Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Institutional Accreditation

Information on FGCU institutional accreditation is available at www.fgcu.edu/accreditation

Lutgert College of Business:

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

As the world's largest business education alliance, AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) connects educators, students, and business to achieve a common goal: to create the next generation of great leaders. Synonymous with the highest standards of excellence since 1916, AACSB provides quality assurance, business education intelligence, and professional development services to over 1,500 member organizations and more than 785 accredited business schools worldwide.

With its global headquarters in Tampa, Florida, USA; Europe, Middle East, and Africa headquarters in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore, AACSB’s mission is to foster engagement, accelerate innovation, and amplify impact in business education.

For more information, visit aacsb.edu.

Getting Started

Applicants must submit an application online per the individual program’s instructions below. Please contact Graduate Admissions at 239-745-GRAD or graduate@fgcu.edu for additional information about the application process. Satisfaction of minimum University and program requirements does not guarantee admission to a graduate program. Applicants should check with the program for the most up to date admission requirements prior to commencing the application process.

See program website at URL listed above.

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Application Deadlines

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General Admission Requirements

Admission Requirements

• Submit an FGCU Graduate Admissions Application and satisfy all applicable university admissions requirements.
• Earned undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education.
• Official copies of all academic transcripts.
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 for the last 60 hours of the baccalaureate degree from an AACSB or ABET accredited institution in the last 7 years (Or meet the GMAT requirement below).
• International students must meet English proficiency and other requirements, visit Graduate Admissions International Students webpage for full details.

Students who do not meet the above requirements may be admitted if they meet one of the following,

1. Students with GPA Below 3.0 or an Undergraduate Degree from any regionally accredited Institution not accredited by AACSB or ABET.
   Students with a minimum GPA of 2.5 may be considered on a case by case basis if they meet the following:
   • Minimum GMAT of 450 &
   • Upper level GPA x 200 + GMAT = 1050 (or equivalent GRE score) OR
   • Minimum GMAT Focus Edition of 455 &
   • Upper level GPA x 200 + GMAT Focus Edition = 1055
     
     GMAT and GRE score equivalency is established using gretogmat.com
     
     
     1. GMAT Waiver Based on Prior Education
        GMAT/GRE requirement will be waived if the applicant holds:
        • A Doctoral or comparable terminal degree OR
        • An undergraduate degree in a STEM program from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum GPA of 3.5 (overall) and a GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 hours within the last 7 years
        • A graduate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university (or equivalent foreign institution).
          
          A full listing of AACSB-Accredited Universities and Business Schools
          
          
     2. GMAT Waiver Based on Work Experience
        A GMAT waiver request is on a case-by-case basis with evidence of a minimum 4 years of managerial and budgetary experience. Applicants requesting a GMAT waiver based on work experience must submit the following documents (by the program admissions deadline) to the Office of Graduate Admissions.
        • A minimum GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 hours of the baccalaureate degree.
        • Signed Waiver Request Checklist
        • Formal letter (addressed to the MBA Committee) requesting a GMAT waiver. The letter should complement the resume by supporting and elaborating on the managerial and budgetary experience (minimum of four years).
        • Formal resume indicating 4 years of managerial experience in a professional business setting such as economics, finance, accounting, business management, human resources, marketing, information systems, data analytics, etc., which includes experience with maintaining, managing, and/or operating a budget.
          
          Please note - the MBA Committee reserves the right to request verification of the four years of experience from the applicant’s employer.
          
          
2. Conditional Admissions
   Students who do not meet the GMAT waiver criteria in #1a or # 1b, but have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 for the last 60 credit hours of their baccalaureate degree, can be conditionally admitted to the MBA program without submitting a GMAT score. The student will then need to successfully complete two of the following four courses with a B or higher before registering for other classes in the program and to be fully admitted to the program*
   • QMB 6303 Data Driven Decision Making
   • ACG 6075 Managerial Accounting
   • FIN 6406 Finance Management
   • ECP 6705 Managerial Economics

*Full time students will be required to take two of these four courses in their first semester.

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*Prior to admission to a graduate program, students may complete a maximum of 9 credit hours of graduate level courses on a non‑degree seeking basis.

Program Requirements for the 2023-2024 Catalog Year

Program Progression and Additional Graduation Requirements

• Maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale throughout the program (see the Probation/Dismissal section of the Graduate Student Guidebook).
• A student who receives three grades of "C" or lower is automatically suspended from the program (see Probation/Dismissal section of the Graduate Student Guidebook).
• Students may transfer a maximum of six credits of approved graduate level coursework from a regionally accredited institution. All transfer courses must have been completed within the past six years with a grade of B or higher. The evaluation of academic transcripts and articulation of transfer courses must be approved by the appropriate academic department. Refer to course waiver guidelines above.
• Admitted students without a business undergraduate degree will be required to complete a series of four interactive self-paced leveling courses from Ivy Software prior to enrolling in M.B.A. required courses.
• Submit an application for graduation by the semester deadline listed in the FGCU Academic Calendar.
• Students must register for a minimum of one credit during the semester in which they apply for graduation.
• Earn more than 50% of the credits toward the degree through FGCU.

