Business Administration (MBA)
Degree: Master of Business Administration
Program Code: 8100
About This Program . . .
The Colorado Mesa University Master of Business Administration degree is a challenging program designed to prepare graduates for the changing business world. The degree is awarded after successful completion of 36-39 semester hours of rigorous study. The program is designed to provide the student with a broad background in business while allowing the student to focus on a specified area of study, if desired. To this end, students acquire knowledge of management operations; an appreciation of the interrelationships involved in business; an understanding of the economic, political and social environment in which businesses function; and behavioral skills that are essential in the manager’s role in the implementation of business decisions. The MBA program endeavors to provide an atmosphere conducive to the development of each student’s ability to think in a creative manner and to effectively problem solve. The MBA program is 100% online with no residency requirements. We make extensive use of the latest learning management systems to disseminate course materials, lectures, simulations, group projects, case studies and applied research. All of our courses are taught by qualified graduate faculty with exceptional experience in higher education and industry.
An MBA student can pursue one of several tracks; Professional track, Management Information Systems track, Healthcare Administration, or Sports Management track. Each track has three basic components: a 27-hour core, a 3-hour research component, and 6-9 hours of additional master's level coursework consistent with a chosen track.
There are two types of applicants for the MBA program. The first type is the Traditional MBA applicant who has earned an undergraduate degree. The second type of applicant has not yet earned their undergraduate degree and is currently enrolled at CMU in the BS Public Accounting program, the BBA Finance program, or the BS Construction Management program and may qualify to pursue the MBA as part of a Bachelor degree 3+2 MBA concurrent enrollment program.
Important information for the Traditional MBA applicant:
- An applicant must:
- Domestic applicants must possess an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited college or university;
- Have earned a GPA of 3.0 or better from the most recent 60 credit hours of course work earned toward a bachelor’s degree, including required leveling courses;
- Submit an essay indicating reasons for seeking a Master of Business Administration degree including professional and/or career goals and pertinent past work experience. The minimum length is 750 words, submitted as MS Word document with 1” margins, 12 pt. font and a cover page which includes the name of applicant and date;
- Provide a current resume;
- Provide contact information for two (2) recommendations: one professional and one academic;
- An international student must take the TOEFL and achieve a score of 550 or higher (213 on the computer-based tests or 79-80 on the internet-based test), and meet other requirements as specified under International Student Admission criteria.
- Leveling Courses provide a foundation for success in the MBA program. Applicants who enter the program with an undergraduate degree in business come prepared with business knowledge from these courses. Non-business majors are encouraged, but not required, to prepare for their MBA experience by taking the following courses. While each of these courses is offered by CMU, additional delivery methods are available, including online instruction.. The leveling courses are: ACCT 201, CISB 101, FINA 301, MANG 201, MARK 231, and CISB 241 or STAT 241.
- 36-39 Semester Hours are required for the MBA Degree.
- No class grade lower than “B” will be counted in the degree.
- It is the student’s responsibility to read, understand, and follow all policies and procedures in the MBA Handbook.
- Prior to completing their first semester or first six hours of the program a student must file a Degree Planning Sheet with the MBA Coordinator to delineate that student’s specific degree requirements.
- Admission to the program also follows all general admissions policies & procedures for graduate programs outlined in the university catalog.
Important information for the 3+2 MBA applicant:
Applicants must meet the following criteria in addition to all of the criteria for the MBA program.
- Accepted into one of the following four-year bachelor degree programs, must have successfully completed the indicated courses, and must have earned the indicated number of credit hours in the bachelor degree major.
- BS in Accounting, Public Accounting Concentration; ACCT 322 or currently enrolled in it; 11 hours of ACCT.
- BBA, Finance Concentration; FINA 301 and FINA 320; 17 hours of BBA Foundation Courses.
- BS in Construction Management; CONM 340, 361, and 362 or 379; 17 hours of BS Foundation Courses.
- Classified as a senior (i.e., at least 90 credit hours including hours in which the student is currently enrolled and for which the student is registered for a future semester.).
- At least a 3.25 overall GPA and must have at least a 3.25 GPA in courses in the student’s declared major.
- A 3+2 Concurrent Enrollment application form to the MBA Office.
