Business Administration, MBA

Program Introduction

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) program prepares students for professional careers in business. The goals of the program are to help students develop critical thinking skills and to provide them with an expanded awareness of the complex political, social and economic environments within which all organizations and individuals must function. Excellent written and oral presentation skills are stressed in this program. The program is oriented both to persons with business backgrounds and to those seeking career changes. An accelerated dual-degree program leading to a B.A. or B.S. and an MBA is also offered and provides students an opportunity to complete an undergraduate and graduate degree in as few as five years. 

In addition to students having the opportunity to enroll in the general MBA program, they can choose to enroll in one of the MBA concentrations to build upon the skills that are offered in the core of the general MBA degree. Concentrations are offered in Financial Forensic Investigations, Business Analytics, Marketing, Hospitality Tourism and Event Management Studies, Finance, and Global Business Sustainability. Concentrations are focused areas of study designed to give students greater depth of expertise in a specific field of business. 

Admission to the Program

Admission to the General MBA Program and to the MBA with Concentrations

Students apply for admission to the general MBA Program or the MBA program with concentrations through Graduate Admissions. In order to enroll in the MBA program, students must have a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university. Expected application materials include: an application essay, undergraduate transcripts, three letters of recommendation, and a resume detailing managerial work experience (which may include for-profit, non-profit, governmental, and military experience). Students with an undergraduate GPA below 3.0 are required to submit a standardized test score, either the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) or the Graduate Record Exam (GRE); for others the GMAT or GRE score is recommended.  Standardized test scores should be sent to the Graduate Admissions Office. International students are expected to show evidence of English proficiency. Admissions decisions are based on a holistic review of applicant materials. 

Non-Matriculated Enrollment

Students have the option to enroll for a maximum of two courses on a non-matriculated basis prior to formal admission into the program. Successful performance as a non-matriculated student does not guarantee admission to the program. Contact the Graduate Admissions Office for the forms to complete to be considered for enrollment as a non-matriculated student. For more information see https://stockton.edu/admissions/non-matriculated-registration.html. 

The MBA program – including the MBA with Concentrations – is designed for incoming students who have completed the following undergraduate pre-requisite courses (information in parenthesis give the Stockton equivalents): 

• Macroeconomics (ECON 1200) or Microeconomics (ECON 1400)

• Financial Accounting (ACCT 2110)

• Statistics (BSNS/CSIS/CIST 1206)

• Introduction to Management (MGMT 2110)

• Operations Management (MGMT/BUSA 3120) 

Direct Entry

Within two years of their undergraduate graduation from Stockton University, graduates of any undergraduate program at Stockton University may obtain Direct Entry into the MBA program provided they meet all of the MBA foundation and prerequisite requirements through their undergraduate coursework and have a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher.  As part of the Direct Entry process, students will not need to complete a traditional graduate application for admission to the MBA program and the Office of Graduate Admissions will also waive the graduate application fee. Direct Entry applicants must complete the electronic Direct Entry Request form and must submit an application essay and a detailed resume. For more information on Direct Entry refer to https://stockton.edu/graduate/direct-entry.html . Students whose undergraduate degree was awarded more than a year prior to applying to the MBA program, should apply to the MBA program through the general MBA admissions process above. 

Program Organization and Graduation Requirements

The program offers students an opportunity to earn a Master of Business Administration degree which includes a set of required core courses to develop a solid common grounding in operational, tactical, and strategic management concepts and skills as well as a set of electives to allow students to follow their own interests. The MBA degree is discussed below with full curriculum details available on the program’s webpage. 

The MBA program requires 12 program courses (36 credits), as follows:

• 8 MBA core and capstone courses,

• 4 MBA electives. 

Students with 21 or more undergraduate credits in one of the following core course areas will not take that core course and will substitute an additional MBA elective instead: ACCT, MKTG, FINA.  

For the MBA with Concentrations

12 program courses (36 credits) are required:

• 8 MBA core and capstone courses,

• 3 electives from an area of specialization in the concentration: Management Accounting (ACCT), Finance (FINA), Marketing (MKTG), ­­­­Hospitality Tourism and Event Management Studies (HTMS), Business Analytics (BUSA), or Global Business Sustainability (MGMT)

• 1 other MBA elective (from the concentration electives or from the general MBA electives) 

Students with 21 or more undergraduate credits in one of the following core course areas will not take that core course and will substitute an additional MBA elective instead: ACCT, MKTG, FINA. 

To allow motivated students to pursue their own interests, with the approval of a student’s preceptor and the MBA Chair, MBA students may:

• For the General MBA Program students may take up to two courses from other Stockton Graduate Programs and count them as MBA electives; for the MBA with Concentrations students may take one course from other Stockton Graduate Programs and count that course as the MBA elective.

• For both the general MBA and the MBA with Concentrations, students may, with the permission of the MBA Chair, pursue an independent study, or substitute a research/thesis project for the capstone course.

• MBA students are not allowed to take more than twelve (12) credit hours of classes in any semester without advanced permission of the MBA Program Chair. 

Good Academic Standing, Probation, and Dismissal Procedure

A student with a semester GPA below 3.0 or a cumulative GPA below 3.0 will be placed on academic probation and notified accordingly.

A student on Academic Probation is expected to meet with his/her advisor/preceptor to discuss a performance improvement plan upon receiving notification of probation status.

Students on Academic Probation in the MBA program must raise their cumulative GPA to a 3.00 by the time they have taken no more than nine (9) additional graduate credit hours in order to regain good academic standing.  A student on probation who does not accomplish this is subject to dismissal from the graduate program and from the University.  Written notice of such dismissal will be provided to the student.

