Executive MBA (EMBA) Weekend Program
The Manderson Graduate School of Business offers an Executive MBA program that brings together successful managers, professionals, and executives across a broad spectrum of industries and job positions to earn an MBA degree. Weekend class sessions allow students to pursue their MBA degree without sacrificing current employment. This program requires a total of 48 credit hours of coursework in a lock-step, cohort-based experience. The 17-month program is delivered through a hybrid-instruction model. Students meet in-person one weekend each month (on Friday and Saturday) on the Tuscaloosa campus. In support of the monthly in-person sessions, additional course content and instruction is provided to students, typically in an online, asynchronous manner. The program is based in Tuscaloosa and generally enrolls in the spring. The program includes a mandatory global business trip/experience.
Admissions
In addition to the minimum Graduate School admission requirements, to be considered for regular admission, an application must include:
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A resume
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Applicant interview
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A completed Statement of Purpose
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The GMAT, GMAT Focus Edition, or GRE exam is typically no longer required for EMBA applicants who meet specific criteria established. To qualify for this exemption, an applicant must have strong work experience (at least five years) and an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better OR have already earned another master’s degree. Please contact the EMBA office for additional information on this policy.
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Test score requirements for applicants with a GPA below a 3.0 are a GMAT (old version) score of at least 500, a GMAT Focus Edition score of at least 485, a GRE of at least 300, or a score in the 50th percentile on the Executive Assessment.
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A minimum of five years of professional work experience
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Active support by your current employer
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An undergraduate degree from an accredited institution with a solid grade point average (prefer 3.0 GPA or better)
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2 letters of recommendation. One letter must be from your supervisor; the second letter may be from another person within your company or a client. Please contact the EMBA office for more guidance on information to include in a letter of recommendation.
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A TOEFL score of at least 79 or an IELTS score of at least 6.5 for non-native English speakers who are required to submit an English Language Test score (see admissions criteria link below).
A student who does not meet all requirements, but excels in other areas, may be admitted with Permission to Continue on a case-by-case basis.
See the Admission Criteria section of this catalog for more information.
Curricular Requirements
Our team-intensive EMBA curriculum provides a thorough education in business skills, theories, and practices with focused areas of study in financials, strategy, global initiatives, and leadership. Our boardroom approach to learning leverages case studies, simulations, open debate, discussion, and in-depth projects and presentations. This teaches our professional students to make decisions in the face of uncertainty, conflicting data, complex policies, and intense time and fiscal pressures. The curriculum is 16 courses, at 3 credit hours each, for a total of 48 credit hours in the program.
Students work in study teams while in the program, and coursework is a mixture of individual and team assignments. Cases, projects, simulations, presentations, and written assignments are typical class assignments. Teams generally choose to meet each week (in-person or online). Blackboard Learn, an online course management tool, allows students to interact with classmates and instructors and serves as an online data repository for course materials.
| Executive MBA Curriculum | Hours |
| AC 501 | Basic Acctg Managrl Finan Cont | 3 |
| ST 509 | Stat For Business Appl | 3 |
| MKT 518 | Mkting Mgmt & Decision Making | 3 |
| MIS 511 | Management Information Systems | 3 |
| AC 502 | Acctng Management Decisions | 3 |
| OM 506 | Business Spreadsheet Analytics | 3 |
| OM 516 | Operations Management | 3 |
| GBA 515 | Effective Negotiations | 3 |
| FI 504 | Financial Management for MBA | 3 |
| EC 500 | Managerial Economics | 3 |
| MGT 517 | Leadership & Ethics | 3 |
| IBA 550 | Global Business | 1-3 |
| MGT 542 | Management Communication | 3 |
| GBA 525 | Business Policy | 3 |
| MGT 597 | Special Topics (Entrepreneurship, Innovation, & Growth) | 3 |
| OM 517 | Supply Chain Modeling & Analys | 3 |
Transfer Credit
Graduate School information on Transfer Credit.
Time Limits for Degree Completion Requirements
Graduate School information on Time Limits.
Academic Misconduct Information
Graduate School information on Academic Misconduct.
Withdrawals and Leave of Absence Information
Graduate School information on Withdrawals and Leave of Absence.
Academic Grievances Information
Graduate School information on Academic Grievances.
Grades and Academic Standing
Graduate School information on Grades and Academic Standing.
Graduate School Deadlines Information
Information on Graduate School Deadlines.
Application for Graduation Information
Information on the Application for Graduation.
