Personnel
Dean: Stephanie Sheehan
Graduate Program Coordinator: Sunia Fukofuka
Graduate Enrollment Coordinator:
Faculty: Sunia Fukofuka, Julie Hyde, Mark Hyder, Braam Oberholster, Stephanie Sheehan
Adjunct Faculty: Tina Camba, Steven Kuhlman, John Nunes, Kimberly Pichot, Donovan Williams
Mission Statement
The mission of the School of Business is the pursuit of excellence in Christ-centered business education.
Goals / Objectives / Outcomes
In order to carry out this mission, the Graduate School of Business seeks to accomplish the following goals for each master emphasis:
- Students will understand the free enterprise system within a framework of moral and ethical guidelines.
- Students will develop a sound Christian philosophy toward our current economic environment and understand the various environmental factors that affect business.
- Students will develop the business skills required for today's job placement.
- Students will be prepared to serve in a position of leadership.
- Students will be prepared for entrance into terminal degree programs or related area of concentration and obtain professional degrees.
Degrees Offered
The School of Business offers an accelerated online Master of Business Administration (MBA), with a choice of emphases. Joint degrees are offered through the School of Nursing (MSN-MBA) and the School of Social Work (MSW-MBA). See respective schools for program details.
Accreditation
Southern Adventist University has received specialized accreditation for its business and business-related undergraduate and graduate programs through the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE), Olathe, Kansas.
Admission
Prerequisites for Admission
Students with a non-business undergraduate background may be required to take specific courses in accounting and/or finance.
Admission Requirements
In addition to the general admission requirements for graduate study, students may be evaluated on qualitative and quantitative factors. Quantitative evaluation may include calculations such as: GPA x 200 + GMAT Score ≥ 1,000. A candidate for a Master of Business Administration will comply with the following requirements unless noted otherwise in specific degree requirements:
- A Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in any major. Students with a non-business undergraduate degree who have not taken Principles of Accounting I and II and Principles of Finance (or their equivalents) with a minimum grade of C are required to take ACCT 505 and FNCE 505 and earn a grade of B- or higher in these courses. These courses may be repeated once to earn the required grade for admission. These courses are in addition to courses required in the MBA core and emphasis.
- A cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.00 or higher.
- A Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) taken within the past five years. An applicant with an undergraduate degree from an accredited U.S. college or university, and who has an undergraduate GPA of 3.25 or higher, or a GPA of 3.00 and five years of full-time business-related management experience may be admitted without a GMAT score.
- International students must provide an official GMAT score as a prerequisite for acceptance or meet the guidelines above for an exception waiver. Additionally, international students must have a TOEFL score of at least 80 (Internet-based), with a required minimum score of 18 in each section, having taken the test within the past year or demonstrate proficiency in the use of the English language.
Provisional Admission
- Students who meet all other admission requirements except completion of ACCT 505 and/or FNCE 505 or equivalents may be provisionally admitted while they complete these requirements.
- Students who meet all admission requirements except the cumulative undergraduate GPA and/or GMAT requirements may be provisionally admitted. A student accepted on academic provisional basis may be admitted to regular status upon the completion of 6 credit hours taken through Southern with a minimum grade of B in each course. Students are not permitted to repeat courses in order to satisfy this requirement. Students who do not satisfy this requirement will not be permitted to continue in the program. This provision does not apply to students accepted provisionally for other reasons.
Residence
The last 27 semester hours must be taken through the Southern Adventist University School of Business.
Transfer Credit
A maximum of nine semester hours with a minimum grade of B may be transferred into the program to satisfy graduation requirements provided they are equivalent to course requirements.
Progression
Once admitted to the MBA program, a course may be repeated one time for the purpose of improving the GPA. A maximum of two courses may be repeated.
Graduation Requirements
A candidate must:
- Complete an application to graduate, which must be filed with Graduate and Professional Studies two months prior to the anticipated graduation date.
- Complete all coursework with a minimum GPA of 3.00, including no more than two classes with a grade below B-. Classes with a grade below a C will not be counted for credit toward the master's degree.
Additional Information
Second Emphasis
Each emphasis must include a minimum of 12 hours that do not overlap with any other emphasis.