Cover Sheet for CSU Monterey Bay Academic Program Proposals
Program Master of Business Administration Department COB
College College of Business
Proposal Title MBA Program Revisions
Name of Proposal Author (please print)
Murray R. Millson
Proposal Type (check one)
Authorization to Plan
Full Proposal
X Program Revision
Program Type (check one)
X Major
Minor
Concentration
Certificate
Credential
Program Level (check one)
Undergraduate X Graduate
Program Offering (check all that apply)
X On-Line
Face-to-Face
Cal State OnLine
State-Support
X Self-Support
Type of Change(s) Requested (check all that apply for Program Revision Proposals)
X Outcomes X Required Courses
Name
Sunset
Modality
Other (Specify):
Requested Implementation Date Fall---2016
Use the text box below to include an executive summary of the proposal.
The College of Business’ MBA program needs to modify its MLOs to be compliant with the recommendations received
from the external reviewers of our recently completed MBA Program review and to align them with the BSBA program
MLOs to have as similar a set of MLOs as possible as the College of Business approaches AACSB accreditation. Based
also on the external reviewers’ recommendations, the MBA Program has also modified three courses and added three
courses.
The new MLOs are the following:
CSUMB MBA graduates will:
1. Apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate business knowledge to enhance skills to make effective business decisions.
2. Apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate business situations to effectively develop written business documents.
3. Apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate business situations to effectively create and present oral business
information.
4. Apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate business situations by utilizing responsible business critical thinking (Profit,
People, Ethics, Equity and Planet) and ethical reasoning to make effective business decisions.
5. Apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate quantitative data and methods to make effective business decisions.
BELOW THIS LINE IS FOR USE BY OFFICE OF THE PROVOST ONLY
APPROVE
DENY Effective Date
Provost Signature
Program Proposal Title
MBA Program Revisions
Sponsoring College Chair
[By signing above, I provide my support for the concept of the curricular change(s) and ensure the
accuracy and quality of the proposal.]
Other Department Chair for shared resources/courses
Date
[By signing above, I provide my support for the concept of the curricular change(s), and am aware
of the resource and FTE implications that are required for implementation.]
College Curriculum Committee Chair
Date
[By signing above, I provide my support for the curricular change(s), and ensure the curricular
coherence and integrity of the change(s) proposed.]
Library Director
Date
[By signing above, I support the concept of the program and confirm that library resources are
accurately reflected in the proposal.]
Chief Information Officer
Date
[By signing above, I support the concept of the program and confirm that IT resources are accurately
reflected in the proposal.]
Extended Education Dean (if applicable)
Date
Please check one:
_____ I provide my support for the concept of the program, and recognize that there are no
additional resources required for implementation and administration of the program
through the College of Extended Education.
_____ I provide my support for the concept of the program, and I recommend that the
necessary resources be allocated for implementation and administration of the program
through the College of Extended Education.
Sponsoring College Dean/Appropriate Administrator
Date
Chair of Academic Affairs Council Subgroup
Date
Please check one:
_____ By signing above, I provide my support for the concept of the curricular change(s), and
recognize that there are no additional resources or FTE required for implementation.
_____ By signing above, I provide my support for the concept of the curricular change(s), and
I recommend that the necessary resources & FTE be allocated for implementation.
[By signing above, the AAC Subgroup indicates that it approves the proposed academic program in
regards to university academic planning priorities.]
Senate Curriculum Committee Council Chair
Date
[By signing above, the Senate Curriculum Committee Council indicates that it approves the
curricular change(s) identified in the proposal.]
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2. Description:
 What is the catalyst for the program change(s)? (e.g., assessment results, program
review, etc.)
The MBA program requires a re-structure of its Major Learning Outcomes (MLOs). These
modifications are triggered by: 1) a program review completed in the Fall of 2014 and 2) the need
to align its MLOs with the College of Business BSBA MLOs.

How will the proposed change(s) improve the quality and rigor of the program?
