University of West Florida

Degree:	Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)
Certificate:	Entrepreneurship
Department:	Building 75, Room 101 (850) 474-3124 http://uwf.edu/mba
College:	Business

The M.B.A. program develops the skills of management, the tools of problem-solving, the capacity for decision-making, and the knowledge about formal organizations and their economic environment. The program prepares graduates for leadership positions in a variety of managerial and organizational settings. Admission to the M.B.A. program does not require an undergraduate business degree. However, prerequisite business proficiencies are needed and can be completed quickly through accelerated foundations. Approximately one-third of the students in the program enter with no previous business course work. The program of study leading to the M.B.A. degree is a 30 sh program designed to provide both a general view of business and a specialized focus through the portfolio. Before beginning core classes, each student must choose an industry for their portfolio. The portfolio gives the student the opportunity to focus in-depth research in an industry selected by the student. Five of the following MBA core courses require projects that are included in the student’s portfolio.

ECP 6705	Advanced Managerial Economics	3
FIN 6406	Financial Management	3
ISM 6026	Management of Information Systems and Technology	3
MAN 6511	Operations Management Problems	3
MAR 6815	Marketing Management	3

During the last semester of the M.B.A. program, the student is required to submit his or her portfolio for review by the director. An exit interview is also conducted and is a requirement for graduation. Students must have a 3.0 (B) or higher GPA to meet graduation requirements.

Admission Requirements

In addition to the University graduate admission requirements described in the Admissions section of the catalog, the department bases decisions for regular admission on a holistic review of credentials in which the following criteria are used to assess the potential success of each applicant:

• performance on the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE), including the Analytical Writing score
• academic achievement as demonstrated by undergraduate cumulative grade point average (GPA)
• accreditation of degree granting institution
• business course academic preparation
• graduate level motivation and writing abilities as noted in essay responses
• leadership experience and potential as noted in two letters of recommendation
• a record of appropriate employment at increasing levels of responsibility via résumé
• other qualifications that illuminate future MBA potential

Primary consideration will be given to the applicant’s academic record and scores on the GMAT or GRE.

The credentials of applicants who do not meet minimums for these criteria are reviewed further to determine if other factors are sufficient to warrant admission. A student needing prerequisite foundation courses for the M.B.A. program may take them as a non-degree student. However, only students who have been fully admitted to candidacy in the M.B.A. program will be permitted to enroll in the required core courses of the M.B.A. degree.

Application and Advising

Inquiries should be addressed to the M.B.A. Office. The M.B.A. Office will assist in all matters of application, admission, degree planning, and graduation. All students planning to enter the M.B.A. program must meet with an advisor to develop a degree plan. Transcripts and results of the graduate admission test should be submitted to the Graduate School at the time of application. The program is administered by the M.B.A. committee, which consists of the director and faculty members from the areas of accounting, finance, marketing, economics, management, and management information systems.

In addition to the University’s general requirements, students seeking the M.B.A. degree must meet the following degree requirements.

Foundational Proficiencies

Admission to candidacy in the M.B.A. program is gained by demonstrating proficiency in the areas of accounting, business communications, economics, finance, management, management information systems, marketing, and statistics. These proficiencies may be gained by completion of the following group of UWF courses:

ACG 2021	Principles of Financial Accounting	3
ACG 2071	Principles of Managerial Accounting	3
ECO 3003	Principles of Economic Theory and Public Policy	3
or ECO 2013   &  2023	Principles of Economics Macro    and Principles of Economics Micro
FIN 3403	Managerial Finance	3
GEB 3213   & COM 4110	Writing for Business: Theory and Practice    and Business and Professional Communication	6
ISM 3011	e-Business Systems Fundamentals	3
MAC 2233	Calculus with Business Applications	3
MAN 3025	Management Fundamentals	3
MAR 3023	Marketing Fundamentals	3
STA 2023	Elements of Statistics	3
Total Hours		33

These proficiencies may be demonstrated by satisfactory completion of equivalent courses. Courses that are not compliant with the time to degree policy must be reviewed to determine proficiency. Accelerated Foundations, designed for students with no prior business course work or those who still need select prerequisites, are available and offer a means to quickly meet the foundation proficiencies needed to begin the core program. Accelerated Foundations are a series of 1.5 credit hour, intensive modules that cover the essential foundational knowledge in each of the prerequisite business subjects. For more information about this option, please contact the M.B.A. Office.

Degree Requirements

Candidates admitted to the MBA program are required to complete all courses with a “C” grade or better and maintain an overall graduate GPA of 3.0 (B) or better. Enrollment in these courses is generally limited to M.B.A. candidates.

First Level

ACG 6309	Accounting Aspects of Business Policy Determination	3
GEB 6895	Business and Public Policy	3
ISM 6026	Management of Information Systems and Technology	3
MAN 6156	Management and Organizational Behavior	3
QMB 6305	Quantitative Methods for Business	3
Total Hours		15

Second Level

ECP 6705	Advanced Managerial Economics	3
FIN 6406	Financial Management	3
MAN 6511	Operations Management Problems	3
MAR 6815	Marketing Management	3
Total Hours		12

Third Level

MAN 6721

Strategic Management and Policy Formulation

3