Part-Time Master of Business Administration

The Part-Time Master of Business Administration (Part-Time MBA) is a 52-unit program designed for individuals who possess some business or managerial experience and are interested in developing their functional competencies and leadership potential. Students gain a solid foundation of current business management concepts including the impacts of globalization, technology and ethics on the future workplace. A significant amount of students’ class assignments will require ongoing integration and application of acquired knowledge and skills by the students to their professional lives.

The program is designed to concentrate on developing fundamental business knowledge in areas such as finance, marketing, accounting, economics, quantitative analysis, law, human behavior, information systems, management and leadership, and strategy for our students. In addition, developing the skills to analyze business situations in an integrated multidisciplinary way and improving written and oral communication skills so that students can persuasively and professionally articulate their thinking. Also, for students to understand team dynamics and gain self-awareness, to enhance their effectiveness as managers and leaders of teams of people, and to incorporate ethical considerations into decision making.

The Part-Time MBA program follows a trimester-based academic calendar, and typical course-load consists of 8-10 units per trimester. 

In the first trimester of the program, Part-Time MBA students participate in a 3-day, immersive workshop. It is designed to promote a cohesive learning environment and establish a strong foundation for interpersonal communication, personal ethics and values, and team development. This course is graded on a credit or no credit basis.

In addition, each 4-unit foundation course includes a Saturday workshop. These workshops are designed to provide students with engaging, applied learning experiences. Students following the recommended course sequence should expect to complete 1-2 Saturday workshops per term.

The Part-Time MBA 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. 

Students enrolled in a program that is billed per-unit tuition may not enroll in courses that do not meet or exceed the degree completion requirements as outlined in the catalog

Global Business Requirement

All Part-Time MBA students must complete at least 2 units of global content coursework by satisfying one of the following options:

1. A global content course from any concentration.

2. A one-week, 2-unit Global Business Intensive course hosted by partner schools abroad, led by a Graziadio School faculty member.

3. A Going Global with Graziadio (G3) project spanning two PGBS 694 G3: Going Global with Graziadio - Global Business Development Practicum (0-2)  courses taken sequentially.

4. One trimester study abroad at a global partner business school.

5. An appropriately scoped global business directed instruction project.

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), 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, asynchronous and in-person instruction.  Online live (synchronous) sessions and in-person sessions are required instructional elements of every hybrid 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 any in-person or online live session without exception. Failure to attend the  first class session, whether in-person or online, may result in being permanently dropped from the course. 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.

Change in Program Plan

Students are expected to complete their coursework in the same program plan they had chosen upon program entrance. A student may formally petition for a permanent change in program plan (i.e., from hybrid to online). Petitions should be directed to the Program Office, detailing the nature of the circumstances and providing relevant documentation. All completed coursework may not be transferable between the Part-Time MBA program and other graduate business programs at PGBS. 

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 Part-Time MBA program. However, certain course requirements for the degree - specifically BSCI 650 Personal and Leadership Development Workshop (1) , BSCI 652 Organizational Behavior and Personal Development (4) , STGY 612 Competition and Executive Decision-Making (1) , and STGY 659 Strategic Management (4)  - may not be satisfied through transfer credit. 

To be considered for a transfer, courses must have been taken within five years prior to the student’s start of enrollment in the Part-Time 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 Part-Time 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 Part-Time 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 Part-Time MBA Option

The Fast-Track degree completion plan within the Part-Time 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; and (b) 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 exception to this policy may apply to students who have earned an undergraduate degree in the same discipline as their intended Part-Time 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 Part-Time foundation courses to be waived. The upper division undergraduate coursework must have been completed within seven years of their initial term of enrollment in the Part-Time Program. 

Pathways to Part-Time MBA Program

Admission Requirements for the Pathways to Part-Time Program

1. 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:

   • Graduated with a BSM degree from the Graziadio School no more than five years prior to the term of matriculation.

   • Currently admitted to and have completed 40 or more units of the Graziadio School’s BSM program and have no outstanding lower-division coursework.
      

2. Applicants must have a minimum of three years of work experience.

3. A minimum grade of “B” is required in each BSM course for which the equivalent Part-Time core course is waived through the Pathways to Part-Time program. Students who have not achieved this minimum “B” grade in the BSM course will be required to complete the equivalent Part-Time core course in addition to the normal course requirements of the Pathways to Part-Time program.

4. The number of units required for the Pathways to Part-Time 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 requirements for admission and completion of the Part-Time 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 Part-Time Program

1. The following courses may not be waived:   

   • BSCI 652 Organizational Behavior and Personal Development (4)  

   • STGY 612 Competition and Executive Decision-Making (1)  

   • STGY 659 Strategic Management (4)