Program description
A program leading to the Master of Business Administration (MBA) with special emphasis in information technology and international business is offered by the School of Business Administration. It is designed to educate students for managerial roles in private, public, or not-for-profit sectors of the economy.
The MBA program is designed for undergraduate majors from any discipline, including business or management. It is preferred that students with an undergraduate degree in business or one of the functional areas of management have two years of work experience before entering the MBA program. A typical entering class may consist of undergraduate majors from engineering, the natural sciences, the social sciences, computer science, mathematics, business, health care, education and the humanities.
The program is based on the belief that an education in management should:
- Prepare students for careers involving problem identification, problem solving, decision making and leadership in any type of organization
- Emphasize the determination of goals and the effective utilization of scarce resources
- Help students understand and effectively interact with the emerging workplace issues of globalization and diversity
- Assist students in understanding the effects of, and successfully deal with, the changing social, legal, ethical and technological environments of the organization
- Stress understanding of human behavior and the organizational setting, for much of management relates to people - understanding them, communicating with them, working with them, and leading them
- Stress the importance of the management of information technology resources in the successful operation of an organization.
Students in the MBA program may choose to focus their elective work in one of the ten areas of concentration offered at Oakland University or select to choose from a variety of elective courses for more general study. Currently, the MBA program at Oakland University has areas of concentration in accounting, business economics, entrepreneurship, finance, human resources management, international business, management information systems, marketing, and production/operations management and supply chain management.
Program delivery
Courses are offered Monday through Thursday evenings and some Saturday mornings at the main campus in Rochester.
Length of program
The length of the MBA program varies from 36 to 48 credits (not including prerequisites), depending on the student’s prior preparation.
Full-time students normally take 9 credits (three courses) in each of the fall and winter semesters and 6 credits (two courses) in the summer semester. The full-time student can finish the complete 48-credit program in less than two years. Students with sufficient background in business courses may be able to complete the minimum 36-credit MBA program in 16 months of full-time study.
Part-time students taking six courses per year can finish the complete 48-credit program in two and two-thirds calendar years (32 months) in a year-round program.
Satisfactory progress
The MBA program must be completed within six years from the date of entry into the program. The scheduling of MBA classes is based on the assumption that students will be enrolled in a standard part-time program: six courses per year (two courses in each of the 15-week fall, winter and summer semesters).
In accordance with university regulations, all course credits used to meet requirements of the MBA program must be earned within six years of the date that the MBA is awarded.
Application terms and application deadlines
Before an applicant’s file can be reviewed for full program admission, all application documents must be received in Graduate Study and Lifelong Learning by the semester deadlines listed below. Incomplete applications will not be sent to departments for admission review.
Current Deadlines
Beginning FALL 2017 Semester
- February 15 (early) April 15 (regular) and July 15 (late) for fall semester
- October 1 (early) and November 15 (regular) for winter semester
- March 1 (regular) for summer semester
- International applicants
Application requirements
To be considered for graduate admission, applicants must submit all Graduate Application Requirements and additional department requirements by the published application deadlines:
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- Additional department application requirements
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- Official Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. The GMAT or GRE scores must be five years or less at the time of the applicant’s intended enrollment at Oakland University.
- Applicants applying to one of the graduate programs may request a waiver of the GMAT or GRE requirement if they meet one of the following criteria.
- Applicant has earned a master’s degree (or higher) from a U.S. institution.
- Applicant has earned a bachelor’s degree within the last five (5) years of the expected date of enrollment with an overall GPA of a least 3.5 from an AACSB accredited business school.
- Applicant has earned a bachelor’s degree from the Oakland University School of Engineering and Computer Science within the last five (5) years of the expected date of enrollment with an overall GPA of at least 3.5.
To request a waiver, applicants must submit a Request to Waive GMAT form to Graduate Admissions as part of the application packet. The request for waiver is subject to the approval of the Graduate Admissions Committee.
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Admission review and assessment
Admission to the Master of Business Administration degree program is selective and depends on several elements, including scholarship and an ability to communicate effectively. In making admission recommendations, the admission committee assesses the potential of applicants for success in the MBA program by examining their undergraduate records, their GMAT or GRE scores, their responses to questions on the supplemental application, their work experience, and their recommendation forms.
Related links
MBA foundation requirements
Students admitted to the Master of Business Administration program must demonstrate proficiency or complete coursework in the following areas:
- A college course in principles of microeconomics and a college course in principles of macroeconomics. Students without any college course in economics or with only one principles-level economics course may take ECN 501 (Introduction to Economics) to meet the requirement.
- A college course in financial accounting
- A recent college algebra course or mathematics at a higher level
- A college course in calculus or a continuing education course in quantitative methods which included basic calculus
These requirements must be completed prior to beginning MBA coursework.