Admission Criteria

Applicants for admission to the M.B.A. program must hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution. No specific undergraduate course of study is required for admission, nor is any specific course of undergraduate study recommended for those students planning to pursue these degrees. Undergraduate majors represented in the M.B.A. program include, but are not limited to, business, education, the natural and social sciences, engineering, the humanities, and nursing.

All applications for admission are considered on the basis of their own merits, with weight given to the strength of a student’s previous academic performance, scores obtained on the GMAT, professional experiences indicating increasing levels of responsibility, and any other pertinent information which the candidate for admission may provide to the Committee on Admissions.

Applicants for admission are required to take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), which is administered by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). Applicants are encouraged to take the GMAT well in advance of applying to a graduate program. To schedule an appointment to take the GMAT, applicants may call 1-800-462-8669 or visit the GMAC Web site at www.mba.com.  Scores obtained on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are also acceptable in lieu of the GMAT. In addition, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) examination is required of international applicants and typically cannot be waived.

For admission to the full-time day M.B.A. program, applicants are required to have attained a minimum score of 550 on the GMAT or an equivalent score on the GRE and have an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or above. To be admitted to the full-time day M.B.A. program as an honors scholar, applicants are required to have attained a minimum score of 600 on the GMAT and have an undergraduate grade point average of 3.3 or above.
 

Transfer of Credit

Opportunities to transfer credit from other institutions into the M.B.A. Program are extremely limited, and only course work completed at AACSB accredited schools will be considered. A maximum of 9 semester hours beyond the core competency levels will be considered for transfer credit. Graduate transfer credit in this program is always limited to ensure that a minimum of 30 post-core competency credits are taken in residence.

Statute of Limitation

All credits applied toward the M.B.A. degree must be earned within the period of five years starting from the date of completion of the first course applicable to the degree. Exceptions will be made for any period of intervening military service. M.B.A. students in the Zarb School of Business who have no record of attendance in the School for a period of 15 months or more after the last semester completed, including summer sessions, may be required to file for readmission and follow the requirements set forth in the Graduate Studies Bulletin in effect upon such readmission.

Program Requirements for M.B.A. Majors – Semester Hours: 41-48 (62-69 for Professional Accountancy)

A range of 41-48 semester hours is required for the M.B.A. degree in all majors except professional accountancy, which has a range of 62 to 69 semester hours. Because New York state currently requires CPA licensure candidates to have taken 69 credits in business, including at least 33 in accounting, a range of 62 to 69 semester hours is required for the M.B.A. degree in professional accountancy, depending on prior course work.

Previous course work is evaluated by the Graduate Programs Office of the Zarb School of Business upon a student’s admission. Some residency workshops, core competencies, and advanced core courses may be waived based upon previous academic work, and this will determine the total number of workshops and semester hours required for the M.B.A. degree. Online M.B.A. students must attend two residencies and a global practicum on strategy scheduled at the beginning, middle and end of the program. No credit will be allowed for core competency or graduate courses with D grades. These courses must be repeated.

The program is composed of the following seven components:

Component I: Residency Requirements (Zarb School of Business) - No Credit (For Online M.B.A. requirements, see Component VII)

Residency workshops cover library information resources, teamwork and oral communication skills, calculus for business applications, information technology, and statistics for business applications respectively. Full-time students must complete them during the first semester in which they begin an M.B.A. program.  Part-time students must complete them within the first two semesters. Documentation of completion must be submitted to the Graduate Programs Office in order for students to register for the subsequent semester. The calculus for business applications, information technology, and statistics for business applications workshops may be satisfied through previous equivalent undergraduate or graduate course work taken within a specific time frame with a B or better grade* at an accredited college or university or through satisfactory performance on a proficiency examination administered by the appropriate department within the Zarb School of Business. Students will receive with their letter of admission information about which residency requirements, if any, have been met through prior course work. *Note: B+ or better within the past five years is required for full-time day M.B.A. students.

