Business Administration and Business Analytics, MBA/MS BAN Dual Degrees (57 total credit hours)

Specific Objectives

Graduates of the program should be able to achieve the program objectives of both the MBA program and the MS BAN program.

For the MBA program, graduates should be able to:

• Apply theory, knowledge, and skills from the fundamental business disciplines to business practice.
• Effectively research and report information in a written document.
• Solve complex problems or propose meaningful solutions.
• Understand the importance of ethics and corporate social responsibility in the context of business.

For the MS BAN program, graduates should be able to:

• Apply the methods and skills covered in courses to solve business analytics problems and to manage analytics projects in various business environments.
• Demonstrate understanding of the techniques to collect and transform data into appropriate formats for analytics and analysis.
• Be proficient in explaining the analysis of data to upper management or analysts in other business units.

Admission Requirements

Applicants seeking admission to the dual degree program must submit an application and application fees for consideration to both programs. Students must be successfully admitted to both degree programs, in accordance with their individual standards and requirements. Applicants are required to submit the following to the Graduate School:

• An application for graduate admission.
• Official transcripts of all college work (undergraduate and graduate).
• Two online recommendations including one from an employer or supervisor who can comment on the applicant’s work experience and potential for successful completion of a master’s program.
• Applicant’s resume and cover letter. 
• Two years of professional work experience is required.
• Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better in undergraduate work. Applicants with an undergraduate GPA below 3.0 must demonstrate professional experience/advancement that shows progression since graduation and indicates how they will contribute to the program.
• A GMAT score above 500 or an equivalent GRE, which is waived for one or more of the following:
  • Five or more years of progressive managerial or military work experience 
  • An undergraduate GPA of 3.2 or higher
  • Completion of an advanced degree (graduate level or above) involving some quantitative coursework
• A minimum score of 79 on the internet-based TOEFL iBT test or 6.5 on IELTS test is required for non-native English speakers only, unless applicant earned their baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited US institution. Scores are good for two years from the date the test is administered.
• Application and supplemental documents must be submitted by the published deadline.

Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree demonstrating a strong overall undergraduate academic record. Admission decisions are based on several factors, and other indicators of success may be considered for admission.

Admission is provisional upon successful completion of one course in statistics with a grade of ‘B’ or better from a regionally accredited institution. An “Introduction to Business” course similar to BUS 500  at UNCW is required for students who have not completed undergraduate or graduate coursework in a business discipline.

Degree Requirements (57 total credit hours)

• Thirty-six credit hours of approved graduate credit must be satisfactorily completed for the MBA degree, and 30 credit hours of approved graduate credit must be satisfactorily completed for the MS BAN degree, with a maximum of 9 credit hours counting for both degrees, for a total number of credit hours of 57 credit hours for the combined degree.
• Each student must successfully complete an integrative written analysis project in MBA 558 - Strategic Management.
• Each student must complete the approved course of study within five years of the date of first registration for graduate study.
• Courses requested for transfer are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Generally, no more than 3 credits from non-AACSB accredited universities will be accepted, and no more than 9 credits from AACSB accredited universities will be accepted. The Graduate Associate Dean determines how the courses, if any, will be transferred and will request recommendations from the faculty who teach within the disciplines being requested.
• After admittance, students who wish to complete a course offered by another graduate program at UNCW must have the course approved by the MBA Director before enrolling.

Required Courses

Ideally, to participate in the dual-degree program, a student would first complete the MBA program with a Specialization in Business Analytics. This Specialization requires that an MBA student take three Business Analytics courses that are offered through the MSBA program. For the dual degree program, these courses would be:

• BAN 500 - Descriptive Analytics Credit Hours: 3 (taken in place of MBA 515 Business Analytics)
• MIS 503 - Programming For Analytics Credit Hours: 3 (BAN 500 is a prerequisite)
• BAN 502 - Predictive Analytics Credit Hours: 3 (BAN 500 and MIS 502 are prerequisites)

• 
  The remaining courses for the MSBA are:
   

• BAN 501 - Prescriptive Analytics Credit Hours: 3
• BAN 525 - Case Studies in Business Analytics Credit Hours: 3
• BAN 530 - Applications of Business Analytics Credit Hours: 3
• MIS 504 - Databases for Analytics Credit Hours: 3
• MIS 505 - Data Visualization Credit Hours: 3

• 
  And two elective courses from the following list:
   

• BAN 513 - Digital Marketing Analytics Credit Hours: 3
• BAN 515 - Health Care Analytics Credit Hours: 3
• BAN 516 - Transportation Analytics Credit Hours: 3
• BAN 517 - Supply Chain Analytics Credit Hours: 3
• BAN 592 - Current Topics in Business Analytics Credit Hours: 3
• BAN 598 - Internship Credit Hours: 3
• MIS 506 - Text and Unstructured Data Analytics Credit Hours: 3

• 
  The remaining courses for the MBA are:
   

• MBA 504 - Business Law Credit Hours: 3
• MBA 508 - Accounting Credit Hours: 3
• MBA 514 - Information Analysis and Management Credit Hours: 3
• MBA 516 - Operations Management Credit Hours: 3
• MBA 530 - Economics Credit Hours: 3
• MBA 532 - Corporate Finance Credit Hours: 3
• MBA 558 - Strategic Management Credit Hours: 3 (capstone project)
• MBA 562 - Management Credit Hours: 3