After completing the nine (9) additional graduate credit hours noted in the preceding paragraph, if a student is subject to dismissal from the program but has the potential to raise their cumulative GPA above a 3.0 after completing a single three credit hour course, the student is permitted to send a letter of appeal to the MBA Program Chair. This appeal must be submitted within one week of the posting of final grades, and before the student is formally dismissed from the program. If the appeal is successful, the course and the conditions under which the course can be completed will be decided at the discretion of the MBA Program Chair in consultation with the MBA Program Faculty. The “single course to raise the GPA to 3.0” option can only be granted once throughout matriculation in the MBA program.

If there is a procedural error in terminating a student from the MBA program for academic reasons, the student may appeal in writing to the Dean of the School of Business with a copy to the Provost. The appeal must be accompanied by evidence in support of the appeal and must be submitted no later than two weeks following notice of academic termination from the Program.

Definition of a Passing Grade

A letter grade C or above is a passing grade. Students must, however, maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or above. Students must have a 3.0 or above to graduate from the MBA program.

Transfer Credits

Students who have received credit for graduate study in business at another college or university may receive transfer credit for a maximum of 9 graduate-level credit hours (three courses) if those courses correspond to courses at Stockton University provided the student earned a grade of B or better in the course(s). Students must formally apply to the MBA Program Chair writing to request transfer credit, preferably at the time of the admission application, but no later than the first semester of matriculated study. At a minimum, the student requesting transfer credit must complete the Graduate Transfer Equivalency Form and provide a catalog description of the course, a course syllabus, a description of course content and the textbook used in order to have the course evaluated for acceptability as transfer credits. 

Time Limits

The time limit for transfer of graduate credits from other institutions, or graduate courses taken at Stockton, is 6 years from the time the final grade was awarded (excluding the time of leave of absence). If students wish to extend this time limit, they must submit a written request for an extension to the Graduate Admissions Office and to the MBA Program Chair. 

Program Distinction 

For Students Matriculating Prior to Fall 2022:

Graduates with a GPA of 3.9 or better are eligible for Program Distinction, which is awarded in the spring. Application materials are due to the MBA Program Chair by March 15th (thus post-graduation for Summer and December graduates and pre-graduation for May graduates). These application materials should include:

1. A portfolio of at least two, but no more than three, written projects completed by the applicant for any of the MBA courses taken at Stockton University. The writing can include, but are not limited to, essay examinations or course term papers.

2. An application essay. The application essay should be between 200-400 words setting forth the applicant’s justifications for receipt of the MBA degree with Program Distinction and providing a context for the portfolio of writings. Applicants may also include in the essay a discussion of any other relevant activities undertaken pursuant to the completion of course work for the MBA. 

Successful applicants, as determined by the faculty of the program, will be awarded an MBA with Program Distinction. The GPA must be 3.9 or above at graduation to be awarded program distinction.  

For Students Matriculating Fall 2022 or Later:

Graduates of the MBA program with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.97 will be awarded an MBA with Program Distinction.

BA Or BS/MBA Accelerated Dual-Degree Program

For highly qualified students, the School of Business also offers an accelerated dual-degree program in which students may obtain an undergraduate degree (B.A. or B.S.) and an MBA in a format that can be completed in as little as five years. Dual-degree students follow a modified program and start taking MBA courses in their senior year. 

Entry into the Program

Incoming First-Year Students:

High school seniors interested in a business major who are in the top 20% of their high school class and have a minimum SAT score of 1100 (Verbal and Quantitative) will be considered for early conditional admission into the dual-degree program. They will be issued letters of acceptance to Stockton University as undergraduate students and given conditional admission to the MBA program. 

Continuing and Transfer Students:

Students interested in the dual-degree program shall formally apply for acceptance before or during the second semester of their junior year. To be considered for this program, students must have an overall minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 at time of application. 

Once accepted, dual-degree students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 to remain in the dual-degree program. 

Accelerated Dual-Degree Program Requirements:

The dual-degree program is designed so that 3 classes normally taken in a student’s senior year are replaced with 4 MBA courses.  Students in the dual-degree program fulfill the requirements of both programs, with the following modifications: 

• Business Law: dual-degree students are NOT expected to take the undergraduate business law course (PLAW 2120 or PLAW 3110) and ARE required to take the graduate course PLAW 5250.

• Capstone: dual-degree students are NOT expected to take the undergraduate capstone course (BSNS 4112) and ARE required to take the graduate capstone course BSNS 5505.

• Concentration courses: dual-degree students take 7 concentration courses instead of 8.  The required concentration courses for dual-degree students are listed on the MBA program webpage. 

In addition:

• The MBA courses taken while dual degree students are still in undergraduate status can be MBA core courses or MBA electives.  These courses must be chosen in consultation with the Dual Degree Program Coordinator.

• An internship (at the graduate level) is required and preferably in the student’s senior year. 

The undergraduate degree will be awarded when the student completes the undergraduate business major requirements and reaches 128 credits. These 128 credits may include undergraduate and up to 12 graduate credits. 

For all dual-degree students, the graduate MBA degree requires a minimum of 36 graduate credits. The MBA degree will be awarded when all MBA requirements are fulfilled. 

Dual-degree students must finish their undergraduate requirements and apply for undergraduate graduation as soon as possible – usually as they are finishing their fourth graduate class. Permission of the Dual Degree Program Coordinator of the dual-degree must be obtained before taking a fifth graduate class while still in undergraduate status. 

Updates and additional details about the MBA program can be accessed on the MBA website.