School of Business Graduate Programs Advising

MS Business in Analytics Advising, Policies & Forms
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MS Business in Analytics Advising, Policies & Forms

MS Business Analytics students will follow a cohorted course model. Students should refer to the MSBA Sample Program Plan of Study to see a list of required courses each term. Full-Time MSBA students will complete their studies in one years fall-to-summer; Part-Time MSBA students will take courses fall-to-summer for 24- months.

Pre-Requisite Course

Students must complete PC MTH 217: Introduction to Statistics prior to beginning the MS Business Analytics program. This course may be taken at another accredited college or university. Students must receive pre- and post-approval to ensure the credits will fulfill the pre-requisite requirement. Students must submit the Prerequisite Waiver Form with a syllabus for the course to pcsb-grad@providence.edu.

Students may also complete MTH 217 with the Providence College School of Continuing Education (SCE). View a list of when this course is offered here. There is no need to submit a Prerequisite Waiver Form for courses taken with SCE. PCSB-Graduate students must register for SCE courses through the SCE office and will not be able to register for these courses on CyberFriar. 

Students must receive a B or better in MTH 217, or an equivalent course.

Elective Options

MS Business Analytics students will take one elective. Students may select an MBA course elective. You may view a list of MBA electives on the Sample MBA Elective Course list.

Students may also use the Go Global MBA course option for their elective. Details on the Go Global program can be viewed on our Go Global webpage.

Resources

PCSB-Graduate student resources

MBA Advising, Academic Policies & Forms
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MBA Advising, Academic Policies & Forms

Real -World Business Requirement

The MBA Program requires work experience. To satisfy this requirement students may:

• complete a 300-hour business-related internship
• complete a PCSB real-world consulting course for credit
• demonstrate significant prior business work experience
• receive a business-related full-time job offer prior to starting the MBA Program (requests for this waiver must be submitted to the MBA office within the first semester of study)

Internships
Students who choose to satisfy the real-world work experience with a 300-hour internship must obtain an internship placement at either a for-profit or a not-for-profit organization. Internships should take place the summer before the first semester of graduate classes. In some cases internships completed as a rising senior may be accepted. Paid and unpaid internships may receive academic credit through an optional course*, but paid internships are preferred. Proof of internship experience, such as a company hire letter including dates, times, and position details, is required. A company letter confirmation must be provided upon completion of the internship. The PCSB-Graduate Programs career coach is available to provide assistance in finding an internship. Learn more about PCSB Graduate Program Career Services & Coaching.

*Please note that graduate assistantships do not fulfill the internship requirement.

MBA 699 Registration (optional course*)
To earn credit for an internship, students may choose to take the MBA 699 3-credit course concurrently with the internship. Students with internships that require course credit or international students who need CPT credits, may select the option to take MBA 699. The student must submit a learning agreement and obtain final approval from the MBA program office before registering in MBA 699. Students must be in an internship while taking MBA 699.

Steps for Registering for MBA 699:

• Obtain internship
• Submit Learning Agreement in Handshake
• Once learning agreement is approved, make payment in CyberFriar
• Forward receipt to pcsb-grad@providence.edu 
• Student is registered for MBA 699: Internship (3-credits)

Payment for MBA 699 should be made in CyberFriar (Student Services > Bursar’s Office > enter in tuition cost > cash out) and the receipt sent to pcsb-grad@providence.edu so the student can be registered.

*Students who decide not to take MBA 699 must take a different elective.

Professional Experience
Students with significant business experience, or are currently working, can satisfy this requirement through proof of employment and approval by the PCSB Graduate Programs office. If you have any questions, please contact us at pcsb-grad@providence.edu.

Real-World Consulting Courses
Upon acceptance to the PC MBA Program, students can work with an advisor to schedule a real-world consulting class into their schedule. Previous corporate partners in these courses have included Citizens, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, and Samsonite, North America.

Declaring a Concentration

While the core of the MBA curriculum provides breadth of knowledge, students can develop depth of knowledge in a particular area by completing an elective concentration in Finance or Management. Students interested in Accounting should apply for the Accounting Cohort program.

MBA electives can be used to fulfill a concentration. Concentrations require the completion of at least three elective courses that are discipline specific. Please refer to the Electives and Concentrations document for more information.

To declare a concentration, students should submit the Concentration Declaration Form to pcsb-grad@providence.edu by the Intent to Graduate deadline.

