Degree requirements are provided here for M.B.A. students. Non-M.B.A. students should consult their program administrators for details.
The
general master of business administration (M.B.A.) degree program
requires a minimum of 60 credits. The professional accounting M.B.A.
program requires 63 credits. Completion of the prescribed program of
courses is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for the award of
a degree. Consult the Degree Programs chapter
for specific course requirements. All M.B.A. candidates must complete
the program with a grade-point average of 2.500 or better. Students who
do not complete the program with a grade-point average of 2.500 or
better may petition to enroll in additional courses to raise their
average to 2.500. The courses that a student may take to attempt to
raise their average must be at the 600-level and must be preapproved
(submit request to the Office of Student Services). In no case are students permitted to attempt to take more than 75 credits of approved courses
toward their degree.
Time Limits
A time limit of
eight calendar years from the date of first enrollment is permitted for
achieving the M.B.A. degree. Any courses (except for transfer credits
discussed below, but including challenge exams) taken more than eight
years before the date of graduation are not counted toward the degree.
Students are required to retake such courses.
Incomplete Coursework
If,
for legitimate reasons, a student is unable to complete all the
required coursework or examinations, a faculty member may choose to
submit a grade of INC (incomplete). If the coursework is not completed,
the INC is automatically changed to an F on February 1 for the summer
trimester, June 1 for the fall trimester, and September 1 for the
spring trimester. Justified reasons for the submission of the grade of
INC might include illness requiring medical attention, personal
emergency obligations claimed by the student and recognized as valid,
recognized religious holiday(s), and severe inclement weather causing
dangerous travel conditions.
Students incurring more than two
INC grades in the same trimester may be contacted by the Scholastic Standing Committee. The committee reserves the right to place on
probation any student who consistently fails to complete coursework on
time, in which case that student will be permitted no future INC grades.
Scholastic Standing
Students
must maintain an academic average of no less than 2.5. The student's
average is computed on the basis of all courses taken for credit. Each
grade received in a course that has been failed and then repeated is
included in the calculation. Grades received in courses not given at a
graduate department of Rutgers University or New Jersey Institute of Technology are not included
in the computation.
Grades are rounded to the third decimal
place; a 2.499 is not equivalent to a 2.5. The Office of Student
Services reviews each student's academic record at the end of each
trimester. Students will receive a letter of academic warning from the executive director of M.B.A. programs the first time his or her semester grade-point average falls below 2.5. If
the student's grade-point average falls below 2.5 a second time, he or
she will be reviewed by the M.B.A. Policy Committee for dismissal. The
student will be notified by the executive director of M.B.A. programs if
he or she is dismissed based on failure to uphold academic standards. Appeals
of these actions may be submitted in writing, addressed to the chair of
the M.B.A. Policy Committee. Email or drop off such appeals to the
Office of Student Services in Newark. Students on academic probation
may be required to follow a program of study prescribed by the M.B.A.
Policy Committee. The successful completion of such a program is a
condition of the student's continued enrollment at Rutgers Business
School: Graduate Programs-Newark and New Brunswick.
Grade Deficiency
A
student may repeat a failed credit or not-for-credit course only once.
Both grades will be used in computing the grade-point average. A second
failure in that course will be grounds for the dismissal of the student
from the program.
Conflict with Faculty
Sometimes
students want to appeal a faculty member's decision.
Matters such as review of a specific grade given by a faculty member
should first be discussed with the faculty member and then referred to
the department chair. However, if unresolved, the university policy
allows students to appeal to the following persons in the exact order
listed:
- professor
- department chair
- executive director, M.B.A. program
- senior associate dean for academic programs
- dean
- chancellor, Rutgers University-Newark
- university president
Each
appeal to these individuals must be made in writing with a copy to the
school for the student's file. Each person in turn will respond in
writing with a copy for the student's file. If a student appeals to all
of the above persons without gaining satisfaction, he or she may then
engage independent legal counsel.
M.B.A. Credit by Challenge Examination(s) and Transfers
Students
may apply to sit for a challenge examination in core course and
foundations subjects. There is a $50 fee for each examination. Contact
the Office of Student Services for information. Students must complete challenge exams within the first three semesters following first enrollment. Any exceptions to this rule must be approved by the executive director of M.B.A. programs.
Students
in the part-time M.B.A. program may receive approval for previous
coursework in a degree program from an institution accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB). The
course must have been completed within five years of first enrollment, and
the student must have received a grade of B or better in the course. This approval must occur during the semester of first enrollment.
The
total number of credits that may be granted toward the M.B.A. degree
based on challenge exams or transfers from other institutions cannot exceed 11 credits, except in the case of students enrolled in dual-degree programs at Rutgers University. Please check with the Office of Student Services or our website for the specific requirements of dual-degree programs.