Program Requirements

1. Required Courses in the Major (24 credits)
   ACG 6075 Managerial Accounting (3)
   ECP 6705 Managerial Economics I (3)
   FIN 6406 Financial Management (3)
   GEB 6895 Global Business Strategy (3)
   MAN 6266 Strategic Leadership (3)
   MAR 6805 Marketing Management (3)
   QMB 6303 Data Driven Decision-Making (3)
   TRA 6726 Global Supply Chains (3)
   
   
2. Restricted Electives in the Major/Concentrations (9 credits)
   
   Select one of the following groupings:
   
   Accounting/Taxation Concentration
   (Note: For accounting undergraduate majors only)
   ACG 6205 - Advanced Accounting (3)  
   ACG 6257 - Global Reporting (IFRS) & Audit (3) OR TAX 6525 – International Tax Issues (3) 
   TAX 6205 – Flow Through Entities (3)
   
   Data Analytics Concentration
   ISM 6136 Predictive Analytics (3)
   ISM 6217 Data Management (3)
   ISM 6404 BI and Visualization Tools (3)
   
   Digital Marketing Strategy Concentration
   MAR 6706 Digital Marketing Analytics (3)
   MAR 6735 Digital Marketing Strategy (3)
   MAR 6880 Social Media Marketing (3)
   
   Entrepreneurship Concentration
   ENT 6248 Opportunity and Lean Launch (3)
   ENT 6415 New Venture Capital (3)
   ENT 6441 New Venture Launch (3)
   
   Health Care Management Concentration
   HSA 5115 Mgmt of Health Care Orgs (3)
   HSA 6114 Health Care Delivery Systems (3)
   HSA 6126 Health Insurance Managed Care (3) OR HSA 6155 Health Care Economics (3)
   
   Hospitality Management Concentration
   HMG 6916 Hospitality Industry Project (3) OR HMG 6960 Hospitality Mgmt Capstone (3)
   HMG 6919 Hospitality Industry Analytics (3)
   HMG 6932 Contemporary Issues  (3)
   
   Information Systems Concentration
   ISM 6121 Bus Proc Analysis & Innovation (3)
   ISM 6316 Project Management (3)
   ISM 6328 Cybersecurity (3)
   
   International Business Concentration
   MAN 6601 International Management (3)
   MAN 6607 Global Organization Issues (3)
   MAN 6930 Seminar in Management (3)
   
   Management/Leadership Concentration
   MAN 6289 Org Development & Change (3)
   MAN 6305 Human Resource Management (3)
   MAN 6607 Global Organizational Issues (3)
   
   Marketing Concentration
   MAR 6336 Marketing Communications Mgmnt (3)
   MAR 6508 Advanced Customer Analysis (3)
   MAR 6807 Adv Market Analysis & Strategy (3)
   
   No concentration noted on transcript
   Select 9 credits of 5000-6999 level coursework with prefix MAN and/or ISM.

Total Credits Required: 33 HRS

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Ivy Software

Please read the instructions below before starting these courses.
Technical support can be obtained by clicking on the Customer Service Link on the right side of the screen.

Required Courses:

Upon review of transcripts, admitted students without certain completed business courses, will be required to complete a series of up to four interactive self-paced leveling courses from Ivy Software prior to enrolling in certain MBA core courses. The Ivy courses, and the business courses needed (with a grade of C or better) to have them waived are as follows:

• Financial Accounting Ivy – Financial Accounting or equivalent
• Fundamentals of Economics Ivy – Microeconomics AND Macroeconomics
• Managerial Accounting Ivy – Managerial Accounting or equivalent
• Understanding Corporate Finance Ivy – Corporate Finance or equivalent

Each Ivy course costs $100 and is not covered by financial aid.
Ivy Software is an independent company and not affiliated with FGCU.

General Instructions:

The average completion time for each course is about 15-25 hours (depending on the course and your background). We suggest that you use the Bookmark feature to mark the link to the course you are working on in your browser. The courses contain video and animations, so a high speed internet connection is required.

To start a course, purchase the course by clicking the "go to shop" button under the "buy courses" header on the right side of the page.  When you arrive at the online store click "shop" and once the courses load on the page you can add to cart, checkout, etc.  Once you payment is complete click on the course tile to access the course.

To complete a course, follow these steps for each chapter:. 

• Read the chapter text.
• Complete the chapter in the following order: key concepts, reading comprehension quiz, problems and exercises, video summary where applicable, and finally the chapter quiz. 
• These activities are interactive, so expect feedback as you are working through the quizzes, problems and exercises. The feedback is a tool for you to gauge how well you comprehend the material presented. The chapter activities can be accessed and reviewed as many times as you wish.
• Once you are comfortable with the chapter material, take the practice chapter quiz. 
• You must complete the Chapter Self-Assessment at the end of each chapter before the Course Final Exam will open for you.

