Master of Business Administration

MBA classes are held on the Baldwin Wallace University campus in Berea, Ohio, at our satellite facility in Beachwood, Ohio and on-line via the Hybrid MBA Program. On-campus classes are usually held in Kamm Hall with immediately adjacent available parking.

Requirements for Admission

The central concern of the admission process is to identify and select individuals who will be successful in the program. Therefore, all available relevant information concerning the candidate’s background, including academic accomplishments, work experience and community involvement will be considered. All candidates are strongly encouraged to meet with the MBA Program Director as early as possible to discuss their interests and qualifications and the options available to them at Baldwin Wallace. The admission process includes the following:

A Bachelor’s degree in any field from an accredited institution and submission of official transcripts of all previous academic work. International student transcripts must be translated in English.
Relevant work experience, usually a minimum of two-years.
A career advising interview with the Program Director is recommended for all candidates.
An acceptable score on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is required of all candidates. The GMAT requirement will be considered to be satisfied for candidates who have already received a masters or doctorate degree in another field or for individuals with particularly strong undergraduate academic performance.
A completed application either in hard copy or on-line.
Two letters of recommendation from managers or other persons qualified to assess the applicant’s professional or managerial accomplishments and ability to successfully undertake a challenging program of graduate study.
Candidates for the Hybrid MBA must have a computer with MS Office and internet connection.
A current brief resume focused on career and professional development and accomplishments in addition to leadership experiences in both work and community activities.

International students must also provide a financial support statement and a TOEFL score of 523 (written) or 193 (computer), an acceptable GMAT score or an IELTS score of 6.0.

Otherwise highly qualified applicants without a bachelor’s degree may be admitted into the EMBA Program, the Hybrid MBA Program, or the Health Care MBA Program. Highly qualified applicants for this consideration are defined as applicants who have a minimum of ten years of full-time professional level business experience, with a significant leadership component in their job responsibility. The leadership role may include leadership over a department or group of employees, or it may be a leadership through influence role depending upon the organizational size involved and type of business involved. The Program Director must identify the key attributes/capabilities of the candidate that justify his or her acceptance into the Program. Included would be an expectation of what other students would learn from this individual in the
program. The Program Director of the applicable program will review and approve the admission of all non-degreed applicants.

Each accepted non-degreed applicant, prior to starting the EMBA or cohort MBA core classes, must have:

completed the MBA foundation classes (BUS 500A and BUS 500Q ), or
completed equivalent classes elsewhere at an accredited institution, or
passed the BW waiver tests covering financial accounting and quantitative analysis

Final approval for admission to the program will rest with the MBA Program Admission Committee.

Grading

Letter grades given are A, B, C, F, I, T and W. A plus/minus system may be elected by individual instructors. Each grade has the following value in quality points: A+, 4.0; A, 4.0; A-, 3.667; B+, 3.333; B, 3.0; B-, 2.667; C+, 2.333; C, 2.0; C-, 1.667; F, none; I, incomplete; T, a temporary non-accredited grade to indicate work in the course is continuing and is thus far satisfactory, and W, withdrawal with no quality points. No grade of D is awarded. A cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required for graduation. Grades of all classes, including foundation courses, will be used in the calculation of the GPA. The receipt of a third “C” in a core or elective class or an “F” in any class will result in the student’s dismissal from the program. A student may petition the Program Director for readmission. Such readmission shall be at the sole discretion and subject to the conditions established by the Program Director.

A faculty member may give a student a grade of Incomplete for an MBA course for extenuating circumstances.
The Incomplete grade then must be completed according to one of the following two options:

The student must complete the incomplete coursework involved to the satisfaction of the faculty member as soon as possible. This should be concluded by the end of week six of the immediate subsequent semester, but in no case may exceed one year, and may only be extended to one year with the approval of the Program Director.
The student may re-take the course in its entirety in the next semester or the next semester that the course is offered. This re-take is to be applied strictly on a one-chance basis only.

If the student involved does not comply with either of the above two options, then the Incomplete grade is converted to an F. At that point, continuation in the MBA Program is at the discretion of the Program Director involved.

MBA students who withdraw from class during the first nine weeks of the semester will receive a grade of “W”. Withdrawal after the ninth week may be authorized only in cases of prolonged illnesses, change of employment, or other circumstances beyond the student’s control. Lack of academic progress in a course is not sufficient reason for an authorized withdrawal after the ninth week. A written petition must be presented to the Registrar of the University. Petition forms are available in the Registrar’s Office. Withdrawal from a course without approval constitutes a failure and the letter grade of “F” is recorded.

