School of Extended Studies Graduate Admissions Requirements

Students applying for entry into the School of Extended Studies Master of Business Administration (MBA) or Master of Arts and Administration (MAA) programs must fulfill the general requirements for admission to the University of the Incarnate Word and the special requirements for admission to the HEB School of Business MBA and MAA programs.

Graduate Admission Form (PDF version) Requires Adobe Reader.

Degree-Seeking

Students applying for degree-seeking status at the master’s and doctoral level must fulfill the general requirements for admission to the University of the Incarnate Word and any special requirements for admission to a particular degree program.

General requirements:

• Evidence of an earned Baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution of higher learning with an overall GPA of 2.5 or better.
• Official transcripts from each college and university previously attended. These transcripts must be mailed directly from the college or university to our Office.
• At least one of the following as specified by the discipline under program description:
  • A nationally recognized entrance test specified by the discipline
  • Evaluation by one or more professionals in the intended field of study
  • Professional certification or a degree of equal or higher level than that sought from an accredited institution of higher learning
  • Letters of Recommendation
• Other admission criteria as specified by the discipline may include but are not limited to
• A minimum number of credit hours in the discipline with a specified GPA minimum
• Other specialized test with acceptable performance
• An interview with faculty or admissions personnel
• A writing sample
• A $20 non-refundable application fee

Discipline-specific requirements are listed under each program description. Petitions for admission with exception to the published criteria must be recommended by the Program Admissions Committee and approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research. Exceptions must be documented with an explanation. A copy of this documentation must be included in the student's permanent file.

Conditional admission may be granted upon approval of the Program Admissions Committee and the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research. Criteria and the time limit for removing conditions will be specified in the letter of admission.

Transient Students

Students in good standing at a recognized graduate school who wish to enroll for a maximum of nine credit hours and who plan to continue at the school of original admission may be admitted as transient graduate students. Students must fill out a formal application for admission and submit either a statement of good standing from the dean of the graduate school where they are enrolled or an official transcript. Enrolling in additional course work beyond the nine hours will require application for a change of status.

Non-degree Seeking Students

If non-degree seeking, an applicant to Graduate School must submit:

• Evidence of an earned Baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution of higher learning
• Official transcripts from each college or university previously attended. These transcripts must be mailed directly from the college or university to the Admissions Office.

Non-degree-seeking students may register for a cumulative total of no more than nine credit hours of graduate course work under the normal grading system. Students holding a master’s degree who do not wish to apply for admission as degree-seeking students may register for a cumulative total of no more than 12 credit hours of graduate course work under the normal grading system.

Non-degree seeking students are expected to conform to graduate standards of scholarship. In some cases, credit hours taken under a non-degree seeking status and under the normal grading system may be applied toward a degree if a student later gains admission into a graduate program. Such credits will be evaluated as though they were transfer credits from another institution and must be approved by the Program Advisor and the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research.

Non-degree seeking students may not be eligible for some forms of financial aid.

Admission to the MBA

A.  Admission to the MBA programs (Tier I) will be granted to applicants satisfying the following:

1.  All general requirements for admission to graduate studies, including:

Baccalaureate degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0,
Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work,
An evaluation by the graduate program advisor, and
A completed application with a writing sample.

2.  Common Professional Components (CPCs); an adequate foundation in:

Accounting I & II
Management Information Systems
Economics (Macro and Micro)
Statistics and Quantitative Techniques
Finance
Global Environment
Marketing
Legal Environment
Management

B. Alternate Admission to the MBA programs (Tier II) will be granted to applicants satisfying the following:

1. All general requirements for admission to graduate studies, including:

Baccalaureate degree with a GPA of 2.5-2.99,
Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work,
An evaluation by the graduate program advisor, and
A completed application with a writing sample.

2.  Common Professional Components (CPCs); an adequate foundation in:

Accounting I & II
Management Information Systems
Economics (Macro and Micro)
Statistics and Quantitative Techniques
Finance
Global Environment
Marketing
Legal Environment
Management

3.  Those granted Alternate Admissions will be assigned to Tier II, with specific courses to be taken at the beginning of the program, all of which must be completed with a “B” or better.

C.  Probationary Admission to the MBA programs (Tier III) will be granted to applicants satisfying the following:

1.  All general requirements for admission to graduate studies, including:

Baccalaureate degree with a GPA of 2.0-2.49,
Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work,
An evaluation by the graduate program advisor,
Completed application with a writing sample, and
A score of 450 or higher on the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT).

2.  Common Professional Components (CPCs); an adequate foundation in:

Accounting I & II
Management Information Systems
Economics (Macro and Micro)
Statistics and Quantitative techniques
Finance
Global Environment
Marketing
Legal Environment
Management

3.  A score of 450 or higher on the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT) is required before beginning the first semester in the program.

4.  Those granted Probationary Admission will be assigned to Tier III, with specific courses to be taken at the beginning of the program, all of which must be completed with a “B” or better.

D.  As a general rule, applicants with an earned baccalaureate degree with an overall GPA less than 2.0 will not be admitted.

Tier II and III

For the MBA program, the first four graduate level courses to be taken are: Business Research and Analysis, Accounting, Economics, and Finance For students with an International Concentration, these courses are Business Research and Analysis, International Accounting, International Economics, and International Finance, and each course grade must be a “B” or better. Any single course with a “C” grade may be retaken once.

Upon completion of these courses, the student will be able to move to the next tier.

Admission to the MAA

A.  Admission to the MAA program (Tier 1) will be granted to applicants who satisfy all general requirements for admission to graduate studies to include:

1. Baccalaureate degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0,
2. Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work, and
3. A completed application.
4. GRE not required for Tier I and II applicants.

B.  Alternate admission to the MAA program (Tier II) will be granted to applicants who satisfy all general requirements for admission noted above but who have a GPA of 2.50 but less than 3.0. Those granted Alternate Admissions will be assigned to Tier II, with specific courses to be taken at the beginning of the program, all of which must be completed with a “B” or better. GRE not required.

C.  Probationary Admission to the MAA program (Tier III) will be granted to applicants who satisfy all general requirements for admission noted above but who have a GPA of 2.00 but less than 2.5. Applicants with a GPA above 2.0 but less than 2.5 MUST achieve a combined score of verbal and quantitative score of 800 or higher and an analytical writing score of at least 3.5 on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General Test or a 450 or higher on the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT) before they can be admitted into the MAA program. Those granted Probationary Admission will be assigned to Tier III, with specific courses to be taken at the beginning of the program, all of which must be completed with a “B” or better.

D.  As a general rule, applicants with an earned baccalaureate degree with an overall GPA less than 2.0 will not be admitted.

E.  For Tier II and III students, the first four courses to be taken are: Accounting Concepts and Issues (ADMN 6310), Management Concepts and Issues (ADMN 6360), Organizational Behavior and Learning (ORGD 6320), and Foundations of Organizational Research and Assessment (ORGD 6330). Any single course with a “C” grade may be retaken once. Upon completion of these courses, the student will be able to move to the next tier.