MBA PROGRAM DIRECTOR, SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
Jay Pantaleo, MBA
Gradmgt@Marist.edu

Since 1972, the School of Management at Marist College has offered a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree designed to meet the unique needs of working adults. The Marist MBA program provides a high-quality, broad-based business management education that emphasizes the application of theory to management practice and the enhancement of managerial skills, from communication and team management to data analytics.

Marist’s MBA program attracts students with diverse backgrounds: accountants, bankers, brokers, engineers, systems analysts, health-care and human-resource professionals, individuals involved in manufacturing and marketing, and those interested in changing careers. The result is a dynamic, highly interactive educational environment that cultivates managers capable of effective decision making in today’s complex business world.

MBA courses are taught predominantly by full-time faculty with doctorates in their fields, many of whom have significant management experience. The management faculty view instructor-student interaction as an important component of all MBA courses and are dedicated to working with their students to achieve their educational goals.

Students in the MBA program complete their studies in a “capstone” course that integrates the various functions of an organization into a strategic, total management perspective. This integration better prepares graduates to meet the demands of an increasingly complex, competitive, and rapidly changing business environment.

School of Management Mission

We develop people of integrity with the managerial expertise, vision, pragmatism and ethical sensibility to succeed professionally and personally on their own and with others. We prepare leaders to face the challenges of a dynamic and diverse world grounded in our ideals of excellence in education, the importance of community, and commitment to service.

Excellence in Education:

We challenge and develop students by creating a nurturing integrative experiential education within a strong liberal arts tradition.

Importance of Community:

We collaborate as a community of faculty, staff, students, alumni and other stakeholders to expand and continuously improve knowledge of the practice, study, and teaching of management through program innovation, research, and professional activities.

The Commitment to Service:

We use our knowledge and experience with our stakeholders to improve the operation of public and private organizations and the quality of life for individuals and communities in both the region and the world.

The MBA Mission Statement

The Mission of the Marist MBA Program is to:

• provide a dynamic business curriculum that cultivates professional skills and values, while focusing on real-world applications and employing current and emerging technologies, and
• advance students’ managerial knowledge, elevate their communication, analytical, technological, and decision-making skills, and stimulate their appreciation of the social and ethical implications of working in a diverse, global business environment.

AACSB International Accreditation

In 2002, the Marist College MBA program was granted accreditation by one of higher education’s most prestigious and rigorous international accrediting bodies, The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-International (AACSB). Accreditation by AACSB-International is the highest distinction offered to business schools both nationally and internationally and confirms Marist’s commitment to the highest standards of excellence in its business curriculum, faculty, and student resources. Only 30 percent of business and management programs nationwide are accredited at both the bachelor’s and master’s degree level, achieving a standard widely accepted and adopted by the educational and business communities.

MBA Program Format & Scheduling

The MBA Curriculum consists of nine core courses and three electives which can be selected to form a concentration. All courses are offered online over 8 weeks.

How Online Courses Work

Marist College, a recognized leader in the use of technology in the classroom, was the first college or university in New York State to gain approval to offer its entire MBA program online. Students juggling work responsibilities, travel requirements, and family obligations can pursue their MBA from the convenience of their own keyboards, whenever and wherever they may be. The Marist online platform, iLearn, enables students to interact extensively with their instructors and classmates. Within the parameters set by the professor, online students log on according to their own schedules, when it is most convenient for them. Communication is ongoing via Forums, e-mail, group conference rooms, video conferences, and private chat rooms. There is no on-campus requirement nor are all students expected to be online at the same time.

Admissions Requirements

The MBA program looks at the interests, aptitude, and capacity of a prospective management student as indicated by the applicant’s previous academic record, professional achievement and growth, letters of recommendation, and response to essay questions. Marist reviews applications of qualified applicants regardless of their undergraduate major. All applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.

Students with an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher may take up to two courses selected by the Director in one semester as a non-matriculated candidate. The student must satisfy all requirements for matriculation upon completion of the nonmatriculated semester. Admission as a non-matriculated student does not guarantee full admission to the MBA program as a matriculated, degree-seeking candidate.

We expect MBA students to have adequate competencies in basic math skills through college algebra and basic computer skills including the use of Microsoft Office and the Internet. We encourage students who consider themselves deficient in these basic areas to take basic skills courses at Marist or another college or university before starting the MBA program.