Degree Requirements

The student must meet the following for the Master of Business Administration degree:

Successfully complete all program requirements.
Attain at least a 3.0 grade point average in total work attempted in the MBA program.
Complete all degree requirements within four calendar years of initial registration unless a time extension is granted, in writing.
IMBA students whose first language is English must complete the foreign language requirement.

Transfer Credit

Only six credit hours are transferable for credit from another institution. Transfer credit is awarded when:

The requested credit is an equivalent graduate-level course from an MBA program;
The student was enrolled as a graduate student when the course was taken;
The course was graded “A” or “B”;
The course content is compatible with the MBA program at Baldwin Wallace University (determination of credit is made by the program director);
The credit has not been counted toward an earned degree.

Tuition Payment

Payment of tuition and fees must be made prior to the first class of each semester. Past due accounts will be assessed a finance charge. Grades, transcripts, and diplomas will not be released to students who have not paid their accounts. Payments can be made online at bursar.bw.edu.

Baldwin Wallace has several options to help graduate students make paying for their education more affordable. For example, to accommodate the many graduate students who receive tuition benefits from their employers at the end of the term, BW offers a delayed tuition payment plan called the Tuition Reimbursement Payment Program (TRPP). TRPP allows students to extend the payment due date, at a reasonable rate of interest, until 30 days after the end of the term. TRPP applications and information can be obtained at the Cashier’s Office in Bonds Administration Building. In addition, most graduate students who take at least three credits in a given semester are eligible for financial aid through the Federal Stafford Loan program. A Stafford Loan is a low-interest rate loan whose repayment period does not begin until six months after the borrower ceases to be enrolled for at least three credits. More information about Stafford Loans can be found at the Financial Aid Office, which is also in the Bonds Administration Building. Finally, the MBA Program is fully approved for veterans’ educational benefits.

Any special payment arrangements must be made with the approval of the Bursar.

MBA Elective Seminars

HRMBA Elective Seminars

Elective Management seminars will be offered during a three-week term in the Fall and Spring semesters. These seminars will cover topics of current interest or provide in-depth coverage of selected topics from the core courses. The majority of the seminars will be assigned one semester hour of credit and will meet for three hours and ten minutes one night per week for a three-week period. Seminars will occasionally be given greater credit because of required travel, more class-time, or extensive out-of-class assignments. Seminars will not be offered during the summer. Additionally, students may elect to participate in one of the international seminar programs sponsored by the Business Division. These Academic Seminars, to various parts of the world, typically are for 10-15 days. Academic credit may be given with the prior approval of a faculty member and the Program Director.

IMBA Elective Seminars

Elective seminars will be offered during a three-week term in the Fall and Spring semesters. These seminars will cover topics of current interest or provide in-depth coverage of selected topics from the core courses. The majority of the seminars will be assigned one semester hour of credit and will meet for three hours and ten minutes one night per week for a three-week period. Seminars will occasionally be given greater credit because of required travel, more class-time, or extensive out-of-class assignments. Seminars will not be offered during the summer. Additionally, students may elect to participate in one of the international seminar programs sponsored by the Business Division. These Academic Seminars, to various parts of the world, typically are for 10-15 days. Academic credit may be given with the prior approval of a faculty member and the Program Director.

EMBA Elective Seminars

Elective Management seminars will be offered evenings during a three-week term at the start of the Fall and Spring semesters. These seminars will cover topics of current interest or provide indepth coverage of selected topics from the core courses. The majority of the seminars will be assigned one semester hour of credit and will meet for three hours and the minutes one night per week for a three-week period. Seminars will occasionally be given greater credit because of required travel, more class-time, or extensive out-of-class assignments. There will also be a summer elective seminar in Project Management that will be scheduled on weekends. Additionally, students may elect to participate in one of the International seminar programs sponsored by the Business Division. These Academic Seminars, to various parts of the world, typically are for 10-15 days. Academic credit may be given with the prior approval of a faculty member and the Program Director.

Applied Project

The curriculum includes an Applied Project which will result in four credit hours of topical seminar credit. This Applied Project will continue throughout the student’s two-year program.