The following workshops are required of all students:

• MBA 201W - Library Information Resources  (No credit)
• MBA 205W - Teamwork and Oral Communication Skills 

The following workshops may be required depending upon previous academic preparation:

• MBA 202W - Information Technology 
• MBA 203W - Calculus for Business Applications 
• MBA 204W - Statistics for Business Applications 

*English Proficiency Requirement is for international students
In addition, newly admitted international students are required to take an English placement exam during fall and spring orientation. The exam consists of a short writing task on a topic of general interest and a standardized test including listening comprehension, grammar and reading comprehension. Results are reviewed and students are interviewed by the Hofstra English Language Program (ELP) faculty, who make the decision as to what, if any, ELP class the student should take. All international students who are placed in the ELP class must complete the course during the first semester in which they begin an M.B.A. program and must receive a grade of P (Pass). The ELP class will carry no credit. A fee equivalent to 2.0 s.h. is charged for this course. A grade of P (pass) is required or the course has to be repeated the following semester. The same fee equivalent will be charged for the repeated course.

Component II: Core Competencies - Semester Hours: 2-6

The core competency component provides students with exposure to a survey of economics and the legal, political, regulatory, and ethical environment of business. These areas of business provide the base of knowledge necessary to understand how a business organization functions. Up to two 200-level core competency requirements may be satisfied through the successful completion of appropriate previous course work with grades of B or better* taken within a specific time frame prior to enrollment in the M.B.A. Program or through satisfactory performance on a proficiency examination administered by the appropriate department within the Zarb School of Business. *Note: B+ or better within the past five years is required for full-time day M.B.A. students.

Previous course work is evaluated by the Graduate Programs Office of the Zarb School of Business immediately upon a student’s admission. The results of this evaluation, including notification of the core competencies required as part of each individual student’s course of study in the M.B.A. Program, will be communicated to all students with their letter of admission. Further evaluation of core competencies after admission will only be undertaken for those students admitted directly from their baccalaureate program of study and for whom final undergraduate transcripts were not available at the time of admission.

Students should note that in-service training courses, corporate training, and other nondegree bearing credit courses are not acceptable for credit toward the core competencies. Courses taken at junior or community colleges are generally not acceptable for credit toward core competency courses.

ECO 200 - Survey of Economics 
ECO 200 may be waived if a student completed two undergraduate courses or one graduate course inclusive of both microeconomics and macroeconomics with an average grade of at least B within the past five years. *Note: B+ or better within the past five years is required for full-time day M.B.A. students.
   
LEGL 200 - Legal, Political, Regulatory and Ethical Environment of Business 
LEGL 200 may be waived if a student completed equivalent course(s) inclusive of all topics listed in the course title with a grade of at least B within the past five years. *Note: B+ or better within the past five years is required for full-time day M.B.A. students.  

MGT 200 - Business Ethics and Society     (Same as LEGL 200A - Business Ethics and Society  )
This course cannot be waived.

Majors in Information Technology without any prior programming background must also satisfy the following requirement:
Any graduate-level programming course offered by the IT/QM Department , or permission of the department chairperson.

Majors in Taxation must also satisfy the following course:
ACCT 224 - Financial Reporting and Analysis  or approved equivalent

Component III: Advanced Core - Semester Hours: 21-24

The advanced core component provides the breadth of knowledge focusing on functional areas of business, such as accounting, management information systems, finance, operations management, marketing, and quantitative analysis. In addition to these, global business decision making, contemporary organizations and leadership skills are also included in the advanced core component. This component is presented within a framework that emphasizes analytical and problem solving skills and focuses on the professional perspectives in the management of business organizations, as well as the importance of written and oral communication skills.

