MBA Program
Admission Requirements
Course Descriptions
Curriculum Outline
Emphasis/Electives
MBA prerequisite courses
Forms and Downloads
Earn your degree online
Faculty

MBA Program

Students may gain admission under one of the following types of admission:

A. Regular Admission requires that the student has met ALL of the following requirements:

1. Master degree earned from another regionally accredited institution.
(GMAT is not required), or

Undergraduate cumulative GPA is at least 2.50.
(GMAT is not required), or

Undergraduate cumulative GPA is below 2.50.
GMAT is required :

The student applicant must have had official GMAT scores submitted to Enrollment Services and must have met one of the following formulas:

(a) Undergraduate GPA x 200 + GMAT > 950 or

(b) Last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework GPA x 200
+ GMAT >1000. *

* In the case of (b), undergraduate coursework will also include any undergraduate prerequisites taken after the student has earned a four-year degree to satisfy the MBA prerequisite requirements.

2. The student has earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally or nationally accredited institution.

3. The student has submitted the Application for Graduate Admission and non-
refundable application fee (fee waived if previously attended CSU).

4. The student has provided Enrollment Services with two letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with the student's work record, academic record, or personal character. Letters of recommendation from family are not acceptable.

5. The student has provided Enrollment Services with a letter of work experience.

6. The student has provided the Enrollment Services with official transcript copies from all schools where undergraduate or graduate courses have been taken.

7. Procedure for International Students

Academically qualified students from foreign countries are encouraged to apply for admission to Charleston Southern University. Applicants must be sufficiently proficient in English to be able to study entirely in the English language. The following must be sent to the Enrollment Services Office in addition to the admission materials for the graduate program:

1. Official Bank Statement
2. Official Course by Course Evaluation (See admissions application packet for approved agencies)
3. Official TOEFL (Students from countries where English is not the primary language will be required to submit a minimum TOEFL score of 550; computer-based score of 213 or internet-based score of 79.)
4. International Student Eligibility Form

Due to Immigration and Naturalization Service requirements and the necessity of having transcripts evaluated, the deadline for admission applications from International students is one calendar month prior to “registration day” (according to the CSU Academic Calendar) of the academic term of entry. Applications received after the deadline may be considered for a future entry term if the applicant desires. Students are required to have their academic transcript(s) evaluated by an outside agency prior to admissions acceptance. All fees for these services are paid by the student directly to the party or agency providing them. You may call the Office of Enrollment Services for more information.

When an applicant has been accepted by the University, a Certificate of Eligibility for the non-immigrant (F-1) student, known as Form I-20 A-B, will be mailed along with an acceptance letter. Students entering Charleston Southern University must assume full financial responsibility for tuition and charges incurred.

In the event a student is being sponsored by an individual or company, an Affidavit of Support and supporting financial documents must be submitted by the sponsor on behalf of the student. After issuance of Form I-20 A-B and prior to the drop/add deadline of the respective term, an advance cash deposit is required to be on file within the business office in the amount of the total cost of the term, including any necessary insurance premium. Otherwise Charleston Southern University reserves the right to deny the student attendance for that term.

B. Provisional - A student seeking the MBA degree from Charleston Southern University who has not submitted all the required documentation and materials for Regular Admission may be accepted on the provision that he or she submit the missing required materials as determined by the Enrollment Services Office prior to pre-registration for the next term. The minimum requirements for Provisional Admission are (1) the completed graduate application, (2) the application fee, and (3) evidence of a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution with at least a 2.5 grade-point-average. Enrollment cannot exceed 9 credit hours of MBA-level courses during the provisional period. Students admitted under the Provisional Admission will not be eligible for financial aid.

C. Non-Degree Admission is granted to students who do not intend to apply for regular admission. Such students must have a baccalaureate from a regionally or nationally accredited institution and have at least a 2.50 undergraduate GPA, or permission of the Director of the MBA program. A student may take a MAXIMUM of nine graduate hours in the MBA program under non-degree admission status. Financial Aid is not available to non-degree students.

ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS

1. Degree-seeking students will be admitted to candidacy for the MBA degree when they have received regular admission and have completed at least nine graduate hours of course requirements for the MBA at Charleston Southern University maintaining a GPA of 3.0 or better.

2. No more than six (6) semester hours of approved graduate work may be transferred into the MBA program. All transfer credits must be from accredited institutions and been taken no more than six (6) years prior to the awarding of the MBA degree at Charleston Southern University. Transfer credit cannot be revalidated if the time limit expires. A minimum grade of "B" is required for transfer credits. Pass/Fail courses may NOT be transferred into the program. The Director of the MBA or the Dean of the School of Business must approve all graduate transfer courses into the MBA program.

3. Students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 for graduation from the MBA program. Students whose graduate GPA's drop below a 3.0 will be placed on academic probation, and may take a maximum of six (6) graduate semester hours per semester until a GPA of 3.0 is obtained. Students who receive three grades of "C" are automatically dropped from the program. Students who repeat a MBA-level course can improve their GPA, but the original "C" still counts towards the "three-C rule." Students who receive one "F" or “WF” are automatically dropped from the program.

4. All requirements for the MBA degree at Charleston Southern University must be completed within a six (6) year period from the date that the MBA degree is awarded. The time period starts with the first day of class of the first graduate level MBA course attempted at CSU. Furthermore, transfer course credits must not be more than six (6) years old at the time the MBA degree is awarded.

5. ALL students must submit a graduate application for the MBA program with a non-refundable admissions application fee to the Graduate Office.

Non-degree seeking students may take a maximum of nine (9) semester hours of graduate work from the MBA curriculum. Non-degree seeking students must submit a graduate application for the MBA program with a non-refundable admissions application fee to the Graduate Office. Exceptions to this policy require the permissions of the Director of Graduate Studies, Dean of the School of Business, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

6. There are no audit or challenge provisions for graduate courses in the MBA. However, a student may challenge an undergraduate prerequisite. A challenge requires that the student take a final exam in the course within the first two weeks of class; registration for a challenge must take place during pre-registration or on registration day of the semester in which the course is to be challenged. Only students of record may challenge courses and a challenge may not take place in the final semester before graduation.

7. All students must apply for graduation in the Office of the Registrar. Refer to the University Calendar for deadline dates in the front of this catalog.

8. A Regular Admission student may take no more than three MBA-level courses until they have completed all required undergraduate prerequisite courses.

9. Unless otherwise stated on the course syllabus, final grades in MBA-level courses will be determined by using a 10-point grading system, i.e. 90 and above equals an “A,” 80 and above but less than 90 is a “B,” 70 and above but less than 80 equals a “C,” and less than 70 is an “F.”