Oct 10, 2024

2014-2015 Graduate Catalog

2014-2015 Graduate Catalog [Not Current Academic Year. Consult with Your Academic Advisor for Your Catalog Year]

Business Administration, M.B.A.

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About the Program

The Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree is a fully-accredited curriculum that provides students with the professional skills necessary to manage a modern business enterprise. The degree program emphasizes practices that benefit the individual, the organization, and the social and economic environment.

In addition, the curriculum requires students to master topics in accounting, economics, finance, marketing, law and ethics, operations management, quantitative methods, information systems, management, and corporate strategy and policies. Electives may be selected from the following business areas: accounting and taxation, entrepreneurship, finance, general business, international business, management, MIS, marketing, operations management, and statistics. Within the elective section of the degree, students pursue one of the following paths:

Free Electives Path: A variety of graduate courses may be taken from across the college.
Focused Path: 9 or more hours may be taken in a single department to focus on a specific functional area (for example, MIS, Finance, etc.).

While there are several thousand institutions granting degrees in business administration, the University of Houston is one of approximately 711 colleges whose master’s programs are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), spanning 47 countries and territories. A total of 180 schools (including the C. T. Bauer College of Business) hold business and accounting accreditation. For more details on AACSB accreditation, you may visit http://www.aacsb.edu/accreditation/accredited-members/.

Degree Requirements

All students entering the Master of Business Administration program are required to have a four-year undergraduate degree or foreign equivalent from an accredited institution. The undergraduate degree may be in any discipline. All MBA candidates are expected to possess computer literacy (word processing, spreadsheet analysis, database management, PowerPoint) and the ability to use the Internet. Students without this background are expected to acquire this knowledge prior to enrollment in the program. At UH, an appropriate course equivalent is DISC 3300.

Program Structure

The M.B.A. Program is comprised of 21 core credit and 27 elective credit hours (48 semester hours) of graduate level academic work.

Core Courses (21 Semester Hours)

A total of eleven courses comprise the MBA core curriculum. These core courses are presented in modules to facilitate the student’s acquisition of cross-functional knowledge. These modules and courses are taken in the order shown.

Module 1

ACCT 6331 - Financial Accounting Credit Hours: 3.0
FINA 6A35 - Managerial Finance Credit Hours: 1.5
MARK 6A61 - Marketing Administration Credit Hours: 1.5
GENB 7A97 - Selected Topics Credit Hours: 1.5
(Topic: Business Communications)
MANA 6A83 - Strategic Analysis Credit Hours: 1.5

Module 2

FINA 6387 - Managerial Analysis Credit Hours: 3.0
MANA 6A32 - Organizational Behavior and Management Credit Hours: 1.5
SCM 6A01 - Production and Operations Management Credit Hours: 1.5
BZAN 6310 - Quantitative Analysis for Business Decisions Credit Hours: 3.0

Module 3

MANA 6A25 - Ethical Leadership and Critical Reasoning Credit Hours: 1.5
MIS 6A41 - Information Systems Credit Hours: 1.5

Note(s):

Please note that M.B.A. core courses may NOT be waived.

Electives (27 semester hours)

MBA candidates must take a minimum of 27 semester hours of 7000-level business elective courses to complete the degree. Two graduate-level electives outside the Bauer College of Business may be counted toward the degree subject to prior approval from the MBA Program Office.

Electives can be selected from the following business areas: accounting and taxation, finance, general business, international business, management, marketing, MIS, and operations management.

During the elective portion of the MBA program, students have the opportunity to pursue elective certificates. These certificates consist of 9-18 credit hours taken in a cross functional area. For more information on elective certificates, please visit the MBA Program Office website at http://www.bauer.uh.edu/graduate-studies/current-students/academic-information/certificates.php.

Note(s):

Waiver/Transfer Policy for Previously Completed Courses

None of the 48 credits required for the MBA degree may be waived. Transfer hours are also not accepted. In rare cases, waivers of a core course may be allowed with substitution of a higher level course in that area. On occasion, students close to degree completion who relocate due to a job transfer may be allowed to transfer in some elective credits with approval from the Assistant Dean and Advisor.

Waiver with Substitution

Students in certain rare academic cases may choose a waiver with substitution of an elective for a required course. Waiver with substitution possibilities must be discussed with the graduate advisors in the MBA Program Office. If a course is waived with substitution, the substituted course is within the same subject area as the required course, at the graduate level. The number of hours required for the M.B.A. program is not reduced.

Time Limitation

Students must complete the degree program within seven years; however, the last 36 hours of the program must be completed within the five-year period preceding the student’s graduation.

Continuous Enrollment

Unless students petition for a leave of absence, they should maintain continuous enrollment during the fall and spring semesters. Students who are not enrolled for more than one calendar year will be under the jurisdiction of the catalog in effect at the time of reentry. Students who fail to maintain continuous enrollment for more than two calendar years must reapply for admission, pay the Bauer College application fee, and must meet the admission requirements in effect at that time.

Effective Semester of Admission

Admission is granted only for a specific semester. If students postpone enrollment, they must secure approval from the MBA Program Office. Admission may be deferred for up to one year. The first semester in which students, as graduate students, complete graduate-level work that applies toward a degree is the effective semester of admission.