Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Program Location	Distance Education/Online Master of Business Administration (MBA) - Health Administration & Leadership Track - Public Health Track - Project Management Track
Program Credits	Master of Business Administration (MBA): 36 Credits - Health Administration & Leadership Track: 36 Credits - Public Health Track: 36 Credits - Project Management Track: 36 Credits
Program Length*	Master of Business Administration (MBA): 3 Trimesters, 48 Instructional Weeks or 6 Trimesters, 96 Instructional Weeks - Health Administration & Leadership Track: 3 Trimesters, 48 Instructional Weeks or 6 Trimesters, 96 Instructional Weeks - Public Health Track: 3 Trimesters, 48 Instructional Weeks or 6 Trimesters, 96 Instructional Weeks - Project Management Track: 3 Trimesters, 48 Instructional Weeks or 6 Trimesters, 96 Instructional Weeks
Time to Complete	Master of Business Administration (MBA): 12 Months or 24 Months - Health Administration & Leadership Track: 12 Months or 24 Months - Public Health Track: 12 Months or 24 Months - Project Management Track: 12 Months or 24 Months

* Program length may vary.

Please Note: WCU distance education programs may not be available to residents in all states

Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Code: 11-1000.00, 13.0000.00

The online MBA degree program offers an academic foundation in the core disciplines of business. The MBA program is intended to improve the student’s ability to make effective decisions, promote professional growth, and increase their knowledge and understanding of management in a business setting.  The MBA degree program offers students a broad, general business administration curriculum that addresses critical issues facing today’s managers and leaders. Students will develop foundational knowledge of the business decision-making process.

The philosophy of the program is to provide the knowledge and skills necessary for the application of theoretical and practical knowledge in business to build a strong foundation that will assist the student in addressing the challenges that face leaders in their organizations.  The MBA program courses emphasize strong managerial and analytical skills including integral qualitative and quantitative analytical techniques.

The aim of the program is to provide a broad base of experience in core areas of business that ensures diversity of training and provide the students in obtaining a coherent sense of business knowledge that will prepare them for progressive leadership and managerial employment opportunities in all types of business enterprises including health care organizations, financial institutions and other business entities. The program focuses on the knowledge and applications that will help students to manage people and resources.

Program Mission:

The Master of Business Administration program is designed to prepare career-focused individuals to excel as leaders in a wide range of business professions.  Students will integrate and apply managerial knowledge, analytical skills, and effective decision-making abilities to achieve professional goals, contribute to organizational performance and productivity, create value in their organizations, and serve their communities.

Program Learning Outcomes:

Upon graduation, MBA students will:

1. Analyze and evaluate issues within a business organization and use data analytics and knowledge of business and management to formulate solutions.
2. Critique and evaluate emerging global and domestic marketing, economics, and financial trends using academic research and practical business literature.
3. Apply and integrate procedures, processes, and information systems tools to effectively manage business finances and operations.
4. Synthesize critical thinking and analytical skills to produce clear and concise business reports.
5. Apply knowledge of business law and ethics to employ effective decision-making.
6. Analyze competitor positions and market opportunities both domestically and globally.

Admission Requirements

Applicants for the Master of Business Administration Program must meet the following admissions requirements:

1. Complete an online application for admissions.
2. Participate in an interview with a University Admissions Advisor.
3. Complete an enrollment agreement, consisting of program policies, costs, completion requirements, and other student obligations.  
4. Have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with a 2.7 cumulative GPA or higher.  
   
   1. Applicants with an undergraduate GPA of 2.00-2.69 may be considered for probationary admission after meeting the following admissions requirements:
      1. The applicant must provide a letter of intent.
      2. The applicant must be approved for admission following an interview with the Program Director/Dean. 
      3. The applicant must satisfy program prerequisites.
      4. A student admitted under the probationary admissions pathway must achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on all coursework attempted over the first trimester (two terms). Students who meet this standard will be converted to a full admit status and will be subject to the standard Satisfactory Academic Progress requirement for the duration of their program.  Students failing to meet this requirement by the end of the first trimester (two terms) will be withdrawn from the university.
      5. Students accepted under the probationary admissions pathway will be considered regular students and eligible for Title IV, if the student otherwise qualifies for funding, for the first trimester of their program of study while completing the the requirements for full admission to their program.
5. Provide official undergraduate transcripts of a baccalaureate degree prior to the end of the add/drop period of the first term.
   1. Applicants submitting non-U.S. or non-English transcripts will be required to have their coursework evaluated by a transcript evaluation service to determine the equivalency to a U.S. degree/course. If the transcript evaluation is unclear as to the equivalency to a U.S. degree/course, the Program Dean will evaluate transcripts to determine if a minimum of 3 academic years of undergraduate coursework has been completed for admission.
   2. Applicants submitting advanced degrees will be reviewed by the Program Dean to determine if a minimum of 3 academic years of undergraduate coursework has been completed for admission.
   3. Master of Business Administration Transfer Credit Evaluation:  Only graduate level courses in which a grade of B- or better was received, taken in a program similar to the Master of Business Administration will be evaluated for transfer credit.  A maximum of nine (9) credit hours will be considered for transfer, and must reflect the same content and course credit as the course for which transfer credit is requested.

