Master of Business Administration

The basic objective of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree program is to offer individuals an opportunity to develop corporate leadership ability in an increasingly complex and dynamic global society by enhancing their knowledge, managerial skills and perspective. The broad, integrated curriculum provides the student with an opportunity to gain understanding of the major facets of multinational business operations in a competitive environment. The program includes work in the theoretical foundations of business, quantitative controls, decision-making, the development of advanced functional skills, and the global and ethical environment of business. An opportunity is also provided for a limited degree of specialization. The degree is delivered on campus, via the internet and at locations in Longview and Palestine.

The program is a non-thesis program designed for graduates from recognized colleges of business as well as graduates in liberal arts, science, engineering, nursing, or other fields desiring to undertake professional studies in the area of business administration. This degree can be completed with any combination of face-to-face, hybrid, or online course offerings.

Admissions

In addition to the general requirements for admission to graduate study and consistent with the UT Tyler Graduate Policies, the requirements to be a graduate degree student in business administration are the following:

1. Admission to the MBA degree program is determined primarily on the basis of predictors of success in graduate study: (1) a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution, (2) grade point average computed on the last 60 undergraduate hours, and (3) a satisfactory score on the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT). In rare instances, the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) may be accepted in lieu of the GMAT. Consideration is also sometimes given to other factors such as work experience, community service, military service, first generation of family to graduate from an undergraduate program, family responsibility of raising children, multilingual proficiency, or geographic region of residence.
2. Proficiency in the use of the English language is critical to program success.

   A foreign student must score a minimum of 550 on the paper-based, 79 on the Internet–based, or 213 on the computer-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and have a minimum raw score of 50 on each of the three sections of the examination. Only the TOEFL examination given by the Educational Testing Service is acceptable. The student will be notified by the Business Graduate Programs Coordinator if he/she has or has not successfully satisfied this requirement.

3. No more than nine semester credit hours of graduate credit earned prior to acceptance into the program, including transfer credit, may be applied to the MBA degree. Students seeking admission to the MBA program who have not yet satisfied admission criteria may be admitted as conditional or provisional students and allowed to complete one semester with up to nine hours of coursework. Conditional students or provisional students must earn a grade of B or better in all work attempted in prescribed courses. A conditional or provisional student who earns a grade of C or lower will be denied admission to the MBA program.
4. After reviewing all credentials (official transcripts, GMAT score, other relevant information), the Graduate Programs Coordinator and the College of Business and Technology Graduate Policy Committee will determine if the student may be accepted into the MBA program. A degree plan will be prepared by the Graduate Program Advisor with the student. A letter will then be sent notifying official acceptance into the MBA program. Acceptance must occur prior to enrollment beyond nine semester credit hours including any transfer credit.
5. Successful completion or waiver of the MBA Leveling Sequence. Students who do not have an undergraduate business degree from an AACSB accredited school are required to complete 15 graduate hours of leveling classes prior to the beginning of the formal MBA coursework. Students without BBA degrees, but with the appropriate undergraduate coursework, may be allowed to waive some or all of the MBA Leveling Sequence. The Leveling Sequence includes:

Additional courses may be required in certain circumstances. Substitution of courses will be determined by the Graduate Programs Coordinator in consultation with the faculty. Generally, six ( 6 ) undergraduate semester credit hours in the appropriate topics are required to replace any one of the graduate leveling courses.

Although a student may not have completed all baccalaureate work at the time of application, a decision will be made on the strength of the student’s permanent record before the student can be enrolled as a graduate student in business.

The student must maintain a 3.0 grade point average (4.0 basis) on all graduate work at UT Tyler. No course with a grade below "C" may be applied toward this degree.

Successful completion of MANA 5395: Formulating and Implementing Strategy with a "B" or better will constitute satisfaction of the comprehensive examination requirement.

Transfer of Credit

Subject to the approval of the Graduate Programs Coordinator and the Dean of the College of Business and Technology (CBT), a student may transfer up to nine (9) hours of graduate credit earned at an approved institution. Graduate credit over three years old at the time of admission generally may not be used to meet degree requirements. Credit earned from correspondence courses cannot transfer for graduate credit.