- Submit to the MBA Liason in the business school office, a program completion plan demonstrating how all remaining bachelor degree requirements and all MBA requirements will be met in two years.
- Provide to the business school office a letter of recommendation from a faculty member in the bachelor degree department.
- Submit official transcripts to the business school office.
- Complete the MBA program admission process.
- Meet with MBA Coordinator and have been approved for study in the 3+2 concurrent enrollment program.
After admission into the Bachelor Degree 3+2 MBA Concurrent Enrollment Program, the student:
- Must follow the two-year recommended course sequence (see below) for the MBA course component.
- Must notify the MBA Coordinator immediately if justifiable life circumstances do not allow the student to complete both undergraduate and graduate programs within two years of admission into the program.
- Must complete ALL bachelor degree graduation requirements in the same semester or prior to completing all MBA graduation requirements.
- Must submit an intent to graduate and meet with their advisor. This requirement must be met before the published deadline in the semester prior to intended graduation.
All CMU masters-level graduates are expected to demonstrate proficiency in specialized knowledge/applied learning, quantitative fluency, communication fluency, critical thinking, information literacy, and ethical reasoning. In addition to these campus-wide student learning outcomes, a graduate of this program will be able to:
- Apply business-specific knowledge within projects individually and/or collaboratively. (Specialized Knowledge/Applied Learning)
- Employ advanced mathematical, statistical methods, or other analytical processes to address issues within a business environment. (Quantitative Fluency)
- Create oral and written arguments or explanations, well-grounded in business related theories and methods. (Communication Fluency)
- Formulate and evaluate hypotheses as related to business problems, issues, concepts, and various perspectives. (Critical Thinking)
- Synthesize, evaluate, or refine the information base of various business scholarly sources. (Information Literacy)
- Articulate moral, ethical, legal, or professional challenges within the business environment. (Ethical Reasoning)
Each section below contains details about the requirements for this program. Select a header to expand the information/requirements for that particular section of the program's requirements.
To print or save an overview of this program's information, including the program description, learning outcomes, requirements, suggested course sequencing (if applicable), and advising and graduation information, scroll to the bottom of the left-hand navigation menu and select "Print Options." This will give you the options to either "Send Page to Printer" or "Download PDF of This Page." The "Download PDF of This Page" option prepares a much more concise presentation of all program information. The PDF is also printable and may be preferable due to its brevity.
Institutional Graduate Degree Requirements
The following institutional requirements apply to all CMU graduate-level degrees. Specific programs may have different requirements that must be met in addition to institutional requirements.
- Graduate certificates consist of a minimum of 5 credit hours. Master’s degrees consist of a minimum of 30 credit hours. Doctoral degrees consist of a minimum of 60 credit hours.
- All credits in a graduate program must be minimally at the 500-level.
- At least fifty percent of the credit hours must be taken at CMU.
- Students must achieve a 3.00 cumulative GPA or higher in all CMU coursework.
- Students may not apply coursework with a grade lower than a “B” toward graduation requirements.
- A course may only be used to fulfill one requirement for each degree/certificate.
- Capstone exit assessment/projects (e.g., Major Field Achievement Test) requirements are identified under Program-Specific Requirements.
- The Catalog Year determines which program sheet and certificate requirements a student must fulfill in order to graduate. Visit with your advisor or academic department to determine which catalog year and program requirements you should follow.
- See “Graduate Degree Requirements” in this catalog for a complete list of graduation requirements.
- All policies for graduate degrees are outlined in the Graduate Policies and Procedures Manual, Capstone Guidelines Manual, and Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines Manual, all of which are provided on the Graduate Studies website.
Program Specific Requirements
(36 - 39 semester hours, must pass all courses with a grade of “B” or higher.)
