Mar 28, 2024  
2014-2015 Graziadio Academic Catalog 
    
2014-2015 Graziadio Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Online Master of Business Administration


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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 in decision making.

Students begin the program in a cohort, but different concentrations and course sequencing options allow students to mix during the program. Online sessions are completed on a weekly basis. A four-credit course consists of weekly sessions with a total of 60 hours of instructor-directed instruction. Because Pepperdine courses are offered on a trimester basis, a student may complete the program in as few as 24 months. Graduate students enrolled for eight units are considered full time.

During the first trimester of study, all members of the class are required to participate in a weekend-long 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. The three-day residential workshop requires two overnight stays. Each participant is responsible for travel and accommodation expenses. Meals and snacks are provided. 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 week-long intensive courses are conducted during trimester breaks.

Admission Requirements for the Online MBA

The Online MBA application process is intended to ensure a good fit between the program’s objectives and the applicant’s experience, qualifications, and potential. Each applicant is assessed in a holistic way; no single criterion controls the admission decision.

To be considered eligible for admission to the Online MBA program, an applicant must have an undergraduate degree with an acceptable grade point average from a regionally accredited four-year college or university or foreign institution. International academic institutions must be accredited by the ministry of education or like accrediting bodies from their respective countries.                                   

  1. A completed online Application for Admission with a specified essay and a $75 payment for the nonrefundable application fee must be submitted electronically to the Graziadio School Admission Office.
  2. An official transcript with the baccalaureate degree posted and mailed directly by the registrar from the college or university that granted the undergraduate degree must be sent to the Graziadio School Admission Office. If work toward the undergraduate degree or any graduate work was completed at other colleges or universities, official transcripts from all these institutions must be submitted. Transcripts from non U.S. universities which do not calculate a cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale (A=4.0) must be certified, with GPA calculated, by a NACES member agency. For certification, we recommend WES (Course-By-Course Report or ICAP).
  3. An acceptable score on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test taken within the last five years is required. The Fully Employed Programs Admissions committee may choose to waive the GMAT for applicants who have at least three years of full-time work experience and satisfy at least one of the following: (a) have a quantitative B.S. degree in science, technology, engineering, math (STEM), finance, or accounting, (b) have a degree in economics that is quantitative in nature, (c) took statistics or calculus in college and got a grade of B or better, (d) graduated from Graziadio’s BSM program, (e) graduated from Seaver College at Pepperdine with a B.S. degree in Business.
  4. Applicants must be currently employed or must have a minimum of two years of work experience or its equivalent.
  5. All international applicants whose first language is not English must submit scores on one of the following tests. Any applicant who earns a bachelor’s degree from a United States college or university is exempt from this requirement. The bulleted list below contains test and contact information:
  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Contact: www.toefl.org or call (617) 671-2075.
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE). Contact: usreco@pearson.com or call (323) 255-2771.
  • International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Contact: www.ielts.org or call (609) 921-9000.
  1. International applicants who do not hold a permanent resident visa in the United States must submit an International Applicant Data form. International Applicant Data forms may be obtained through the Office of International Applicant Services at http://www.pepperdine.edu/internationalstudents/oiss-forms/.

Notification of Admission

Applications to the Online MBA program are accepted continuously throughout the year. The Admission Office will inform the applicant of the status of the application, but it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all necessary documents are on file by published deadlines for admission.

While acceptance to the program may allow a applicant to enroll for 45 days as an unclassified applicant, admission to Pepperdine University will not be fully considered until the application file is complete. No amount of credit taken while on unclassified status will assure an applicant of admission. Admission will be confirmed by a letter from the associate dean.

Leave of Absence

A leave of absence may be granted during a student’s course of study. A letter or an e-mail from the student’s Pepperdine e-mail account must be submitted to the Program Office indicating the reason for the leave and the projected time of return. Students may be granted a leave of absence for up to three consecutive trimesters. If a student requires a leave of absence longer than three consecutive trimesters, the student must submit a petition to the Program Office. For information regarding the submission of this petition, contact the Program Office.

Standards and Measurements of Achievement for Online MBA Students

Each course in the Online MBA program has its own method for measuring achievement. At the beginning of each course, the standards of achievement and method of measurement for a particular course will be described in the course syllabus.

A student must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 throughout the program. All course grades assigned in the program are entered on the student’s official transcript and counted toward the cumulative grade point average. A core course in which a grade lower than “C-” is earned must be repeated before the student will be allowed to graduate. A grade lower than “C-” earned in an elective course must be made up by repeating any elective course. Upon approval by the Program Committee, a course in which a grade lower than “B” is earned may be repeated. However, a course may be repeated only once. In cases where a course has been repeated, both course grades earned remain on the transcript and count toward the cumulative grade point average.

Students’ academic records are reviewed at the end of each trimester. If a student’s grade point average falls below 3.0, the student is placed on academic probation. Students placed on academic probation shall be informed of any conditions for removing the probationary status. The Program Committee reviews the status of students who are on academic probation on a case-by case basis. Because students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 to graduate with an MBA degree, attention to the grade point average is of concern throughout the student’s enrollment. A student is subject to academic dismissal for any of the following deficiencies:

  • Failure to earn at least a 3.0 grade point average in the first trimester of enrollment.
  • Failure to achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.0.
  • Earning a grade of “B-” or lower during a trimester in which a student is on probation.
  • Earning a grade lower than “B-” in more than two courses.
  • Earning a grade lower than “D” in any course.

Orientation Course Requirement

  • All students are required to complete the online Orientation “course” prior to taking their first course online.

Taking Courses Between Programs

  • On-ground students can take a maximum of 12 units through the online program.
  • Online students can take a maximum of 12 units through the on-ground program.

Transferring Between On-ground and Online Programs

  • On-ground students who wish to take more than 12 units of course work in the online program will need to request a transfer into the online program in order to do so.
  • Online students who wish to take more than 12 units of course work in the on-ground program will need to request a transfer into the on-ground program in order to do so.

Policy Exceptions


Please refer to the Policy Exceptions information located here .

Course Requirements for the Online MBA


The Online MBA program requires 52 units of course work with some flexibility in scheduling. BSCI 650 , BSCI 651 , and ACCT 652  must be taken in the first or second trimester, and STGY 659  and STGY 670C  must be taken after all core courses.

GSBM 670X  and STGY 670C  are integration courses. Students must complete the following courses before taking GSBM 670X : ACCT 652 , BSCI 650 , BSCI 651 , DESC 656 , ECNM 657 , FINC 655 , and MKTG 658 . Students must  enroll in GSBM 670X  before enrolling in their last course, STGY 659 . STGY 670C  must be taken in conjunction with STGY 659 .

Following is the recommended course sequence for students wishing to complete the program in two years:

Elective Concentrations


The Online MBA allows students to choose one of four elective concentrations:

Concentrations consist of 12 units of course work.

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