Business Administration (Executive)

Graduate Program HeadBrian Cameron
Program CodeEXMBA
Campus(es)University Park (M.B.A.)
Degrees ConferredMaster of Business Administration (M.B.A.)
The Graduate Faculty

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The Smeal Executive MBA program provides a concentration in Executive Leadership and Strategy and can be completed in as little as 17 months. For the first 13 months, students meet on alternating Friday afternoons and Saturdays at The Union League Liberty Hall Conference Center in Lafayette Hill, PA, complemented with two residence weeks on the University Park campus. After the 13 month residency component, students select 6 to 12 credits of online courses to complete their degree and earn an additional concentration. In addition, every graduate has the option to complete one of Penn State Smeal’s online graduate certificates. This allows all students to receive the Executive Leadership and Strategy concentration through the EMBA curriculum while allowing each individual to choose an area of specialization. Students must formally apply and be admitted into the certificate program, and online graduate certificates must be completed within three years of graduation.

Admission Requirements

Applicants apply for admission to the program via the Graduate School application for admission. Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-300 Admissions Policies.

Criteria for evaluating applicants include professional and academic accomplishments, and personal data from application forms that provide indications of future academic and professional accomplishment. Applications for the Executive M.B.A. degree are only accepted for Fall semester admission.

Degree Requirements

Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)

Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-700 Professional Degree Policies.

The EMBA program consists of two distinct portions:

  1. preprogram competency expectations, including accounting, mathematics, and statistics; and
  2. a minimum of 40 credits at the 400, 500, or 800 levels, and a minimum of 18 credits at the 500 or 800 level, with at least 6 credits at the 500 level.

Of the minimum 40 credits, 28 credits are required core courses:

Required Core Courses
BA 512Quantitative Analysis for Managerial Decision Making2
BA 533Economics for Managers2
BA 800Marketing Management2
BA 801Management2
BA 802Team Process and Performance1
BA 804Ethical Leadership2
BA 805Negotiation Theory and Skills1
BA 810Supply Chain and Operations Management2
BA 811Financial Accounting2
BA 815Business Statistics for Contemporary Decision Making2
BA 817Communication Skills for Management2
BA 821Foundation in Managerial Accounting2
BA 831Foundations in Finance2
BA 832Global Business Environment1
BA 835Global Perspectives1
Concentration Electives
Select 12-18 Concentration credits 112-18
Culminating Experience
BA 571Strategic Management (Capstone Course) 22
Total Credits40-46
1

The 12-18 elective credits must be chosen from a list of approved concentration elective courses maintained by the graduate program office. The number of required credits will depend on selection of concentrations.

2

The culminating experience for the M.B.A. is the capstone course BA 571. This course is designed to bring together the many functional areas previously studied and integrate them into a strategic analysis of the firm. 

Minor

A graduate minor is available in any approved graduate major or dual-title program. The default requirements for a graduate minor are stated in Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-600 Research Degree Policies and GCAC-700 Professional Degree Policies, depending on the type of degree the student is pursuing:

Student Aid

Refer to the Tuition & Funding section of The Graduate School's website. Students in this program are not eligible for graduate assistantships.

Courses

Graduate courses carry numbers from 500 to 699 and 800 to 899. Advanced undergraduate courses numbered between 400 and 499 may be used to meet some graduate degree requirements when taken by graduate students. Courses below the 400 level may not. A graduate student may register for or audit these courses in order to make up deficiencies or to fill in gaps in previous education but not to meet requirements for an advanced degree.

Business Administration (BA) Course List

Learning Outcomes

  1. Communication Skills–Argue your point persuasively whether in written, oral, or presentation form.
  2. Global Perspective–Anticipate, understand, and explain the global forces that influence business decisions.
  3. Professional Skills–Be both a principled leader and a valuable member of a team.
  4. Problem Solving Skills–Analyze a complicated business problem using the best tools, theories, and evidence, complemented by the ability to recommend solutions and implementation plans.
  5. Integrative Understanding–Consider many perspectives in analyzing and recommending solutions to business problems.

Contact

Campus University Park
Graduate Program Head Brian Harold Cameron
Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) or Professor-in-Charge (PIC) Louis Gattis
Program Contact

Tara Banerjee
220B Business Building
University Park PA 16802
ttb3@psu.edu
(814) 863-0476

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