The College of Business’ MBA program needs to modify its MLOs to be compliant with the
recommendations received from the external reviewers of our recently completed MBA Program
review and to align them with the BSBA program MLOs to have as similar a set of MLOs as
possible as the College of Business approaches AACSB accreditation. Based also on the external
reviewers’ recommendations, the MBA Program has also modified three courses and added three
courses.
The new MLOs are the following:
CSUMB MBA graduates will:
1. Apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate business knowledge to enhance skills to make
effective business decisions.
2. Apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate business situations to effectively develop written
business documents.
3. Apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate business situations to effectively create and present
oral business information.
4. Apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate business situations by utilizing responsible business
critical thinking (Profit, People, Ethics, Equity and Planet) and ethical reasoning to make
effective business decisions.
5. Apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate quantitative data and methods to make effective
business decisions.
The revised MLOs have been improved so that they are more measurable and replace the prior
MLOs in a more parsimonious and succinct manner. As noted by one of the external MBA
Program reviewers, the current MLOs were perceived as the following: “Each area of MLOs are
comprised of a number of outcomes, such that the MLO statements are to a large extent
restatements of the course descriptions, reworded to include ‘outcome verbs’ such as ‘understand
and apply’, with multiple outcomes included in each MLO area”.

How will the proposed change(s) contribute to student success?
The major MBA Program goals for graduating MBA students is for those students to (1) Have
business knowledge and skills; (2) Be effective written communicators; (3) Be effective oral
communicators; (4) Be critical thinkers; and (5) Be competent in quantitative reasoning and
analysis. The new MBA MLOs have been developed to align with these program goals so that
student achievement of the new MLOs will be more observable and measureable for assessment
purposes. Keeping MLOs aligned with AACSB requirements and WASC core competencies will
facilitate the Program’s ability to demonstrate that it is meeting these standards. Enabling students
to graduate from an accredited program will aid students seeking employment. Additionally, the
proposed changes to the MBA program MLOs and courses will contribute to MBA student success
by focusing the MBA program on the five most important knowledge areas of the MBA program
which include: (1) business knowledge, (2) written communication, (3) oral communication, (4)
critical thinking, and (5) quantitative decision-making knowledge.
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
Include any additional anticipated implications of the program change(s). (e.g., any
impact on other programs)
The MBA program is a stand-alone graduate program at CSUMB. After careful study, we do not
foresee any negative implications of the MBA program MLOs and/or course changes.
3. Resources:
 Are any new resources necessary to implement the proposed change(s) (e.g., new courses
or new course sections; new or additional space; new or increased library or technology
resources; other)?
It is not anticipated that the described changes to the MBA program will create a need for new or
additional resources.
4. Assessment:
 What criteria have been established to help the department to gauge whether the program
change(s) has successfully achieved the outcomes depicted in Exhibit 1?
Exhibit 1 illustrates the alignment of the College of Business (COB) Master of Business
Administration (MBA) Program Major Learning Outcomes (MLOs) with the CSUMB Institutional
Learning Outcomes (ILOs). All MLOs will be assessed at two points along the MBA cohort
pathway for both WASC and AACSB accreditation purposes. All MBA MLOs will be assessed
early in the pathway as well as near the end of the 2-year pathway.
Exhibit 1 – MLO Alignment with CSUMB ILOs
Alignment of ILOs and MBA MLOs
Intellectual Skills
MBA MLOs 2, 3, 4, & 5
Critical Thinking
MBA MLO 4
Information
Literacy
MBA MLO 2 & 4
Quantitative
Literacy
MBA MLO 5e
Written
Communications
MBA MLO 2
Oral
Communications
MBA MLO 3
Personal,
Professional,
and Social
Responsibility
MBA MLO 4
Integrative
Knowledge
MBA MLO 1
Specialized
Knowledge
MBA MLO 1
GE Themes
FYS
Majors
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
What are the plans and the timeframe for these assessments?
The MBA Assessment plan is to assess one of the 5 MLOs per year over the 5 years following the
approval and implementation of these MLOs beginning Fall 2016. This is shown in Exhibit 2
below.
