Proposal to Revise and Reword Prerequisites for the MBA Program
Submitted by the College of Business
Margaret Sklar – Contact Person
227-2960
msklar@nmu.edu
New programs, and major curriculum changes, must address all of the following issues:
Note: This is not a major curriculum change, just a rewording of admissions requirements.
1. Proposed Changes:
Admission Requirements (Current)
Admission Requirements (Proposed)
Applicants have to comply with the regular
admission requirements of the College of
Graduate Studies. In addition, applicants are
expected to have:
 A Bachelor’s degree from a recognized
university.
(1.) Applicants must comply with the
regular admission requirements of the
College of Graduate Studies. In addition,
applicants are expected to have:
(2.) A Bachelor’s degree from a recognized
university.

An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher.
(3.) An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or
higher.

A GMAT score of 500 or higher.
(4.)

Two years of relevant professional work
experience.
(5.) Two years of relevant professional
work experience is highly recommended.
Applicants are required to write a statement of
purpose, indicating why they wish to pursue
this degree. The results of the GMAT, the
applicant’s undergraduate grade-point average,
and relevant work experience will be evaluated
together to determine eligibility for the
program.
A GMAT score..
(6.) Applicants are required to write a
statement of purpose, indicating why they
wish to pursue this degree. All applicants
must take the Graduate Management
Admission Test (GMAT). While we do not
have an official minimum GMAT score,
our average score is above 500. A GMAT
score alone does not guarantee or deny
admission to the program.
The results of the GMAT, the applicant’s
undergraduate grade-point average,
Applicants who are not native English speakers
are required to submit a score of 500 or above
on the Test of English as a Foreign Language
(TOEFL) prior to having their application
considered.
Application materials are reviewed by the
MBA Program Director and a three person
faculty graduate screening committee.
Applications are accepted throughout the year.
relevant work experience and statement of
purpose will be evaluated together to
determine eligibility for the program.
The GMAT test requirement will be
waived for students who have completed a
Ph.D.
(7.) Applicants who are not native English
speakers are required to submit a score of
500 or above on the Test of English as a
Foreign Language (TOEFL) prior to having
their application considered.
(8.) Application materials are reviewed by
the MBA Program Director and a three
person faculty graduate screening
committee. Applications are accepted
throughout the year.
2. Rationale:
Overall Rationale: The original intention for the admissions requirements was that
the College of Business faculty committee would have some flexibility in allowing
students who showed promise to enter the program with a lower GPA or GMAT
score than what was stated. Hence the statement in (8) above referring to the
graduate screening committee taking all factors into consideration.
Rationale for Individual Changes (numbers refer to line numbers from the
table):
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Grammatical change
No change
Unnecessary; duplicates what is already in the Graduate Bulletin
A review of other schools offering MBA programs indicated that few, if any,
had a set GMAT requirement. This brings us more in line with Michigan
schools such as Michigan Technical University, University of Michigan and
Michigan State University
(5) The College of Business wishes to allow students the opportunity to move into
the MBA program directly after their undergraduate degrees are earned. All
other things being equal, a student with relevant work experience would be
preferred to one without any work experience.
(6) The added statement: All applicants must take the Graduate Management
Admission Test (GMAT). While we do not have an official minimum GMAT
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score, our average score is above 500. A GMAT score alone does not
guarantee or deny admission to the program. is very similar to that used by
Michigan State University and more clearly states the intention of what was
originally proposed.
The added statement: The GMAT test requirement will be waived for
