College Admissions
Requirements

Dean's Executive
Advisory Board

College Web Site

College of Business Administration
Master of Science in Administration

Candidates must show competence in finite mathematics, calculus, and algorithmic processes through course work at the college level. If college courses have not been successfully completed in each of these subjects prior to admission, students must include these courses in the degree program. Courses offered at the University of Houston that meet these prerequisite requirements are MATH 1313, MATH 1314, and DISC 2373. DISC 4381 may be used in place of MATH 1313 and MATH 1314. Prerequisite hours are not included in the number of hours that the College of Business Administration credits toward the Master of Science in Administration (M.S.A.) degree, and may be waived based on previous college course work that is equivalent.

Graduate-Level Courses

A minimum of 54 semester hours at the graduate level is required, excluding prerequisites. There are two categories of course work: core courses and electives.

Core courses (30 semester hours) for the Master of Science in Administration (M.S.A.) are the same as those for the M.B.A. program:

ACCT 6331	Financial Accounting
MANA 6332	Organizational Behavior and Management
DISC 6341	Information Systems
DISC 6360	Statistical Methods for Business
MARK 6361	Marketing Administration
FINA 6387	Managerial Analysis
GENB 6330	International Environment of Business
FINA 6335	Managerial Finance
DISC 6301	Production and Operations Management
MANA 6383	Corporate Strategy and Policy
or
MANA 7366	Organization and Policy Formulation for Multinational Operations
	(MANA 6383 and MANA 7366 are not offered during the summer.)

Students must complete 24 semester hours of electives for the M.S.A. degree. The college, however, does not require M.S.A. students to state an area of concentration for the 15 semester hours of electives that students must take within the college. Students may concentrate twelve semester hours in one area. All electives must be graduate-level courses numbered 6000 or above.

The nine hours of electives that students must take outside the college should be graduate-level courses in students' chosen area of administration. Students may take electives either through another college at the University of Houston or through another university willing to participate in the fulfillment of these requirements. Students should select courses and an appropriate institution in consultation with a graduate advisor in the Office of Student Services. Possible areas for study include health care management, arts administration, and non-profit organizations. Students may not receive both an M.B.A. and an M.S.A. degree from UH.

Waiver/Transfer Policy for Previously Completed Courses

Students who have completed the appropriate courses in previous college work may have a maximum of 12 semester hours, or four courses, for the M.S.A. degree either waived. In addition, a maximum of nine hours may be transferred. All degree candidates, however, must complete at least 36 semester hours of graduate work in the College of Business Administration. Both the waiver and the transfer of course work are based on the following guidelines:

1. Courses used for the purpose of waiving or transferring course work must have grades of B or higher.

2. Electives may not be waived.

3. Transferred work must be at the graduate level and may not be more than five years old at the time of graduation with the M.S.A. degree from UH.

4. Both the individual department and the Office of Student Services must approve the waiver/transfer request. Final authority for the approval of all waiver/transfer requests rests with the Office of Student Services.

5. Requests for either transfer or waiver of courses should be made during the first semester of attendance as a graduate student in the college.

6. Students may transfer no more than six semester hours of graduate work from a completed advanced degree.

7. The total of waived and transferred hours may not exceed 18 semester hours. Credit is not given for either professional experience or professional development courses.

Waiver with Substitution

Students in certain academic cases may choose a waiver with substitution of an elective for a required course if the grade requirements for waiver without substitution of a course are not met. Waiver with substitution may also be possible if the maximum number of waivers without substitution have already been taken. The selected course must be at the graduate level and in the same area as the required course.

Waiver with substitution possibilities should be discussed with the graduate advisors in the Office of Student Services. If a course is waived with substitution, the number of hours needed for the M.S.A. is not reduced.

Time Limitation

Students who have a degree plan of 36 semester hours or fewer must complete the degree within five years. Any transferred course to be included in the M.S.A. program may not be more than five years old at the time of graduation. Students who have a degree plan of more than 36 semester hours must complete the degree within seven years; however, the last 36 semester hours must be completed within the five-year period preceding graduation.

Continuous Enrollment

Unless students petition for a leave of absence, they must maintain continuous enrollment during the fall and spring semesters. Students who are out of the program for more than one calendar year will be under the jurisdiction of the catalog in effect at the time of reentry. Students who fail to maintain continuous enrollment for more than two calendar years must reapply for admission to the program, must pay the CBA application fee, and must meet admission requirements in effect at that time.

Effective Semester of Admission

Admission is granted only for a specific semester. If students wish to postpone enrollment, they must secure approval from the Office of Student Services. The first semester in which students, as graduate students, complete graduate-level work that applies toward a degree is the effective semester of admission.