Exhibit 2 – MBA Program Major Learning Outcomes Assessment Tasks Timeline
MBA PROGRAM MAJOR LEARNING OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT TASKS TIMELINE
CYCLE ONE 2016-2022
Task
1. PLAN: Develop MLO area
of focus
a. Develop research
question
b. Research and develop
rubric/exam
c. Test rubric/exam in
classroom settings
d. Adapt rubric/exam
4. MEASURE #1: Collect
and evaluate evidence of
learning (student work)
a. Determine courses
b. Determine assignments
c. Assign and grade
d. Submit evidence for
evaluation
5. EVALUATE/REPORT #1
a. Norm use of rubric
b. Independently evaluate
evidence
c. Report findings to
faculty
6. INTERVENE
a. Plan and implement
faculty development
b. Plan and implement
teaching interventions
7. CLOSE THE LOOP:
Collect and evaluate evidence
of learning
a. Measure #2 (go back to
steps 4a-d)
b. Evaluate #2 (go back to
step 5a)
c. Report #2 (go back to
step 5b)
MLO1
Knowledge
in the
Discipline
MLO2
Written
Com
MLO3
Oral
Com
MLO4
Critical
Thinking
MLO5
Quant
Literacy
MLO Lead
16-17
17-18
18-19
19-20
20-21
MLO Lead
16-17
17-18
18-19
19-20
20-21
MBA Faculty
16-17
17-18
18-19
19-20
20-21
MBA Faculty
16-17
17-18
18-19
19-20
20-21
MLO Lead
MLO Lead
MBA Faculty
MBA Faculty
16-17
16-17
16-17
16-17
17-18
17-18
17-18
17-18
18-19
18-19
18-19
18-19
19-20
19-20
19-20
19-20
20-21
20-21
20-21
20-21
MBA Faculty
MLO Lead/
Director
MLO Lead/
Director
16-17
16-17
17-18
17-18
18-19
18-19
19-20
19-20
20-21
20-21
16-17
17-18
18-19
19-20
20-21
MBA Faculty
17-18
18-19
19-20
20-21
20-21
MBA Faculty
17-18
18-19
19-20
20-21
20-21
MBA Faculty
18-19
19-20
20-21
21-22
22-23
MBA Faculty
18-19
19-20
20-21
21-22
22-23
MLO Lead/
Director
18-19
19-20
20-21
21-22
22-23
Activity
Lead
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5. Catalog Changes:
 Copy and paste from relevant areas of the current CSUMB Web Catalog, and use Track
Changes (in MS Word) to illustrate how the requested changes will be appear in future
catalogs.
Exhibit 3 portrays the current and new MBA MLOs.
Exhibit 3---MBA MLO Changes
MLO-1-Apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate business knowledge to enhance skills to make
effective business decisions.
MLO-2-Apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate business situations to effectively develop
written business documents.
MLO-3-Apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate business situations to effectively create and
present oral business information.
MLO-4-Apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate business situations by utilizing responsible
business critical thinking (Profit, People, Ethics, Equity and Planet) and ethical reasoning to
make effective business decisions.
MLO-5-Apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate quantitative data and methods to make effective
business decisions.
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6. Pathways:
 Include a sample pathway that illustrates recommended course sequencing. The prior and new
MBA. Cohort pathways are depicted below.
Since the MBA Program is an online cohort program, there is only a single pathway. Exhibit 4
below portrays the current MBA pathway.
Exhibit 4---Current MBA Pathway
MBA Fundamentals---BUS-601
Organization and Leadership---BUS-632
Accounting and Finance---BUS-687
Macro-Micro Economics---BUS-602
Innovation and Technology Management---BUS-661
Marketing and Entrepreneurship---BUS-626
Global Business---BUS-631
Business Strategy---BUS-691
SUBMIT THE COMPLETED PROPOSAL & COVER SHEET WITH SIGNATORY PAGE TO
YOUR DEPARTMENT CHAIR
Page 7 of 7