Mar 28, 2024  
2009-2010 Graduate Catalog 
    
2009-2010 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Business Administration Major, MBA


Two tracks are available for the MBA – the regular, full-time program and MBA programs for working professionals.

The full-time MBA is for students seeking a full-time, weekday program that follows the traditional academic format. The nature of this program precludes students from simultaneously working full-time outside of school. In addition to the regular full-time program, there are full-time dual-degree programs – the JD-MBA with the College of Law and the MS-MBA program with the College of Agricultural Sciences and Nuclear Resources; the College of Engineering; and the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences. Descriptions of these dual-degree programs follow the description of the executive tracks of the MBA.

For students who wish to continue working full-time while they earn their MBA degree, there are four programs for working professionals. In these programs, students carry a full academic course load in addition to their full-time jobs. Each of these programs is designed to serve a different group of students. Descriptions of the MBA programs for working professionals follow the description of the regular, full-time program.

To obtain an MBA application for the full-time program, contact the MBA Program Office, 504 Haslam Business Building, College of Business Administration, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-4150, Phone (865) 974-5033; e-maill mba@tennessee.edu. The application may also be downloaded from the website at http://mba.bus.utk.edu. For the MBA programs for working professionals, contact the Center for Executive Education, 603 Haslam Business Building, College of Business Administration, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-4160; Phone (865)974-5001.

Full-Time MBA


The full-time MBA program is designed for students with undergraduate degrees in a wide variety of fields, including the social and natural sciences, the humanities, and professional fields such as engineering, business, agriculture, and architecture. In addition, most students in this program should have two or more years of work experience beyond their undergraduate degree(s). The MBA is a seventeen-month program with students beginning in late July of each year and graduating in December of the following year. During the summer, between the second and third semesters, students must complete an internship with a company using those skills acquired during the first year of the MBA program.

The MBA program consists of a common core (29 hours), a global requirement (5 hours) and a selection of concentration and elective courses (15 hours). International students are not required to participate in the 2-credit hour international trip course. The first-year core develops a general management foundation upon which specialization is developed in the concentration area.

The objective of the seventeen-month program is to develop leaders able to enhance the success of their global organizations. Specific emphasis is placed upon competency in the area of integrated value chain management. This managerial perspective acknowledges that an organization’s success is strongly related to its ability to function effectively and efficiently within a larger network of allied businesses. Managers must understand how to integrate business functions within their organizations, as well as across the other organizations within their value chain. Integrated value chain management rests upon a foundation including supply chain management, information management, resource management, and customer relationship management. In addition, students will pursue concentrations and careers in a variety of areas, including finance, logistics, marketing, operations management, and a secondary concentration in innovation and entrepreneurship.

The global component of the MBA program consists of 5 credit hours. In the spring semester of the first year, all MBA students are required to participate in a 2-credit hour international trip – BUAD 591 . International students will not be required to participate in this experience since their activities in the MBA Program can satisfy this requirement. Unless international students choose to participate in the BUAD 591 , they will have to take an additional 3 credit hour business elective in the fall of the second year to satisfy the program’s overall credit requirements of 49 hours. The international experience consists of a trip of up to 10 days to areas such as Latin America, Asia or Europe. It is over spring break or after the end of the spring semester. Given the size of the MBA Program, more than one trip may be offered in any given year. The academic purpose of the trip is to familiarize students with the complexities of doing business internationally through experiential learning. Each of the trips has a stated business purpose and will require the MBA students to use what they have learned in class and what they are exposed to on the trip to complete the deliverables for the course. During the trip, MBA students are exposed to academics, government representatives, and both local and foreign firms doing business in the countries visited.

During the fall semester of the MBA students second year, they complete a 3-credit hour Global Business Strategy course. Although global business strategies will have been discussed throughout the program during the first year, this course applies integrated value chain strategies in the global context.

Full Time MBA

August - First Year

Hours Credit    
Business Administration 511  (Core I) 3  
     

Fall – First Year

   
Business Administration 501  (MBA Career Development) 1  
Business Administration 512  (Core II) 15  
     

Spring – First Year

   
Business Administration 513  (Core III) 9  
MBA Concentration Hubs 6  
Business Administration 591  (International Travel) 2  
     

Fall – Second Year

   
Business Administration 596  (Global Business Strategies) 3  
Business Elective 3  
Concentration Classes 6  
Business Administration 514  1  
     
  Total 49  

Admission
Applications are accepted for fall semester only. The application deadline for fall semester is February 1. Applications by United States citizens and permanent residents received after February 1 will be considered as space allows.

To be considered for admission, the applicant’s file must be complete. A completed file includes the Application for Graduate Admission, transcripts of prior college work, an MBA program application, two completed applicant recommendation forms, and the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) score report. Additional information is required by the Office of Graduate and International Admissions for international students.