students who have completed a Ph.D. is proposed because the committee
feels that someone with a Ph.D. is clearly above the level of the test and that
taking the test would give no further information about the prospective
student.
The statement of purpose is certainly used by the committee in considering
whether a student should be admitted. It was inadvertently omitted in
previous wording, but has been added here.
(7) No change
(8) The committee is currently four faculty members, appointed by the College of
Business faculty. There is no magic number for the number of members for
the committee.
1.
State the job opportunities for graduates of the proposed program. Include
evidence documenting those opportunities.
N/A
2.
Indicate if there are related programs in any departments at NMU.
There are no related graduate programs taught at NMU.
3.
Indicate how the proposed compares to other professional programs that exist at
other regional/national universities.
a. U of M (Flint)
No minimum GPA or GMAT score stated on webpage.
b.
U of M (Ann Arbor)
No minimum GPA or GMAT score stated on webpage.
c. Western Michigan University
Admissions decisions are based on the following factors.
-Completion of an undergraduate bachelor degree with a minimum
GPA of 2.50
-GMAT Score
d. Eastern Michigan University
Admission into the MBA program requires a cumulative
undergraduate GPA of 2.75. The Graduate Management
Admission Test (GMAT) is also required, with a minimum
overall score of 450 and minimum subscores of 20 on the
verbal section and 24 on the quantitative.
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e.
f.
g.
h.
4.
Michigan Tech – No specific criteria stated on website.
Applications are reviewed on an individual basis using a holistic
approach.
Michigan State University
All applicants must take the Graduate Management Admission Test
(GMAT). While we do not have an official minimum GMAT score,
our median score is about 640. A GMAT score alone does not
guarantee or deny admission to the program.
Wayne State University
Prospective graduate students must take the GMAT and earn a
score of at least 450, but an application may be submitted in
advance of taking the test.
University of Wisconsin- Whitewater – online program (AACSB
accredited)
Completion of the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)
with a composite score of at least 1000 based on the formula:
GPA x 200 + GMAT score = 1000+
or a composite score of at least 1050 based upon the formula:
GPA from last half of undergrad program x 200 + GMAT = 1050+.
Exceptions to the admission requirements may be made on a caseby-case basis.
Describe if the proposed program will affect the department’s accreditation, if
appropriate.
The schools mentioned above are all AACSB-accredited. The presence or
absence of a particular GMAT score does not affect accreditation.
5.
Provide the listing of the proposed program as it will appear in the Graduate
Bulletin.
(From the Current Graduate Bulletin with changes from current bulletin in red)
Master of Business Administration
(Program effective Fall, 2012)
Program Description
The College of Business offers a program of graduate studies leading to the Master of Business
Administration (MBA) degree. The primary objective of this program is to educate future,
middle and senior managers to deal with basic problems of choice, complexity and change in the
challenging environment of business. The program is designed to develop skills which the
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manager can use to deal with these problems in a profit-oriented, free enterprise economy.
Therefore, the program’s focus is directed toward decision making.
The overall objective is achieved with ample emphasis on the traditional subject matter of
business administration, i.e., accounting, finance, management and marketing.
Program Requirements
The MBA consists of 36 credit hours.
Several of the core courses in the MBA program have undergraduate course prerequisites.
Students with prior coursework in accounting, economics, finance, marketing, information
systems, management, operations management, statistics can enroll in the MBA courses
directly. Relevant professional experience may be substituted for some or all of the prerequisite
courses.
At Northern Michigan University, the following courses meet the MBA prerequisite
requirements:









