Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Admissions Requirements
Students seeking admission to the MBA program must meet one of the following criteria:
- (200 x cumulative GPA) + GMAT score (or converted GRE score) ≥1020, or
- (200 x GPA from last 60 undergraduate hours) + GMAT score (or converted GRE score) ≥ 1080
Regardless of the total points, the minimum acceptable GPA is 2.5 and the minimum acceptable GMAT score is 420, and the minimum acceptable GRE score is equivalent to the minimum GMAT score when converted. GMAT or GRE scores used for admission must be taken within the past five years.
Waiver of GMAT Requirement: The MBA program coordinator may waive the GMAT requirement for applicants who
- Hold a graduate degree or who are currently enrolled in a graduate or professional degree program with equivalent admission standards, or
- Have at least a 3.25 GPA or a 3.5 GPA in the last 60 hours from an AACSB-accredited business school (including UALR), or
- Can substantiate through written documentation that the combination of their academic and professional accomplishments makes them highly prepared for success in a rigorous graduate program. This may include holding analytically oriented professional or technical certification (e.g., CPA, PE, CFA, PMI, CFP, etc.), current job responsibilities that substantiate preparedness and analytical skills (e.g., P&L responsibilities, data analysis, etc.), 3.5 or higher GPA from a highly reputable non-business program, or
- Have at least a 2.5 GPA combined with a minimum of five years post-baccalaureate professional work experience showing managerial duties and promotion to increasing levels of responsibility.
All GMAT waivers will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. To be considered for a GMAT waiver, candidates must complete an application and submit a GMAT waiver form along with other required admission documents. The Graduate Committee reserves the right to interview GMAT waiver candidates at its discretion.
Conditional Admission
MBA applicants who do not meet the criteria for full admission are encouraged to apply and may be admitted conditionally. Decisions concerning conditional admissions will be made by the College of Business Graduate Committee (or a subcommittee thereof.) Factors considered in requests for conditional admission will include the following: scores on other standardized exams, grades in the undergraduate major, or other pertinent data that indicate the applicant will perform satisfactorily in the MBA program. Students conditionally admitted to the MBA program must achieve a 3.25 GPA in the first 12 hours of study, or they will be dismissed.
Undergraduate Students
UALR undergraduate seniors who are within 15 semester hours of completing baccalaureate degrees with a 3.0 GPA or higher and have a GMAT score of at least 480 may enroll for a maximum of 6 semester hours of graduate business courses during their last undergraduate semester. UALR undergraduate seniors who are within 15 semester hours of completing baccalaureate business degrees with a 3.25 GPA or higher or baccalaureate non-business degree with a 3.5 GPA or higher may enroll for a maximum of 6 semester hours of graduate business courses during their last undergraduate semester. However, if these graduate business courses are applied towards undergraduate degree requirements they cannot also be counted towards graduate degree requirements.
Program Requirements
All students must demonstrate competency in the use of Excel spreadsheets through the passage of an online assessment. Information on the assessments and self-paced study modules to prepare for the assessments may be obtained from the Graduate Business office (501-569-3356).
