Program Advisors: Boor, Fishbeck, Hager, Jiao, Kozojed, Sautner, Sovak, Traiser (Dean)

Today's business leaders must combine expertise in their field with an ability to lead and manage in a complex and constantly changing business environment. The goal of the University of Mary MBA Program is to help students develop skills, knowledge, and abilities needed to excel in this complex and changing environment.

The University of Mary offers the MBA in three formats through the Centers for Accelerated and Distance Education and the Gary Tharaldson School of Business: (1) An on-site accelerated format; (2) An online accelerated format; (3) Blended, with a combination of on-site and online courses. Students choose a focused area of study: Accountancy, Executive Business Administration, Health Care, Human Resource Management, or Management.

The accelerated formats provide adult students the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in as few as 18 months while continuing to work. Classes are taught in seminar style, allowing for student participation and discussion and for immediate application in the workplace.

Class size is limited in all formats to ensure interaction between students and faculty and to maintain high academic standards consistent with the University of Mary. Adult students enroll with a cohort and learn from one another as well as the faculty, a teaching style and learning effective for adults.

Students in the on-site format meet one night per week for the duration of the program. The curriculum is distributed in a series of learner guides with detailed assignments for each week. The online format has a web-based curriculum that provides adult learners an opportunity to complete a graduate degree from the convenience of their computer. In the blended format, students may take some courses on-site and others online.

IACBE Accreditation

The Gary Tharaldson School of Business at the University of Mary has received specialized accreditation for its business programs through the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE), located in Olathe, Kansas. The business programs in the following degrees are accredited by the IACBE: 

• Executive Master of Business Administration
  
• Master of Business Administration - Accountancy
  
• Master of Business Administration - Health Care
  
• Master of Business Administration - Human Resource Management
  
• Master of Business Administration - Management
  
• Master of Project Management
  
• Master of Science in Strategic Leadership
  
• Bachelor of Arts - Accounting
  
• Bachelor of Arts - Banking and Financial Services
  
• Bachelor of Arts - Business Administration
  
• Bachelor of Arts - Marketing
  
• Bachelor of Arts - Sport and Leisure Management
  
• Bachelor of Science - Accounting
  
• Bachelor of Science - Financial Services and Banking
  
• Bachelor of Science - Business Administration
  
• Bachelor of Science - Marketing
  
• Bachelor of Science - Sport and Leisure Management
  
• Bachelor of Science in Business with Concentrations in Human Resource Management, Management, and Marketing

Students completing a Master of Business Administration degree will be able to: 

• Design organizational structures that maximize the resource capabilities of an organization
  
• Formulate and justify effective business processes
  
• Assess the impact of domestic and global forces utilizing a strategic process Master's Program in Business
  
• Express ideas and concepts using written and oral formats in a professional manner
  
• Incorporate cost analysis into decision making and evaluations
  
• Recommend appropriate courses of action based on quantitative theories and techniques
  
• Evaluate ethical issues and integrate ethical frameworks and Benedictine values into business leadership practices

• Evaluate the financial position of a firm
  
• Integrate business operations from a systems perspective
  
• Incorporate information technology into decision making and evaluations
  
• Plan and manage a multi-disciplinary, team-based project

Individuals holding a bachelor's degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution and who have an undergraduate GPA of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) overall, or 2.75 during the last two years of the undergraduate degree, or 3.00 in a major field of study will be admitted to begin graduate study.

Applicants who do not meet one or more of the admissions requirements may have their applications reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

To complete the application process, applicants submit: 

• Completed University of Mary Graduate Studies application (to include goal statement essay)
  
• Official transcript from institution of higher education granting the bachelor's degree or higher
  
• Current Resume
  
• Two letters of recommendation from professional sources
  
• Application fee

After the successful completion of at least six semester credits of graduate course work and a review of academic progress by the graduate advisor, the student will be advanced to candidacy status according to the following criteria: 

• A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for graduate course work
  
• All graduate level courses must have a grade of C or higher to count toward the program requirements
  
• Acceptable personal, academic and professional conduct
  
• An approved program of study

90%-100% A
80%-89% B
70%-79% C
60%-69% D
0%-59% F

Students accepted for the May 2011 cohort and beyond will be required to take an online knowledge assessment in the content areas of: fundamentals of economics; understanding corporate finance; and, financial accounting. Students obtaining a score under 80% in any of the content areas will be required to complete a one credit online, self-study review course in that area(s). Courses students need to enroll in if they get below an 80% in the respective content area are MGT 532 Fundamentals of Economics, MGT 533 Understanding Corporate Finance, and MGT 534 Financial Accounting. In addition, at the completion of the program of study, students are required to participate in university and program assessment of outcome achievement.

Required Core Courses for the MBA

The following courses are core content for the MBA and are completed by all MBA students:

MGT 504 Management and Organizational Behavior
MGT 555 Managerial Finance
MGT 571 Executive Economic Analysis
MGT 605 Managerial Accounting
MGT 610 Marketing
MGT 635 Law in the Managerial Environment
MGT 701 Strategic Decision Making

ALU 799 Graduate Assessment

In addition to foundation and core courses, students enroll in the following courses which are focused content for their particular program.

Executive MBA

MGT 502 Operations Management
MGT 575 Information Systems for Managers
MGT 580 Managerial Finance II
MPM 500 Introduction to Project Management