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Master of Business Administration

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Master of Business Administration

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) program at Saint Martin's University is designed to be both flexible and accommodating for students with or without an existing business degree. The goal is to meet the needs of professionals seeking to leverage their undergraduate degree, knowledge, skills, and experience.

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Why Saint Martin's University?

Our innovative graduate curriculum challenges students to continue growing their professional careers and provides graduates the opportunity for professional advancement by focusing on:

Hard skills (i.e., core business knowledge and quantitative skills)
Soft skills (e.g., leadership, ethics, communication and teamwork)
Competencies (e.g., critical thinking, problem solving, global perspectives, innovation and change)

Getting a Saint Martin’s MBA is the best investment in advancing your career and personal life. Our dedicated faculty and staff will assist you in the journey to achieving your goals.

Tools for success

Saint Martin’s innovative MBA curriculum is adaptable to recent graduates with or without professional experience. Our transformative MBA program will enrich your knowledge and insights, enhance your leadership and communication skills, expand your professional network, advance new career opportunities, and improve your personal development.

Download our MBA program flyer MBA degree checklist tool Download an MBA completion plan View the MBA Blended Online (BOL) Program completion plan

Program highlights

Some of the unique experiences our MBA program offers students are:
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification
- Experiential learning in the classroom through computer simulations
- Concentrations are Accounting & Finance, Global Leadership, and Health Care Management
- Intimate classroom settings with one-on-one opportunities with instructors
- Flexible class times with courses in the evenings and on Saturdays
- Study abroad opportunities in South America, Asia, and Europe
The program operates on a five-term-per-year schedule. Students have the flexibility to choose their start term and the pace of their program. The program can be completed in as quickly as nine months.
Download an MBA completion plan
Our high quality and committed faculty have real-world experience in the subjects they teach. We connect our students with the business community and non-profit organizations through class projects, invited speakers, and site visits.
Classes are offered in late afternoon or evening to meet the needs of working professionals.
View the MBA Blended Online (BOL) Program completion plan

Research and internships

Proximity to the Washington state capital, healthcare services, technology companies, and non-profit organizations allows for access to quality internship opportunities.
Study abroad opportunities are tied specifically to business curriculum in countries such as Germany, South Korea, China and Japan.

Master of Business Administration Requirements

The MBA program operates on a five-term-per-year schedule. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. However, to receive priority consideration for admission and scholarships, applications should be submitted by the priority deadline of the desired session.

Priority deadlines for applications

Students can start the program in fall, spring or summer. The following are priority deadlines for application for each of the five starting terms.

Fall 10 (August – October) -- July 15
Fall 11 (October – December) -- September 1
Spring 10 (January – March) -- December 1
Spring 11 (March – May) -- February 1
Summer (May – August) -- April 15

MBA 500 courses listed below are for applicants without an undergraduate background in these areas. They do not count toward the awarding of the MBA degree.

However, prospective MBA students must have completed either these courses or their equivalent undergraduate courses prior to taking the core courses for which these courses are prerequisites.

MBA 500: Survey of Economics
MBA 501: Survey of Accounting Systems
MBA 502: Survey of Finance
MBA 503: Survey of Management and Marketing
MBA 504: Quantitative Methods for Management

Candidates for the MBA degree must complete 36 total credit hours (12 courses). This consists of 27 credit hours (nine courses) of core work and nine credit hours (three courses) of elective work. More details can be found in the graduate academic catalog.

MBA 601: Organization Theory and Behavior
MBA 602: Financial Planning and Control
MBA 603: Accounting for Managerial Decision Making
MBA 605: Business Analytics
MBA 622: Marketing Management
MBA 624: Human Resources Management
MBA 631: Operations Management
MBA 650: Strategy and Policy Analysis
MBA 661: Commercial Law

MBA students are required to take at least nine credit hours of elective courses. Students pursuing a specific area of concentration should see the elective requirements for that designated concentration area in the concentration area requirements section below.

The MBA Program allows students to take nine credit hours of elective courses at participating international partner universities in Europe and Asia. Participation in study abroad opportunities is limited and subject to a selection process.

