Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Master of Business Administration

The UMass Dartmouth MBA program is AACSB-accredited, the highest international accreditation standard for schools of business.

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) program provides students with advanced preparation in Management, enabling them to participate as educated professionals in society and the business environment and compete in a dynamic global economy. The MBA program has the following objectives:

• To assist students in understanding, critically evaluating, and contributing to a wide range of business issues needed to effectively manage change in a globally interdependent, diverse world.
• To enhance the interpersonal communication and analysis/synthesis skills of our students so that they may work effectively as managers and leaders.
• To assist students in developing the necessary knowledge and skills in accounting, finance, marketing, information systems and operations necessary to work effectively as managers and leaders in today’s organizations.
• To help students recognize and evaluate the ethical implications of their actions and to act as socially responsible business professionals.
• To encourage and reward students’ willingness and ability to think and analyze issues in ways that cross traditional functional boundaries. 

The MBA curriculum is designed to develop knowledge of the functions and techniques of management and to blend an understanding of the social, technological, economic, and political environments in which organizations operate. It provides the student with both a strong foundation in the key disciplines of business and an integrative view of how those areas interact. A key objective of the program is to provide a rich opportunity to specialize in an area of particular interest to the student. This capability provides the foundation for successful mid- and senior-level management positions.

MBA Learning Outcomes

On completion of the program, students are expected to have mastered each of the following learning goals:

Ethics/social responsibility: Students must demonstrate an ability to think critically about ethical issues, to analyze and evaluate situations from opposing ethical perspectives, and to understand social responsibility as an ethical or ideological theory that corporations and organizations have a responsibility to society. 

Written Communications: Students must demonstrate the technical skills and craftsmanship needed to develop professionally written business communication that present useful, accurate information, elicit audience interest, effectively convey the intended message, and demonstrate competence in the use of the English language.

Oral Communications: Students must demonstrate informal speaking skills that effectively transmit their own needs without encouraging defensive response. They must also demonstrate the technical skills and craftsmanship needed to make formal presentations present accurate information, elicit audience interest and understanding of the intended message, and show they have competence in the use of the English language. 

Problem-Solving/Rational, Analytical Thinking: Students must demonstrate the ability to think systematically and logically, to use analysis, interpretation, evaluation, inference, and explanation to examine reasons and evidence for sound objective decisions and in resolving complex, ill-structured problems.

Management of a Business Enterprise: Students must demonstrate their fundamental knowledge of each of the functional domains of the business enterprises, understand the interdependency existing among them, and analyze business strategies that leverage the competencies of each.

The Master of Business Administration program is designed for students with diverse undergraduate backgrounds. It is suitable for students with non-business undergraduate degrees as well as for those with undergraduate degrees in business. Current MBA students have undergraduate degrees in business and other fields such as engineering, computer science, and liberal arts. Depending on background or experience, these students may waive portions of their required foundation courses to permit both program success and timely progress through the program.

The program is designed with the flexibility needed for full-time or part-time students. Students may take as few as one or as many as five courses per semester. Depending on prior preparation and pace of study, the program may be completed in one to five years. Classes are offered in the evening and in the afternoon Monday through Thursday. Part-time and full-time students attend the same classes, resulting in a stimulating mixture of part-time mid-career professionals from the region and full-time students drawn from world wide.

MBA Admission Requirements

Admission to the MBA program is available to qualified candidates who hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education. Candidates must submit the required application materials and application fee to the Graduate School. The minimum graduate admission requirements are:

• Previous College Experience. An official transcript from all institutions of higher education ever attended is required. The transcript must show dates attended, final grades, and credits earned. Applicants who attended a college/university outside the United States must have their official transcripts translated into English, by a credit evaluation service, showing final GPA scores.
• GMAT exam (or equivalent). A minimum GMAT score of 500 is preferred. LSAT or GRE could be substituted for the GMAT exam. *waiver available see below.
• Two letters of recommendation: preferably from a faculty member or an employer
• Statement of purpose: a 1-2 page essay describing the applicant’s motivation and goals.
• A Current Resume.
• Candidates whose Bachelor’s degree was not earned in an approved English language country must submit either the TOEFL exam (minimum score of 80 internet-based or 550 paper-based) or IELTS exam (minimum band score of 6.5).