Accounting ACT 230 and ACT 240
Economics EC 201
Finance FIN 351
Marketing MKT 230
Management MGT 240
Information Systems CIS 212
Managerial Communications MGT 344
Operations Management MGT 325
Statistics MA 171
Decisions regarding the admissions, acceptability of proposed substitutes for Phase One
requirements, and overall MBA requirements will be made by the Faculty Director of the MBA
Program. Relevant professional experience may be substituted for some or all of the Phase One
Foundation Courses.
Admission Requirements
Applicants have to comply with the regular admission requirements of the College of Graduate
Studies. In addition, applicants are expected to have:



Have a Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university.
Take the GMAT test.
Two years of relevant professional work experience is highly desired.
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Applicants are required to write a statement of purpose, indicating why they wish to pursue
this degree. All applicants must take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT).
While we do not have an official minimum GMAT score, our average score is above 500. A
GMAT score alone does not guarantee or deny admission to the program.
The results of the GMAT, the applicant’s undergraduate grade-point average, relevant work
experience and statement of purpose will be evaluated together to determine eligibility for
the program.
The GMAT test requirement will be waived for students who have completed a Ph.D.
Applicants who are not native English speakers are required to submit a score of 500 or above on
the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) prior to having their application considered.
Application materials are reviewed by the MBA Program Director and a three person faculty
graduate screening committee. Applications are accepted throughout the year.
For department information or additional degree requirements, click here
6.
7.
State the admission requirements for the program.
As delineated above.
State the graduation requirements for the program.
Master’s Degree Requirements (No changes from current Bulletin wording.)
Course Requirements
The minimum requirement for the master’s degree is the satisfactory completion of total credit
hours required by the department which have been submitted as a Graduate Plan of Study and
approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies and by the student’s adviser.
Additional Requirements
1. A minimum of 16 credits must be at the 500 level or higher.
2. Only graduate-level credits can be applied to a masters' degree. No course work done in
courses less than the 400 level will apply to a master's degree.
3. Courses at the 400 level must be approved for graduate credit, be taught by an approved
graduate faculty member, and be approved by the offering department for inclusion in
graduate degree programs.
4. A maximum of eight credits can be earned in Directed or Independent Study (598)
courses including a maximum of four credits earned in workshops.
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5. A maximum of 16 credits earned through a combination of courses of unspecified content
(including Thesis 599) credit can be applied to the total minimum number of hours
required to complete the master’s degree. Of these 16 credits, a maximum of 12 credits
can be earned through courses of unspecified content excluding thesis.
6. Individual programs may have more restrictive requirements. Graduate courses of
unspecified content are defined as courses in which the student or department is not
restricted by the Graduate Bulletin to a specific area of subject matter. A list of courses
covered by this limitation precedes the Course Descriptions.
Graduate Project
All master’s students must complete a graduate project that is defined by the program of study.
The project may be (1) a thesis, (2) a graduate research project report, portfolio, or exhibit, or (3)
two file papers.
Certification that the graduate project requirement has been met must be filed at the College of
Graduate Studies 30 calendar days prior to graduation. Forms for this purpose are available from
the College of Graduate Studies. It is the student’s responsibility to see that the documentation is
filed through the department.
8.
Include course outlines of any new or substantially revised courses, including
Graduate Bulletin descriptions.
N/A
9.
State the projected enrollment for the program in years one, two and five.
20 students were enrolled for Fall 2010; 36 students are enrolled for Fall 2011 It is
not unreasonable to expect 50 or more students within 2 years.
10.
State the anticipated costs of the program for each of five years, including
separate descriptions for:
a.
Staff
b.
Equipment
c.
Supplies
d.
Library
e.
Space
No changes here from existing program.
11.
Indicate staffing plans for the new program, including if the current faculty are
sufficient and competent to deliver the proposed curriculum, or it new faculty will
be needed to do so.
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No change here from existing program.
12.
Describe the equipment that is currently available for the proposed program and
equipment that will be needed for the proposed program.
No change here from existing program.
13.
State anticipated library usage by students in the proposed program. Include in
this statement a review of current library resources and verification that the
department has consulted with library staff about the adequacy of current library
holdings.
No change here from existing program.
14.
Indicate if current space is adequate to house the proposed program and, if it is
not, state new space requirements.
Current space is sufficient, no changes from existing program.
15.
Indicate when the program will be delivered (fall/winter/summer semesters; day
or evening offerings).
No change from existing program; except for time requirements, evening classes.
16.
Indicate if the program will be delivered face-to-face, hybrid, or online.
Initially face-to-face, with on-line and/or hybrid offerings added in time, as
appropriate and possible, given current faculty expertise.
17.
State the planned implementation date for the proposed changes.
Fall Semester 2012.
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