Business Administration MBA Accelerated Master's Degree

The MBA accelerated master program in Business Administration provides an opportunity for students of recognized academic ability and educational maturity to complete the requirements for both degrees in 5 years of full-time study. Students majoring in the B.S. in Business Administration (BSBA) and B.S. in Accounting (BSAcc) degree programs are eligible for the Accelerated MBA. The program allows students to complete both the undergraduate and graduate degrees in Business Administration or the bachelor's degree in accounting and the graduate degree in Business Administration with a total of 141 credit hours instead of the typical 153 credit hours if the degrees were pursued separately.

Admission Requirements

Students will apply to accelerated master's for provisional status after they have completed 60 undergraduate credit hours with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. After completion of the provisional period, upon recommendation of the Graduate Program Director, students can be granted graduate admission into the accelerated program, which involves admission to the Graduate School. After graduate admission, the student will be classified as a graduate student, will pay graduate tuition for all subsequent courses, and must continue taking courses in graduate status until completion of the master’s degree. Students must maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or higher throughout the combined program. 

Students on provisional status may request enrollment in up to 12 credit hours of 4000/5000/6000 level coursework to count towards their graduate degree, while in undergraduate status, with the approval of their advisor and the Director of Graduate Business Programs.

Applicants are considered for graduate admission into the accelerated master's program if they meet the following criteria.

• Are in their final semester in undergraduate status
• Have a minimum GPA of 3.0 since being granted provisional status
• Have met with a Graduate Business Programs academic advisor

Program Requirements

Up to 12 credit hours of graduate coursework may be counted both to meet the 120 credit hours required for the bachelor’s degree and to meet the credit hour requirements of the MBA. The courses that will count toward both degrees must be approved by both the Undergraduate and Graduate Program Directors. All other requirements for the BSBA and BSAcc degrees remain in effect.

Awarding of Degrees

The student may apply for and receive the bachelor’s degree in the semester when all the undergraduate requirements are completed. In their final semester in undergraduate status, the student must apply and be admitted to the graduate program, to begin the following semester. The student will apply to receive the master’s degree in the semester that the requirements for the graduate degree will be completed.

If the student fails to enroll for more than one year after receiving the bachelor's degree, the student can still earn the master’s degree, but the graduate-level credits earned as an undergraduate cannot be used for the graduate degree.