Application Process

Applicants must submit all of the material listed below:

• A completed Marist Graduate Admissions Application
• A $70 non-refundable application fee made
• Official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions from which the applicant received a degree; under certain circumstances, transfer transcripts may also be required
• A current résumé
• Written response to essay questions

NOTE: Applicants with an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher may be permitted to enroll for one semester as a non-matriculated student pending submission of a completed Graduate Admissions Application, transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended (unofficial copies are acceptable for non-matriculation only, and certain other exceptions apply), and an application fee. Non-matriculated students are limited to two courses selected by the Director and must submit all application materials necessary for matriculation by the next application deadline. A student who fails to gain admission into the MBA program will be withdrawn at the conclusion of their non-matriculated semester. Candidates wishing to apply for transfer credit (limited to six credits, graduate level) from another institution must submit all official transcripts and request a review at the time of application.

International Applicants

International applicants may apply for the fall and the spring semesters according to published application deadlines. International students must have their transcripts evaluated (and translated, if necessary) for program equivalency by a recognized credential evaluation service prior to application. A course-by-course evaluation and grade equivalency are needed. Immigration regulations state that no more than one online course per semester may be used toward the 9 credits required to meet full-time status. Students wishing to pursue the program on a full-time basis assume responsibility for remaining in compliance with immigration regulations. Please visit www.marist.edu/graduate for complete international admissions criteria.

Substitution Credits

Up to six (6) graduate credits from another AACSB-accredited graduate business program or certain other graduate programs may, with special permission from the MBA Director, be used to satisfy graduate core and/or elective requirements. A minimum grade of B is required. Courses already taken must be presented at the time of admission. After admission to the MBA program, if not all of the six possible transfer/substitution credits have been used, courses from other Marist graduate programs may be considered for substitution. Credit for substituted courses requires the prior written approval of the MBA Program Director, at whose discretion the decision is. A request to substitute a course from another program for an MBA course must be accompanied by the course description and course syllabus.

MBA Program Academic Policies

A minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 is required to enroll in the MBA program. The maintenance of a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required for good academic standing and to graduate. Students must achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 after completing one semester of full-time study or its equivalent.

Any student whose cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 or receives a letter grade of F will be placed on academic probation and will have nine credits’ worth of MBA courses, taken within a 12-month period during which no grade may be less than a B in which to reestablish good academic standing. Any student who fails to achieve a GPA of at least 3.0 by the end of that 12-month period, or who receives a grade of less than B during that 12-month period without having first raised his or her GPA to 3.0 or above, faces academic dismissal. Failed courses must be retaken the next time the course is offered. Any student who earns a grade of F within their first 9 credits of coursework will not be permitted to continue in the program.

The College’s policies with respect to maintaining matriculation, leaves of absence, and withdrawal from the Program apply to the School of Management graduate programs.

All academic requirements for the MBA degree must be completed within five years of admission. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required to enroll in MBA 801N  and to graduate. Requests for an extension of the five-year limit must be made in writing to the Program Director. MBA students may request permission to participate in May commencement exercises when they have completed all but 6 credits of their program, provided that the remaining courses will be completed by the end of the fall semester following commencement. Such requests should be made in writing
to the Program Director. Students must be in good academic standing (minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0) to participate in commencement.

Registration Procedures

Registration and payment is done online. Every student has access to an online transcript which clearly indicates the courses they need to complete their degree.

MBA Program Overview

The Marist MBA program is comprised of 2 components:

• The MBA Required Core (27 credits)
• Concentrations and/or Electives (9 credits)

Upon admission to the program, each candidate receives an individually designed Curriculum Sheet that indicates which courses the candidate must successfully complete to qualify for his/her degree.

Core Courses

MBA Core courses develop managerial skill and expose students to current trends and concepts at the forefront of management thought. These courses are required;they attempt to assist students to think broadly and to look at the company as a whole in a global and changing environment. The Strategic Management seminar is the program’s capstone course. This course seeks to develop an executive-level, strategic management perspective and to integrate previous knowledge. The candidate must complete all MBA Core courses and at least 3 credits of electives to register for the Capstone.