Business

MBA - Master of Business Administration

Purpose of the MBA Program

The MBA program provides a strong foundation of business concepts, models, skills and methods with which to face immediate and future career challenges. The basic program aims at creating a general management (rather than a functional specialist) perspective. Pragmatic in perspective, the focus is on problem analysis and synthesis, decision making, action taking throughout the functional areas of business and understanding the international context of business. The Lucas School's MBA prepares students through a broad curriculum of functional core courses, cross-functional and integrative courses, and elective courses

Educational Objectives

The educational objectives of the Donald and Sally Lucas Graduate School of Business MBA are threefold: to provide a solid base of interdisciplinary business theories and techniques; to apply theory and analytic tools to the practical improvement of organizational performance; and to explore personal beliefs and values as they affect ethical and economic organizational practices. Key processes involve: investigating opportunities and problems; defining causes or contributing factors to problems, including those that cut across organizational units; generating alternatives from which feasible programs of action are selected and implemented; and monitoring and changing where necessary, the progress of enacted decisions.

These skills are developed using a combination of approaches including: the case method, experiential exercises, computer simulations, team projects and problem sets. Students are expected to develop competencies both as action-oriented leaders and as logical decision makers.

Benefits of the MBA

The program is geared to the professionally oriented person who aspires to move into middle management or to undertake greater managerial responsibility. It is designed to aid those who have the capabilities or potential to be action initiators rather than those who prefer to develop reports and recommendations for decision makers. The MBA program accommodates students with a variety of educational and work backgrounds. Business development projects are available to MBA students. The Lucas School has alliances with business incubator partners in Silicon Valley. Students have an opportunity to work with international businesses and Silicon Valley entrepreneurial start ups.

San José State University Requirements for Graduate Admission to Classified Standing

To be considered for admission to graduate study, San José State University requires that an applicant has:

1. A bachelor's degree from an accredited university in the U.S. or the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's degree earned from a recognized institution if the degree was earned outside of the U.S.

2. A 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average (GPA) in the last 60 semester units or 90 quarter units of study.

3. Applicants who have earned a degree from an institution in which the principal language of instruction was not English must demonstrate English language proficiency. Either the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), IELTS (International English Language Testing System) or PTE (Pearsons) English language proficiency exam is required.

Admission to the Lucas MBA Programs

The Lucas School does not follow a set formula for determining admission to the MBA programs. Our goal is to admit academically qualified candidates who show potential for completing the program and advancing into a successful business career. We seek to admit students whose backgrounds will enable them to contribute to the academic excellence and the demographic, educational and experiential diversity of each class.

An applicant's academic profile - undergraduate major and institution, any graduate level work, GPA, and GMAT scores - is a major factor in the admission decision. Other important areas of evaluation include essay responses, work experience, letters of recommendation, writing skills, and extracurricular, community and professional activities. From this overall review, we assess an applicant's potential for success and compatibility with our MBA program.

The GMAT or GRE score is just on part of a candidate's overall profile. An applicant's score must rank in at least the 50th percentile in both the verbal and quantitative components of the exam. We realize that the GMAT/GRE has certain limitations, as does any standardized test; however, these exams do allow comparison among applicants from different schools, different countries and different majors. We encourage all applicants to prepare for the exam, take it as early as possible, and retake it if their score is not competitive.

The average GPA of admitted candidates is 3.3. Ideally a candidate's GPA will be at 3.0 or above. Many circumstances may exist which offer explanation for a GPA below 3.0; candidates are encouraged to submit a statement of explanation if this is the case. However, please note that an absolute minimum GPA of 2.5 is required for graduate admission at San José State University.

Prerequisite Courses

Three undergraduate courses, Introduction to Microeconomics; Introduction to Macroeconomics; and Business Statistics are courses that must be completed as prerequisites for the MBA program and do not count as part of the program of study.

An applicant may be admitted to the MBA program prior to completion of these three classes but will need to provide proof of completion of all three prerequisites by the first day of orientation.

Program of Study Requirements for the MBA Degree

To earn the MBA degree, all students must satisfy the following requirements:

1. Business Prerequisite Courses

• Introduction of Macroeconomics (at SJSU this course is ECON 001A, Principles of Economics Macro)
• Introduction to Microeconomics (at SJSU this course is ECON 001B, Principles of Economics Micro)
• Business Statistics (at SJSU this course is BUS 90, Business Statistics)

2. Advanced Management Courses (Core Courses)

In the Early Career MBA, all students are required to successfully complete eleven core courses for a total of thirty semester units. In the MBA for Professionals, all students are required to successfully complete ten core courses for a total of thirty semester units. Although the total units of core courses are identical across the two MBA programs, the composition of the core curriculum is slightly different to account for the differences in student academic and professional profiles. The advanced graduate courses (core courses - 30 units) ensure breadth in general management knowledge and help the student to develop mastery in applying essential business skills.

3. Elective Courses

Four elective courses (12 units) are required of all students. As an elective course, a graduate student can select a maximum of one upper-division business undergraduate course (100-level) OR one graduate non-business course (200-level). Enrollment in such elective course is conditional on the written approval by the MBA Director and it is specific to a given course and a given semester.

4. Comprehensive Project

The comprehensive project is incorporated in the Strategic Thinking course (BUS 290). The comprehensive project is a culminating experience integrating business functional and interdisciplinary areas. An individual written project report is required and an oral examination may be included. The project may take the form of a field study, research project, business simulation, or a strategic plan for an organization, as assigned by the Business 290 instructor. Students must receive an overall equivalent grade of "B" or better on the comprehensive project, and may be given a maximum of two opportunities to satisfy requirements.

5. Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement

The University requires that all graduate students complete the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) as a condition for advancement to candidacy. Please refer to the SJSU catalog section titled "Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement" for details. For graduate courses that meet the GWAR, please refer to the Graduate Admissions and Program Evaluations website at www.sjsu.edu/gape.

6. Maintenance of 3.0 GPA

Students must maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or better on all graduate level course work. Students who receive grades of "C-", "D", "F" or "WU" in any business graduate course must repeat that course to achieve a grade of "C" or better. In addition, any student whose overall GPA falls below 3.0, regardless of the number of units completed, may be disqualified from the MBA program. It is the policy of the Donald and Sally Lucas Graduate School of Business not to readmit disqualified graduate students after a second disqualification.

7. Transfer Credit

Subject to the approval of the Donald and Sally Lucas Graduate School of Business MBA Program Director and validation by the Associate Vice President for Graduate Studies and Research, students may transfer a maximum of twelve semester units of business graduate course work from another regionally accredited institution. Grades in the transfer courses must be "B" or better.

8. Other University Requirements

Students must comply with all other graduate requirements contained in this catalog.

Early Career MBA

MBA for Professionals (Special Session Program)

Special Session Program Information

Academic Programs offered through Special Session are operated by the College of International and Extended Studies (IES). Registration and enrollment in a Special Session course or program must use the special session application form and will follow special session fee and course schedules. Note that regular session students seeking to enroll simultaneously in a special session course or program will trigger a separate and additional set of fees. This may require an additional enrollment appointment from the Registrar and it may have implications for financial aid status or requirements. Please visit the IES website for more information.