The GMAT requirement for MBA program admission consideration at UMass Dartmouth is waived if the applicant proves, to UMass Dartmouth’s satisfaction, any of the following:

• An earned a baccalaureate degree (or the equivalent of a USA baccalaureate degree) in any major/discipline from an accredited college/university with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00 on a 4.00 scale.
• An earned terminal graduate degree (PhD, MD, JD, DNP, DBA, etc.) from an accredited institution.
• Licensure in the United States as a Certified Public Accountant or Certified Financial Planner. Other certification programs may also qualify for this waiver at the discretion of UMass Dartmouth.
• At least five (5) years of managerial/supervisory work experience. Minimum documentation required:  Letter of recommendation from at least one (1) employer (preferably current employer) and resume which cites months and years of all employment, all employer(s) name(s), all job title(s), and specific description(s) of managerial/supervisory duties.
• An earned Graduate Certificate from the Charlton College of Business at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30.

Three Modes of Delivery

Alternative delivery methods are available for a number of MBA courses.  These include traditional face-to-face format, a hybrid format with face-to-face and online delivery, and a fully online format (for students admitted to the online track).  For more information, please contact the Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies at the Charlton College of Business (508-999-8543).

Graduate Program Alternative Formats

Full-time MBA

Core courses and electives are offered such that students can complete their degree or certificate program on a full-timebasis in as little as 3 semesters, depending on their prior education and experience. Full-time in-residence students may receive teaching, research, or general graduate assistantships. Resident international students are classified as full-time students. 

Part-time MBA 

Students may enroll in the MBA program on a part-time basis if it better meets their professional needs.  Part time students are not eligible for assistantships and they cannot study full-time unless they notify the registrar of their change in status.

Academic Policies for MBA Program

Academic standing in the UMass Dartmouth MBA program is governed by the following policies:

      1. Prospective MBA students can take up to 2 (two) core courses or six credits before matriculation with approval of the Assistant Dean, Graduate Programs.

      2. Students should complete all course work for the MBA degree within ten successive semesters after candidacy status in the MBA advanced core program.

      3. Requests for a leave of absence from the university should be submitted in writing to the Director for Graduate Studies before the start of any given semester. The deadline for a leave of absence request will concur with that of registration for the coming semester.

      4. If a regular (not summer) semester passes with a break in registration, and the student has not secured written permission from the Registrar’s office, they will be dropped from the program. The student may be      reinstated upon application to the Director for Graduate Studies when one semester is skipped. If two successive regular semesters pass with a break in registration, the student will be automatically dropped from the program and must reapply for admission through the Graduate Studies Office.

      5. Students are required to maintain a cumulative average of “B” or better in all courses attempted at UMass Dartmouth. By general policy, only grades of “C” or higher will be accepted toward the MBA degree. When calculating interim cumulative averages, incomplete “I” grades which are older than one semester will be considered as “F.”

      6. No more than two grades below “B-” will be allowed. Grades ranging from “A” to “C” are passing grades. If a grade of “C-” or less is received, the course must be repeated and a higher grade must be obtained

      7. Candidates who satisfy all the course requirements but have not achieved the 3.0 average may be allowed to take a maximum of six additional credits to improve their average. Individuals who fall into this category must first appeal to the Assistant Dean, Graduate Programs, for permission.

      8. If at any time during the course of study a student’s cumulative average falls below 3.0, the individual may be placed on academic probation or dismissed from the program.

      9. The academic sanction is made by Associate Provost for Graduate Studies and emailed to the student and copied to the Assistant Dean, Graduate Programs, CCB. The individual may appeal to the Assistant Dean, in writing, within thirty calendar days of receipt of the copy of the Associate Provost’s recommendation. The Dean of the Charlton College of Business, along with the Associate Provost for Graduate Studies will make the final determination as to whether to rescind the dismissal. The individual will be permitted to continue in the MBA program while an appeal is in progress.

      10. Students are required to submit official notification of formal withdrawal from the program to the Registrar’s office.

      11. Change of address and other emergency contact information must be made in COIN.

      12. Students may transfer a maximum of 6 semester hours of credits from AACSB accredited institutions to the MBA program with the approval of the Assistant Dean, Graduate Programs, CCB, provided the courses have a B or better grade.