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

1. Hold a graduate degree or are currently enrolled in a graduate or professional degree program with equivalent admission standards, or
2. 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
3. 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
4. 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.
5. Having completed the Business Graduate Certificate with a 3.0 or higher GPA.  Students who complete the Business Graduate Certificate with a 3.0 or higher GPA will be admitted to the MBA program without having to take the GMAT/GRE.

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 School 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.

Concurrent JD/MBA

Curricular Requirements for Concurrent JD/MBA

A student at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock may pursue the JD and MBA degrees under a concurrent degree program, which allows cross-credit for certain specified courses. The concurrent degree program offers a potential savings of 18 credit hours in the total credit hours otherwise required for both degrees. A student in the concurrent degree program must complete all requirements for the JD degree, as specified by the School of Law, and all requirements for the MBA as specified by the School of Business.

The concurrent degree program is subject to the following conditions:

1. To receive cross-credit, credit must be earned for the course in the degree program in which the course is offered. For instance, core courses in the MBA program listed in Number 4 below will receive credit in the JD program only if the student receives credit for the courses in the MBA program.
2. In the MBA program, a student may receive elective credits for six semester hours of approved courses in the JD program, completed with a minimum grade of C. A list of the approved JD courses is set out in Section II.
3. In the JD program, a student may receive elective credits for 12 semester hours of approved courses in the MBA program, completed with a minimum grade of C. A list of courses is set out in Section III.
4. In the JD program, a student must complete the following courses in addition to those otherwise required for the JD degree: Business Associations, Commercial Paper, Secured Transactions, and Federal Income Taxation. The student may choose up to six credit hours from the above courses for credit in the MBA program, subject to the conditions set out in number 3 above.

Administrative Policies and Procedures for Concurrent JD/MBA:

A student enrolled in the concurrent degree program is subject to all administrative policies and procedures of each program during the period of enrollment in the concurrent degree program. In addition, the following policies and procedures apply to students in the concurrent degree program:

1. A student must obtain admission separately to the JD program and the MBA program. Once admitted to both programs, a student enters the concurrent degree program by filing a Declaration of Intent to Pursue Concurrent Degrees.
2. A student currently enrolled in one program may enter the concurrent degree program by obtaining admission to the other program and filing the Declaration of Intent to Pursue  Concurrent Degrees. Credit toward the JD degree shall only be given for course work taken after the student has matriculated in the law school.
3. A student is not enrolled in the concurrent degree program until copies of the Declaration of Intent to Pursue Concurrent Degrees are filed with the Registrar of the School of Law and with the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies of the School of Business.
4. A student who has completed one degree may not thereafter enter the concurrent degree program to complete another degree.
5. A student who enters the concurrent degree program must select which program to pursue first and notify the other program in order that enrollment may be deferred. Concurrent degree enrollment in classes in both programs is normally permitted only when a student is within six credit hours of completion of the first degree. Earlier concurrent degree enrollment requires the written permission of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs of the School of Law and the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies of the School of Business. Under no circumstance will concurrent degree enrollment be permitted during the first year of the full-time JD program. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs may grant permission for a first-year, part-time division student who is not employed to register for both the required JD program curriculum and courses in the MBA program.
6. The total credit hour load in both programs for concurrently enrolled students shall not exceed the normal maximum load in either program without the approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs of the School of Law and the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies of the School of Business. Under no circumstances will concurrent degree enrollment be permitted during the first year of the JD program.
7. Grade point averages and class standings in each program are determined without consideration of the six hours of credits accepted from the other program.
8. Except as modified by Sections I and II of this statement of the concurrent degree program for JD and MBA degrees, a student must comply with all degree requirements established for each program. For instance, the School of Law has a requirement that all degree requirements be completed not more than seven years after enrollment at the School of Law. A student enrolled in the concurrent degree program must earn any credit hours in the MBA program to be applied to the JD degree within seven years of enrolling in the School of Law.

Concurrent COB – UAMS Programs (PharmD/MBA)

Students enrolling in the PharmD/MBA program will be permitted to count six hours from their UAMS programs as MBA electives. Likewise, two to three MBA courses will be counted towards their PharmD elective requirements.

UAMS PharmD Early Admission

Admission requirements:

• PharmD students may apply to and be provisionally accepted to the MBA program or a graduate certificate program any time after completing 75 or more hours of combined undergraduate and graduate coursework. However, at least 90 hours of coursework must have been completed by the time the first graduate business course is taken, and an official transcript validating attainment of a bachelor’s degree meeting University policy or higher must be received by the Graduate School for full admission to and graduation from the MBA or graduate certificate program.
• All applicants must be in good academic standing in the PharmD program.
• All applicants must complete an application for and be accepted into the MBA or graduate certificate program and the UA Little Rock Graduate School.
• All applicants must complete a Declaration of Intent to Pursue Concurrent Program – PharmD/MBA or PharmD/GC form and have it approved by the program coordinators at both the UAMS College of Pharmacy and the UA Little Rock School of Business before beginning coursework.