Business Administration, M.B.A.

Program Coordinator: Aaron Burgess, Ed.D.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The School of Graduate and Professional Studies offers a variety of graduate business degree programs that are intentionally designed with the working adult in mind. Students who enroll in our graduate business degree programs receive a quality education that helps them develop a strong, ethical foundation upon which to make decisions. Each graduate business degree program offers students an engaging curriculum that equips them with the skills necessary to become competent, confident, and informed leaders in today's marketplace—leaders who can plan projects, achieve goals, and meet the expectations of today's business world with integrity.

The Master of Business Administration program blends a 27-credit hour core curriculum with an additional 9 credit hours of concentrated coursework that covers an array of topics. Within each concentration, students receive industry-specific training from expert faculty members who can unlock growth potential in both public, private, and non-profit sectors. Students choose one of the following graduate business degree concentrations:

• Accounting: Develops students' professional expertise in the areas of accounting management, regulatory compliance, education, and advisory roles. Students will also examine critical elements of the accounting profession, including auditing and internal control, fraud and forensic accounting, and accounting ethics.
• Business Data Analytics: Equips students to use data analytics software, interpret results, and apply findings to choices made as business leaders, including creating pricing strategies or improving the efficiency of their supply chain. Students will also conduct methodical exploration and analysis of an organization's data with a commitment to using data to gain insights that inform business decisions.
• Finance: Equips students for leadership roles in corporations, investment banks, and financial planning firms through a study of markets, institutions, investments, and financial planning. Students will also gain the foundational knowledge and real-world experience that is needed to excel in this professional field via courses that balance mathematical rigor with effective management skills.
• Human Resource Management: Prepares students for executive roles in human resource management through a study of skills in human resource leadership, training and development, and compensation and benefits. Students will also gain the skills needed to think systematically about the entire organization, its various moving parts, and how each of those parts impacts other organizational units. Students are also prepared to become thoughtful, effective, and ethical leaders within their organizations who are able to develop a solutions-oriented workforce that fosters both collaboration and engagement.
• Logistics Management: Prepares students for leadership roles in research and development, design and engineering, production operations, marketing, sales, support, and service. Students are also prepared to manage businesses processes, either directly (e.g., Vice President of Operations or Chief Operations Officer) or indirectly (e.g., management consulting) through a curriculum that highlights the interrelationships between the key operational areas of finance, marketing, managerial accounting, and human resources.
• Marketing: Equips students for leadership roles in consulting, entrepreneurship, general management, marketing management, research, and strategy. Students are also equipped to efficiently and accurately collect data about target customers and create the best marketing strategy to generate and increase revenue, deliver marketing messages through both new channels and re-branding, identify trends and potential markets for products and services, and develop pricing models and marketing strategies.
• Ministry Leadership: Prepares students for leadership roles within both church and para-church organizations. Students will also acquire the skills needed to achieve personal and spiritual growth while gaining a thoroughly biblical, practical, and theological understanding of ministry.
• Organizational Management: Equips students to be leaders, executives, and change agents in their organizations through a study of human resources, operations, and change management. Students will also gain the skills needed to serve as competent, highly-trained leaders and administrators who provide direction and support within a dynamic landscape of businesses, non-profit organizations, and government agencies.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Admission requirements for the Master of Business Administration degree include the following:

• submission of official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work completed to date;
• a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with at least a cumulative GPA of 2.80 (on a 4.00 scale);
• completion of an online application and Registration Agreement Form;

Applicants from foreign countries and U.S. territories must also provide recent evidence of proficiency in English by: 1) scoring 80 or above on the Internet-based TOEFL with subscores in writing, reading, speaking and listening of at least 20; 2) scoring 550 or above on the written TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) with subscores in writing and reading of at least 50; or 3) scoring 6.0 or above on the IELTS (International English Language Testing System). All tests of English proficiency must have been taken in the last two years to be considered for acceptance.

Students may be admitted with conditional acceptance if approved by the Program Coordinator.

PROGRAM CONTINUATION

A student on conditional acceptance must achieve a grade of at least "B" in each of the first two courses in order to continue in the program and achieve full acceptance.

A student with full acceptance will be placed on academic probation at any time that the graduate program GPA falls below 3.00. The graduate business student who is placed on academic probation must achieve a program GPA of 3.00 at the completion of an additional nine (9) semester hours. A student is removed from probation when the program GPA meets or exceeds 3.00.

A student may be dismissed from a graduate business program if s/he:

• receives more than six (6) credit hours of grades below a "C-";
• fails to achieve the required GPA at the end of any probationary period;
• fails to remit payment for an outstanding financial balance; or
• fails to comply with the policies set forth in the School of Graduate and Professional Studies section of this Catalog.

TRANSFER CREDIT PROVISIONS

Up to nine (9) credit hours of graduate work may be transferred from regionally accredited colleges, or universities. Credit is transferred on a course-by-course basis as applicable to the degree. Transfer credit is granted only if grades of "B" or better were earned, and provided the course is a reasonable equivalent to one required in the program. No credit for prior learning is awarded. Equivalence of course content and transfer of credit is determined by the Program Coordinator.

EARNING A SECOND GRADUATE BUSINESS DEGREE

Students interested in pursuing a second graduate business degree at MVNU must adhere to the following guidelines:

• A student who has completed the MBA with 36 earned credit hours at MVNU can earn the MSM as a second graduate degree with the completion of no fewer than nine (9) credit hours that are unique from the courses taken for the student’s MBA.
• A combined minimum of forty-five (45) credit hours are required to obtain both degrees no matter which degree was earned first.

TOTAL: 36 Credit Hours

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Graduate students must meet the degree requirements as stated in the Catalog under which they first enrolled. Students must earn their degree within a maximum of six (6) years from the first date of enrollment at MVNU. Students who withdraw from MVNU for more than six (6) months will meet the graduation requirements as stated in the catalog under which they resume enrollment. Students changing majors or programs must meet requirements as stated in the Catalog that is current at the time they make such changes.

A student who receives a grade of less than a "C-" will be required to repeat that course until a grade of "C-" or better is earned.

A minimum program GPA of 3.00 is required for graduation.