Students who request to transfer credits from previously attended institutions must submit sealed official transcripts to the Registrar's Office from originating institutions prior to their first day of class.  If students are unable to submit transcripts or transcripts are unavailable, students may be conditionally enrolled for a period of one (1) term through the submission of unofficial transcripts, submitted no later than four (4) days after the start of a student's first term.  Students failing to submit official transcripts prior to the final day of the first term may be denied transfer credit for prior courses.  In addition to official transcripts, copies of course descriptions, school catalogs, and course syllabi may be requested for evaluation purposes.

Individuals who are concurrently enrolled at another institution at the time of their matriculation to West Coast University, may be allowed to request transfer credit for courses that are in-progress. In this situation, official transcripts must be received by the end of the first term of matriculation to receive transfer credit.

Please note all veteran students are required to submit all postsecondary transcripts. Please see the Veterans Educational Benefits policy in the Financial Policies and Information Section of the Catalog.

Eligibility for Reentry

A student who has been academically dismissed from West Coast University may apply for reentry to the University's MBA program if:

The applicant was in good standing with the University excluding previous Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) or GPA requirements at the time of their dismissal.  If any other "good standing" issues exist, the individual would be admitted to the university on probationary status.  If a student in probationary status is not in "good standing" after completing their first semester of coursework in the MBA program, they would be dismissed from the University.  If an applicant was previously dismissed from West Coast University for any conduct violations, they would not be admitted into the program.  Please refer to the "Good Standing" policy for specific information on the terms.

Individuals granted reentry would have their successfully completed WCU credits, and credits previously transferred from other institutions, considered for applicability to the MBA degree.  Decisions regarding transferability of credit are made by the MBA program Dean.

An individual who is readmitted by this clause will not be considered for dismissal due to the course failures in other WCU programs. Any failures that occur after the student has reentered the university into the MBA program would be subject to the university dismissal policy.

Business Administration Progression Requirements

A minimum grade of a “C-” will be required to receive course credit in the MBA Program. Should a student receive a “D+“grade or lower, it will not be considered a passing grade for the MBA program and the student will be required to retake the course. The earned grade will be counted into the student’s CGPA and will be replaced once the course is repeated with a passing grade. The student will be placed on an academic action plan to repeat the course and may be required to meet with the program Dean.

Business Administration Curriculum

To achieve the graduation requirement of 36 credits, all students must complete 36 credits of core and track courses.  Core courses provide students with the specific discipline experience required for the degree.  All students will complete at least 27 core course credits as detailed below. The remaining 9 credits are based on the program track the student is enrolled in. The currently available programs are:

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

• MBA – Health Administration & Leadership Track
• MBA – Public Health Track
• MBA – Project Management Track

Core courses to be completed if no track chosen (9 credits)

BUS 520	Principles of Economics	3
BUS 530	Business Statistics	3
BUS 540	Business Information Support Systems	3
Total Credit Hours:		9

Track Courses:

Health Administration & Leadership Track

Track courses to be completed in the Health Administration & Leadership Track (9 credits)

HA 540	Strategic Planning in Health Care Organizations	3
HA 545	Hospital Administration and Management	3
HA 550	Leadership Models for Health Care Managers	3
Total Credit Hours:		9

Project Management Track

Track courses to be completed in the Public Management Track (9 credits)

BUS 540	Business Information Support Systems	3
HA 555	Project Management	3
HA 557	Project Management II	3
Total Credit Hours:		9

Core Courses:  

Core Courses to be completed by all students (27 credits)

BUS 500	Business and Administrative Communications	3
BUS 505	Managerial Accounting	3
BUS 510	Business Law and Ethics	3
BUS 515	Finance Application and Theory	3
BUS 525	Principles of Management	3
BUS 535	Organizational Behavior/Leadership	3
BUS 545	Operations	3
BUS 550	Marketing Analysis and Trends	3
BUS 555	Strategic Management	3
Total Credit Hours:		27

Public Health Track

Track courses to be completed in the Public Health Track (9 credits)

PH 500	Foundations of Public Health	3
PH 536	Environmental and Occupational Health	3
PH 546	Leadership Principles and Policies in Public Health	3
Total Credit Hours:		9

MBA Program Costs

For program costs, please see the Graduate Tuition and Fees section.