Business Administration, MBA
Monte Ahuja College of Business
Ahuja Hall 219
(216) 687-3730
http://www.csuohio.edu/business/mba/
W. Benoy Joseph, Graduate Program Director
Programs of Study
Accounting
Business Economics
Economic Development
Finance
Health Care Administration
Information Systems
International Business
Management and Labor Relations
Marketing
Operations and Supply Chain Management (formerly Operations Management & Statistics)
Special Programs
Accelerated Master of Business Administration
Executive Master of Business Administration
Joint Programs
Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration
Master of Science in Nursing/Master of Business Administration
Introduction
The Master of Business Administration degree prepares individuals for careers in management. The program encourages men and women to develop knowledge, abilities, attitudes, technical skills, and understanding that will provide the foundation for the growth of competent and responsible managers and leaders for the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors. The MBA curriculum is designed for students with undergraduate degrees in business or for those with undergraduate or graduate degrees in non-business fields. All required courses are offered both during the day and in the evening. MBA programs are also offered on the main campus and at various off-campus locations in the Cleveland metropolitan area to meet the needs of both full-time and part-time students.
The Faculty
The MBA Program is taught primarily by graduate faculty from the Nance College of Business Administration who are selected for expertise in their academic disciplines and practical experience in business. In addition, the MBA faculty have advanced degrees in their fields of specialization—many from the world’s leading business schools. They are actively involved in the community—as business consultants, members of professional organizations, and community leaders—bringing a richness of practical application to every course they teach.
Current faculty information can be located on the Cleveland State University Faculty Profile page.
Accreditation
The graduate business programs of the Nance College of Business are accredited by AACSB International, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. In addition to the business accreditation, the Accounting Department has earned accounting accreditation from AACSB. The accounting programs at Cleveland State were the first in the State of Ohio to receive this accreditation.
Financial Assistance
The Nance College of Business provides a limited number of graduate tuition grants and graduate assistantships. Tuition grant awards generally are reserved for first-year MBA students. Awards require a minimum nine-credit hour course load and ten hours of service per week to the College. Graduate assistantships generally are reserved for second-year MBA students. They require a minimum 9 credit-hour course load and twenty hours of service per week. Application forms may be obtained in the Graduate Business Programs Office (Ahuja Hall BU 219). Other sources of financial assistance include scholarships and on-campus employment. Scholarship information is available at the following link: http://www.csuohio.edu/business/currstudents/scholarships.html.
Admission Information
Admission to the Master of Business Administration program is based on the following criteria:
- Applicants must meet all College of Graduate Studies admission requirements.
- Admission is based on a combination of factors including the applicant’s undergraduate GPA and the combined GMAT score for the verbal and quantitative components. A GRE score is also acceptable.
- Students scoring below the 20th percentile on the verbal section of the GMAT are required to take the following remedial courses in business communication: GAD 502 (16th through 19th percentile) or GAD 501 and GAD 502 (below the 16th percentile).Students scoring below the 25th percentile on the quantitative section of the GMAT are required to take a two-credit course, OSM 500 . The GMAT may be waived for applicants holding Ph.D. or MD degrees. Medical doctors must be licensed to practice in the United States in order to be considered for a waiver. Registration information for the GMAT is available in the Office of Graduate Admissions, Main Classroom, Room 116. For GMAT test information, visit the Web site at www.mba.com .
- A score from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) may be substituted for the GMAT. The total GRE score, if applied to the above admission formula, will consist of the average of the verbal and quantitative (mathematics) components of the GRE score. The percentile at which a student scores on the verbal or the quantitative components of the GRE will determine whether remedial courses in the respective areas (GAD 501 /GAD 502 ; OSM 500 ) will be prescribed.
- An official transcript from each college and university previously attended must be sent to the Office of Graduate Admissions.
Apply Now: Online or Download and print application
NOTE: Courses listed as “OSM” were known formerly as “OMS.”
MBA Bridge Program for International Students
Students who have completed a three-year baccalaureate degree from a recognized institution outside the U.S. may be eligible for admission to the Nance College of Business Administration MBA “Bridge” program. A bridge program is also available for applicants to the Master of Accounting and MCIS programs.
The bridge program requires students who qualify for admission to the MBA to complete an additional twenty-four credits of graduate courses in the field. Bridge courses will usually count toward the MBA coursework. Bridge courses must be selected after consulting with the program advisor and may be taken at the beginning or as part of the regular MBA program of study.
Non-Degree Students
Non-degree students awaiting admission to a graduate program in the College of Business Administration are allowed to take a maximum of twelve credit hours from the following list of courses:
Note(s)
* Courses formerly listed as OMS (Operations Management and Statistics) have been renamed as Operations and Supply Chain Management (OSM).
