The Master of Business Administration program is part of the Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership, which combines a strong core business education with the development of skills for authentic leadership and ethical business practices. The Sidhu School’s Master of Business Administration degree program expands business knowledge, management skills, and leadership capabilities of early and mid-career professionals from many disciplines, functions, and jobs in order to enhance their success at work, adding value both for the student and for the organizations with which the student is associated. The MBA Program serves individuals in professional, functional, administrative, and managerial roles who seek to improve their level of performance and their prospects for advancement, by providing a strong foundation in general management through the development and integration of knowledge and skills in functional areas essential to effective management and leadership of a business. Students are encouraged to focus the program of study in a way that is relevant and adds value to the roles they carry out at work and roles into which they may be promoted, and to initiate a systematic process of development as effective leaders as they continue to progress through their careers. In addition, the MBA Program seeks to contribute to the success of the businesses and organizations in which MBA candidates work, by enhancing key skills essential for organizational performance and adding to the quality of the pool of managers and leaders in these organizations.

The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) has accredited the undergraduate and the graduate Business Administration programs as well as the undergraduate programs in Accounting, Business Administration Entrepreneurship, Finance Management and marketing. ACBSP accreditation affirms the excellence of these programs to graduate and professional schools as well as potential employers, and thereby serves as a major competitive advantage for students completing business programs at Wilkes. The Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership is also a member of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

MBA students are encouraged to participate in the broader life of the Wilkes University community. An active MBA Student Association provides programming of interest to its members, and gives them a voice with the administration of the Sidhu School and the University at large. The Sidhu School also sponsors an active chapter of Delta Mu Delta, an honorary business society that recognizes the highest levels of academic achievement by undergraduate and graduate students. Annual awards recognize outstanding scholarship and leadership among MBA candidates.

Vision

Sidhu School graduates will have the knowledge, skills, and experiences to be effective team members, managers, and authentic leaders in organizations that face dynamic challenges in a rapidly changing global environment.

Mission

The faculty of the Sidhu School commit to the development of our regional, national, and international students and alumni through: the practice of impactful teaching and mentoring; the understanding of emotional intelligence and entrepreneurial spirit; the growth of leadership potential; and their continued development to meet these challenging demands. Central to our programs and initiatives is the commitment to continuous program improvement and the development of programs and opportunities that add value to Wilkes University and its mission.

Purpose

The curriculum leading to the Master of Business Administration degree at Wilkes emphasizes a general, broad-based approach to graduate business education. Students acquire the quantitative and judgmental skills necessary for a manager to succeed. The core objectives of the MBA include:

• To develop professional managers, with emphasis on the organization, operation, and control of an enterprise;
• To enable individuals to create and evaluate alternative courses of action as a procedure for making decisions;
• To give business persons an understanding of international business policies and practices;
• To prepare these business persons for the challenge of understanding and appreciating the cultural and subcultural similarities and differences in various business environments;
• To prepare students for further training through post-graduate and/or doctoral studies in business and related disciplines.

The program provides management education at the master’s level for students with varied undergraduate backgrounds: business and economics, engineering and science, and others.

Master of Business Administration courses are offered on weekday evenings and in a year-round weekend format. Weekend courses are offered on Saturday and Sunday every third or fourth weekend, five times per trimester. Courses are offered on the main campus in Wilkes-Barre, and in Mesa, Arizona.

Admission Requirements

Applications are invited from individuals who have earned undergraduate or graduate degrees in any discipline or field of study. To be considered for admission, the applicant must submit the following to the Graduate Admissions Office:

1. A completed graduate application for admission with payment of appropriate application fee;
2. A complete set of official undergraduate transcripts as evidence of an earned baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution of higher education.
3. The contract information or email addresses of two recommenders who can comment on the applicant’s academic and professional qualifications. The recommenders will be asked to submit a letter of recommendation.
4. A resume showing the applicant’s education and work experience.
5. A personal statement answering the following questions:
   • Describe your short-term and long-term career goals.
   • Why do you choose to pursue an MBA at Wilkes University?
   • What makes you a strong candidate for the Wilkes MBA program?

