Master of Business Administration

Overview

AACSB-logo-accredited-color-RGBThe Master of Business Administration online program at Sam Houston State University is designed to develop candidates for positions of leadership in modern organizations. Managerial procedures and practices are continually changing. Therefore, the program emphasizes the integration and synthesis of various disciplines to develop a student’s ability to function in a dynamic environment and make sound administrative decisions that maximize the value and contributions of an organization. The MBA program is suited for qualified students from any academic discipline. The program provides the candidate with a basic managerial background through the core requirements while providing individualized adaptation through elective courses.

The MBA requires 30 graduate hours including 21 hours of core courses and 9 hours of electives. 

Core and elective courses are available to complete our MBA program entirely online. Please see current schedule of classes for the course offerings.

The MBA program may be completed in as few as four semesters; however, it is not recommended that students who are working attempt more than 6 hours in a semester. A more realistic timeline would be approximately two years.

Admission Process Requirements

  1. Complete the online graduate application form.
  2. Pay the application fee.
  3. Submit Official transcript(s) from all previous college work (except SHSU graduates).
  4. Submit an official GMAT score.
  5. Submit a current resume (emailed to graduate@shsu.edu).

International students must submit all of the above information plus:

  1. Official TOEFL score of at least 79 (or IELTS score of at least 6.5).
  2. English translations and evaluation of official transcripts.

Graduate Application Deadlines

U.S. Citizens

Fall - August 1

Spring - December 15

Summer - May 15

International Students

Fall - June 25

Spring - November 12

Summer - April 9

Admission Criteria

  • Degree from a U.S. university
    • Meet or exceed one of the following admission formulas:
      • 200 (Undergraduate GPA) + GMAT Score > 1100*
      • 200 (Advanced Hours Undergraduate GPA) + GMAT Score > 1150**
  • Degree from a non- U.S. university
    • Students who earned a undergraduate degree from a university located outside of the United States must satisfy all of the following to be considered for admission into SHSU’s MBA program.
      • GMAT score of at least 500.
      • TOEFL score of at least 79 or IELTS score of at least 6.5.
      • English translations and evaluation of official transcripts.

    • GMAT Waiver Requests
      A GMAT waiver may be granted based on the following criteria:

      • GPA 2.75+: Eligible for a comprehensive academic review.
      • GPA 2.5+ (U.S. Degree) & 3+ Years Experience: May qualify based on significant post-degree managerial/professional experience, evaluated via resume review.
      • Non-U.S. Degrees: Not eligible for a waiver.

    The undergraduate GPA is based on courses taken at the degree-granting institution; transfer grades are not included. The advanced hours GPA reflects junior and senior-level courses at the same institution, excluding transfer grades.

    Stem Requirements for Non-Business 

    The stem classes serve as prerequisites for the graduate business courses and are required for students who did not take the equivalent courses as part of their baccalaureate program or for students with a baccalaureate degree from a non-U.S. university. The graduate stem courses (5300s) do not apply to the 36-hour graduate credit hour requirement of the MBA degree.

    Stem Course Requirements
    ACCT 5300 Analysis of Accounting Information 3 hours
    BANA 5300 Quantitative Tools for Business 3 hours
    ECON 5300 Economic Principles and Policy 3 hours
    FINC 5300 Business Finance Environment 3 hours
    MGMT 5300 Foundations of Strategic Management 3 hours

    Degree Plan

    Item

    Requirement

    Options

    Hours Required

    1

    Specified Courses

    ACCT 5304 Accounting for Management
    BUAD 5310 Managerial Communication
    BANA 5368 Techniques of Statistical Analysis
    MKTG 5330 Marketing Management
    FINC 5310 Managerial Finance

    MGMT 5345 Seminar in Team Leadership
    MGMT 5390 Seminar in Strategic Management and Policy
    (This is a capstone course. A grade of "B" or better is required for graduation)

    MGMT 5315 Seminar in Operations Management

    24

    2

    ECON Elective1

    Choose one from:
    ECON 5XXX (any 5000 level ECON course, excluding ECON 5380 and ECON 5300)

    3

    3

    COBA Electives1

    Choose three from:

    General Electives (may choose three from: All graduate courses in the College of Business Administration - Excluding ACCT 5300, BANA 5300, ECON 5300, MGMT 5300 and FINC 5300)

    9

    TOTAL

    36

    1MBA Concentrations

    For those students that would like to concentrate on specific disciplinary areas, the ECON and COBA electives can target the following course options. Students wishing a second concentration would need to complete additional coursework beyond the minimum 30 hours required within the MBA program.

    Concentration in Economics (Choose 4 from the following list.)

    • ECON 5301 – Mathematical Methods for Applied Economics
    • ECON 5305 – Microeconomics
    • ECON 5307 – Macroeconomics
    • ECON 5325 – Econometrics
    • ECON 5340 – International Economics
    • ECON 5348 – Topics in Development Economics
    • ECON 5350 – Applied Topics in Health Economics
    • ECON 5351 – Seminar in Managerial Economics
    • ECON 5352 – Energy Economics
    • ECON 5357 – Seminar in Managerial Economics
    • ECON 5360 – Economic Analysis of Strategy
    • ECON 5370 – Economic Theory
    • ECON 5373 – Urban Economics

    Concentration in Finance (Choose 3 from the following list.)

    • FINC 5333 – Financial Statement Analysis
    • FINC 5340 – International Finance
    • FINC 5345 – Seminar in Investments
    • FINC 5370 – Problems in Administrative Finance

    Concentration in Human Resource Management (Choose 3 from the following list.)

    • MGMT 5355 – Seminar in Human Resource Management
    • MGMT 5360 – Staffing Organizations
    • MGMT 5365 – Compensation Management

    Concentration in Management (Choose 1 from the following list.)

    • MGMT 5316 – Supply Chain Management
    • MGMT 5318 – Quality Management
    • MGMT 5320 – Management of Innovation and Technology
    • MGMT 5323 – Tools of Project Management
    • MGMT 5325 – Project Management
    • MGMT 5330 – Operations Planning and Control
    • MGMT 5350 – Leading Organizational Change and Development
    • MGMT 5355 – Seminar in Human Resource Management
    • MGMT 5360 – Staffing Organizations
    • MGMT 5365 – Seminar in Compensation Management

    Concentration in Project Management

    • MGMT 5325 - Project Management

    Choose 2 from the following list.

    • MGMT 5318 – Quality Management
    • MGMT 5323 – Tools of Project Management
    • MGMT 5327 – Agile Project Management
    • MGMT 5330 – Operations Planning and Control

    Concentration in Real Estate 

    • ECON 5373 Urban Economics
    • REAL 5350 Real Estate Debt
    • REAL 5351 Real Estate Equity
    • REAL 5352 Real Estate Market and Development Feasibility Analysis 3

    Concentration in Supply Chain Management

    • MGMT 5316 - Supply Chain Management

    Choose 2 from the following list.

    • MGIS 5360 – Managing Business Systems Design
    • MGMT 5318 – Quality Management
    • MGMT 5330 – Operations Planning and Control
    • MGMT 5375 – ERP Business Process Integration

    For more information or advisement, contact the COBA Office of Graduate Studies:

    Fred Forgey
    Associate Dean
    Tel: (936) 294-1239
    Fax: (936) 294-3612
    E -mail: busgrad@shsu.edu
    Mailing Address: P. O. Box 2056, Huntsville, TX 77341-2056