The Online Master of Business Administration (MBA) program is designed for individuals who possess business or managerial experience, need or desire a highly flexible educational delivery modality, and are interested in developing their functional competencies and leadership potential. Students gain a solid foundation of current business management concepts within a 52-unit curricular framework that is global, values-centered, and entrepreneurial. A significant amount of students’ class assignments will require ongoing integration and application of acquired knowledge and skills from their professional lives.
The program has the following learning outcomes:
- Students will have the skills to analyze business situations in an integrated, multidisciplinary way and recommend solutions.
- Students will have the communication skills to persuasively and professionally articulate their thinking.
- Students will understand team dynamics and be effective team members and leaders.
- Students will incorporate ethical considerations when making decisions.
The program follows a trimester-based academic calender, and typical course-load consists of 4-8 units per trimester. For graduate-level students, the completion of 4 or more units per trimester is considered standard academic progress.
OLMBA program learning goals and outcomes state the educational expectations of student achievement for each degree program. These goals are defined by faculty members to clarify how they intend for graduates to be competent and effective as a result of successfully completing the program.
Immersion Experience
During the first trimester of study, all members of the class are required to participate in a 3-day Personal and Leadership Development Workshop (BSCI 650 ). The workshop is designed to build a cohesive learning team for the class as well as explore the dynamics of interpersonal communication, personal ethics and values, and team development. This course is graded on a credit or no credit basis.
Global Business Intensive Courses
Two units of credit may be earned by attending one of the Global Business Intensive courses offered at locations in Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, and North America. These are short-term intensive courses which students take during trimester breaks.
Study Abroad Program
Students may spend a trimester abroad as a full-time student at one of the Graziadio School international partner business schools. Upon approval by the appropriate academic discipline(s), up to 12 units of course work of comparable scope and content may be taken at the international partner school to satisfy elective requirements. Students will enroll at the Graziadio School in the appropriate number of PGBS Study Abroad course units. When the courses are completed at the international partner university, their course designation will be added to the enrollment record so that they will appear on the student’s transcript. These courses will be graded credit or no credit only.
Attendance
Students are responsible for all synchronous or asynchronous instruction. Live (synchronous) sessions are required instructional elements of every online class, and real-time attendance and engagement is expected of students on a consistent basis. To ensure the fulfillment of all course objectives and deliverables, faculty may require attendance at certain live sessions without exception. In cases where an absence from a session has been approved by the instructor, the student will be assigned work to demonstrate mastery of the required content. Failure to complete this work will impact a student’s grade.
Access to On-Ground Courses
Online students who wish to enroll in an on-ground course may submit a request for consideration on a space-available basis. Prior to the formal submission of the request, students should consult with their advisor to understand the potential impact of taking the desired on-ground course on their overall program completion plan and timeline. Requests are individually reviewed by the Program Office, and approval is not guaranteed.
Change in Program Modality
Students are generally expected to complete their program coursework in the same modality they had chosen upon program entrance. Under compelling and verifiable circumstances, a student may formally petition for a permanent change in program modality (i.e., from online to on-ground). Petitions should be directed to the Program Office, detailing the nature of the circumstances and providing relevant documentation.
Transfer of Graduate Credit
Students who have completed equivalent graduate-level courses at other AACSB and regionally accredited institutions may, upon the approval of the Program Committee, transfer up to 12 units into the Online MBA Program. However, certain courses in the curriculum - specifically BSCI 650 Personal and Leadership Development Workshop (1) , BSCI 651 Behavior in Organizations (4) , PGBS 670J Integration in Business Operations (1) , and STGY 659 Strategic Management (4) - may not be waived.
To be considered for a transfer, courses must have been taken within five years prior to the student’s start of enrollment in the Online MBA Program at the Graziadio School. Only courses in which grades of “B” or better were earned will be accepted. Accepted transfer courses appear on the student’s Pepperdine transcript as “credit” only and are not factored into the cumulative grade point average.
Requests for the consideration of transfer coursework must be submitted in writing to the Program Office within the first trimester of enrollment and accompanied by the following:
- Syllabus and catalog description of the previously taken course as the basis for requesting the waiver
- Official transcript from the institution at which the course was taken, indicating successful completion
- Any other information that the MBA Program Committee may require to evaluate the equivalency of the previously taken course
Decisions regarding transfer credit requests will be communicated to students in writing by the Program Office.
Fast-Track Online MBA Option
The Fast-Track degree completion plan within the Online MBA Program is available for candidates who have earned an undergraduate degree in business from an AACSB accredited program and meet the following additional criteria: (a) minimum grade point average of 3.5 in their undergraduate major (business) related coursework; (b) minimum GMAT score of 600; and (c) minimum of two years of professional work experience. The Fast-Track option allows for the waiver of up to 12 units of MBA core courses, excluding the course associated with the student’s intended concentration. The only exemption to this policy may apply to students who have earned an undergraduate degree in the same discipline as their intended Online MBA concentration (e.g., Accounting, Finance, Marketing, etc.).
In addition to meeting the criteria above, Fast-Track candidates must have earned grades of “B+” or better in their undergraduate upper-division courses that correspond with the MBA core courses to be waived. The upper division undergraduate coursework must have been completed within seven years of their initial term of enrollment in the Online MBA Program.
Pathways to Online MBA Program
Admission Requirements for the Pathways to Online MBA Program
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To be considered eligible for admission to the Pathways program, a student must have an earned grade point average of 3.0 or higher in the Graziadio School’s BSM program in one of two situations:
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Graduated with a BSM degree from the Graziadio School no more than five years prior to the term of matriculation.
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Currently admitted to and have completed 40 or more units of the Graziadio School’s BSM program and have no outstanding lower-division course work.
- Applicants must have a minimum of three years of work experience.
- A minimum grade of “B” is required in each BSM course for which the equivalent Online MBA core course is waived through the Pathways to Online MBA program. Students who have not achieved this minimum “B” grade in the BSM course will be required to complete the equivalent Online MBA core course in addition to the normal course requirements of the Pathways to Online MBA program.
- The number of units required for the Pathways to Online MBA program is based on the earned grade point average (GPA) in the Graziadio School BSM program, as follows:
- 3.4 GPA or greater in the BSM program may qualify for the MBAJ program and waive up to 22 units and the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) (see MBAJ section for further information and application process).
- 3.30 - 3.39 GPA in the BSM program may waive up to 16 units and the GMAT. A minimum of 36 units to be completed at the MBA level.
- 3.20 - 3.29 GPA in the BSM program may waive up to 12 units and the GMAT. A minimum of 40 units to be completed at the MBA level.
- 3.10 - 3.19 GPAin the BSM program may waive up to 8 units and the GMAT. A minimum of 44 units to be completed at the MBA level.
- 3.00 - 3.09 GPA in the BSM program may waive the GMAT. A minimum of 52 units to be completed at the MBA level.
- For GPA’s lower than 3.00, the standard requiements for admission and completion of the Online MBA program apply.
An Application for Admission packet may be obtained from the Program Office. The completed application must be submitted to the Graziadio School Admission Office.
Notification of Admission
The Admission Office will inform the applicant of the status of the application, but it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all required documents are on file by published deadlines for admission. Admission will be confirmed by a letter from the associate dean.
Course Requirements for the Pathways to Online MBA Program
The following courses may not be waived: