Application Deadlines
Deadline dates for applications and receipt of all required application materials are:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| July 1 | Fall Admission |
| November 1 | Spring Admission |
| April 1 | Summer Admission |
Any exceptions to these deadlines must be granted by the graduate program chair.
Application Materials Required for the MBA Degree
Applicants for the MBA must submit all of the following documentation to Graduate Admissions to be considered for admission:
Graduate Admissions
Jacksonville State University
700 Pelham Road North
Jacksonville, Alabama 36265-1602
- Completed JSU Graduate Application for Admission.
- Non-refundable $35.00 application processing fee.
- A letter of application setting forth career goals.
- A professional resume including education, employment, and community activity involvement.
- Official transcripts(s) from all colleges/universities with degrees posted. (Students who have previously attended JSU do not need to request a transcript from the University.)
- Three Graduate Reference Forms completed by individuals who can provide qualitative assessment of the applicant’s potential for success in graduate coursework and citing potential professional leadership ability. Reference forms will be submitted electronically. Instructions for submission will be sent through email to the applicant upon submission of the online graduate application.
- Official test scores on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). The GMAT must be taken within the five year time frame immediately preceding enrollment. Note: A minimum acceptable GMAT score of 400 is required.
Students whose undergraduate degree is from an AACSB-accredited business program are exempt from the GMAT as long as their overall graduating GPA is at least a 3.00. Students applying to the MBA program who already hold a post-graduate degree are also exempt from taking the GMAT. All other applicants are required to take the GMAT and score at least 400 for admission consideration. - International student applicants must see the International Student Applicants section of this catalog for other application and enrollment requirements.
- Students entering graduate courses must have a working knowledge of Microsoft Office, to include: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Transfer Credit
Transfer credits are accepted from AACSB International accredited schools only.
No transfer credit(s) will be accepted once students are enrolled in the MBA program, except in cases of extreme hardship to be determined by the MBA Director and the Director of Graduate Studies.
Admission Requirements for the MBA Degree
All students seeking admission to the MBA program must have completed the application process and been admitted to the program prior to enrolling in MBA classes. Applicants are admitted on a selective basis upon review of the completed application package.
Applicants must meet one of the following admission formula requirements. For purposes of computing the undergraduate GPA, a 4.00 grade-point scale is used. The plus (+) and minus (-) grades from undergraduate transcripts are not used in calculating the GPA.
Unconditional Admission
To obtain unconditional admission into the MBA program, students must meet one of the following formula requirements:
-
Have an undergraduate degree from an AACSB-accredited business program with at least an overall graduating 3.00 GPA or already hold a post-graduate degree.
or
- 200 times the undergraduate GPA on the initial undergraduate degree plus the GMAT score is equal to or greater than a total of 950 points.
- As a requirement for admission, a minimum acceptable GMAT score of 400 is required. This is in addition to the current formula score.
or
- 200 times the undergraduate GPA on the last 64 hours attempted toward completion of the initial undergraduate degree plus the GMAT score is equal to or greater than a total of 1000 points.
- As a requirement for admission, a minimum acceptable GMAT score of 400 is required. This is in addition to the current formula score.
Conditional Admission
Any applicant failing to meet the requirements for unconditional admission, as defined above, may be considered for conditional admission if the student meets one of the following formula requirements:
- 200 times the GPA on the initial undergraduate degree plus the GMAT score is equal to or greater than a total of 850 points
- As a requirement for conditional admission, a minimum acceptable GMAT score of 400 is also required. This is in addition to the current conditional formula score as indicated above.;
or
- 200 times the GPA on the last 64 hours attempted toward the completion of the initial undergraduate degree plus the GMAT score is equal to or greater than a total of 900 points.
- As a requirement for conditional admission, a minimum acceptable GMAT score of 400 is also required. This is in addition to the current conditional formula score as indicated above.
Students who are granted conditional admission must achieve a GPA of at least 3.00 on the first 12 graduate hours attempted within the time frame specified in the student’s admissions letter. Failure to comply will result in the student being dropped from the program.
All applications will be reviewed by a graduate committee composed of members of the graduate faculty within the School of Business and Industry and the MBA Director. The graduate committee will submit to the Director of Graduate Studies its recommendation on the conditional admission of each applicant. The Director of Graduate Studies, in conjunction with the MBA Director, will make the final decision on the conditional admission of the student.
Minimum Requirements for the MBA Degree
An overall 3.00 GPA is required on all coursework attempted for the master’s degree. Transfer credit cannot be used to raise the GPA to the required 3.00.
The MBA degree with an Accounting concentration consists of 33 semester hours of graduate business courses. Students without adequate undergraduate preparation will be required to take up to 24 semester hours of foundation courses for a total of 57 or more semester hours for the accounting concentration program.
Foundation Courses:
Credit for foundation coursework may be given for courses already completed as part of a baccalaureate degree. Students without adequate undergraduate preparation are required to complete the 24 semester hours of foundation business and economics courses listed below. The MBA Director will evaluate each student’s undergraduate coursework to determine which foundation courses are required prior to the student taking MBA courses. The graduate GPA is computed on all graduate hours attempted. Although grades achieved on undergraduate foundation courses will not be included in the computation of the graduate GPA, a student must earn a grade of “B” or above in each of these specified, required courses if they are taken after the completion of the baccalaureate degree.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| MGT 504 | Business Organization and Administration | 3 |
| BA 500 | Statistics and Quantitative Methods | 3 |
| ACC 200 | Principles of Accounting I | 3 |
| EC 222 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| FIN 301 | Business Finance | 3 |
| FIN 292 | Legal and Social Environment | 3 |
| CBA 390 | Operations Management | 3 |
| MKT 301 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| Total Hours | 24 | |
Students who have adequate undergraduate preparation or who have satisfied the foundation requirements may enroll in MBA courses, given that all individual course prerequisites are met. Students without adequate preparation will only be allowed to take courses in fields of study in which the prerequisite coursework has been completed.
Individuals who do not have a baccalaureate degree in a business field, but who have at least three years of prior mid-level management experience in an approved managerial position(s) may request that a portion of the foundation coursework be waived. Students must document their managerial experience(s) and approval must be granted by the graduate committee of The School of Business and Industry. Students in this category must complete a total of 18 hours of the foundation coursework, including:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BA 500 | Statistics and Quantitative Methods | 3 |
| EC 222 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ACC 200 | Principles of Accounting I | 3 |
| FIN 301 | Business Finance | 3 |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
The remaining six hours to be taken will be based on an evaluation by the MBA Director.
After completion of foundation coursework, students may select either the MBA with a General concentration or the MBA with an Accounting concentration. The MBA with a General concentration is a total of 30 semester hours; the MBA with an Accounting concentration is a total of 33 semester hours.
MBA Concentration: Accounting
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| ACC 512 | Accounting Information Analysis | 3 |
| BA 545 | Quantitative Methods for Business Decision Making | 3 |
| BA 587 | Business Policy and Strategy | 3 |
| BA 590 | International Business | 3 |
| EC 515 | Managerial Economics | 3 |
| FIN 515 | Financial Management | 3 |
| MGT 537 | Business Leadership | 3 |
| MKT 513 | Marketing Analysis & Strategy | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Select nine hours of electives 1 | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 33 | |
33 Graduate Semester Hours Required for this Degree
| 1 | Electives may be selected from graduate courses numbered 400 and above from among any of the approved accounting courses listed in this catalog. |
Graduation and Comprehensive Exam
No comprehensive exam is required for this degree. All students must apply for graduation by the given deadline of the semester in which they plan to graduate. Please see the Graduation and Comprehensive Exam section of this catalog for more information.