For more information on the Master of Business Administration degree, please see the MBA Graduate Bulletin.
The Master of Business Administration program at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU) provides advanced training in the theory and practice of management. Students are exposed to the fundamentals of business, including accounting, computer applications, economics, finance, marketing, operations, organizational behavior, quantitative methods, and strategy; specialized knowledge is available from elective courses. Both full-time and part-time students are accepted (classes are scheduled during evening hours). Applicants who hold a baccalaureate degree and meet admission standards are accepted without regard to undergraduate major.
- Give your career a boost. In many businesses, the MBA is a prerequisite for advancement to higher levels of responsibility. Career paths for MBA graduates are numerous and include jobs in accounting, finance, human resource management, management information systems, manufacturing, marketing, and operations management. Many graduates work as consultants, while others start their own businesses. Still more opportunities exist in government, education, health care administration, and nonprofit agencies.
Increase your earning potential. The degree is valued by employers, and average starting salaries are significantly higher for those who hold the degree than for those who do not.
- Holders of MBA degrees report higher-than-average rates of satisfaction with their careers (69-76%, depending on field)…
- …and lower stress levels (34-42%) than other workers.
- Here are examples of comparisons in pay for some common job titles:
|Sr. HR Manager||$89.1K||$99K||12%|
- Additionally, the wage growth experienced by MBA holders from starting to mid-career salaries of - between 60% and 108%, - is substantially larger than that reported by workers with bachelor's degrees only. (Source: , 2012).
- Develop connections with your classmates, faculty, and industry leaders. In the course of completing your MBA, you will be presented with opportunities to interact not only with your faculty, many of whom have industry experience and extensive business connections, but also with your peers - people who may become your business partners, colleagues and future contacts.
- Take advantage of networking opportunities, inside and outside of classroom. Our MBA program provides students with a variety of opportunities to interact, both socially and professionally.
- Sharpen your analytical, quantitative, and communication skills. The MBA is particularly relevant for persons with technical or liberal arts training who desire to improve their management and analytical skills. Even students with undergraduate business majors can benefit from the MBA by raising their knowledge and skills to a higher level.
- Learn the latest in managerial techniques and approaches from academically and professionally qualified faculty who stay current in their disciplines. Our graduate faculty have terminal degrees in their respective fields and regularly publish their research in leading business journals. Many are business consultants who remain actively engaged in business activities.
Get challenged in your coursework while applying theory to current business cases and managerial situations. Here is a sampling of real business situations our students have recently analyzed and solved:
- Why would Amazon sell the Kindle Fire for $199 when each unit is estimated to cost $209.63 to produce?
- While neither firm issues much stock, TXU uses relatively more debt than does Apple. How can this be reconciled given that Apple is a rapidly growing firm, while TXU has low growth?
- Did Apple make the right decision by cutting the price of its iPhone by 50 percent only 4 months after introducing it to the market?
- Is first-mover advantage really that important in an industry known for its innovation? (Procter & Gamble doesn't think so).
- How do I obtain and set up a Taco Bueno or KFC franchise in Italy?
Additionally, MBA candidates must take six semester hours (2 courses) of approved business graduate electives.
At most, six hours of coursework may be transferred toward the MBA degree from an AACSB-accredited school. All requirements must be completed within six years of first enrollment in graduate courses.
For a sample degree plan, click here. Please note that this is an example; individual degree requirements, particularly leveling courses, will vary depending on the candidate's previous academic work and experience.
A student seeking admission to the MBA program should take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) at least two months prior to enrollment (scores more than five years old at the time of application are not normally accepted). An admission application form must be completed and submitted to the Office of Graduate School, and official transcripts must be sent from all colleges and universities attended. The deadline for receipt of all materials (including GMAT score) is 30 days prior to registration for the semester in which the student desires to enroll. Application forms can be found on-line at .
Once the application is complete, an acceptance decision is made based on a combination of undergraduate gradepoint average (GPA) and GMAT score. To be accepted a candidate must attain a minimum score of 420 on the GMAT and meet one of the following criteria:
1) Achieve a minimum of 1000 points using the formula: (200 x overall GPA) + GMAT score
2) Achieve a minimum of 1050 points using the formula: (200 x Upper-division GPA) + GMAT score
"Upper division" is defined to be either the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework (excluding freshman-level courses) or all junior/senior courses.
For purposes of admission, undergraduate GPA is calculated by including courses taken at all post-secondary institutions (i.e., colleges and universities), not just the institution that granted the undergraduate degree. Additionally, all attempted courses and the accompanying grades are taken into consideration, including drops, withdrawals, and repeats.
The GMAT requirement is waived for those applicants with an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or higher from a regionally accredited US college or university. Additionally, applicants with three or more years of extensive managerial work experience can request to have the GMAT requirement waived by the MBA Director. This decision is made on a case-by-case basis; "extensive managerial experience" will typically mean a full-time supervisory or managerial position held for a significant period of time after completing the bachelor's degree.