MBA 620: Financial Institutions and Markets
MBA 623: Management Information and Control Systems
MBA 625: International Management
MBA 626: Consumer Behavior
MBA 627: Managerial Communications
MBA 628: Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management
MBA 629: Designing Competitive Organizations
MBA 630: Entrepreneurship
MBA 632: Lean Six Sigma (0 credit)
MBA 635: Risk Management
MBA 640: Project Management
MBA 665: Business Ethics and Society
MBA 670: Leadership and Change
MBA 680: The Health Care System
MBA 681: Health Care Policy and Regulation
MBA 682: Ethics in Business of Health Care
MBA 687: Health Care Management Practicum
MBA 695: Special Topics
MBA 696: International Practicum - Introduction
MBA 697: International Practicum - Intermediate
MBA 698: International Practicum - Advanced

This program allows students to receive an MBA with an Accounting and Finance focus and have sufficient academic credit to sit for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) examination. Applicants must meet the existing MBA entry requirements. The accounting and finance strand is composed of 36 credit hours.

Core courses (nine courses, 27 credit hours):
- Identical to the regular MBA core
Accounting and Finance Concentration:
- Choose three Accounting 600-level courses (three courses, 9 credit hours):
  - ACC 603: Strategic Cost Management
  - ACC 613: Accounting Internship
  - ACC 628: Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management
  - ACC 660: Fraud Examination
  - ACC 662: Research and Communication
  - ACC 664: Financial Statement Analysis and Portfolio Management
  - ACC 667: Internal Audit
  - ACC 668: Advanced Federal Tax
  - ACC 695: Special Topics

This program allows students to receive an MBA with a Health Care focus that prepares students for leadership careers in the complex and rapidly evolving healthcare sector. Applicants must meet the existing MBA entry requirements. The health care management strand is composed of 36 credit hours.

Core courses (nine courses, 27 credit hours):
- Identical to the regular MBA core.
Health Care Management Concentration Required Courses (three courses, 9 semester hours):
- MBA 680: The Health Care System
- MBA 681: Health Care Policy
- MBA 682: Ethics in the Business of Health Care

Saint Martin's MBA program promotes global perspectives with a local focus on creating leadership and community impacts to enhance your career performance. This concentration allows students to receive an MBA with a Global Leadership focus with business-focused study abroad opportunities in Europe, South America, and Asia. Applicants must meet the existing MBA entry requirements. The Global Leadership strand is composed of 36 credit hours.

Core courses (nine courses, 27 credit hours):
- Identical to the regular MBA core.
Global Leadership Concentration Required Courses (three courses, 9 semester hours):
- MBA 625: International Management
- MBA 670: Leadership and Change
Choose one more elective from the following options:
- MBA 627: Managerial Communications
- MBA 629: Designing Competitive Organizations
- MBA 630: Entrepreneurship
- MBA 640: Project Management
- MBA 665: Business Ethics and Society
- MBA 695: Special Topics (as approved)

Are applicants required to have a work history?
No, applicants are not required to have a work history.

Is the GMAT or GRE required?
No, admissions tests are not required.

Is the program accredited?
Saint Martin's University is regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The MBA program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) which emphasizes teaching excellence and student success.

How will I know if I am required to complete any prerequisites?
The acceptance letter for admitted students states which, if any, prerequisite courses are required.

How long does the program take?

Students with business prerequisite courses can complete the program in as quickly as nine months if they take three classes per term on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings in the Fall and Spring semesters.
Students who do not have an undergraduate degree in business or related fields need to take foundational business courses which are offered in the summer as well as during the regular Fall and Spring semesters. Students who need these prerequisites can still finish their MBA degree in as quickly as eleven months.
Most students take six terms (three semesters) to graduate if they take two courses a term. However, actual completion speed depends on how many prerequisites are required and how many courses a student takes each term.

If I stop taking classes, how long do I have before I must reapply?
Students who do not enroll in classes for over one academic year will have to resubmit an application and application fee in order to reactivate their student record.