The MBA Curriculum
The MBA program allows students to complete the program at their own pace. Taking one course per semester allows you to finish the degree in 33 months, or, if you prefer, take two classes per semester and finish in 21 months. Accommodating the busy schedules of working professionals, the flexible design of the Elon MBA also allows for semesters off. You decide your own timetable. Students may take up to six years to complete the program.
And with the opening of classes in The Solution Center in RTP, students have even greater flexibility about course options and locations.
Foundations in Accounting and Finance
The MBA program requires that all students demonstrate adequate preparation in accounting and finance prior to enrolling in the core MBA accounting and finance courses*. Satisfaction of this requirement can be demonstrated in one of four ways:
- Evidence of prior undergraduate coursework in accounting and/or finance. To be acceptable, coursework should have been completed within five years of entering the MBA program. If after review, the coursework is deemed as acceptable, students must also pass a qualifying exam (waiver exam) in accounting and/or finance. Course evaluations will be completed by the Martha & Spencer Love School of Business. Waiver exams are administered by the Martha & Spencer Love School of Business.
- To complete a waiver exam in accounting and/or finance, a student must be enrolled in the program (have Elon student status).
- Completion of Elon learning modules in accounting and/or finance. These learning are online, asynchronous and are taught by Elon MSBA faculty and are designed specifically to prepare students for the core MBA classes. A satisfactory grade must be obtained (at least a “C” or “P” grade).
- Completion of Elon undergraduate courses in accounting (ACC) and/or finance (FIN). classes. A satisfactory grade must be obtained (at least a “C” or “P” grade).
- Completion of learning modules or foundation classes, usually taken at the undergraduate level, in accounting and/or finance from other approved course providers and institutions. Approval is granted by the Martha & Spencer Love School of Business. After completion or upon approval, students are required to take the waiver exam in accounting and/or finance and obtain satisfactory score. Waiver exams are administered by the Martha & Spencer Love School of Business.
Students are not required to complete foundation courses before enrolling in the MBA program. Upon admission to the program, students may take classes that do not require accounting or finance. However, foundational knowledge must be demonstrated in one of the four ways described above at least 2 weeks before you plan to take a class that has accounting and/or finance as prerequisites.
*Adequate foundational knowledge in accounting and finance are reviewed independently; therefore, a student does not have to demonstrate adequate knowledge for each in the same manner. For example, a student may demonstrate foundational knowledge in accounting through option one (evidence of prior undergraduate coursework) but utilize option two (completion of Elon learning module) to demonstrate foundational knowledge in finance.
Graduation and Degree Requirements
To earn an MBA degree, the graduate student must:
- Have an overall minimum grade point average of 3.0 in all graduate courses.
- Submit an application for graduation to the Registrar by Oct. 15 preceding graduation date. Students completing coursework during summer must apply for graduation to the Registrar by June 15.
- Satisfactorily complete 29 hours (39 graduate credits and, if needed, the two foundational undergraduate courses) within six calendar years.
Degree Requirements
Two Required Non-Credit Workshops
Core Courses 27 semester hours
| MBA 6110 | Enhancing Managerial Communications | 3 sh |
| MBA 6230 | Management and Organizational Behavior | 3 sh |
| MBA 6250 | Economic Policy and the Global Environment | 3 sh |
| MBA 6270 | Marketing Management | 3 sh |
| MBA 6430 | Analytics I-Quantitative Methods | 3 sh |
| MBA 7130 | International Business | 3 sh |
| MBA 7150 | Accounting for Managerial Decisions | 3 sh |
| MBA 7170 | Financial Management | 3 sh |
| MBA 7650 | Strategic Management | 3 sh |
Select one course from the following - 3 semester hours
Other classes that can be taken as electives
Any of the two Organizational Systems classes, MBA 6410 or MBA 6450 can be taken as electives; the first class a student takes counts toward the core requirement, but the other may be taken for elective credit.
The study abroad, MBA 7130-IS can be taken as an elective if it has been taken as the in-class International Business class, MBA 7130. A student may also take two study abroad courses, with the first counting as the core requirement and the second for elective credit. Note: A student cannot, however, take the study abroad for the core requirement and then take the in-class option for an elective.
Choose three elective courses - 9 semester hours
Students can choose any three elective courses from the group below OR three elective courses from a specific emphasis area.