be taken after a student has completed 24 hours of coursework with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Directed individual studies should be targeted toward a publication and/or paper/presentation as an outlet for the research. Students are also expected to make a presentation on their research to a group of Graduate Faculty.
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