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.
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.
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 completing one of the Global Business Intensive (GBI) courses offered at locations such as Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, and North America. The short-term intensive courses occur during trimester breaks. At the time of registration for the GBI course, students must have completed a minimum of 8 units at PGBS with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.70.
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 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. Failure to attend the first class session 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.
Access to On-Ground Courses
Online students who wish to enroll in an Online MBA relevant, 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) , 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 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; 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 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.
Pathway to Online MBA Program
To support the academic pursuit of an MBA degree, upon successful completion of the BSM program and acceptance into the Pathway MBA program, students may be eligible for pathway course transfers. Students need to earn a grade of “B” or better in all of the relevant BSM courses to be eligible for a course transfer according to the outlined chart. Only courses completed in the BSM program at PGBS are eligible to transfer towards the MBA program. MBA courses not specifically listed below are ineligible for transfer consideration.
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