Important Final Exam Information:

Once you complete all the chapters in a course, you will be tested on your comprehension in that subject area via a proctored Course Final Exam. After thoroughly reviewing the chapter materials and activities, you should be well prepared.

• You must use the Respondus proctoring service while taking the Final Exam for each course. Instructions for using the Respondus service are given at the link below. We strongly encourage you to take the FREE Respondus Practice Exam course before attempting your first Course Final Exam. This course has only one activity - a non-graded three-question quiz which gives you the opportunity to see how a Respondus-proctored test works in a stress-free setting before attempting a Final Exam or Course Assessment.
• The Course Final Exam consists of 40 multiple choice questions.
• The questions are randomly selected from a larger question pool, so no two tests within a subject area are identical.
• You have 3 attempts to pass the Final Exam.
• You have unlimited time to complete the Final Exam.
• You must earn a score of 80% or more to pass the Final Exam.

SIGN UP FOR AN IVY SOFTWARE ACCOUNT

The annual schedule of courses linked here is not a complete curriculum map, but a listing of key course offerings scheduled to be repeated on an annual basis. The College will make every attempt to maintain this Schedule, but please note that it is subject to change based on faculty availability and other factors. Always check with an academic advisor prior to registering for any of these courses.

• Annual Course Schedule (Effective Summer 2023)
• Annual Course Schedule (Effective Summer 2024)

Official Course Descriptions

Search for official course descriptions by using the Course Description Search utility.

Go to the Course Descriptions Search Web page, then follow these steps:

1. Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
2. Select a course prefix from one of the SUBJECT dropdowns (required)
3. Enter search words in the TEXT field (optional, but will narrow the search results)
4. Press Search

Getting started with the Course Schedule Search

Search for program courses by using the Course Schedule Search utility.

Go to the Course Schedule Search Web page, then follow these steps:

1. Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
2. Select one or more of the search options to narrow your results (for example, CAMPUS, COLLEGE, DEPARTMENT, LEVEL, PREFIX*, COURSE ATTRIBUTE**). For virtual or web courses, select VIRTUAL in the CAMPUS field.
3. Press Search.

*A course prefix is a three-letter designator for a major division of an academic discipline (for example, ACG for Accounting , BSC for Biological Science, ENC for English Composition). See the Degree Requirements page for a list of courses (with prefix and number) that can be used to fulfill degree requirements.

**A course attribute identifies specific characteristics of courses that can be used in a Degree Evaluation to satisfy a degree requirement. (Course attribute examples are Humanities courses - GEHM and Social Science courses - GESO.)

Academic Learning Compact

Consistent with its mission and guiding principles, Florida Gulf Coast University is committed to academic excellence and continuous quality improvement, as supported by a sound teaching-learning process. Within this process, students and instructors share responsibility for learning that is a movement from the simple to the complex, the concrete to the abstract, and the dependent to the independent. The Academic Learning Compact (ALC) initiative supports the teaching-learning process by clearly identifying expected core student learning outcomes in the areas of content/discipline knowledge and skills, communication skills, and critical thinking skills; aligning curricula with expectations; and using assessment to guide continuous improvement.

Content/Discipline Knowledge and Skills
Graduates will be able to:

1. Develop competences and personal growth plan to lead others.
2. Devise and communicate solutions to business problems using structured/unstructured data.

Content/discipline knowledge and skills are assessed by papers, cases, projects and exams in MAN 6266 and QMB 6303.

Communication Skills
Graduates will be able to:

1. Demonstrate proficiency in utilizing standard forms of writing in multiple contexts.
2. Collaborate and communicate effectively in groups and teams.

Communication skills are assessed by written and team assignments in GEB 6895 and ACG 6075.

Critical Thinking Skills
Graduates will be able to:

1. Analyze and assess the ethical implications of business decisions in the context of the environmental, societal, and governance environment in which the firm operates.
2. Solve complex business problems using critical thinking skills.
3. Demonstrate the ability to think strategically in a global business environment.

Critical thinking skills are assessed by papers, cases, projects and exams in MAR 6805, FIN 6406, ECP 6705, and TRA 6726.

Tuition and Fees

Information on Tuition and Fees is available on the Office of the Bursar website.

Graduate Tuition Waivers and Assistantships

The Lutgert College of Business awards a limited number of graduate tuition waivers and assistantships each fall and spring semester. For application information, please visit the LCOB Graduate Advising website or contact Andrew MacDiarmid at 239-590-7351.

Financial Aid and Estimated Cost of Attendance

Contact the Financial Aid Office for information about grants, scholarships, loans, and student employment. See FGCU's Financial Aid website for information and applications. This site also has information on estimated cost of attendance for graduate students.

Get details on online concentrations:

• MBA Online
• MBA with a concentration in Management/Leadership Online
• MBA with a concentration in Data Analytics Online