Master of Business Administration (MBA)
The purpose of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program is to offer an educational experience in business and management at the graduate level. The program is designed to provide breadth in exposure to the basic business disciplines and to facilitate the integration and application of knowledge of the various disciplines to the management of innovation. It is an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental degree program offered by the Graduate Division and the academic departments of the College of Business. Ethical concerns and international issues are emphasized throughout the curriculum.
Objectives and Outcomes
During the MBA program, students will:
- Critically evaluate, analyze, and interpret information to solve problems and make business decisions.
- Use communication skills to effectively lead.
- Develop an awareness of ethics and social responsibility in shaping business decisions.
- Develop an awareness and understanding of the issues that impact business operations in a global setting.
Admission Requirements
To qualify for admission to the MBA program, applicants must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate School of the University and the admission requirements of the Graduate Division of the College of Business. Any applicant who holds a bachelor’s degree, or equivalent, from an accredited college or university will be considered for admission regardless of the undergraduate field of study. An applicant for admission should understand that graduate work is not merely an extension of undergraduate work. Graduate study operates at a significantly higher level of rigor, demands scholarship of a higher order, and places more emphasis on research and student responsibility.
Once the admission requirements of the Graduate School have been met, the College of Business Associate Dean of Graduate Studies will grant admission to those individuals who demonstrate significant accomplishment and/or high potential for success. The decision of the College of Business Associate Dean of Graduate Studies is based on a combination of the applicant’s previous academic record and the applicant’s score on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). In some cases, at the discretion of the Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, the GRE may be accepted in place of the GMAT. If accepted, the GRE score will be converted to a “GMAT equivalent” using the score comparison tool provided at the following link: www.ets.org/gre/institutions/about/mba/comparison_tool. Applicants with a composite score (equal to 200 x UGPA + GMAT score) of at least 1,100 (1,150 when calculated using the GPA from the applicant’s last 60 credit hours) and who have an undergraduate GPA of at least 2.75 and a GMAT score of at least 450 are eligible for unconditional admission to the MBA program. GMAT Score may be up to 5 years old at the time of application. Applicants who do not meet the requirements for unconditional admission may be considered for conditional admission to the MBA program.
For information, contact the Associate Dean of Graduate Programs and Research, College of Business, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA 71272 or refer to our web site business.latech.edu/graduate
Foundation Requirements
Students entering the MBA program with undergraduate degrees, other than business need to demonstrate a knowledge base sufficient to enable them to complete graduate-level work in business. At a minimum, each student is presumed to be computer literate and to have had recent college-level course work in the following core areas:
A student may either complete the 15 hours of credit by enrolling in five undergraduate foundation courses, or one may choose the online Fast-Track option. There are four Fast-Track foundation courses. Each foundation course is online, self-paced, and graded on a pass/fail basis.
*ACCT 494 satisfies the requirements for both ACCT 201 and ACCT 202 .
The Associate Dean of Graduate Programs and Research of the College of Business determines the acceptability of all work submitted in satisfaction of the foundation and prescribes appropriate courses to be taken to remove any deficiencies.
MBA Curriculum
The MBA curriculum consists of a central group of courses known as the MBA Core. All MBA students take 24 semester hours in the MBA Core. Each core course, with the exception of the capstone course, is offered once per year. The capstone course is offered twice per year and requires successful completion of all MBA Core courses as prerequisites.
Those pursuing the General MBA will complete the MBA Core in addition to 6 semester hours of MBA electives. Any 500-level business course can serve as an elective course. Graduate courses outside the College of Business may serve as an elective if approved by the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research. Classes outside the college with a sufficient business/management focus will qualify for approval. In addition, a student internship may also count as an elective provided it has sufficient management focus. Credit for internships must be approved by the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research.
The MBA Core is supplemented by special coursework in Business Advanced Analytical Skills. Depending on the student’s individual professional needs, electives in the form of Application of Business Analytical Skills can be added to add a Concentration to the MBA.
Application of Business Analytical Skills
- Electives 9-12 Semester Credit Hours
Total: 36 SCH
A 30 hour general MBA is available with two College of Business electives. All electives must come from the College of Business unless otherwise approved by the Associate Dean of Graduate Programs and Research. A student who has recently completed an undergraduate program with specialization (major and minor) in one of the areas of business may be required to substitute a graduate business elective for the course in that area specified in the curriculum. For example, a student with an undergraduate degree in Accounting will be required to take ACCT 508 in lieu of ACCT 505 . Upon approval of the Associate Dean of Graduate Programs and Research, students may transfer up to 6 hours of graduate credit toward the MBA degree. To be eligible for graduate credit, courses must have been taken at a college of business accredited by the AACSB.
MBA with a Concentration in Information Assurance (36 hours)
The MBA with a concentration in Information Assurance (IA) offers students a highly distinctive MBA experience by combining the power of the MBA with specialized knowledge of IA. IA courses as a concentration in the MBA follow National Security Agency guidelines and will meet 4011 and 4016 certification requirements. This concentration prepares students for managerial positions in systems and network security and consists of the MBA Core Curriculum (24 hours) and four of the following five courses comprising the Application of Business Analytical Skills (12 hours) (CIS 521 , CIS 522 , CIS 523 , CIS 524 , CIS 525 ).