Master of Business Administration

The M.B.A. is offered by the Rankin College of Business at SAU and is fully accredited by AACSB, International, the premier accrediting body for colleges and schools of business. Fewer than five percent of all business programs worldwide are accredited by AACSB, which indicates the quality of our program. The general business emphasis curriculum includes graduate level courses in accounting, economics, finance, marketing, organizational theory, quantitative analysis, strategic management, and management information systems. Additionally, critical perspectives will be emphasized within the program. These include ethical, global, political, social, legal and regulatory, and environmental issues; technology; demographic diversity; and written and oral communication skills.

The latest addition is the Social Entrepreneurship emphasis, which is a 36-hour program and is aimed at providing graduates with the skills and knowledge to support and implementing business-led initiatives to achieve social aims. The agriculture business emphasis is a 33-hour program which requires 24 hours of graduate core courses and nine hours of agricultural business electives. The Supply Chain Management emphasis is a 33-hour program which requires 24 hours of graduate core courses and nine hours of supply chain management electives. A student can complete either program in a traditional night program, through online delivery, or through a combination of the two.

Curriculum

The M.B.A. curriculum is designed primarily for graduates of a Bachelor of Business Administration program, but graduates of other programs can enter the program by completing a 24-hour prerequisite program.

The M.B.A. program consists of 24 hours of M.B.A. core courses and 6 hours of electives. A student can choose to complete courses in a traditional night program, through online delivery, or through a combination of the two. Qualified students may enter the program any semester during the 2-year rotation.

Learning Goals

1. MBA students will be effective communicators, using information technology to enhance decision making through better communication.
2. MBA students are prepared to be socially responsible, effective business leaders with an awareness of cultural and diversity issues and the ability to make ethical decisions.
3. MBA students will be critical thinkers who are able to use concepts from strategic management to integrate relevant information, decision-making techniques, and concepts from multiple business disciplines to make decisions in new or unfamiliar circumstances.
4. MBA students can effectively and legally access and use the information to prepare an effective written report that supports decision making.
5. MBA students will be competent in the business discipline.

General MBA Requirements (30 hours)

Required Courses (24 credit hours)

• ACCT 6003 Accounting for Decision Making
• ECON 6003 Managerial Economics
• MKTG 6023 Strategic Marketing
• MGMT 6013 Human Behavior in Organizations
• FIN 6003 Managerial Finance
• MGMT 6003 Strategic Planning and Analysis
• MGMT 6043 Quantitative Methods
• SCM 6003 Enterprise Resource Planning

Electives (six credit hours) selected from the following:

• ACCT 6063 Special Topics in Accounting
• ACCT 6073 Special Topics in Accounting
• ECON 6043 Issues in Environmental Economics
• ECON 6063 Special Topics in Economics
• FIN 6063 Special Topics in Finance
• IS 6063 Special Topics in IS
• MGMT 6033 Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship
• MGMT 6063 Special Topics in Management
• MGMT 6073 Special Topics in Management
• MKTG 6063 Special Topics in Marketing
• SCM 6013 Project Management
• SCM 6023 Supply Chain Sourcing
• SCM 6033 Supply Chain Security
• SCM 6043 Sustainable SCM Practices
• SCM 6053 RFID Technology Utilization
• SCM 6073 Special Topics in Supply Chain Management

Undergraduate Prerequisites

A student may be admitted into the MBA program if he/she holds a bachelor’s degree or equivalent from an accredited college or university regardless of the undergraduate field of study. Should a student have an undergraduate degree other than business, prerequisites would include:

• Six hours of principles of accounting (sophomore level or above),
• Three hours of business finance or financial management (junior level or above),
• Three hours of statistics (at the junior level or above),
• Three hours of principles of marketing (at the junior level or above),
• Three hours of microeconomics (sophomore level or above), and
• Three hours of organization theory and behavior or principles of management (junior level or above).