If a student majors at the graduate level in the same discipline as the undergraduate major/minor, he/she may request a waiver of the 203-level Advanced Core course in that discipline. If a student majors at the graduate level in a discipline different from his/her undergraduate major/minor, he/she may request a substitution for the 203-level Advanced Core course in his/her undergraduate discipline and replace it with another elective in that discipline. To be eligible for a waiver/substitution, a student must have earned a minimum of 18 credits with a B average or above* in the specific discipline (accounting, finance, information technology, management, marketing, or statistics) at an AACSB-accredited school within five years prior to admission to the Hofstra M.B.A. program. No waiver or substitution will be granted for IB 207  and MGT 207 . *Note: B+ or better within the past five years is required for full-time day M.B.A. students.

• ACCT 203 - Accounting and Financial Reporting Semester Hours: 3
• FIN 203 - Managerial Finance Semester Hours: 3
• IB 207 - Global Business Decision Making Semester Hours: 3
• IT 203 - Information Systems for Managers Semester Hours: 3
• MGT 203 - Operations Management Semester Hours: 3
• MGT 207 - Contemporary Organizations: Theory, Behavior, and Leadership Skills Semester Hours: 3
• MKT 203 - Marketing Analysis and Management Semester Hours: 3
• QM 203 - Advanced Quantitative Analysis for Managers Semester Hours: 3

Component IV: The Major Concentrations - Semester Hours: 15 (39 for Professional Accountancy)

The major concentration enables students to establish a strong base of specialized knowledge in one of the areas of study represented in the Zarb School of Business. This complements the skills in the various functional areas of business, as well as the professional leadership and management orientation found in Components I through IV. Concentrations are offered in Accounting, Finance, Health Services Management, Human Resources Management, Information Technology, International Business, Management, Marketing, Professional Accountancy, Quality Management, Real Estate, Sports and Entertainment Management and Taxation. The online M.B.A. program has a General Strategic Management focus with five specialized courses offered in a cross-functional setting.

With permission of the Graduate Programs Office, in consultation with the department chairperson to set general policy, students may substitute an elective course outside of their major area for one of these courses (except for Professional Accountancy where the substitution may only be in the major area). This provision does not apply to the online M.B.A. program.

Accounting
License Qualifying – Students with an undergraduate degree in accounting, including students enrolled in Hofstra’s B.B.A./M.B.A.dual degree program who want to pursue additional study in accounting as part of their M.B.A. program, are required to satisfy the following courses:

ACCT 215 - Income Tax for Business Entities , 3 s.h.
ACCT 232 - Accounting in a Global Environment , 3 s.h.
ACCT 234 - Advanced Auditing , 3 s.h.
ACCT 242 - Advanced Accounting Theory and Practice  or ACCT 218 - Financial Statement Analysis  with the permission of the department chairperson, 3 s.h.(ACCT 218 is suggested for students who have taken ACCT 125.)
ACCT 250 - Seminar in Advanced Contemporary Accounting Theory , 3 s.h.

Not License Qualifying – Students without an undergraduate accounting major or minor and who are not pursuing CPA licensure are required to satisfy the following courses:

ACCT 216 - Tax Accounting , 3 s.h.
ACCT 218 - Financial Statement Analysis , 3 s.h.
ACCT 224 - Financial Reporting and Analysis , 3 s.h.
ACCT 232 - Accounting in a Global Environment , 3 s.h.
One graduate accounting or taxation course, selected under advisement, 3 s.h.

Finance
FIN 205 - Investments , 3 s.h.
Four electives in area of concentration, selected under advisement, 12 s.h.

Health Services Management
HADM 200 - U.S. Health Services System , 3 s.h.
HADM 201 - Health Policy and Legislation , 3 s.h.
HADM 204 - Health Economics , 3 s.h.
HADM 205 - Health Systems Finance , 3 s.h.
One of the following courses, selected under advisement:
HADM 202 - Health Law and Ethics , 3 s.h.
HADM 203 - Comparative Health Policies and Systems , 3 s.h.
HADM 208 - Epidemiology and Health Services Research , 3 s.h.
HADM 260 - Health Administration Internship , 3 s.h.
HADM 261 - Health Systems Operations , 3 s.h.

