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:
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A global content course from any concentration.
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A one-week, 2-unit Global Business Intensive course hosted by partner schools abroad, led by a Graziadio School faculty member.
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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.
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One trimester study abroad at a global partner business school.
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An appropriately scoped global business directed instruction project.
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, 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:
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Syllabus and catalog description of the previously taken course as the basis for requesting the waiver
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Official transcript from the institution at which the course was taken, indicating successful completion
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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.
Pathway to Part-Time 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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