MBA Policies

Admission Requirement

All MBA candidates are expected to have computer literacy in the areas of word processing, spreadsheet analyses, databases, PowerPoint, and the use of the Internet. Students who do not have these competencies are expected to acquire this knowledge prior to enrollment in the program. At UH an appropriate undergraduate course equivalent is MIS 3300.

Degree Requirements

All students entering the Master of Business Administration program are required to have a four-year undergraduate degree or foreign equivalent from an accredited institution. The undergraduate degree may be in any discipline.

Transfer Policy

The Bauer MBA program does not accept transfer credit for students who have started an MBA program at another institution. Bauer MBA students who relocate due to a job transfer and are close to graduation should meet with an MBA academic advisor to discuss options regarding completion of their degree.

Waiver Policy

None of the 48 credit hours required for the MBA degree may be waived.

Time Limitation

Students must complete the degree program within seven years; however, the last 36 credit hours of the program must be completed within the five-year period preceding the student's graduation.

Policies

Changes of Major, Degree, and Classification

Students who wish to change their field of study, degree objective, or classification to one in the Bauer College of Business should contact the Graduate & Professional Programs Office. If admitted, students will be subject to college policies in effect during the semester for which the change is approved. Graduate students in the C. T. Bauer College of Business who wish to change from one degree objective to another within the College should complete an online application form at https://www.applyweb.com/uhouston/index.ftl. Students who receive approval for the change will be subject to policies and degree plans in effect during the semester the change is approved. Bauer graduate students who wish to change to another graduate college at the University of Houston should consult the dean's office of that college for procedural information.

Dropping Courses

The last day to drop a course (or courses) is the date indicated in the University’s academic calendar. The C. T. Bauer College of Business cannot override the drop dates set by the University of Houston. Please refer to Student Business Services for information regarding deadlines to drop a course with and without a refund. Students who are dropping all their courses in a given semester must withdraw before the first class day in order to obtain a full refund.

Eligibility for Enrollment in Graduate Business Courses

All course work to be applied to the graduate business programs must be 6000-level or higher.

Students not enrolled as graduate students in the Bauer College of Business may take 6000-level (or above) courses in the Bauer College on a space available basis only if they have graduate standing in another program on the University of Houston main campus.

Non-Bauer students may enroll in a maximum of four graduate courses (no more than 12 credit hours) in the Bauer College. After completing these 12 hours, students are no longer eligible to take graduate courses in the college unless an application for a new degree objective and major in the Bauer College of Business has been submitted and approved. Undergraduate and post baccalaureate students are ineligible to enroll in graduate-level courses in business administration and will be dropped from any such courses for which they register. Drops can be generated by either the instructor or the Graduate and Professional Programs Office. Only students in the Professional Program in Accounting and the BSIE/MBA joint program are granted an exception to take two graduate courses in their senior year.

Graduate Classification

Students are classified as graduate students in the Bauer College only after their completed application for admission has been approved by the Bauer College. Students must go through the formal application process in order to obtain this classification.

Inapplicable Graduate Credit

Graduate credit is not granted for extension courses, advanced standing examinations, or courses taken prior to admission to a graduate program. The time limitation section specifies additional restrictions. Also, although grades of D+ and lower are included in the computed grade point average, the university awards no credit toward the degree for courses in which the student receives a grade below C-.

Scholastic Requirements and GPA Warning

MBA and M.S. students cannot graduate with less than a 3.00 cumulative grade point average (GPA), as calculated by the Office of the University Registrar. Students whose cumulative GPA is below 3.00 will be classified as on GPA Warning, and will receive written notice from the Graduate & Professional Programs Office. When GPA Warning students raise their cumulative GPA to 3.0 or above, they will return to Good Academic Standing. Failure to maintain a 3.00 GPA may also result in academic probation and loss of financial support such as loans, scholarships or graduate assistantships. A graduate student whose GPA is less than 3.0 is strongly encouraged to schedule an appointment with an academic advisor in UCBB 424.

UH Low Grade Policy and Termination of Enrollment

A graduate student who receives a grade of C+ or lower in 12 semester hours of credit attempted at this institution for graduate credit or for application toward the graduate degree, whether or not in repeated courses or courses taken toward a previous UH graduate degree, is ineligible for any advanced degree at this institution and will not be permitted to re-enroll for graduate study. Students who earn 12 credit hours of grades C+ or below will be dismissed from the program. If enrollment is terminated, students will be notified with a written explanation, and a hold will be placed on their account by the Office of the University Registrar.

Prerequisites and Corequisites

Admission to a graduate program on this campus of the University of Houston System is a prerequisite for enrollment in any C. T. Bauer College of Business course numbered 6000 or higher. Students must meet the prerequisite and corequisite requirements of the graduate program to which they are admitted. Prerequisites to the programs are listed with each individual graduate program section. Prerequisites to individual courses are indicated under each course title and are strictly enforced.

Special Problems Courses

A master's or doctoral-level student who is interested in doing an independent study or research project may make arrangements to work individually with a faculty member by signing up for a special problems/independent study course. No more than six semester hours of special problems credit may count as electives toward the business administration graduate degree requirements.

Graduation Honors

The Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence is a college-based honor awarded to students who complete their graduate degrees in business with a cumulative graduate grade point average of 3.70 or above. The graduate GPA does not include grades in any undergraduate courses the student may have taken while in the graduate program. Students earning the Dean's Award are mailed certificates by the College. The designation does not appear on the University of Houston diploma.

Waiver/Transfer Policy for Previously Completed Courses

None of the 48 credits required for the MBA degree may be waived. Transfer hours are also not accepted. In rare cases waivers of a core course may be allowed with substitution of a higher level course in that area (this will not reduce the number of hours required to complete the degree). See a graduate academic advisor for details.

Time Limitation

Students are expected to complete the MBA degree program within five years; typically Professional MBA students will complete the program within three years. UH policy requires that all students complete their master's degree program within seven years; however, the last 36 semester hours must be completed within the five-year period preceding the students' graduation.

Continuous Enrollment

Unless students petition for a leave of absence, they should maintain continuous enrollment during the fall and spring semesters. Students who are out of the program for more than one calendar year will be under the jurisdiction of the catalog in effect at the time of their reentry. Students who fail to maintain continuous enrollment for more than two calendar years must apply for reinstatement to the program through a petitioning process, pay the Bauer College application fee again, submit an updated resume, and meet the admission requirements in effect at that time.

Effective Term of Admission

Admission to the Full-time MBA program is granted only for the Fall term. The Professional MBA program admits students for either the Fall or Spring term; admission is granted for a specific term. If students wish to postpone enrollment, they must notify the Bauer Graduate & Professional Programs Office in writing and secure approval to defer their start date. The first term in which students, as graduate students, complete graduate-level course work that applies toward a degree, is the effective term of admission.