Business Administration (MBA)
The Master's of Business Administration (MBA) program provides students with advanced study in a multicultural business environment with the goal of enhancing their business and administrative careers. Specifically, the program is designed to meet the career needs of those who:
- Wish to enhance their professional opportunities in executive or administrative positions in business, industry, government and service industries.
- Seek to broaden their knowledge in the functional business areas in order to increase the effectiveness and self-assurance in their management abilities.
- Are initiating their own business or business career.
- Are preparing to seek admission to a doctoral program.
Scope
The Master's of Business Administration degree is a broad-based 36-hour program designed to empower students with management and analytical decision-making skills needed to function in a changing business environment. The program may be completed within two academic years. Program courses are scheduled during evening hours or online to accommodate the large number of students with full-time day jobs.
The Master's of Business Administration program is open to students who have a bachelor's degree in any discipline. However, MBA foundation courses or their equivalents must be taken prior to enrolling in core courses.
Admission Requirements
To be admitted to the graduate program in business administration, prospective candidates must first meet all requirements for graduate admission to UT Rio Grande Valley, as well as the other requirements listed below:
- Undergrad GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 semester credit hours. Students with a GPA lower than 3.0 but higher than 2.75 will be considered on a case-by- case basis.
- GMAT Exam with a minimum score 400 or the GRE test with minimum scores of 146 Verbal and 146 Quantitative
- Two letter of recommendations.
- Respond to five short answer questions to demonstrate writing competency and communication skills
A waiver of the GMAT requirement will be granted to applicants who show proof of one of the following:
- Another graduate degree (master’s or doctoral)
- An undergraduate GPA of 3.25 in upper-division courses in the last 60 semester credit hours.
- A waiver may be granted to those students who have more than four years of upper managerial experience in supervisory roles, control of budgets, and decision-making
Application for admission must be submitted prior to the published deadline. The application is available at www.utrgv.edu/gradapply.
Program Requirements
Foundation Courses
All students entering the MBA Program can comply with the Foundation Courses requirement by completing equivalent undergraduate coursework with a grade of B- or higher. Students without the required background must complete the following courses as applicable:
Required Courses (27 Credits)
Electives* (9 Credits)
Choose one of the following concentration:
Accounting Concentration
Required
Choose 3 hours from the following courses:
Select any one of the following MACC courses for which prerequisites are met.
Business Analytics Concentration
Required
| INFS 6350 | Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing | 3 |
Choose 6 hours from the following courses:
| INFS 6351 | Developing Customized Solutions for Business Analytics | 3 |
| QUMT 6350 | Machine Learning for Business Analytics | 3 |
Entrepreneurship Concentration
Required
Financial Planning Concentration
Choose 9 hours from the following courses:
General Concentration
Choose any 9 hours of MBA electives
With prior approval from the graduate program coordinator.
Health Care Administration Concentration
Choose 9 hours from the following courses:
International Trade Concentration
Required
Marketing Concentration
Choose 3 elective marketing courses:
Philanthropy and Non-Profit Organizations Concentration
Required
| ACCT 6362 | Wealth, Transfers, Trusts and Estates | 3 |
| FINA 6357 | Introduction to Charitable Giving | 3 |
Choose 3 hours from the following courses:
| MARK 6311 | Marketing Strategy for Non-Profits | 3 |
| MGMT 6309 | Strategic Fundraising Planning for Non-Profit Organizations | 3 |
Note: *For students interested in writing a thesis, 6 thesis hours will form part of the 9 hours of electives
Total Credit Hours: 36
Thesis Option
A student may elect to write a thesis in lieu of six hours of graduate elective coursework. The thesis is normally covered in two consecutive semesters.
Academic Standing
Three C Rule
A student who earns three C’s in the MBA Program will be placed on suspension and is ineligible to continue. The student may appeal the suspension to the MBA Committee.
"F" Rule
A student who receives a grade of F will be automatically dismissed from the MBA Program. The student may appeal the dismissal from the MBA Program to the MBA Committee.
Graduate Assistants
The College of Business Administration and Entrepreneurship at UT Rio Grande Valley employs graduate students as teaching or research assistants, depending upon the needs and budget of the college. Assistantships are awarded each semester with renewal based on successful academic and graduate assistant performance. Full-time graduate assistants are required to devote approximately 20 hours per week per semester to their assignment, while maintaining an enrollment in a minimum of nine hours of graduate coursework (six hours during summer sessions). Reappointment of a graduate assistant shall be limited to a maximum of two years.
Applications for assistantship awards are available through the business master’s programs. The completed application must be submitted to the Program Director. New students applying for an assistantship must submit a letter stating that they intend to enroll in a master's program in the College of Business Administration and Entrepreneurship.
Decisions to award graduate assistantships are made on a competitive basis by the Program Director.
Graduate students placed on academic probation or suspension are ineligible to serve as graduate assistants.