Master of Business Administration

Academic Programs   Academic Calendar   Academic Catalog (Acrobat Reader required, available below) Print/View an Application for Graduate Admission (Acrobat Reader required, available below) Print/View a Graduate Recommendation Form (Acrobat Reader required, available below) Admission to the Graduate Program In view of the complexity of organizations and the corresponding demands for talented and competent professionals, the admissions process seeks to identify individuals who are capable of successfully completing graduate study in business administration. Earning a master of business administration will provide graduates with additional knowledge and skills in leadership and management to better serve their organizations and to function as change agents and role models as organizations evolve to meet the demands of the 21st Century. To be considered for admission into the Master of Business Administration program, students must submit the following: A completed graduate application form (available below); A nonrefundable $35 application fee; Two letters of reference from academic or professional sources (form is available below); official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate study; and A statement that the student owns or has access to a computer and is computer literate. The ideal candidate for admission into the Master of Business Administration program will have: A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a cumulative average of at least 2.8 or higher and a 3.0 in business courses; Successfully completed introductory courses in accounting, economics, finance, marketing, and quantitative analysis; and A fundamental understanding of computers and basic software applications. In cases where applicants do not meet all of the admissions criteria but do demonstrate potential for success in the program, the selection committee may offer conditional acceptance and set performance standards, which must be met within a specified timeline. Tuition Cost Tuition in this program is $400 per credit and is payable at the time of registration. Students are also responsible for a comprehensive fee covering registration and technology and library utilization. Active Status, Interrupted Studies, and Reinstatement Students are considered actively engaged in graduate study if they are enrolled in one or more graduate or foundation courses in a given term. Students who interrupt their studies for two to four terms (6 to 12 months) are considered inactive. Students reentering the program will be responsible for all new requirements in effect at the point of reactivation and must pick up the sequence of courses with a new cohort. A student who remains inactive for more than one year, that is, more than four consecutive registration periods, will be considered dropped from the program. The MBA must be completed within a total of five years from the time of admission to the program; therefore, reinstatement may be sought any time prior to the lapse of that total time period. Before resuming study, the student’s record at the College will be evaluated and all standards for admission, matriculation, and graduation currently in effect at the time of reinstatement must be met. A student must send a letter to the division chair requesting reinstatement to begin this evaluation process. Denials of reinstatement requests occur primarily in cases where a student has left the program while on academic probation and where the administration believes the student will not be able to overcome his or her academic deficiencies. Policy for Adding and Dropping Courses Students may add and drop courses, without penalty, by processing an "Add/Drop" or "Hardship Withdrawal" Form through the Registrar’s Office as specified by the guidelines below. Student obtains an Add/Drop or Hardship Withdrawal Form from the Registrar’s Office. Change becomes effective on the date the Registrar signs the form. Failure to follow proper Add procedure will result in loss of credit for the course. Failure to follow proper Drop procedure will result in a grade "F" for the course. Adding a Course: Before 3rd Class Meeting or permission of Instructor. Dropping a Course: Before the 3rd Class Meeting: Class will not appear on transcript. Before the 4th Class Meeting: A grade of "W" will appear on transcript. After the 4th Class Meeting: No withdrawals allowed.

The Business Division offers the Master of Business Administration. This program develops leadership and management skills designed to meet the professional needs of individuals working in middle and upper-level positions in the context of business, public, and not-for-profit environments. While the major thrust of the program is on leadership development, it specifically promotes the development of strategic decision making skills as they relate to organizational performance. In recognition of the core elements of management in organizations in all sectors of society, the curriculum offers a variety of courses including offerings in leadership, professional ethics, and business strategy. Students in this program will not only upgrade their business decision-making skills but also increase their overall organizational effectiveness and value through improved leadership and management. Transfer of Credit At the time of matriculation, a student may request the transfer of a maximum of 6 credits into the Master of Business Administration program. These credits must have been completed at a regionally accredited college or university, and the student must have earned at least a "B" or better in the course(s). The merits of all requests for transfer credit are considered with respect to the course content’s relevance to the current program requirements and goals. The college is not obligated to accept transfer credits that are not approved during the matriculation process. In addition, no course taken more than five years before the time of matriculation in the CSJ graduate program can be used for transfer credit. Plan of Study Once matriculated, the student follows the prescribed sequence of courses specified in the curriculum design. The courses are taken in the order offered because of the cumulative nature of the knowledge and skills in the program as well as to satisfy advance course prerequisites and uninterrupted matriculation. Curriculum Delivery and Schedule The curriculum in this program is sequential and is taken one course at a time over a period of three and one half years. The sequence of courses begins once a group of fifteen to twenty students is enrolled in a specific MBA cohort. A minimum of one cohort will start each fall provided there is sufficient enrollment.  The program is unique in that the individuals in the group progress through the curriculum together. They enroll in one graduate course per term as the curriculum is deployed. The program utilizes the evening format with class meetings one day per week from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Classes are scheduled in 10-week terms, and there are four terms each year.  Students are expected to enroll in one course per term. By doing so, the entire degree program may be completed in three and one half years. Curriculum Overview The curriculum in this master’s program is designed to meet the educational and professional development needs of working adults. The program consists of a total of 42 credits. The sequence of three-credit courses is as follows: GBA500 Leadership in the 21st Century GBA501  The Legal, Social, and Environmental Implications of Business Decisions GBA502 21st Century Management Practices GBA503 Managing Organizational Behavior GBA504 Informational Technology Applications in Management Decisions GBA505 Ethics and the Leadership Role GBA506 Delivering Superior Customer Value GBA507 Quantitative Thinking GBA508 Economic Thinking GBA509 Accounting for Decision Makers GBA510 Managerial Marketing GBA511 Applying Managerial Finance GBA512 Operations and Systems Management GBA513 Entrepreneurial and Strategic Thinking The final course in this sequence is the capstone of the program and is a case study oriented business policy course aimed at the strategic side of organizational leadership. Brief course descriptions are included in the last section of this catalog. Academic Performance Standards Students are required to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 for the duration of their course of study. Students who fail to maintain this performance standard will be placed on academic probation and will be given one term to raise their cumulative grade point average to 3.0 to remain in good standing. Students whose cumulative average remains less than 3.0 for two consecutive terms or whose academic record includes more than two grades of less than B will be dismissed from the program. Students who earn below a B in any course may retake the course to earn a higher grade. Only the higher grade will be calculated in the cumulative grade point average; however the original grade will remain on the transcript. Time Limit The time limit for completing the Master of Business Administration is five (5) years. Students may petition the division chair and academic dean for an extension of the time limit. Extensions will be granted only rarely and for extenuating circumstances. Refund Policy Ceasing to attend classes does not constitute withdrawal from the College. Only with an official withdrawal (see policies for adding/dropping courses) are the following refunds permitted of tuition. Refunds of tuition for part-time MBA students who withdraw from the College will be calculated as follows: Prior to 1st class 100% Within the 1st class meeting 90% Within the 2nd class meeting 80% Within the 3rd class meeting 70% After the 4th class meeting 0% Refund schedule applies only to 3 credit courses. All fees are non refundable. Withdrawal and drop policy for Web dates are based on business days, Monday through Friday. Contact the Business Office for exact refund amounts.