MBA-Business Administration Online

INTRODUCTION

The Gannon Online MBA program is designed to provide students with the vision, values, and skills required to lead successful professional careers. Our approach is to pay careful attention to each student, challenge them to grow, and help them to reach their own personal and career objectives. Courses in the Master of Business Administration Program (MBA) are rigorous and challenging by design, but faculty are prepared to work with students to build the skills needed for the business world of the 21st century.

Gannon University’s MBA program was founded in 1970 and our experience as the region’s first graduate program in business has taught us some important lessons. Simply having a master’s degree, regardless of the type of degree or apparent status of the degree-granting institution, is no assurance of success or happiness. To succeed in business, individuals need real skills, an understanding of the complex business environment and an appreciation for the value of work itself. Our network of over 1,600 MBA alumni is a proud testament to Gannon’s ability to make success happen for its graduate students. Gannon MBA Alumni include Presidents/CEO’s, Vice Presidents, CFO’s, Treasurers, and Managing Partners. In addition, over 60 have earned advanced degrees, including doctorates from some of the most prestigious academic institutions in North America (Indiana University, University of Michigan, Pennsylvania State University, the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and Stanford University to name a few). More than 45 Gannon MBA’s are currently teaching in colleges and universities.

The purpose of the Gannon University Online Master of Business Administration Program is to develop leaders with a sound understanding of the role of business in society. Globally accredited by ACBSP (Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs), our program centers on honing ethical decision making and problem solving skills, via content with an applied, practical application, in the functional areas of business. Our dedicated faculty offer a dynamic and diverse learning experience for students, whereby our graduates are equipped with transferable skills that are easily adapted to different areas of business, government, and industry, both domestically and globally.

MISSION OF THE ONLINE MBA PROGRAM

The mission of the Gannon University Master of Business Administration Online Program is to provide an ethics based graduate level education with an emphasis on practical knowledge and application in the functional areas of business. The program is grounded in sound business theory presented by faculty actively engaged in scholarship in the pure and applied fields of business.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

For all students:

• A Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline from an accredited college or university

• A cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher.

• If your undergraduate GPA is less than a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, there are two options:

  • Take the GMAT and achieve a score of 1050 using the formula: 200 x (undergraduate GPA) + GMAT score.

  • GMAT requirement may be waived based on professional experience following the Program Director’s review of application

• A completed application for admission

• Official transcripts from all prior institutions

• TOEFL scores if English is not a first language

4+1 MBA ONLINE

The 4+1 MBA Online Degree Program is designed to allow outstanding undergraduate students the opportunity to earn both an undergraduate degree and an MBA within a five year period. 

Interested students with at least a 3.0 GPA should complete the 4+1 application during their sophomore year. With a provisional acceptance, students can take courses required for the MBA Online Degree during their junior and senior years. Upon completion of their undergraduate degree, students must officially apply to the graduate program through Graduate Admissions. Acceptance into the graduate program is not guaranteed and is contingent upon the student’s performance with both completion of the undergraduate degree and in any prior graduate coursework for the MBA Online. Students are urged to meet with the Program Director for the MBA Online to discuss the program and its requirements prior to applying. 

CURRICULUM

The Gannon Online MBA is a professional degree program. Students in the program have a wide variety of academic and professional backgrounds. For Online MBA candidates whose undergraduate degree is in a field other than Business and/or have not obtained the prerequisite skills required for the core courses, Gannon has partnered with Peregrine Academic Services for students to take Academic Leveling Courses (ALC).

An ALC is a course that provides a summary or overview of key concepts related to competencies required as foundational knowledge in the program. As a program prerequisite, the ALC sequence ensures that students have demonstrated an appropriate level of competency to maximize success with the online MBA core coursework. For the Gannon University Online MBA program, the ALCs will be completed by students holding a Bachelor’s degree in a non-business field. Upon successful completion of the ALCs, students may progress into the core curriculum requirements.

The Core curriculum contains 24 credits of required courses and there are 6 credits of electives available. The Online MBA degree is a total of 30 credits. The ALCs are not credit bearing courses.

Online MBA Academic Leveling Modules (7 required)

Required for non-business bachelor’s degree holders only; Offered through Peregrine Academic Services:

• Foundations of Accounting

• Foundations of Quantitative Research Techniques and Statistics

• Foundations of Marketing

• Foundations of Business Integration and Strategic Management

• Foundations of Business Finance

• Foundations of Macroeconomics

• Foundations of Microeconomics

Students who complete the MBA Online degree program are eligible to earn the Business Essentials Graduate Certificate upon successful completion of the 12 credits of required coursework and the appropriate GPA.

STANDARD ONLINE MBA GRADING SCALE

INTERNSHIPS

Gannon Online MBA students may, with permission of the MBA Program Director, accept placements in fields that are related to their academic studies. In some circumstances, these placements can be credit bearing and substituted for an elective course. Students may take a 3 credit internship for credit with the permission of the MBA Program Director, provided the experience adds to the student’s knowledge and ability in their chosen field of study.