For more information on the Master of Business Administration degree, please see the MBA Graduate Bulletin.
The MBA Degree
The Masters of Business Administration program at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU) provides advanced training in the theory and practice of management. Students are exposed to the fundamentals of business, including accounting, computer applications, economics, finance, marketing, operations, organizational behavior, quantitative methods, and strategy; specialized knowledge is available from elective courses. The program is designed primarily for part-time students, but full-time students are also accepted (classes are scheduled during evening hours). Applicants who hold a baccalaureate degree and meet admission standards are accepted without regard to undergraduate major.
To view more specific information per major, please follow to the appropriate page:
Why get an MBA?
- Give your career a boost. In many businesses, the MBA is a prerequisite for advancement to higher levels of responsibility. Career paths for MBA graduates are numerous and include jobs in accounting, finance, human resource management, management information systems, manufacturing, marketing, and operations management. Many graduates work as consultants, while others start their own businesses. Still more opportunities exist in government, education, health care administration, and nonprofit agencies.
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Increase your earning potential. The degree is valued by employers, and average starting salaries are significantly higher for those who hold the degree than for those who do not.
- Holders of MBA degrees report higher-than-average rates of satisfaction with their careers (69-76%, depending on field)…
- …and lower stress levels (34-42%) than other workers.
- Here are examples of comparisons in pay for some common job titles:
| Finance | BA/BS | MBA | % Diff |
| Financial Director | $104K | $137K | 32% |
| Financial Controller | $85.3K | $94.8K | 11% |
| Financial Analyst | $67.8K | $69K | 2% |
| Marketing | |||
| Marketing Director | $101K | $132K | 31% |
| Marketing Analyst | $70.2K | $73.5K | 5% |
| Marketing Specialist | $56.4K | $70.1K | 24% |
| Human Resources | |||
| Sr. HR Manager | $89.1K | $99.K | 12% |
| HR Director | $91.7K | $97.4K | 6% |
| HR Specialist | $53.3K | $51.8K | -3% |
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- Additionally, the wage growth from starting to mid-career salaries that workers with MBA degrees experience - between 60% and 108% - is substantially larger than that reported by workers with bachelor's degrees only. Source: http://www.payscale.com/mba-paths, 2012.
- Develop connections with your classmates, faculty, and industry leaders. In the course of completing your MBA, you will be presented with opportunities to interact not only with our faculty, many of whom have industry experience and connections, but also with your peers - people who may become your business partners, colleagues and future contacts.
- Take advantage of networking opportunities, inside and outside of classroom. Our MBA program gives students plenty of opportunities to interact, both socially and professionally.
- Sharpen your analytical, quantitative, and communication skills. The MBA is particularly relevant for persons with technical or liberal arts training who desire to improve their management and analytical skills. Even students with undergraduate business majors can benefit from the MBA by raising their knowledge and skills to a higher level.
- Learn the latest in managerial techniques and approaches from academically and professionally qualified faculty who stay current in their disciplines. All of our graduate faculty have terminal degrees in their respective fields and either regularly publish their research in leading business journals or are active practitioners.
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Get challenged in your coursework while applying theory to current business cases and managerial situations. Here are just a handful of real business situations our students analyze and solve:
- Why would Amazon sell the Kindle Fire for $199 when each unit is estimated to cost $209.63 to produce?
- While neither firm issues much stock, TXU uses relatively more debt than does Apple. How can this be reconciled given that Apple is a rapidly growing firm, while TXU has low growth?
- Did Apple make the right decision by cutting the price of its iPhone by 50 percent only 4 months after introducing it to the market?
- Is first-mover advantage really that important in an industry known for its innovation? (Procter & Gamble doesn't think so).
- How do I obtain and set up a Taco Bueno or KFC franchise in Italy?
Program of Study
Each student's degree plan is customized according to his or her background. If a student lacks skills in algebra, calculus, statistics, or computer science, courses in these areas are offered as undergraduate courses (MTH 143, MTH 144, MTH 220, CSC 121).
