Graduate Catalog 2008-2009

Program Purpose :: Program  Requirements :: Admission Requirements :: Transfer Credit :: Academic Probation :: Graduation Requirements :: Course Descriptions :: Faculty

Program Purpose

The primary objective of the MBA Program is to provide students with preparation for professional careers in business. The curriculum incorporates the necessary knowledge and competencies required of tomorrow's business leaders. Graduates of this program develop skills to handle diversity, analyze and solve problems using an integrated approach, and understand ethical, global and social issues. The ability to extend theory to application is expected with an emphasis on case and project work.

back to top

Degree Requirements

The MBA Program consists of 36 credit hours, including 27 hours (9 courses) of core curriculum and nine hours in an emphasis area. Up to an additional nine credit hours in foundation courses may be required. Core courses are delivered either in blended or online format. The blended format combines online coursework with two on-campus meetings during each 8-week session.

After completion of the core curriculum, the program culminates with a 9-hour customized emphasis course that combines online coursework, an on-campus experience, and professional practice.

Students will design their own 9-hour advanced strategic project under the close direction of a faculty member. Projects will vary given the industry and student’s interest. The advanced strategic project may include:

The advanced strategic project may include:

• Research Project

• Thesis

• Practical problem solving in an applied setting

• Portfolio Project

• Case Study

• Management audit

• Other appropriate comprehensive project

MBA Graduate Core: 27 credit hours
BUS 505G: Advanced Management Information Systems
BUS 510G: Strategic Management in a Global Marketplace
BUS 520G: Managerial Economics
BUS 525G: Managerial Finance
BUS 530G: Applications in Marketing Management
BUS 535G: Advanced Managerial Accounting
BUS 540G: Advanced Human Resource Management
BUS 545G: Advanced Organizational Behavior & Theory
BUS 550G: Advanced Business Law

Foundation Curriculum: up to 9 credit hours

ECO 202 : Principles of Microeconomics
ACC 220: Accounting II (Managerial)
BUS 350: Principles of Finance

Foundation courses can be taken through Stephens College Graduate & Continuing Studies. When candidates choose to take foundation courses at another accredited institution, the courses must be pre-approved by their academic advisor.

Admission Requirements

Applications are accepted throughout the year (see the GCS academic calendar for appliation priority deadlines).Applicants must have a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution and minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA in the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework. Admission is based on a combination of undergraduate GPA, Statement of Purpose, personal or telephone interview, recommendation letters and TOEFL score, if applicable.

Admission may be offered at full or provisional levels. To move to full
acceptance, provisional students must meet the terms outlined in their
provisional acceptance letter.

Transfer Credits

Graduate students may transfer a maximum of nine semester hours of equivalent graduate credit toward core coursework required in the Stephens MBA program. These graduate credits can be earned prior to admission to Stephens College or, upon approval of the MBA Program Director, after admission to Stephens College . The total amount of graduate transfer credit cannot exceed nine semester hours. In addition, all undergraduate foundation courses required in the MBA Program can be transferred to Stephens College with approval of the MBA Program Director.

Students who have already earned an advanced degree and wish to pursue an MBA may transfer up to 18 hours of credit.  Official transcripts must be submitted and reviewed by the MBA Program Director to determine acceptable courses. Up to nine hours of transfer credit may be granted for equivalent coursework in the required core curriculum. An additional six hours of transfer credit may substitute for the advanced strategic project if the student's current advanced degree coincides with the industry or topic that he or she chooses to emphasize in the MBA program.

Students who receive transfer credit in lieu of the advanced strategic project must enroll in the first three hours of BUS 695 and attend the on-campus weekend seminar. They must write a paper that integrates critical content from the first master's with MBA coursework, including an analysis of how the MBA informs their current or prospective professions.

In no case will a student be granted more than 18 hours of transfer credit toward the MBA degree.

Academic Probation and Dismissal

MBA students whose cumulative GPA drops below 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. See Academic Probation and Dismissal in the Graduate Catalog for more information.

In addition, MBA students must have a 3.0 cumulative GPA in order to enroll in BUS 695: Advanced Strategic Project.

Graduation Requirements

To receive the Master of Business Administration degree, students must meet the following requirements:

• Complete all required core coursework and maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher

• Complete BUS 695: Advanced Strategic Project and earn at least a 3.0 cumulative GAP or higher

back to top

MBA Foundation Curriculum

ECO 202: Principles of Microeconomics
An introduction to basic theory of business and market economics under capitalism. Topics include: supply and demand, elasticity, cost behaviors, marketing structures, and resource markets.

ACC 220: Accounting II (Managerial)
An introduction to the preparation, use and interpretation of internal accounting data in the managerial functions of planning, organizing, controlling and decision making. Topics include: product costing, operating budgets, capital budgeting, variance analysis and performance evaluation.

BUS 350A: Principles of Finance
An introduction to finance from a corporate perspective. Topics include financial markets, capital budgeting, working capital and financial statement analysis.

