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:
- Examine the theory, principles, and knowledge necessary to manage modern business enterprises effectively;
- Work effectively in teams to formulate solutions to complex business problems;
- Develop an awareness of the issues and questions faced by those in leadership positions;
- Cultivate the particular skills necessary for the management of innovation;
- Design and communicate solutions to case studies and real-world problems.
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 MBA Admissions Committee will grant admission to those individuals who demonstrate significant accomplishment and/or high potential for success. The decision of the Admissions Committee 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. The Committee may also consider significant business experience as an indicator of an individual’s ability to complete the program.
Recipients of the Louisiana Tech Graduate Certificate in Communications Systems are not required to submit a GMAT score when applying 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:
The 494-level foundation courses are self-paced, pass/fail courses which may be used to satisfy certain MBA foundation requirements. Registration in these courses requires the permission of the Associate Dean of Graduate Programs and Research.
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 ma 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 Innovation (36 hours)
The MBA with a concentration in innovation is designed to provide students with the business knowledge and analytical skills to think critically and develop innovative solutions to problems in a business environment. This concentration consists of the Business Core (21 hours), the Business Advanced Analytical Skills (6 hours), and the following courses comprising the Application of Business Analytical Skills (9 hours) (ENTR 510 , ENTR 560 , and ENTR 501 ).