MBA Program Office
Room 2320, Schneider Hall

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) is an evening program designed to broaden the functional business knowledge and strengthen the leadership skills of working professionals as well as international students seeking to study business in the United States. It is also suitable for individuals with limited work experience who plan to use the MBA as a foundation from which to begin or resume their careers. The program seeks highly motivated college graduates who will bring their personal values, experiences, and interests to the classroom.

The MBA program consists of nine required core courses in the functional areas of business plus three elective courses that suit the interests of the student. The program of study may be completed in two years although students with full-time employment may take up to six years to complete the program.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the MBA Program is based on a combination of undergraduate grade point average, score on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), references, and work experience. To be admitted, applicants must have at least 1,050 points based on this formula: 200 times the last 60 hour undergraduate GPA plus GMAT score. The GPA must be a minimum of 2.5 for the last 60 hours in an undergraduate program, and the GMAT score must be a minimum of 450 or an equivalent GRE score. Information on the GMAT may be found at www.mba.com.

Recent scores of the Graduate Records Examination (GRE) are acceptable. Equivalent GRE test scores can be used to meet minimum GMAT score requirements and can be used in formula calculations for admission purposes. See www.ets.org for information on conversion of a GRE score to a predicted GMAT score.

International students must have a bachelor’s degree with an acceptable grade point average from an educational institution approved by the Haenicke Institute for Global Education at: international.wmich.edu.

In addition, international students whose native language is not English must demonstrate proficiency in the English language by taking the TOEFL examination. Those scoring less than 213 on the computer form of the TOEFL examination may be required to participate in English language programs offered by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students (CELCIS) prior to beginning the MBA program. Information on CELCIS may be found at www.wmich.edu/celcis.

Waiver of GMAT

The GMAT requirement may be waived for:

1. Applicants who hold a graduate professional degree from an educational institution approved by Western Michigan University.
2. Applicants admitted to WMU’s School of Medicine MD program.
3. Applicants with substantial professional work experience who meet both of the following criteria:

• Minimum undergraduate GPA requirements (2.5 or higher in the last two years of an accredited undergraduate degree program); and
• seven or more years of substantial, full-time, managerial work experience which has occurred within ten years prior to the date of program application (including military and entrepreneurial experience). See GMAT Waiver Application for additional information regarding managerial work experience requirements.

Requests for a GMAT WAIVER based on substantial managerial work experience must be approved by the Haworth College of Business Graduate Programs Council. Completions of the petition to waive the GMAT Exam is required, and satisfaction of the above criteria does not constitute an automatic waiver.

Proficiency in Basic Skills

All applicants must provide evidence of proficiency in the following four basic skills before being admitted to the MBA program: computer literacy, quantitative analysis, statistics, and writing in English.

1. The computer literacy requirement is usually met by undergraduate course work or work experience requiring computer usage.
2. The quantitative analysis requirement is considered met if the student has earned an undergraduate business degree (BBA) from a university or college with an AACSB accredited program or has satisfactorily completed a college level undergraduate mathematics course in finite mathematics, precalculus, or calculus.
3. The statistics requirement is considered met if the applicant has satisfactorily completed an undergraduate level statistics course at the sophomore level or higher.
4. The Academic Communication requirement may be met by appropriate junior or senior level undergraduate course work. Graduate students whose native language in not English and who do not have a degree from a U.S. institution must take the Academic Communication Placement Test at the beginning of their first semester of enrollment. This test is administered by the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students. It must be taken in addition to TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), which is taken as part of the admission process. A student who does not pass this examination is assigned to the Academic Communication for Business Purposes course. This course must be completed during the first semester of study. Graduate students whose native language is not English but have an undergraduate degree from a U.S. institution will not be required to take the placement test or the course.

Appeals and Requests for Exceptions

Appeals and requests for exceptions to the admission standards must be made in writing to the MBA advisor, Room 2320 Schneider Hall, Haworth College of Business, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008. All appeals and requests for exceptions will be reviewed by the Haworth College of Business Graduate Programs Council.