Business Administration, MBA with Emphasis Areas

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

Emphasis areas include: Accounting and Human Resource Management.

Program Description

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) offers a balance of theory and practice. The mission of the MBA program is to prepare working adults in the early stages of their careers in small or middle-sized organizations with the knowledge, skills, and personal characteristics that will enhance performance in their present occupation, and prepare them for advancement to upper-level management in the future.

A principle strategy for achievement of this overall goal is to employ a balanced educational approach that includes a rich mixture of business theory and practice. The MBA program complements management development activities which, in combination, prepare working adults for advancement within an organization. To this end, the MBA program enhances career opportunities in the management of business firms or other formally organized enterprises. Therefore, the program centers on a professional approach which balances business theory with practice in the search for knowledge, skills, and methodologies that are useful in formulating strategies for the future in an uncertain and often turbulent business environment.

Program Requirements

Degree requirements include common core courses and integrate foundation courses for a minimum of 36 semester hours. The foundation courses must be among the first 18 hours of course work in the MBA program.

Required Graduate Foundation Courses (12 sem. hrs)

Required Graduate Core Courses (24 sem. hrs)

Minimum Total Semester Hours: 36 sem. hrs

¹Capstone Course: The capstone course is required of students as the culminating experience for the MBA Program, and students must have completed thirty hours in the MBA Program before enrolling in this course. Students must earn a B or higher in this course in order to graduate.

Emphasis Areas

Students who wish to add an emphasis area to their current degree must do so through the Graduate Admissions Office. An email from the student’s CougarMail account must be sent to admissions@ccis.edu in order to add an emphasis to an already existing graduate degree. Once the request is submitted, the Graduate Admissions office will review the student record to determine if additional prerequisites are needed. Once the change is made, the student will be notified by his/her campus and will receive an updated degree plan.

Accounting Emphasis

The Accounting Emphasis of the MBA program is designed for those candidates who wish to prepare for a professional career in Accounting, and/or sit for the CPA exam. An undergraduate degree in Accounting, or equivalent coursework, as outlined below, is required as a prerequisite.

Emphasis Requirements

Required Graduate Foundation Courses (9 sem. hrs)

Required Graduate Core Courses (21 sem. hrs)

Elective Graduate Courses (6 sem. hrs)

Any two of the remaining BUSI courses (except BUSI 562 - Managerial Accounting 3 hours , which is only for students not in the accounting emphasis).

Minimum Total Semester Hours: 36 sem. hrs

¹ Capstone Course: The capstone course is required of students as the culminating experience for the MBA Program, and students must have completed 30 hours in the MBA program before enrolling in this course. Students must earn a B or higher in this course in order to graduate.

²Undergraduate Substitution Courses: Certain undergraduate accounting courses can serve as substitutions for graduate-level accounting courses. Students who have completed ACCT 481, ACCT 384, ACCT 485, or ACCT 488 may substitute these courses for BUSI 581 , BUSI 584 , BUSI 585 , or BUSI 588 respectively if they received a grade of B or higher in the undergraduate courses. The courses must have been completed within seven years of the time of admission to the MBA program and prior to admission to any Columbia College graduate program. Once the student is admitted to any master’s program, he/she may not complete undergraduate accounting courses to substitute for graduate- level accounting courses. The request for substitution must be made during the first session after admission, using the MBA Accounting Undergraduate Substitution Form. Additional BUSI courses may then be substituted as elective courses to complete the 36 hours necessary for the MBA degree. For coursework taken at an institution other than Columbia College, an official transcript must be submitted to verify the course equivalency.

Human Resource Management Emphasis

The emphasis in Human Resource Management of the MBA program is designed for those candidates who wish to prepare for a professional career in Human Resource Management.

Emphasis Requirements

Required Graduate Foundation Courses (12 sem. hrs)

Required Graduate Core Courses (15 sem. hrs)

Elective Graduate Courses Required (9 sem. hrs)

Human Resource Management Emphasis must include BUSI 530 - Employment Law 3 hours and 2 of 3 Electives Required

Minimum Total Semester Hours: 36 sem. hrs

¹Capstone Course: The capstone course is required of students as the culminating experience for the MBA Program, and students must have completed 30 hours in the MBA program before enrolling in this course. Students must earn a B or higher in this course in order to graduate.

Assessment

Competent performance as a manager requires both context and judgment. As a result, assessment will rely less on purely knowledge-based experiences and more on the student’s ability to prepare for and master various “roles” and situations that competent professionals encounter in their work. The goal in assessment is to use methods that replicate authentic challenges and conditions rather than isolated drills or tests. Use of the case method and discussion learning is a primary component of courses in the MBA program.

Skilled managers recognize that judgment in adapting knowledge to the situation at hand is, perhaps, more important than the acquisition of knowledge alone. Therefore, students will be challenged to perform or execute tasks or processes using a knowledge base effectively and in a novel or creative way. The process adapts to changing environmental situations - much like those that are dealt with on a day-today basis in the course of managing a formal organization. The assessment process not only provides the opportunity to evaluate the completion of performance tasks but also measures skills and personal characteristics that are essential for managers and to foster further learning.

Projects and assignments other than tests will be emphasized. The process requires the student, under time constraints, to present his or her case clearly, concisely, and persuasively, a skill that is invaluable to effective managers. The principle product of the MBA program will be a graduate who has learned how to think strategically and critically and is able to present his or her thoughts orally or in writing in a competent manner. The relevant measure becomes the student’s capacity to apply critical thinking and analytical skills in whatever occupation is chosen.

The most critical element of the assessment process occurs as part of the student’s culminating experience. Both product and process components that form key outcomes or performance tasks must be completed satisfactorily as part of the culminating experience (BUSI 595 - Strategic Management 3 hours ).

Case work from BUSI 595 affords the opportunity for students to demonstrate competency in each area of study covered in the MBA program. With the approval and guidance of the instructor, the student may also experience a real-world analysis and presentation of material specific to the student’s place of employment. Each component of the case work is measured against standards and these standards are included in the course syllabus for BUSI 595 . Students refer to their study of Strategic Management and case analysis as the process for demonstrating critical thinking, judgment, analytical skill, and the ability to communicate in writing and/or orally.