Objectives of the M.B.A. Program
The M.B.A. program prepares students for managerial positions in various types of organizations. The program builds on core business competencies and functional specialization to impart to its students decision analysis skills and a strategic perspective of business problems.
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.
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 – Semester Hours: 41-48
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.
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. No credit will be allowed for core competency or graduate courses with D grades. These courses must be repeated.
The M.B.A.program in Management is composed of the following requirements:
- Residency Requirements (No credit)
- Core Competencies (2-6 s.h.)
- Advanced Core (21-24 s.h.)
- The Major Concentration (15 s.h.)
- Capstone Integrative Course (3 s.h.)
Residency Requirements (Zarb School of Business) - No Credit
Residency workshops cover library information resources, 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.
The following workshop is required of all students:
The following workshops may be required depending upon previous academic preparation:
*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.
Core Competencies - Semester Hours: 2-6
The core competency requirement 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.
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.
Advanced Core - Semester Hours: 21-24
The advanced core requirement 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 .
The Major Concentration - Semester Hours: 15
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.
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).
Capstone Integrative Course - Semester Hours: 3
Given that all functional areas in an organization work together to ensure success of the organization, this requirement 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.
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