Students may seek a waiver for any and all Foundational Courses. Those who have previously taken the prerequisites may demonstrate mastery of the material normally taught in the foundational courses by offering an official transcript demonstrating that an academically-comparable course has been completed within the allotted time frame at an academically-rigorous, regionally-accredited institution with the required grade. Any student may bypass a Foundational Course by successfully passing a qualifying exam in that subject area if an exam is available. At the discretion of the Director of Graduate Programs or the Admissions Committee, a waiver may be granted based on other evidence that their background in the subject area is sufficient, such as professional certification or years of experience in the subject field.
Upon acceptance to the program, each student will receive an analysis of their background and a breakdown of which foundational courses will be required. Students who have concerns about their ability in a specific functional area, or who fear they have forgotten the basics in that field, are also encouraged to take those additional courses even if they are not required.
A tentative evaluation of transcripts for consideration of waivers of foundational coursework may be provided after the application for admission has been received, based upon unofficial transcripts, but the course waivers will not be credited until official transcripts or other required documentation are received.
Pre-requisite requirements and their corresponding Foundational Course equivalents are:
Accounting: Students must have completed courses in Financial Accounting and Managerial Accounting with a grade of C or better in the past ten years. BUSI 508 Foundations of Accounting is offered for students who have not satisfied this requirement.
Management: Students must have completed a course in management, including Principles of Management, at the 300-level or above with a grade of C or better in the past ten years.
is offered for students who have not satisfied this requirement.
Marketing: Students must have completed a Principles of Marketing course at the 300-level or above with a grade of C or better in the past ten years. is offered for students who have not satisfied this requirement.
Statistics: Students must have completed a business or applied mathematics course where they would have learned basic statistics, with a grade of C or better in the past ten years. Topics covered should have included probability rules, binomial and normal distribution, estimation, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis. Basic differential calculus (definitions of continuity and derivative, rules of differentiation, elementary optimization) is highly recommended, but not required, for regular admission.
is offered for students who have not satisfied this requirement.
Economics: Students must have completed a two-course sequence in economics, with grades of C or better in the past ten years.
is offered for students who have not satisfied this requirement.
Finance: Students must have completed a course in corporate finance at the 300-level or above with a grade of B or better in the past seven years.
is offered for students who have not satisfied this requirement.