Business Administration, Master of Business Administration
Offered by College of Business and Technology
Program Information and Admission Requirements
Master of Business Administration Degree
The College of Business and Technology at the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) offers an AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accredited, 33 credit hour, Master of Business Administration degree. UNK’s MBA is a professional graduate program designed to provide a challenging educational experience for graduate students who desire to assume positions of increasing scope and responsibility in business, nonprofit, or public service sectors. Required courses are offered online to accommodate students who work during traditional business hours.
The students in the MBA Program will develop skills to solve problems in Governmental Organizations (GOs), Non-governmental not-for-profit Organizations (NGOs), and businesses through integration of all organizational functions. The core emphasis of the program is on honing the student’s critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making skills within the context of both the US and the global economies, while preparing the student to meet the inherent challenges in the rapidly changing business environment. The program is also suited to those with baccalaureate degrees in areas other than business.
Admission Considerations
Applicants may choose to be considered for admission through any one of the following five options:
Unconditional Admission: An applicant may be considered for full unconditional admission if one of the four following sets of requirements is met:
1. A baccalaureate degree from an AACSB (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accredited program with a 3.50 GPA or higher on a standardized 4.0 scale (GMAT/GRE is waived)
2. A baccalaureate degree with less than 3 years of full-time, post-baccalaureate work experience with
• Undergraduate GPA: Minimum 2.75 overall on a standardized 4.0 scale
• GMAT: Minimum 480 or equivalent GRE
• Meet a minimum score of 1100 on the following formula:
(200*Undergraduate GPA) + GMAT
(If applicant taking the GRE, the equivalent GMAT score will be used)
3. A baccalaureate degree and at least 3 years of post-baccalaureate full-time work experience with meaningful managerial responsibilities with an undergraduate GPA: 3.0 overall on a standardized 4.0 scale
4. Completed another U.S. equivalent Master's, Ph.D., or a terminal degree
Conditional Admission: An applicant who does not meet any of the 4 sets of requirements above may apply for conditional admission if the following requirements are met:
5. Three or more years of post-baccalaureate, full-time work experience.
Note: Students admitted conditionally must complete 9 credit hours of MBA graduate level courses at UNK, with at least 3 credit hours in a quantitative course, and maintain a 3.0 Graduate GPA or higher. Upon successful completion of these 9 credit hours, the student is then considered unconditionally admitted.
Applicants interested in the MBA program must have a foundation of business. Applicants who do not hold a U.S. equivalent baccalaureate degree in business should apply as a Pre-MBA student and complete the Foundational Core courses with a minimum grade of “C” in each course. This option is not available for international applicants not residing in the U.S.
An application must be complete in all respects to be considered for admission to the program. Meeting the minimum criteria only assures applicants the consideration of their application for admission to the MBA program.
Additional Notes:
- International students:
In addition to the admission requirements stated in the International Students section of this catalog, applicants must meet the following criteria:- Those with a baccalaureate degree from a country where English is not the native language must take the TOEFL and receive a minimum score of 550 on the paper TOEFL exam or a score of 79 on the IBT (Internet based TOEFL), or a minimum score of 6.5 on IELTS.
- Applicants whose baccalaureate degrees were earned outside the United States are required to have their transcripts evaluated by a credential evaluation firm to verify the degree is equivalent to a U.S. baccalaureate. Refer to the international graduate application form for additional information.
- Students with only a baccalaureate degree from countries that award three-year baccalaureate degrees may not be eligible to be admitted to the Master’s program. To be eligible for option 4 of unconditional admission into the MBA program, international students must hold a Master’s degree equivalent to a U.S. Master’s degree.
To apply to the MBA Program:
- Complete online application.
- Submit a resume.
- Provide a 500-word personal essay, particularly addressing the following:
- Professional and personal accomplishments
- Personal strengths that helped accomplishment of the above
- Personal values, including what is important in a career
- Motivations to pursue an MBA at UNK
- Anticipated contributions to enhancing the educational experiences of other students in the program
- Post-MBA goals
- Ask two references (college professors, supervisors etc.) to complete their recommendation online. (Those applying for admission to the MBA program through options 2 and 3 must have at least one recommendation letter from their supervisor who has evaluated the applicant's performance within the past 2 years.) Candidates with significant professional experience may get an additional recommendation from a subordinate.
For information regarding the requirements for admission to the MBA Program, please contact:
MBA Office
West Center 151W
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Kearney, NE 68849-4580
Telephone: (308) 865-8346
E-mail: unkmba@unk.edu
MBA Program Policies
In addition to the academic policies listed in the front of this catalog that govern all graduate students, the following policies are specific to the MBA program:
- Students may need to complete up to 18 credit hours of MBA Foundational Core courses with a minimum grade of "C" in each.
- Students must be fully admitted to the program to take more than 9 credit hours of required "MBA core" courses or graduate level electives.
- Students shall maintain an average grade of at least "B" (3.0) in all graduate courses completed at the end of each semester or summer session. No more than two Cs, and no grades below C, will be accepted in the MBA graduate program. Students who receive a third "C" or below a "C" (C- or lower) will have to retake one of the courses to improve to a C+ or better.
- All academic policies of the Graduate School stated in this catalog and the MBA Student Policy Handbook will apply.
