Degree requirements are provided here for specialty master's students.

M.B.A. students should consult their program administrator for details or check the website.

The specialty master's degree programs require a minimum of 30-45 credits depending on which program students select. The professional accounting M.B.A. program requires 66 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 in this catalog for specific course requirements.

Residency Requirement and Length of the Program

Students in an RBS specialty master's program following 30-36-credit minimum degree have 4.5 years to complete the degree.

For example, a student admitted for fall 2023 trimester will have a completion deadline of spring 2028. Some students choose to take additional courses once they have completed the minimum degree requirement.

There are some restrictions on choices of courses taken in excess of degree requirements. Students should check with the program director before registering. Students must complete the degree within the 4.5-year requirement. A student is allowed to petition for an exemption from this policy within six months of the completion of the 4.5 years provided they have extenuating circumstances. 

Students are not permitted to take more than 15 credits of overload in excess of the degree requirements for their program.

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 should email or drop off such appeals to the program coordinator or administrative assistant. Students on academic probation may be required to follow a program of study prescribed by their program director during an appeal. 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. All graduate candidates must complete the program with a grade-point average of 2.500 or better.

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.

An RBS graduate student who earns a grade of D or F may repeat the course and have the original grade eliminated from the cumulative grade-point average.

The option is subject to the following limitations:

1. The original D or F grade remains on the transcript.

2. The repeated course must carry the same subject number and course title, or the equivalent, as approved by the student's program director.

3. If the course is repeated more than once, the repeat option cancels only one D or F grade.

4.  This grade replacement policy may be applied to one (1) RBS graduate course. Students may repeat additional courses, but the original D or F for every course exceeding the one-course limit remains in the computation of the cumulative grade-point average.

5. This policy applies to RBS graduate courses only and will not be applied to courses offered by other graduate schools.

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, students can to appeal to the following persons in the exact order listed:

1. professor
   
2. department chair
3. program director
4. Office of the Dean (Dean¿s representative such as the Vice Dean of Academic Programs will have the final decision)

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.

Students may receive up to a maximum of 6 credits of graduate coursework completed with a grade of B or better if they received such credit as a master's degree candidate at an AACSB-accredited institution in the United States. For students that completed transferable credits overseas please note that the AACSB accreditation is preferred but not required. A comparable accreditation may be needed and a course syllabi/any related materials must be sent to the program director for approval.

Please note: No credit can be awarded for any course taken more than eight (8) years before the time of initial enrollment in the Rutgers specialty master's program. Some exceptions may be applied by the program director. Please refer to the program policy. RBS will not allow undergraduate credit to substitute for core and foundation course requirements.

Students may receive up to a maximum of 12 credits of graduate coursework completed with a grade of B or better if they received such credit as a master's degree candidate at an AACSB-accredited institution in the United States. For students that completed transferrable credits overseas please note that the AACSB accreditation is preferred but not required. A comparable accreditation may be needed and a course syllabi/any related materials must be sent to the program director for approval.

Please note: No credit can be awarded for any course taken more than eight (8) years before the time of initial enrollment in the Rutgers specialty master's program. Some exclusions may be applied by the program director. Please refer to the program policy. RBS will not allow undergraduate credit to substitute for course requirements (some exclusions will apply).

-Students who are accepted into a second Rutgers Business School master's degree program (after completing an initial RBS master's degree) can transfer up to twelve (12) credits between programs so long as those courses satisfy the applicable degree requirements, all degree requirements for both degrees are met and pending the program director's approval.

-Waived courses cannot be applied as a transfer course between programs.

-The transfer course option applies only to courses within the Rutgers Business School, not academic units within Rutgers nor outside the university.  

- Only courses with a grade of B or higher will transfer.

-Individual RBS graduate programs may impose lower limits on the number of allowed RBS graduate credits, may impose additional restrictions on the list of approved courses or on the requisite workload of the courses, or may disallow use of graduate credits entirely. The director of the graduate program is responsible for reviewing and approving the use of any courses taken while an RBS graduate toward completion of the second graduate degree.

All students that take one term off (summer term excluded) must fill out a re-enrollment form. Please contact your program coordinator/director for details.

Students who do not register for three consecutive trimesters must request re-enrollment by writing to the program director. Depending upon the length of time out of the program, the applicant for readmission may be required to resubmit all admissions credentials and pay the application fee. If the program requires an admission test such as GMAT or GRE for original entry to the program, RBS must have on file a score no older than five years prior to the date of readmission. It is the responsibility of each applicant to check with the program director as to the exact credentials needed. All re-enrolled students must fulfill the current curriculum requirements. The application of a student with a cumulative average below 2.5 or a student who has attempted more credits required for graduation is referred to the Scholastic Standing Committee for review and possible action.