| Code | Title | Semester Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required MBA Core Courses | ||
| ACCT 500 | Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| BUGB 500 | Advanced Business Law and Ethics | 3 |
| CISB 501 | Business Analytics | 3 |
| ECON 530 | Managerial Economics | 3 |
| FINA 500 | Financial Strategy | 3 |
| MANG 501 | Operations Management | 3 |
| MANG 510 | Leading Organizations | 3 |
| MANG 590 | Business Strategy | 3 |
| MARK 500 | Marketing Strategy | 3 |
| MBA Research Component | ||
| BUGB 593 | Capstone | 3 |
| Track | ||
| Select at least one of the following tracks: | 6 - 9 | |
| Professional Track: | ||
Select six semester hours of 500-level electives from the list below or from 500-level courses in Department of Business as approved by your MBA advisor. | ||
| Advanced Fraud and Forensic Accounting | ||
| Global Business | ||
| Seminar in Current Business Topics | ||
| Internship | ||
| Advanced Project Management | ||
| Electronic Commerce Systems | ||
| Advanced Econometrics | ||
| Human Resource Management | ||
| Entrepreneurship | ||
| Advanced Management Theory | ||
| Advanced Quantitative Methods | ||
| Management Information Systems Track: | ||
| Advanced Project Management | ||
| Electronic Commerce Systems | ||
| Sports Management Track: | ||
| Facility and Equipment Management in Sport and Fitness | ||
| Event and Program Management in Sport and Fitness | ||
| Healthcare Administration Track: | ||
See CMU MBA Coordinator for details. | ||
| Healthcare Systems | ||
| Healthcare by the Numbers | ||
| Managing Qualitative Issues in Healthcare Organizations | ||
| Other Requirements | ||
| The following two items must be passed in the last spring semester: | ||
Written Capstone Report - completed within BUGB 593 | ||
Oral Capstone Presentation - completed within BUGB 593 | ||
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 36-39 | |
Option One
Two-Year Graduation Path, Required of 3+2 Concurrent Program Students
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Semester Credit Hours | |
| ACCT 500 | Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| ECON 530 | Managerial Economics | 3 |
| CISB 501 | Business Analytics | 3 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 9 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| FINA 500 | Financial Strategy | 3 |
| MANG 510 | Leading Organizations | 3 |
| MARK 500 | Marketing Strategy | 3 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 9 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| BUGB 500 | Advanced Business Law and Ethics | 3 |
| MANG 501 | Operations Management | 3 |
| Elective Course from Track | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 9 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| MANG 590 | Business Strategy | 3 |
| BUGB 593 | Capstone | 3 |
| Elective Course from Track | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 9 | |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 36 | |
Option Two
Three-Year Graduation Path, Not Available to 3+2 Concurrent Program Students
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Semester Credit Hours | |
| ACCT 500 | Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| CISB 501 | Business Analytics | 3 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 6 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| FINA 500 | Financial Strategy | 3 |
| MARK 500 | Marketing Strategy | 3 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 6 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| BUGB 500 | Advanced Business Law and Ethics | 3 |
| ECON 530 | Managerial Economics | 3 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 6 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| MANG 510 | Leading Organizations | 3 |
| Elective Course from Track | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 6 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| MANG 501 | Operations Management | 3 |
| Elective Course from Track | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 6 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| MANG 590 | Business Strategy | 3 |
| BUGB 593 | Capstone | 3 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 6 | |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 36 | |
Advising Process and DegreeWorks
Documentation on the pages related to this program is intended for informational purposes to help determine what courses and associated requirements are needed to earn a degree. Some courses are critical to complete in specific semesters while others may be moved around. Meeting with an academic advisor is essential in planning courses and discussing the suggested course sequencing. It is ultimately the student’s responsibility to understand and fulfill the requirements for their intended degree.
DegreeWorks is an online degree audit tool available in MAVzone. It is the official record used by the Registrar’s Office to evaluate progress towards a certificate and determine eligibility for graduation. Students are responsible for reviewing their DegreeWorks audit on a regular basis and should discuss questions or concerns with their advisor or academic department head. Discrepancies in requirements should be reported to the Registrar’s Office.
Graduation Process
Students must complete the following in the first two months of the semester prior to completing their degree requirements:
- Review their DegreeWorks audit and create a plan that outlines how unmet requirements will be met in the final semester.
- Meet with their advisor and modify their plan as needed. The advisor must approve the final plan.
- Submit the “Intent to Graduate” form to the Registrar’s Office to officially declare the intended graduation date and commencement ceremony plans.
- Register for all needed courses and complete all requirements for each degree sought.
Submission deadlines and commencement details can be found on the Graduation web page.
If a student's petition for graduation is denied, it will be their responsibility to apply for graduation in a subsequent semester. A student's “Intent to Graduate” does not automatically move to a later graduation date.