MBA Foundational Core
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate economics course equivalent to: | ||
| ECON 270 | Principles of Economics, Macroeconomics | 3 |
| or ECON 271 | Principles of Economics, Microeconomics | |
| Statistics course equivalent to: | ||
| MGT 233 | Business Statistics | 3 |
| or STAT 241 | Elementary Statistics | |
| or PSY 250 | Behavioral Statistics | |
| Accounting/Finance Sequence equivalent to the following: 1 | ||
| ACCT 250 | Principles of Accounting I | 3 |
| ACCT 251 | Principles of Accounting II | 3 |
| FIN 308 | Principles of Finance | 3 |
| In addition, the Accounting Track requires the following prerequisites: | ||
| ACCT 350 | Intermediate Accounting I | 3 |
| ACCT 351 | Intermediate Accounting II | 3 |
| ACCT 352 | Cost Accounting | 3 |
MBA Essential Core
Some courses require completion of related prerequisites, increasing the number of credit hours to earn the MBA. Please check course descriptions for details on the required prerequisites.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MBA Essential Core | ||
| ACCT 858 | Managerial Accounting Systems 2 | 3 |
| FIN 809 | Financial Administration | 3 |
| MGT 890 | Leadership & Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| MGT 892 | Strategic Analysis & Decision Making | 3 |
| MKT 856 | Marketing Management Seminar | 3 |
| MBA Tracks | ||
| Choose from one of the following tracks: 3 | 18 | |
Cyber Security (Thesis Track / Non-Thesis Track) | ||
Business and IT Education | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 33 | |
Professional Track
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BSAD 895 | Integrative Capstone Experience | 3 |
| CYBR 802 | Management Information Systems Seminar | 3 |
| ECON 850 | Managerial Economics | 3 |
| MGT 814 | Operations Management | 3 |
| Select two elective courses approved by the MBA Director | 6 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 18 | |
Accounting Track
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BSAD 895 | Integrative Capstone Experience | 3 |
| CYBR 802 | Management Information Systems Seminar | 3 |
| Select 12 credit hours of the following: | 12 | |
| Select at least one of the following: | ||
| Managerial Economics | ||
| Operations Management | ||
| Select at least two of the following: | ||
| Tax Accounting | ||
| Advanced Tax Accounting | ||
| Advanced Accounting I | ||
| Government/Non-Profit Accounting | ||
| Auditing | ||
| Accounting Internship | ||
| Advanced Auditing | ||
| Advanced Accounting Information Systems | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 18 | |
Marketing Track
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BSAD 895 | Integrative Capstone Experience | 3 |
| MKT 830P/830 | International Marketing | 3 |
| MKT 835P/835 | Marketing Research | 3 |
| MKT 838P/838 | Consumer Behavior | 3 |
| Select two elective courses in Marketing or related subjects to be approved of by the MBA Director/Chair of the Department | 6 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 18 | |
Human Resources Track
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BSAD 895 | Integrative Capstone Experience | 3 |
| Select 15 credit hours of the following: | 15 | |
| Employment Law | ||
| Compensation Management | ||
| Labor Relations | ||
| Management Internship | ||
| Human Resource Management | ||
| Sem Human Res Mgt | ||
| Soc Res/Iss & Ethics | ||
| Management Topics | ||
| Counseling Skills | ||
| Group Dynamics | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 18 | |
Cyber Security Track (Thesis Track)
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CYBR 878P | Cybersecurity for Managers & Leaders | 3 |
| CYBR 879P | Cyber Risk and Threat Modeling | 3 |
| CYBR 890P | Information Networking Law and Public Policy | 3 |
| CYBR 893P | Social Dynamics of Cybercrime | 3 |
| CYBR 894 | Graduate Thesis | 6 |
| Total Credit Hours | 18 | |
Cyber Security Track (Non-Thesis Track)
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CYBR 878P | Cybersecurity for Managers & Leaders | 3 |
| CYBR 879P | Cyber Risk and Threat Modeling | 3 |
| CYBR 890P | Information Networking Law and Public Policy | 3 |
| CYBR 893P | Social Dynamics of Cybercrime | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Cyber Systems Graduate Capstone | ||
| Cyber Systems Graduate Capstone | ||
| Select at least one of the following: | 3 | |
| Management Information Systems Seminar | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Systems Audit | ||
| Graduate Internship in Cyber Systems | ||
| Information Systems Strategy and Management | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 18 | |
Business and IT Education Track
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BSAD 895 | Integrative Capstone Experience | 3 |
| BSED 802P | Career, Business, and Technology Principles | 3 |
| BSED 831P | Coordinating Techniques | 3 |
| CYBR 800 | Programming Logic, Design and Practice | 3 |
| BSED 870P | Career Education Methods II | 3 |
| CYBR 834P | Information Technology Teaching Methods | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 18 | |
- 1
Students may substitute the following sequence in lieu of the undergraduate accounting/finance sequence: ACC T 250, ACCT 858, FIN 308, FIN 809
- 2
Accounting Track students shall take ACCT 860 Financial Accounting Seminar (3 credit hours) in lieu of ACCT 858.
- 3
In all the paired courses, which are designed with the suffix "P" in their course-numbering, graduate students are expected to involve themselves in much deeper scholarly activities by demonstrating through research of the subject matter, and should assume a leadership role in the class, culminating in an educational experience far beyond that of their fellow undergraduate students.