Plymouth State University
Admissions Requirements
Admissions Requirements

Master of Business Administration

Plymouth considers applications on a rolling admission basis. Students may apply at any time during the year. The MBA program is scheduled on a quarter basis, with fall, winter, spring and summer terms. Students may begin their program in any term. Students may take up to four courses (12 credits) before being officially admitted to the program.

The MBA program also offers certificate concentration areas in Health Care Administration, International Business, Investment and Finance, Organizational Communication, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Strategic Marketing Management, and The Human Side of Enterprise. Each certificate can be pursued alone or as a concentration in conjunction with the MBA degree. As the certificate programs are a total of 12 credits, full admittance into the MBA program is not required.

Application process

Applications are submitted to the College of Graduate Studies. The non-refundable application fee is $75 and must accompany the application. The complete application includes the following:

  • Completed application form
  • Application fee
  • Official transcripts of undergraduate degree
  • Three recommendations on the forms provided
  • Resumé and statement of interest

Download a graduate program application here (PDF 291kb) or call the Graduate Office at (800) FOR-GRAD to have one mailed to your home.

All applications for admission become part of the permanent records of Plymouth State University and will not be returned. Access to this material is limited under the Family Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. Materials received as part of the application process will not be duplicated for personal use by the applicant nor forwarded to a third party. Please note: Plymouth is under no obligation to accept more than 12 credits taken at Plymouth State University prior to admittance into a degree program. Courses older than six years at the time of admittance may not be counted toward a degree.


Additional Admissions Requirement

  • A baccalaureate degree with a 2.5 or higher grade point average in the undergraduate academic major, strong recommendations, a well-written Statement of Interests and Intent, and a résumé are required for admittance. When admission documents have been received, the application is then screened by the admissions review board. All applicants are informed in writing of their admission status. Full admittance may be granted to students meeting all admissions criteria.

  • Common Professional Component (CPC)
    Eleven CPC competencies are required for admittance into the MBA degree program:
    1. Accounting
    2. Business Ethics
    3. Business Finance
    4. Business Policies
    5. Economics
    6. Global Dimensions
    7. Information Systems
    8. Legal Environment
    9. Management
    10. Marketing
    11. Quantitative/Statistics

    Common Professional Components may be satisfied using coursework, work experience, non-credit workshops, College Level Examination Program (CLEP) or DANTES tests, or a departmental competency exam. There is a $75 fee for each competency examination. Any competencies not satisfied are listed in the admittance letter and result in a conditional/provisional admittance until they are completed.

    Only grades of C or better for CPC-related courses will be accepted for entry in the graduate program. A score equivalent to the grade of C or better will be required if CLEP, DANTES, or PSU competency examinations are used as an alternative for satisfying the MBA prerequisite competencies. All competencies must be completed before being fully accepted into the MBA program and prior to enrolling in the fifth MBA course.


Graduate Study by Undergraduate Seniors

Plymouth State University or Keene State College seniors with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better may take up to six graduate credits with the prior permission of the instructor, advisor, department chair, and the associate vice president for the College of Graduate Studies as outlined on the Student Request form available at the Office of the Registrar or College of Graduate Studies. The total (graduate and undergraduate) credits taken at any one time may not exceed 15 credits.


MBA Course Policies

Audits

Full tuition is charged for audits with the exception of MBA graduates, who may audit for one-half the full tuition rate. A change from credit to audit status may occur any time prior to the third class meeting.

Transfer Credits

Normally, graduate credit transfers from other accredited institutions are limited to nine credit hours. However, for students who have earned graduate credits from another nationally-accredited program prior to enrolling at PSU, up to 15 credit hours of business or business-related courses may be considered for transfer.

Once enrolled in an MBA course, only courses completed at other ACBSP or AACSB accredited institutions may be transferred into the MBA program. All courses considered for transfer must have the approval of the MBA program coordinator. Approval prior to taking a course for transfer credit is recommended.

Grades for transfer courses must be at the B level or higher (on an A = 4.0 scale) and appropriate to the MBA program. Only credits are transferred, not grades; therefore, the grades for transfer courses do not count toward the required 3.0 grade point average for program completion. No course more than six years old at the time of admittance will count toward or transfer to the PSU MBA degree.

No graduate credit will be given for correspondence courses, curriculum workshops (unless designed for graduate credit), or Pass/No Pass courses. An official transcript must be on file in the College of Graduate Studies Office before credits can be transferred into the MBA program. Exceptions to this policy must be approved by the MBA program coordinator.

Plymouth State University, 17 High Street, Plymouth, NH 03264-1595. Main Switchboard: (603) 535-5000.
A member of the University System of New Hampshire. ©2005-2008. All rights reserved.
This page was last revised: 5/12/2009