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ApplyProgram Description | Admission | Degree Requirements | Courses
Program Description
The Master of Business Administration program at Sam Houston State University is designed to develop candidates for positions of leadership in modern organizations. Managerial procedures and practices are continually changing. Therefore, the program emphasizes the integration and synthesis of various disciplines to develop a student’s ability to function in a dynamic environment and make sound administrative decisions that maximize the value and contributions of an organization. The M.B.A. program is suited for qualified students from any academic discipline. The program provides the candidate with a basic managerial background through the core requirements while providing individualized adaptation through elective courses.
Students accepted into the MBA program may elect to take all or any portion of the program online or face-to-face courses at The Woodlands Center (most courses at TWC are offered in the evenings). The MBA requires 36 graduate hours including 24 hours of core courses and 12 hours of electives. There is no difference in the number of hours required based on the delivery method chosen.
As the SHSU online MBA is a recently added option, electives are limited. Core and elective courses are available to complete our MBA program entirely online; however, not all electives are available at this time. Additionally, graduate-level accounting courses are not available online at this time. Please see current schedule of classes for the course offerings.
The MBA program may be completed totally online in as few as four semesters; however, it is not recommended that students who are working attempt more than six hours in a semester. A more realistic timeline would be approximately two years.
Admission
- Complete the online graduate application form.
- Pay the application fee.
- Submit official transcript(s) from all previous college work (except SHSU graduates).
- Submit an official GMAT score.
- Submit a current resume (e-mailed to graduate@shsu.edu).
- Official TOEFL score at least 79 (or IELTS score or at least 6.5).
- English translations and evaluation of official transcripts.
Graduate Application Deadlines
U.S. Citizens
Fall - August 1
Spring - December 1
Summer - May 15
International Students
Fall - June 25
Spring - November 12
Summer - April 9
Admission Criteria
- Degree from a U.S. university
- Meet or exceed one of the following admission formulas:
- 200 (Undergraduate GPA) + GMAT Score >= 1100*
- 200 (Advanced Hours Undergraduate GPA) + GMAT Score >= 1150**
- Degree from a non-U.S. university
- Students who earned a baccalaureate degree from a university located outside of the United States must satisfy all of the following to be considered for admission into SHSU's MBA program.
- GMAT score of at least 450.
- TOEFL score of at least 79 or IELTS score of at least 6.5.
- English translations and evaluations of official transcripts.
- GMAT Waiver Requests
- Undergraduate GPA* of 3.5 or higher allows for a comprehensive review of academic performance and consideration for a GMAT waiver.
- Applicants who have an undergraduate GPA of at least 2.5 from their degree granting U.S. institution and have at least three years of significant managerial and professional experience may be admitted without a GMAT score, typically through a review of the applicant's resume. Normally, the required experience is earned after completion of the undergraduate degree. A committee will assist, if needed, in determining if the applicant's experience meets the "significant managerial and professional experience" threshold.
- Applicants who have an undergraduate degree granted by a non-U.S. institution will not be considered for a GMAT waiver.
*The undergraduate GPA is the GPA from courses taken at the degree granting institution. Transfer grades are not used in the computation of this undergraduate GPA.
**The advanced hours undergraduate GPA is the GPA from junior and senior (3000 and 4000) level courses taken at the degree granting institution. Transfer grades are not used in the computation of this undergraduate GPA.
Degree Requirements
Stem Requirements for Non-Business and Non-Accounting Graduates
The stem classes serve as prerequisites for the graduate business courses and are required for students who did not take the equivalent courses as part of their baccalaureate program or for students with a baccalaureate degree from a non-U.S. university. CLEP and validation exams are available for students who wish to test out of select stem requirements. The graduate stem courses (5300s) do not apply to the 36-hour graduate credit hour requirement of the MBA degree.
Stem Course Requirements
| ACCT 5300 Analysis of Accounting Information (The combination of ACCT 2301 and ACCT 2302 can be substituted for ACCT 5300.) | 3 Hours |
| BANA 5300 Quantitative Tools for Business (The combination of BANA 2372 and MGMT 4370 can be substituted for BANA 5300. | 3 Hours |
| ECON 5300 Economic Principles and Policy (The combination of ECON 2301 and ECON 2302 can be substituted for ECON 5300.) | 3 Hours |
| FINC 3320 Business Finance | 3 Hours |
| BUAD 2301 Business Legal Environment | 3 Hours |
| MGMT 3310 Principles of Management | 3 Hours |
| MGIS 3310 Management Information Systems | 3 Hours |
| MKGT 3310 Principles of Marketing | 3 Hours |
Generally, ACCT 5300 and ECON 5300 are offered only during fall semesters, and BANA 5300 is offered only during the spring semesters. BUAD 2301 may be taken at a community college. The 3000- and 5000-level stem classes may only be taken at a university. Please use our Transfer Equivalency Guide to check transferability of courses from other institutions.
The M.B.A. degree program requires a minimum of thirty-six hours of graduate credit.
M.B.A. in Business Administration
| Item | Requirement |
Options
|
Hours Required
|
| 1 | Specified Courses |
ACCT 5304 Accounting for Management |
21
|
| 2 | ECON Elective | Choose one from: ECON 5XXX (any 5000 level ECON course, excluding ECON 5380 and ECON 5300) |
3
|
| 5 | COBA Electives | Choose four from: General Electives (may choose four from: All graduate courses in the College of Business Administration - Excluding ACCT 5300, BANA 5300, ECON 5300, and FINC 5300) |
12
|
|
TOTAL
|
36
|
||
Courses
Accounting (ACCT)
Business Administration (BUAD)
Business Analysis (BANA)
Economics (ECON)
Finance (FINC)
Management (MGMT)
Management Information Systems (MGIS)
Marketing (MKTG)