A student must be admitted as a Regular graduate student in the MBA program before being allowed to register for more than twelve graduate credit hours in the College of Business Administration.
Degree Requirements
The Master of Business Administration degree is awarded based on successful completion of a minimum of thirty-two credit hours of upper-level MBA courses (Level III). Preparation for taking Level III courses is achieved through completion or waiver of all Level I and Level II course requirements. Students usually are not allowed to register for Level III courses until all Level I and Level II courses have either been taken or waived. Petitions must be approved by the MBA Program Advisor.
The Master of Business Administration degree includes courses from all of the departments of the Nance College of Business Administration as well as selected courses from departments and programs outside of the Nance College. Questions regarding the program or specific courses should be directed to the Graduate Business Programs Office (Ahuja Hall, BU 219).
Courses in the three levels are as follows:
Level I: Basic Skill Proficiency
Courses in Level I are specially designed to bring skills up to acceptable levels for doing graduate-level work. These courses may be waived; please consult with the program advisor. Familiarity with Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, and the Internet is required.
Level II: Business Foundation Courses
Level II courses are designed to provide knowledge of the basic business disciplines to prepare students for the upper-level MBA courses. These courses may be waived based on recent undergraduate business course work.
Level III: Advanced MBA Courses (minimum 32 credits)
These three groups of required courses are the heart of the MBA curriculum:
Group B: Integrative Core
Group C: Electives
Three approved graduate business electives (at least two at the 600 level) in any business area must be taken. Courses listed in Levels I (Basic Skill Proficiency) and II (Business Foundations) of the MBA program cannot be taken as electives. Each department in the College of Business Administration offers courses in faculty-supervised independent study or internships. Only one of the two courses may be counted as an elective toward the MBA degree. Please see the course description section of this Catalog for each department.
Additional Requirements
The required credit hours of course work must be completed with the following conditions:
- All credits must be for business courses, taken either at Cleveland State University or transferred from another business college (see Transfer of Credit below).
- One of the three electives may be a 500-level course. See the course descriptions for a list of available courses.
- A minimum grade-point average of 3.0 in total work attempted while registered in the MBA program is required. College of Graduate Studies regulations regarding grades below B are applicable.
- Level III courses must be completed within six years prior to the proposed graduation date.
Transfer of Credit
Transfer credit may be granted for no more than nine semester hours of Level III courses, provided that the courses were completed for graduate credit at an institution accredited by AACSB. Graduate courses may not be transferred from other Cleveland State University colleges except as allowed by the JD/MBA and MSN/MBA programs and the specialization in Economic Development.
Specialization
Within the MBA curriculum, specialization can be achieved by taking a minimum of three elective courses (no more than one at the 500 level) within any of the following business disciplines: Accounting, Finance, Health Care Administration, Information Systems, International Business, Management and Labor Relations, Marketing, and Operations and Supply Chain Management (formerly “Operations Management and Business Statistics”). Specialization also can be earned in Business Economics and in Economic Development. For a list of economics courses and descriptions, please see the courses description section of this catalog.
Economic Development Specialization
Students seeking the Economic Development specialization within the MBA program will be required to take three electives from the following list of approved courses:
Third Elective (choose one of the following):
Note(s)
The College of Business Administration also offers the following master’s degree programs in
specialized areas:
- Master of Accountancy
- Master of Computer and Information Science
- Master of Labor Relations and Human Resources
JD/MBA Joint Degree Program
The design of the curriculum leading to the degrees of Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration permits the student to complete both degrees within four years instead of the five years that normally would be required to complete the two degrees separately.
Applicants to the Joint Degree Program must apply for admission to both the College of Graduate Studies and the College of Law concurrently and follow the normal procedures of the respective colleges. Application for admission must be specifically for the Joint Degree Program. The student will not be allowed under any circumstances to take more than eight years to complete the combined program.
A student in the Joint Degree Program must begin the first year of work in the College of Law. The student’s second year of study consists of the first year’s curriculum of the Master of Business Administration program.
The Joint Degree Program requires a total of four academic years. The Juris Doctor requirements are fulfilled by the completion of eighty semester credit hours of work in the College of Law, including all required courses, as well as ten credit hours transferred from Master of Business Administration courses. The MBA requirements are fulfilled by the completion of twenty-two credit hours of required Level III MBA courses, as well as nine credit hours transferred from law courses. In order to ensure that the degree requirements of both programs are fully maintained, while at the same time permitting the saving of a full academic year, students who pursue the combined programs are not permitted to take elective courses outside of either the College of Law or the MBA program for credit toward either degree.
For information about the JD/MBA program, call the MBA Programs Advising Office at (216) 687-3730 or visit the Web site at http://www.csuohio.edu/business/academics/joint/juris.html.
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