MBA Courses

BUS 505G: Advanced Management Information Systems
This course will study both the modern organization and the information system in that organization. It will address what an information system is, how it affects the organization and its employees, and how it is used to make businesses operate more efficiently and competitively. It will include information from the text, the World Wide Web, and a discussion list for students taking the class. Project management, online databases and new technologies will be discussed.

BUS 510G: Strategic Management in a Global Marketplace
This is a skills-oriented, practitioner perspective that reflects current research and strategy. Modern case studies are integrated throughout the course to encourage higher-level analysis and discussion of real-world scenarios. Strategic report writing is used to integrate the analysis and resolution of complex business strategic planning problems. Global issues, internationalism and the global marketplace are intertwined throughout the course.

BUS 520G: Managerial Economics
(Prerequisite: ECO 202: Principles of Microeconomics or permission of instructor.)
This course is designed to provide students with an advanced understanding of microeconomics and with the ability to apply this understanding to any business setting. Topics include: statistical analysis, demand analysis, market structure analysis and estimation, and long-term investment decisions.

BUS 525G: Managerial Finance
(Prerequisite: BUS 350: Principles of Finance or permission of instructor.)
This course is designed to provide students with an advanced understanding of financial issues that face business concerns. It is also designed to provide students with an opportunity to use financial techniques to address issues in financial statement analysis, working capital management, capital budgeting, long-term financing and capital structure. The course will be conducted with assigned readings and cases, responses to posted discussion questions, and two proctored exams.

BUS 530G: Applications in Marketing Management
This course will focus on the use of marketing principles and data to evaluate, analyze, and solve managerial problems on marketing settings. Market planning, marketing mix strategies and decisions, and issues in marketing will be addressed through the use of case studies, current readings and simulations.

BUS 535G: Advanced Managerial Accounting
(Prerequisite: ACC220: Accounting II (Managerial) or permission of instructor.)
This course is designed to provide students with an advanced understanding of product costing systems for service and manufacturing entities. It is also designed to provide students with an opportunity to use accounting techniques to solve management problems in planning, controlling and decision making. Emphasis will be placed on such topics as: activity-based costing, just-in-time philosophy, total quality management, and continuous improvement.

BUS 540G: Advanced Human Resource Management
Human Resource Management endeavors to "improve the productive contributions of people to the organization in ways that are strategically, ethically, and socially responsible" (Werther & Davis, 1996). In accomplishing this objective, managers develop policies and practices to cover activities such as job analysis, recruiting, screening training, rewarding and appraising (Dessler, 1997). The purpose of this course is to familiarize the student with these basic manpower policies and practices and the reasons for their design. At the outset, however, it is important to understand that HRM practices are not just the concern of the personnel department. In that management is by definition a process of working through people, it is critical that managers understand the environment of employee relations and learn the basic techniques.

BUS 545G: Advanced Organizational Behavior and Theory
The study and application of knowledge about how people "act" and "react" in goal-oriented groups. Emphasis is placed on using theory from the social and behavioral sciences to aid managers in understanding, predicting and influencing behavior. The course focuses on areas such as motivation, leadership, learning theory and organizational development.

BUS 550G: Advanced Business Law

This course will focus on the major legal issues facing businesses today. The students will be exposed to a combination of theory, historical legal context, and current applicable case study. The use of these methods will enable the student to understand and properly apply the concepts required to successfully navigate the legal areas of any business venture.

BUS 695G: Advanced Strategic Project (9 hours)

(Prerequisites: completion of MBA graduate core curriculum)

The MBA Strategic Project provides an opportunity for students to study a specific topic in depth in the industry of their choice. This is the final capstone experience for the MBA and requires the application of various policies, theories, strategies and research. The class is under the close direction of a faculty member and the type of project will vary given the industry and student interest.  Each student will participate in a management simulation, online discussions, review the literature, trends and policies of his or her industry, prepare a proposal for a capstone project and the final project will serve as the culmination of the MBA program.

back to top

Faculty

Susan Bartel, MBA Program Director. M.Ed., University of Missouri-Columbia, 1981; B.S., University of Missouri-Columbia, 1980.  Certified Financial Marketing Professional (CFMP), 2002; Accredited in Public Relations (APR), 1998.

John Flanders, M.A. Economics, Stanford University; B.S. Foreign Service, Georgetown University.

Sally Hackman, M.B.A., University of Missouri-Columbia; B.S.E. University of Central Missouri.

Charles Lockwood, M.B.A., William Woods University; B.S. Empire State College, State University of New York; B.A. Columbia College.

Pamela Shackelford, Business and Marketing Department Management Chair. MBA, Maryville University; B.S., Columbia College.

Wayne Keene, MBA, Fontbonne University; B.S., Fontbonne University.

W.B. Tichenor, J.D. University of Missouri School of Law; B.A. History, Southwest Baptist College. National Judicial College, Judicial Development Certificate: Administrative Law.

back to top