To be accepted on a regular basis, applicants must have earned a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 in their undergraduate degree program. An applicant who has earned a cumulative GPA of less than 3.0 in his or her undergraduate degree program will be required to interview with the MBA program director or the director's designate.  

Provisional acceptance

A prospective student may be provisionally accepted in they have applied to the program and meet admissions requirements, but the university is waiting on additional application materials, like official college transcripts.

Conditional acceptance

A prospective student with a GPA of less than 3.0 may be accepted into the program on a conditional basis. The conditionally accepted student must maintain no less than a 3.0 in the first two courses (6 graduate credits) of the MBA program. Failure to maintain the minimum 3.0 may result in dismissal of the conditionally accepted student.

Distinct Objectives Of The MBA Program

• Business Ethics: To provide students with a set of principles that govern actions of moral conduct in order that they might operate ethically in today’s business environment.
• Communication: To enhance the skills necessary to effectively transfer information applicable to any discipline through presentations, team projects, and interactions with peers.
• Decision-Making: To teach students the mental processes of problem identification and resolution techniques needed to perform critical thinking, enabling them to make important decisions.
• Diversity: To teach students how to interact with people of various cultures and backgrounds by immersing students in a diverse climate in order to better prepare them for today’s global business environment.
• Leadership: To develop in students the potential to influence others in order to accomplish organizational goals by exposing them to theories of organizational leadership and development, and fostering that growth with projects throughout the course of their studies.
• Professionalism: To showcase professionalism by placing students in a variety of interactive settings that require adherence to rules of conduct and proper practices.
• Social Responsibility: To instill in students the concept of acting responsibly in order to benefit and serve society.
• Team Performance: To provide meaningful opportunities to cultivate teamwork throughout the course of studies through various projects, and measuring their success.

Degree Requirements

The total number of 500 level course credits required for the MBA is 39. The MBA degree is earned by completion of four distinct tiers – the Foundation, the Core, the Electives, and the Capstone. These are summarized below.

Tier I (6 credits): The Foundation – This tier is comprised of two Foundation courses, which are required as either prerequisites or co-requisites to most Core and Elective courses in the MBA Program:

• MBA 501 - Foundations of Business, which provides students with an introduction into all functional areas of business.
• MBA 505 - Foundations of Management, which introduces students to the eight distinct objectives (business ethics, communication, decision-making, diversity, leadership, professionalism, social responsibility, and team performance).

Tier II (21 credits): The Core - This tier is comprised of the following seven required courses, which together provide students with graduate-level appreciation and content knowledge for all of the functional areas of business administration:

• MBA 512 - Business Research Design and Methods
• MBA 520 - Marketing Management
• MBA 532 - Managerial Economics
• MBA 540 - Financial Management
• MBA 552 – Organizational Behavior and Leadership
• MBA 560 - Financial and Managerial Accounting
• MBA 580 – Business and Public Policy
• (MBA Core Courses may not be taken on an independent basis.)

Tier III (6 credits): The Electives - Each MBA student is required to successfully complete two courses from the following:

• MBA 516 – Topics in Operations Management
• MBA 526 – Topics in Marketing
• MBA 536 – Topics in International Business
• MBA 537 – Global Business Experience
• MBA 546 – Topics in Finance
• MBA 555 – Human Resources Law and Compensation
• MBA 566 – Topics in Accounting
• MBA 577 – Topics in Health Care Management
• MBA 585 – Topics in Entrepreneurship
• MBA 598 – Topics

Tier IV (6 credits): The Capstone - Each MBA student must successfully complete the following two-course capstone requirement:

• MBA 591 - Strategic Management and Policy, a general capstone course covering all functional areas and all distinct objectives (MBA 501 and MBA 505 prerequisites).
• MBA 592 - Advanced Projects in Business, a specific capstone course in which the student is required to perform independent work, providing students with an opportunity to concentrate their studies in a business-related discipline relating to their interests (MBA 501 and MBA 505 prerequisites).