Mar 28, 2024  
2011-2012 Graduate Catalog 
    
2011-2012 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Master of Business Administration


  • Master of Business Administration
  • Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance, Organizational Development, Accounting or Management Information Systems

The academic advisor for all students in the MBA program is the Director of the MBA Program and his or her designees; students having any questions about courses or admissions policies should see the Director. The MBA Curriculum is designed to shepherd students through a process that will help them develop the skills that are in demand in the business world, and also provide them with an opportunity to apply those skills in an intensive format.

MBA Curriculum


The Master of Business Administration consists of a minimum of thirty (30) semester-hours of credit.  The thirty-hour requirement will include a core curriculum, three elective courses, and a series of required integrative courses including the capstone course.  In addition, those students who enter the program lacking adequate background in specific areas of business, as determined by our graduate faculty, will be required to take foundational courses in those fields.  Any foundation courses (BUSI 501-506) that are required must be completed prior to beginning the integrative courses, and may include as many as six additional courses for students with no business background.

The curriculum breaks down into five segments:

Orientation (0 hours)

Foundational Courses (varies, from 0 to 18 hours, depending on background)

Core Curriculum (12 hours)

Electives (9 hours required)

Integrative Courses (9 hours)

Orientation


For the Master of Business Administration program BUSI 600 - MBA Orientation  is mandatory. Students will be furnished with general information about graduate education, oriented to sites on campus, given an opportunity to meet some of the officials of the University, and provided the opportunity to ask questions about the program. MBA orientation will also provide students with an introduction to the academic rules and expectations of the program, an orientation to the type of technology they will be using, and an outline of the curriculum. The orientation program may be offered during summer if an adequate number of students register.

Foundational Courses


Foundational Courses are offered to students whose background in the business curriculum is incomplete, outdated, or forgotten, allowing students to update their skills before engaging in more advanced coursework in the discipline. MBA Core Curriculum courses will be required of all students. Students will participate in a selection of Integrative Courses designed to put into practice the theoretical knowledge attained earlier in the program, which includes the capstone course, BUSI 650. Students may select three additional elective courses. To complete the MBA sudents must take at least thirty (30) credit hours of graduate work above the foundational level.


  • 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.  At the discretion of the Director of the MBA Program 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.  All students must complete all foundational requirements before beginning the required Integrative Courses in the MBA program. 

    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 a two-course sequence in introductory accounting, including Financial Accounting and Managerial Accounting, with a grade of C or better in the past ten years. 

      and   are  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.

    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.

    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.

Master of Business Administration Requirements (30 hours)


MBA Core (12 hours)


ALL candidates for an MBA degree must complete the following BUSINESS (BUSI) courses, which account for twelve (12) credit hours:

MBA Electives (9 hours)


Students wishing to receive the general MBA must take at least three additional courses as electives. Any of the MBA courses in the Course Descriptions  section of the CSU Graduate Catalog, other than the foundational courses (BUSI 501-506), which are not taken to meet the requirements of the MBA core, quasi-core, or integrative courses are acceptable electives. Students receiving the general MBA take at least thirty (30) credit hours of graduate work.

Integrative Courses (9 Hours)


All candidates for an MBA degree must complete the following BUSI (Business) courses, which account for nine (9) credit hours.  These courses are typically more oriented to cases, projects, simulations, and experiential learning.  While new information may be introduced, these courses depend on student success in foundational courses, and will integrate concepts learned in those functional areas.  Students may not attempt integrative courses until they have completed all Foundational Courses that have not been waived.  The required integrative courses are:

MBA Exit Assessment


At the end of their program, all students are required to complete

  (0 credit hours) in their final semester, as a graduation requirement.

Master of Business Administration with an Emphasis Requirements (36 hours)


Students wishing to receive an emphasis within the MBA must take at least five additional BUSINESS (BUSI) courses, and four must be in one of the emphasis areas as listed below, instead of the three electives for the general MBA. Occasionally, a BUSI 651 Special Topics course may fit into an emphasis. Please consult the Director of the MBA Program to determine which 651 courses might fit which emphasis.

Accounting - At least four of the following:


Students taking courses in the accounting emphasis for the purpose of taking the CPA exams should take ALL of BUSI 525 , 528 , 570 , 663 , 664 , and 666 , and will need undergraduate courses in addition to those listed as the prerequisites for the MBA. Please see the Dean of the School of Business for the accounting emphasis.

Management Information Systems:


Students must take BUSI 614  plus at least three other electives or receive permission from the Director of the MBA to substitute another Management Information Systems elective for BUSI 614 . Permission to substitute another course for BUSI 614  will only be given to those students with the appropriate undergraduate background or work experience.

Policies Regarding Emphasis Selection


  1. Students receiving an emphasis within the MBA will have the emphasis noted on the official transcript. Diplomas do not reflect the emphasis.
     
  2. Students must declare an emphasis by filling out the appropriate form at the Registrar’s Office by midterm of the semester prior to graduating from the MBA program.
     
  3. A student who has received an MBA from Charleston Southern University without an emphasis may return to earn an emphasis by completing the necessary course requirements in the chosen emphasis. The student must take a MINIMUM of six (6) graduate hours to complete the emphasis.