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College of Business Administration

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Graduate Progams

The College of Business Administration offers graduate study leading to the Master of Science in Accountancy, Master of Science in Supply Chain Management, and Master of Business Administration (MBA). The degrees offered by the College of Business Administration are accredited by the AACSB - International.

The graduate degrees are designed to serve the community by providing graduate business education to persons who show promise of leadership and success in business or related fields. For this reason, the faculty of the College of Business Administration has established rigorous standards of admission and completion for the programs.

Administration of CBA Graduate Programs

All College of Business Administration Graduate Programs are administered by the CBA Graduate Programs Office, CBA 363. The Graduate Programs Director heads that office.

Admission to Graduate Study

In addition to admission by the University Office of Admissions and Records, an applicant for graduate study in business must apply to and be admitted by the College of Business Administration (CBA) Graduate Programs Office.

Admission Procedures

1. Students interested in applying to the MS Program or the MBA program at CSULB have to follow a two-step application process. First, they should file a CSULB Graduate Program application using the California State University's online application program called CSUMENTOR at www.csumentor.edu Second, they also need to apply to the College of Business Administration's MS orMBA Program, using the CBA's online application program called ADVANCE at www.csulb.edu/cba/advance. These two applications may be started simultaneously, but acceptance to both the University and the CBA is necessary to enroll in the MBA Program.

2. One complete set of official transcripts of all college work attempted are required, and must be uploaded to Advance System.

3. Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or Graduate Records Examination (GRE) scores must be forwarded directly from the GMAC or ETS, to the College of Business Administration Graduate Programs Office. The GMAT code for the CBA MS or MBA Programs is 364-M9-69. The GRE Institutional code for all programs is 8848, Dept. Code is 4201. Test scores over 5 years old will not be considered.

4. International applicants should first contact the Center for International Education on campus for all application requirements. International students who score less than a "4" on the GMAT or GRE writing section should contact the CBA Graduate Programs Office directly for available options.

In addition to the steps above, all international applicants are required to complete all the usual steps of all applicants to the MS and MBA programs.

Application Deadlines

Deadlines for International applications are:

  • April 1 for CSU Mentor Application, April 15 for CBA Advance Application for Fall Semester admission. This applies to all graduate programs except as noted directly below.
  • October 1 for CSU Mentor Application, October 15 for CBA Advance Application for Spring Semester admission. This applies to the Spring Evening MBA Program Only.

Deadline for domestic applications are:

  • April 15 for both CSU Mentor and CBA Advance for the Daytime, Accelerated MBA only.
  • June 1 for both CSU Mentor Application and CBA Advance Application for Fall Semester admission. This applies to the MS programs and the Saturday MBA and Fall admissions for the Evening MBA Program.
  • November 1 for both CSU Mentor Application and CBA Advance Application for Spring Semester admission. This November 1 deadline applies to Spring admissions for the Evening MBA Program only.

Because of high demand for admission to the graduate programs, it is aadvised that students submit their application to the program early. No action can be taken on applications until all required documents are received. Except in highly unusual circumstances, application materials submitted after the above dates will not be considered.

Criteria

Admission will be granted to students showing high promise of success in post-baccalaureate business study. Each applicant's potential for graduate management education is evaluated on the basis of six major criteria:

  • 1. Past Academic Record, as reflected in undergraduate GPA or other Graduate programs.
  • 2. Graduate Records Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT).
  • 3. Managerial Experience: demonstration of increasing levels of responsibility.
  • 4. Written Communication ability as demonstrated in the Applicant's "Statement of Purpose" to clearly identify their leadership potential, educational goals and academic strengths.
  • 5. Two Letters of Recommendation.

Upon completion of evaluation by the CBA Graduate Director, the student is notified by email of acceptance or rejection.

Enrollment

Students must meet all of the CBA Graduate Admissions criteria in order to be admitted into the University as a CBA Graduate student.

Admission to Graduate Courses

Only students who have been admitted to the MS or MBA program may take graduate courses in Business Administration. The only exception is that students who have been admitted to other Master's programs at CSULB may take select graduate courses in Business Administration to meet the requirements for their programs, with the permission of their major advisor and the Director of Graduate Programs.

Enrollment in graduate courses through the Open University will normally be permitted only for students in an AACSB-accredited graduate program elsewhere with a letter of permission from the Associate Dean/Dean of the student's home university, or for alumni of the CSULB Graduate Programs.

