Master of Business Administration (MBA) | Office | Website

The MBA is designed to accommodate the career needs of professionals across a wide variety of work organizations: business, health care, industrial, educational, and governmental. The MBA Program is fully accredited by AACSB - The International Association for Management Education. Organized in 1916, AACSB is the premier accrediting agency for bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs in business administration and accounting. For more information about AACSB, see their web site at http://www.aacsb.edu.

The MBA Program is open to students of high promise who have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university. No prior academic work in business is required. Admission decisions are based on a combination of the score attained on the required Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) and undergraduate grade point average (GPA). Other factors such as work experience, post graduate studies, personal essays, and recommendations may be considered.

Admission Materials

• (1) A University of Detroit Mercy Graduate Application Form, with the application fee;
• (2) Official transcripts for all previous academic work;
• (3) An official report with the scores earned on the GMAT; and
• (4) Any other information (such as letters of recommendation, a statement of philosophy and goals, a detailed resume) which the applicant feels is important to the admission decision.

The basic requirements for University of Detroit Mercy's MBA Program involve a 36 credit hour structure which includes the following set of core courses and a set of post-core courses.

Foundation Courses
Foundation requirements include a set of courses designed for those applicants who have had no exposure or limited exposure to business courses in their academic background and/or limited work experience. These courses, up to a maximum of 18 credit hours, may be required to guarantee preparedness for the program's core and post-core requirements.

Each applicant's program requirements are determined immediately following the admission decision. Pre-core requirements may be waived, in any number, depending upon the applicant's academic background. The mere fact that a student has completed coursework in one or more particular disciplines or had extensive work experience does not imply that any waiver will be granted. Prior academic work must be of sufficient quantity and quality as to satisfy the specific criteria established. As a general rule, to be even considered as a basis for waiver, prior coursework must have been at least a 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). Each student's specific requirements are determined individually with the objective of ensuring the overall quality of that student's degree program.

The Educational Testing Service administers the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). Information about the test and applications for it may be obtained by calling the Graduate Business Programs Office at (313) 993-1202, or by writing: GMAT, Educational Testing Service, CN6103, Princeton, NJ 08541-6103. GMAT Scholarship is available to those students who score 700 or higher.

Applicants whose admission materials do not lead to regular acceptance into the program may be considered for conditional entry status. Conditional entry status is restricted to a narrow margin of applicants and usually requires a personal interview.

Individuals currently enrolled in another AACSB-accredited MBA program may obtain Guest Student Status for a limited number of courses by providing a statement of good standing from their school's dean or program director.

Post-core courses also include a nine-hour series (beyond pre-core and core courses) aimed at providing an elective route for all MBA students. Such an elective route may be utilized by the student in two ways:

• (1) To seek a mixture of advanced electives which the student desires as a means of enhancing specific career objectives, or
• (2) To seek a specialization in which the student desires to focus post-core electives within a specific field (beyond pre-core and core courses).

In such cases, the designation of "Advanced Placement" (AP) is used to direct the student into a designated advanced course, as worked out with the program director.

Credits earned by the student in an AP designation will be counted towards the student's core requirements.

Several important aspects of the MBA Program should be noted. These include policies regarding grade point averages, class scheduling, and advising.

Students in the MBA Program are required to achieve and maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better (on a 4.0 scale). A 3.0 cumulative GPA is required for final completion of the degree requirements and graduation.

While an individual may be admitted into the MBA Program on a regular-acceptance basis, it is possible that the individual's eventual cumulative GPA may fall below a 3.0 in any particular term. When this situation occurs, the student automatically is placed on "Academic Probation". This status dictates that the student's cumulative GPA must continue to improve in each consecutive term thereafter until the cumulative GPA reaches 3.0 and is then sustained at that level or higher. If, after being placed on Academic Probation, the student's cumulative GPA does not improve in each subsequent term, the student will be academically dismissed.

MBA classes are scheduled in the evening and on the weekend. Classes are currently offered on the McNichols Campus. Evening classes begin at either 6:00 or 6:40 p.m., Monday through Thursday for Term I and Term II. Term I, commencing the day after Labor Day, is 15 weeks in length; Term II, commencing in early January, is also 15 weeks long. Some Foundation Courses are offered in an eight-week format in both terms. Each summer session is seven weeks in length. Summer I commences in early May. Summer II begins in late June. Evening classes for both sessions are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 5:30 - 8:00 p.m. and 8:10 - 10:40 p.m.

An individual may undertake the MBA Program on either a full-time or part-time basis. Full-time student status usually involves a nine or above credit-hour course load in Terms I and II. Part-time student status usually entails a 1-8 credit hour load in Terms I and II. Students who have not completed their required program within five years may be subject to re-evaluation and additional coursework. Students not enrolled for more than two consecutive terms (without prior approval of the program director) may be required to re-apply for admission.

Graduate assistantships are available to selected full-time students enrolled in any graduate business program. A graduate assistantship is conferred upon a student with the understanding that the student will be assigned to a discipline or program to assist in research, tutoring or general activities. In return, the student receives a tuition waiver for up to nine credit hours in Term I and/or Term II. Application forms for a graduate assistantship are available in the Graduate Business Programs Office.

Through its Cooperative Education and Career Center, the University of Detroit Mercy offers a professional practice program for MBA candidates. After completing the appropriate credit hours in the MBA Program, students are eligible for a career-related professional practice assignment. The professional practice model is based on traditional co-op, providing students with the opportunity to select either full-time assignments, alternating semesters of work with study, or part-time assignments, with parallel semesters of work and study. A minimum of two assignments is required, with three assignments being the maximum a student may complete. The professional practice program model combines the success of traditional co-op with the new demands for graduate student programming. The professional practice coordinator, upon the recommendation of the program director, accepts students into the program. Upon placement, students are required to enroll in Business Administration Co-op 595, 596, 597. Grades are based on the evaluation of the employer, a written professional practice training report and a progress interview with the student's professional practice coordinator. Please refer to the Professional Practice Handbook, available in the Cooperative Education and Career Center for additional requirements.

An MBA student may elect, with approval of the associate dean, to write a master's thesis for the equivalent of six credit hours. These credits are applied to the student's electives. A thesis advisor will be selected from the faculty.

The Coordinator of Graduate Business Programs serves as general academic advisor for all students entering the MBA or MSCIS Program. When appropriate, specific advising matters may be referred to the advisor in a particular academic discipline.

Beta Gamma Sigma. Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma, a national scholastic honor society for graduates in the field of business and management, is the highest national scholastic honor that a student in a school of business or management can achieve. Eligibility for membership in Beta Gamma Sigma places a student in a very select group and is conferred for a lifetime status. Beta Gamma Sigma chapters are only chartered in those business schools which are accredited by the AACSB. For more information about Beta Gamma Sigma, see their web site at http://www.betagammasigma.org.