College of Business Administration, Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX - Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX

Academics

The College of Business Administration offers the Master of Business Administration (MBA). The most popular course is Management. Regular programs bring distinguished speakers and visiting professors to campus. The Executive-in-Residence program features 1 or more executives per year.

Thirty-six total credits are required to complete the MBA, including 15 elective credits. Required courses include:

Accounting for Management or Seminar in Accounting
Problems in Administrative Finance
Seminar in Strategic Management and Policy
Marketing Seminar
Research Writing in Business
Techniques of Statistical Analysis
Economics

Students may eliminate or substitute requirements by transferring up to 6 graduate hours.

The minimum time permitted to complete the master’s degree program attending full time is 1 year; maximum, 7 years. For students attending part time, the maximum is 7 years.

In a recent year, there were 50 total full-time graduate business faculty, all of whom held a doctorate; there were 1 part-time faculty member, who held a doctorate. Faculty salaries are rated average for Category IIA institutions, based on the AAUP rating system. Average number of courses faculty teach is 3; average business class size is 20.

Admissions

A bachelor’s degree is required, along with a GPA of 2.8 and GRE scores of 800. The formula for using the GPA and GMAT scores is (200 x GPA) + GMAT, or minimum 1000. Most important admissions factors are academic accomplishments and ability, GMAT results, and grades in upper-level courses. A strong mathematics background is not required.

The number of applicants for the 2006-2007 class was 175; 100 were accepted; 60 enrolled. The average GPA was 3.0. Transfers are accepted.

Students may begin the MBA program in the fall, spring, and summer. To apply, students must submit an application form, GMAT scores, and a nonrefundable application fee of $20. The application deadlines are August 1 for fall entry; December 1, spring; May 1, summer. Students are notified within 2 weeks after receipt of a completed application of the admissions decision. The latest acceptable test date for fall entry is August 15. Once accepted, students may defer admission for up to 1 year.

Financial Aid

About 20% of graduate business school students receive financial aid from scholarships, loans, and graduate assistantships. Check with the school for current financial aid deadlines.

Tuition for in-state residents is $110 per credit. Nonresidents pay $300 per credit. On-campus room and board costs approximately $4600; books and supplies, $500, for an estimated annual total of $8060 for in-state residents and $12,200 for out-of-state residents. Graduate student housing includes accommodations for both single and married students. There is a referral service to help procure off-campus housing.

Students

Seventy-five percent of the current graduate business school class have had an average of 2 years of full-time work experience prior to entering graduate school, a factor preferred by the school. The greatest percentage of students are from Texas (90%). Fifty percent are women, 8% are minorities, and 7% are foreign nationals. The average age at entrance is 26; ages range from 21 to 52. Three percent enter directly from undergraduate school; 1% already have a graduate degree. Students’ undergraduate majors were as follows: 70%, business; 15%, liberal arts; 5%, engineering; 5%, math and science; and 5%, social sciences. About 3% of entering students leave by the end of the first year due to academic or personal reasons; 90% remain to receive their degree.