Continuous Enrollment

Once a student is accepted and enrolled in any of the CBA Graduate Programs, he/she is expected to attend classes both semesters of the academic year. (Fall and Spring semesters are considered the regular semesters of the academic year; in the evening porgram Summer attendance is optional.) Registration and completion of at least one course each semester satisfies the Continuous Enrollment requirement.

If a student is unable to satisfy the Continuous Enrollment requirement, he/she must complete the Educational Leave of Absence procedures detailed below. Continuous Enrollment status will only be preserved if the student's absence from a regular semester has been processed and approved through the Educational Leave of Absence procedures.

Students failing to maintain Continuous Enrollment status will be administratively removed from the CBA Graduate Programs. Registration privileges will be revoked. Students planning to continue in the CBA Graduate Programs who have been administratively removed due to the violation of the Continuous Enrollment condition will be required to re-apply to the CBA Graduate Programs and to the University.

Leave of Absence

Any CBA graduate students in good academic standing may request an Educational Leave. Students requesting an Educational Leave must complete an Educational Leave Form, in advance, including an explanation of their reasons for seeking the leave and a statement of when they intend to resume academic work. The completed form is to be submitted for approval to the CBA Graduate Programs Office and the University Admission and Records Office in accordance with University Policy.

The minimum initial leave will be one full semester; the maximum will be one calendar year. A student may request, in writing; and in advance, an extension of leave. Under no circumstances will the total number of approved educational leaves exceed two, nor will the duration of approved educational leaves extend beyond two calendar years.

Students returning from an approved one semester educational leave are not required to submit an application form. Students on leave longer than one semester must apply for re-admission to the university. Students returning from an absence for which an educational leave was appropriate but not approved in advance must complete the entire CBA Graduate admission process.

An Educational Leave of Absence, if properly requested and processed, allows a student to satisfy the Continuous Enrollment requirement and therefore does not affect their good standing status. Students on an approved education leave of absence will continue to receive registration information.

Graduate students who plan to enroll for credit at another institution of higher education during the leave period must obtain prior approval for the transfer of course credit to the student's program from the department chair in question and the CBA Graduate Programs Director.

The period of an educational leave is counted in the calculation of elapsed time under the regulations governing the seven year maximum period for completion of the CBA Graduate degree requirements.

For the period of an educational leave the student's rights under the "Election of Regulation" rule are preserved, maintaining the right of the student to elect regulations as if he or she had maintained continuous attendance. See the CSULB Catalog, General Rules and Procedures section, for a complete explanation of the Election of Regulation - "Catalog Rights".

An educational leave presupposes no expenditure of University resources or faculty and staff time on behalf of the student during the period of the leave. In addition, no computer facilities, no library privileges, and no student services are available to a student on educational leave.

Scholastic Standards/Probation/Disqualification

A student who fails to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in all work completed as a graduate student at this University or in all transferred work applied to the program will be placed on academic probation. The semester in which the student's GPA falls below 3.0 is the First Probational Semester.

A student on probation, who at the end of the Third Probationary Semester fails to obtain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on all units attempted in post-baccalaureate work at CSULB, will be disqualified and removed from the graduate program. The student should note that the cumulative GPA is calculated by the University Admissions and Records Office and includes all upper division and graduate courses taken while enrolled in the graduate program.

For MBA students, a grade of "C" or better is required in any course taken to satisfy first or second year Core requirements. A grade of "B" or better is required in GBA 699. If either of these requirements is not met, a student must take the course a second time or withdraw from the program. A second failure to achieve the required grade will result in involuntary separation from the program. This requirement operates independently of the requirement for a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.

Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR)

As a requirement for advancement to candidacy, all graduate students must demonstrate writing competency by:

  • 1. Passing an approved CSULB assessment of writing competence (GWAR),
  • 2. Having already passed an assessment of writing competence (GWAR) while matriculated at another CSU campus, or
  • 3. Earning a CSULB-approved passing score on the writing portion of an approved standardized graduate admissions test, such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT).

Assessments of writing competence from non-CSU campuses will be evaluated by the GWAR Coordinator as a fulfillment of the GWAR, on an articulation basis if possible or on a case-by-case basis if necessary.

Students with degrees from non-CSU campuses must either provide evidence of meeting the requirement with adequate scores on a CSULB-approved standardized test or attempt to satisfy the GWAR by the end of their first semester of matriculation at CSULB.


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