Graduate coursework is divided into two parts: "leveling" courses and the "core." For those who do not have an undergraduate degree in business, leveling courses cover the common body of business knowledge that would normally be included in an undergraduate business curriculum. This part consists of the following 21 semester hours (see the Graduate Bulletin for detailed descriptions):
| ACC | 501 | Financial Accounting |
| CSC | 503 | Decision Support Software with Applications |
| ECO | 502 | Quantitative Analysis |
| ECO | 515 | Introduction to Economics |
| FIN | 504 | Financial Management |
| MGT | 512 | Seminar in Management |
| MKT | 508 | Marketing: Theories and Practices |
Depending on the student's background, some or all of the leveling courses may be waived by the MBA director. For a course to be waived, the student must normally have completed equivalent undergraduate or graduate courses from a regionally accredited university. Grades of "B" or better within the last five years are required in most cases. In addition, if the student does not obtain a minimum score of 4.0 on the written component of the GMAT exam, BCM 520 (Business Communication) is required.
All MBA candidates are required to take the "core" of the program. Theses courses refine business knowledge by exploring business theories and applications and applying the knowledge to real-world situations. The core consists of the following 36 semester hours:
| ACC | 511 | Accounting for Management |
| BLW | 547 | Transnational Business Law |
| ECO | 520 | Managerial Economics |
| FIN | 514 | Advanced Financial Management |
| MGT | 571 | Operations Management |
| MGT | 577 | Organizational Behavior & Theory |
| MGT | 517 | Strategic Management |
| MKT | 513 | Marketing Management |
Twelve semester hours (4 courses) of other approved electives.
A major in the MBA program describes an area of scholarly focus that is comprised of six graduate courses (18 credit hours) applicable to the stated major area. Most students major in General Business. However, anyone who selects his or her electives to obtain at least 18 total hours in Management may choose to major in that subject.
An emphasis in the MBA program describes an area of scholarly focus that is comprised of four graduate courses (12 credit hours) applicable to the stated emphasis area. The five areas of emphasis offered are: Accounting, Finance, Human Resources Management, International Business, and Marketing.
At most, six hours of coursework may be transferred in from an AACSB-accredited school. All requirements must be completed within six years of first enrollment in graduate courses.
Please see the General Business and Management graduate bulletins for more information.
Admission
A student seeking admission to the MBA program should take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) at least two months prior to enrollment (scores more than five years old at the time of application are not normally accepted). An admission application form must be completed and submitted to the Office of Graduate School, and official transcripts must be sent from all colleges and universities attended. The deadline for receipt of all materials (including GMAT score) is 30 days prior to registration for the semester in which the student desires to enroll. Application forms can be found on-line at http://www.sfasu.edu/graduate/101.asp.
Once the application is complete, an acceptance decision is made based on a combination of undergraduate grade-point-average (GPA) and GMAT score. To be accepted a candidate must attain a minimum score of 1000 points using the following formula: (200 x overall GPA) + GMAT score.
This same formula can also be applied to the GPA for all of the candidate's upper division undergraduate courses but will then a minimum of 1,050 points is required. "Upper division" is defined to be either the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework (excluding freshman-level courses) or all junior/senior courses.
The GMAT requirement is waived for those applicants with an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or higher from a US college or university.
Additionally, applicants with three or more years of extensive managerial work experience can apply to have the GMAT requirement waived by the MBA Director. This decision is made on a case-by-case basis; "extensive managerial experience" will typically mean a full-time position held after completing the bachelor's degree.
While scores from a Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) are acceptable, the GMAT scores are preferred; candidates applying with GMAT scores may be given priority consideration in graduate assistant (GA) assignments, though not in admission decisions.
A student whose native language is not English must also submit the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score of at least 213 on the computer-based or 80 on the internet-based or 550 on the paper-based test.