For admission to the MBA program, consideration is given to (1) applicant’s academic record with particular attention to the last two years of undergraduate work and previous graduate studies; (2) scores on the GMAT and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for those whose native language is not English; (3) quality of work experience and other activities that demonstrate potential for leadership; and (4) recommendations from professors and work supervisors. The admission decision is based on all factors that make up the total application; therefore, there is no automatic cut-off for either grade point averages or GMAT scores. However, admission preference will be given to applicants with full-time work experience after obtaining the undergraduate degree.

Prerequisites
There are no specific course prerequisites for admission; however, we recommend that non-business undergraduates take an introductory course in accounting, finance, or statistics prior to entry. Undergraduate courses and work experience should demonstrate ability with both qualitative and quantitative work.

Requirements

MBA Core
The MBA core (29 hours) consists of a 3-hour foundations course taken during the three weeks prior to the beginning of fall semester, a 15-hour core course and a 1-hour career development course taken in the first semester (fall 1), a 9-hour core course taken in the second semester (spring 1), and a 1-hour capstone in the third semester (fall 2). The topics introduced within these courses follow three major themes. The first theme covers what every manager needs to know and includes such functional topics as finance, economics, strategy, decision tools, global business, environmental analysis, and leadership skills development. The second theme focuses on functions involved in the flows of product, information, and finances within a globally integrated value chain and includes but is not limited to, operations management, logistics management, demand management, customer relationship management, supplier management, and resource management. The third theme involves integrating the content of the other two themes using information technology. Throughout all three themes, significant emphasis is placed on learning the topics in an integrated fashion. Students will understand how various business functions are integrated within an organization, as well as how integration should occur across organizations within the context of a value chain.

Students in the first-year core undertake active learning within a team-based environment. Many core requirements are experiential exercises in which self-discovery within a team setting is an important element of the learning process. Individualized support is provided for developing both written and oral communication skills.

Concentration and Electives
A concentration area may be indicated on the MBA Program Application or this declaration may be deferred until after matriculation. In any event, selection should be made after the first semester and must be made after completion of the first year. Requests for changes in concentration areas must be submitted for approval to the MBA Program Office.

Among the 15 hours in the concentration/electives block, 9 hours must be taken in one of the primary concentrations. For the specific courses required in primary concentration areas, see the appropriate department.

Finance Concentration, Business Administration Major, MBA Logistics Concentration, Business Administration Major, MBA , Marketing Concentration, Business Administration Major, MBA , and Operations Management Concentration, Business Administration Major, MBA  represent primary concentrations. A secondary concentration, innovation and entrepreneurship, can be taken in conjunction with one of the primary concentrations.

The first course in each concentration is designed to provide a foundation upon which the concentration can be built. These courses will be delivered in the latter part of the spring semester of the first year after the spring core course has been completed. They are intended to prepare students for their summer internships. However, these courses should not be thought of as simply the first 3 hours in a 9-hour elective. Rather, these courses are self-contained, intensive introductions to a specialty area of business. Students choose two of these courses in the spring semester, which will permit them flexibility for choosing concentrations in the second year of the program. Two additional courses in the concentration area will be taken in the second fall semester to meet the 9-hour requirement for a concentration.

Elective courses may be chosen from any 500-level courses in the College of Business Administration. Courses outside the college, as well as courses listed in The Graduate Catalog numbered below 500, may be included as an elective only with written prior permission via formal petition to the MBA Program Office.

Secondary Concentration - Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Innovation and entrepreneurship is a secondary concentration (9 hours) that must be taken in conjunction with one of the other MBA concentrations. The secondary concentration makes the MBA concentration/electives block 18 total credit hours. It provides the skills to launch a new business and to function successfully within an established corporation that employs entrepreneurial management strategies. It teaches how to assess entrepreneurial opportunities, apply strategic consultative thinking to problem solving, assess the commercial potential of an idea or innovation, develop strategic, business and financial plans, develop effective presentations, and serve as an effective member of an entrepreneurial/innovation team. Minimum course requirements are BUAD 520 , plus BUAD 595  and MGT 551 .

Transfer Credits
Graduate-level courses taken at other institutions accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International that otherwise conform to university policy may be credited toward MBA degree requirements within the following limits.

  • Concentration area – 6 hours (provided at least 6 hours of work at this institution are included in the concentration area).
  • Elective Area – 3 hours.

Because of the fully integrated nature of the first-year curriculum, no credit hours are transferred into this core curriculum. The maximum number of hours that may be transferred to elective and concentration areas is 6 semester hours. Transfer credit will be considered upon formal petition to the Director of the MBA Program and must meet all requirements of the Graduate Council.

Other Requirements
The application for Admission to Candidacy must be approved by three faculty members in the student’s area of concentration and the Director of the MBA program. It should be submitted to the Graduate School at least one full semester prior to the date the degree is conferred. (The Admission to Candidacy application for the MBA degree must be submitted in the spring semester for graduation in the following fall semester.)

To qualify for the degree, the student must achieve a B average (3.0) or above in MBA core courses required in his/her program, a B average or higher in courses comprising the concentration area, and a B average or higher in the overall program.