How to Apply

Admission Considerations

Applicants interested in the MBA program must have a foundation of business.

Admission Options: Applicants may be considered for admission under the following options:

• Option 1: An applicant may be considered for full unconditional admission if the applicant has earned a baccalaureate degree from an AACSB (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accredited program with a 3.50 GPA or higher on a standardized 4.0 scale.

• Option 2: An applicant may be considered for full unconditional admission if the applicant has earned a baccalaureate degree with a 2.75 GPA overall on a standardized 4.0 scale AND has at least 2 years of post-baccalaureate full-time work experience with meaningful managerial responsibilities. If you are applying under Option 2, you must upload a document that describes your “meaningful managerial responsibilities.”

• Option 3: If Option 1 or Option 2 requirements are not satisfied, an applicant who has earned a baccalaureate degree may be considered for conditional admission to the MBA program. Students conditionally admitted must complete 9 credit hours of MBA graduate level courses at UNK, where (a) at least 3 credit hours are in a quantitative course AND (b) a 3.0 Graduate GPA or higher is maintained. Upon successful completion of these 9 credit hours, the student is then considered unconditionally admitted.

An application must be complete in all respects to be considered for admission to the program. Meeting the minimum criteria only assures applicants the consideration of their application for admission to the MBA program.

Additional Notes:

Applicants who do not hold a U.S. equivalent baccalaureate degree in business should apply as a Pre-MBA student and complete the Foundational Core courses with a minimum grade of “C” in each course. This option is not available for international applicants not residing in the U.S.

International students - In addition to the admission requirements stated in the International Students section of this catalog, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Those with a baccalaureate degree from a country where English is not the native language must take the TOEFL and receive a minimum score of 550 on the paper TOEFL exam or a score of 79 on the IBT (Internet based TOEFL), or a minimum score of 6.5 on IELTS.
• Applicants whose baccalaureate degrees were earned outside the United States are required to have their transcripts evaluated by a credential evaluation firm to verify the degree is equivalent to a U.S. baccalaureate. Refer to the international graduate application form for additional information.
• Students with only a baccalaureate degree from countries that award three-year baccalaureate degrees may not be eligible to be admitted to the Master’s program. To be eligible for option 2 of unconditional admission into the MBA program, international students must hold a Master’s degree equivalent to a U.S. Master’s degree.

To apply to the MBA Program:

1. Complete online application.
2. Submit a resume.
3. Provide a 500-word personal essay, particularly addressing the following:

• Why do you want to pursue your MBA at the University of Nebraska at Kearney? That is, what about the program specifically resonates with you?
• What are you expecting from the MBA program?
• Is there anything else you would like to share with the review committee regarding your qualifications for the MBA program?

MBA Office
West Center 151W
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Kearney, NE 68849-4580
Telephone: (308) 865-8346
E-mail: unkmba@unk.edu

MBA Program Policies

In addition to the academic policies listed in the front of this catalog that govern all graduate students, the following policies are specific to the MBA program:

1. Students may need to complete up to 18 credit hours of MBA Foundational Core courses with a minimum grade of "C" in each.
2. Students must be fully admitted to the program to take more than 9 credit hours of required "MBA core" courses or graduate level electives.
3. Students shall maintain an average grade of at least "B" (3.0) in all graduate courses completed at the end of each semester or summer session. No more than two Cs, and no grades below C, will be accepted in the MBA graduate program. Students who receive a third "C" or below a "C" (C- or lower) will have to retake one of the courses to improve to a C+ or better.
4. All academic policies of the Graduate School stated in this catalog and the MBA Student Policy Handbook will apply.