Information Technology
IT 206 - Systems Analysis and Design , 3 s.h.   
IT 215 - Database Management Systems , 3 s.h.   
Three electives in area of concentration, selected under advisement, 9 s.h.

International Business; Management; Marketing
Five electives in area of concentration, selected under advisement (including at least one international course in the area of concentration), 15 s.h.

Professional Accountancy – License Qualifying
ACCT 208 - Accounting Information Systems *, 3 s.h.
ACCT 216 - Tax Accounting , 3 s.h.
ACCT 218 - Financial Statement Analysis , 3 s.h.
ACCT 224 - Financial Reporting and Analysis , 3 s.h.
ACCT 231 - Cost Accounting Systems , 3 s.h.
ACCT 232 - Accounting in a Global Environment , 3 s.h.
ACCT 233 - Auditing Theory , 3 s.h.
ACCT 234 - Advanced Auditing , 3 s.h.
ACCT 242 - Advanced Accounting Theory and Practice , 3 s.h.
ACCT 250 - Seminar in Advanced Contemporary Accounting Theory , 3 s.h.
LEGL 205 - Law of Business Organizations and the Uniform Commercial Code , 3 s.h.
Two business electives (tax or accounting), selected under advisement, 6 s.h.

*Cross-listed with IT 208 .
 

Quality Management
QM 285 - Business Process Management *, 3 s.h.
QM 286 - Statistical Quality Control *, 3 s.h.
QM 287 - Six Sigma Quality Management *, 3 s.h.
QM 290 - Seminar in Contemporary Issues in Quality Management *, 3 s.h.
QM 291 - Practicum in Quality Management *, 3 s.h.

*Cross-listed under MGT.   

Real Estate
FIN 220 - Real Estate Finance , 3 s.h. 
FIN 221 - Real Estate Investment , 3 s.h.
FIN 223 - Real Estate Economics , 3 s.h.
FIN 224 - Real Estate Law , 3 s.h.
One elective in finance, selected under advisement, 3 s.h.

Sports and Entertainment Management
MGT 231 - Sports and Entertainment Management , 3 s.h.
MKT 231 - Sports and Entertainment Marketing , 3 s.h.
RTVF 234 - Media in Sports and Entertainment Industries , 3 s.h.       

Two of the following courses, selected under advisement: 6 s.h.
JRNL 282 - Media Relations Techniques for the Sports and Entertainment Industries , 3 s.h.   
LEGL 225 - Sports and Entertainment Law , 3 s.h.
MGT 232 - Venue and Facilities Management , 3 s.h.
SPCM 282 - Sports, Media and Society , 3 s.h.
Or any additional relevant course taken under advisement

Taxation
TAX 220 - Tax Practice and Procedures , 3 s.h.
TAX 228 - Tax Research , 3 s.h.
Three electives in area of concentration, selected under advisement (including at least one international course), 9 s.h.

Online M.B.A.
MKT 275 - Strategic Planning in Marketing , 3 s.h.
MGT 228 - Management of Innovation for Sustainability , 3 s.h.
IT 240 - Information Technology Resource Management , 3 s.h.
ACCT 228 - Strategic Accounting for Managers, 3 s.h.
FIN 228 - Corporate Financial Policy and Strategy, 3 s.h.

Component V: Capstone Integrative Course - Semester Hours: 3

Given that all functional areas in an organization work together to ensure success of the organization, this component is designed to help students integrate knowledge of various functional areas in order to solve complex problems. The capstone course is an integrative course covering all functional areas of organizations.

MBA 350 - Integrative Capstone Course  Semester Hours: 3

Component VI - Optional Internship (No Credit) for Full-Time Day M.B.A. Students Only

Component VII - Two Residencies (no credit) and a Global Practicum on Strategy for online M.B.A. students only.