Concentrations can be changed prior to graduation by emailing a request to pcsb-grad@providence.edu. Changes to concentrations will not be permitted after graduation.

Note: A concentration is not required to complete the MBA Program.

Waiving a Core Course

MBA Program students are eligible to waive select core courses based on previous academic work. Students with an undergraduate degree and a B or better in six courses in Accountancy, Finance, Management, or Marketing may waive the core course equivalent:

Accounting…………MBA 603

Finance………………MBA 626

Marketing…………..MBA 651

Management………MBA 676

To request a waiver for one of these core classes, students should submit a Core Class Waiver Request Form to mba@providence.edu within the first semester of attendance.

Note: All students who are waived from a core class, must replace the course with an additional elective. All students must complete the MBA Program with twelve MBA courses and must have completed all pre-requisite courses.

Only one core course may be waived.

Pre-requisite Transfer Credits/Waivers

Students may still begin MBA Program courses while still needing pre-requisite courses. Pre-requisite courses may be taken while already taking PC MBA courses, as long as the pre-req does not apply towards the MBA course being taken at the same time. (For example, students cannot take MKT 205 at the same time as MBA 651 since MKT 205 is a pre-req for MBA 651.) 

Current students may complete pre-requisite courses at another accredited college or university. Students must receive pre- and post-approval to ensure the credits will fulfill the pre-requisite requirement(s). Students must submit the Prerequisite Waiver Form with a syllabus for the course to pcsb-grad@providence.edu or to the MBA Program Office in the Ryan Center for Business Studies. Students must receive a ‘C’ or better in all pre-requisite coursework for the course to count towards the program.

Students may also complete pre-approved pre-requisite courses with the Providence College School of Continuing Education (SCE). View the list of when prerequisites are offered. There is no need to submit a Prerequisite Waiver Form for courses taken with SCE. MBA students must register for SCE courses through the SCE office and will not be able to register for these courses on CyberFriar. 

Transfer Credits

Graduate courses that have not been applied toward another degree may be evaluated for transfer credit by the MBA Program upon acceptance into the program. Transfer credit must meet the following minimum criteria for review:

• Credits must be from an AACSB-accredited institution of higher learning.
• Credits must have been taken within five years of the date of transfer.
• A minimum grade of “B” or equivalent score is required in each course.

Students should complete and submit the transfer credit form with relevant syllabi to pcsb-grad@providence.edu. Final transcript(s) should be mailed to the MBA Program Office at 1 Cunningham Square, Providence, RI 02918.

A maximum of six graduate credits may be transferred.

Program Plan Tips

When planning tentative programs of study, students should be mindful of taking undergraduate and MBA-level pre-requisite courses prior to corresponding MBA core classes. Pre-requisite courses cannot be taken at the same time as the corresponding course. 

Program Plan of Study Form

Sample Part-Time Program Plan – needs all pre-requisites

Summer year one                    Fall year two
MKT 205                                   MBA 626
MTH 108                                   Elective 1
FIN/MTH 217

Fall year one                             Spring year two
MBA 548                                   MBA 689
MBA 533                                   Elective 2

Spring year one                       Summer year three                                    
FIN 207                                 MBA 677             
MBA 687                                  Elective 3

Summer year two                   Fall year three
MBA 603                                  MBA 676
MBA 690                                  MBA 700

Undergraduate Pre-requisites
Students may still begin MBA Program courses while still needing pre-requisite courses. Pre-requisite courses may be taken while already taking PC MBA courses, as long as the pre-req does not apply towards the MBA course being taken at the same time. (For example, students cannot take MKT 205 at the same time as MBA 651 since MKT 205 is a pre-req for MBA 651.)

ACC 203/ACC204 (MBA 548)……………………….MBA 603
ECN 101/ECN 102 (MBA 533)……………………….MBA 626
MKT 205……………………………………………………..MBA 651
MTH 108……………………………………………………..MBA 690
FIN 207……………………………..………………………..MBA 626
FIN/MTH 217………………………………………………MBA 687

Students who require both sections of Accounting or Economics, are advised to take the following pre-req courses (note: these pre-requisite courses do not count as electives):

MBA 548 (counts as ACC 203 and 204): offered in fall
MBA 533 (counts as ECN 101 and 102): offered in fall

Other undergraduate pre-requisite courses, such as MTH 108, FIN/MTH 217 or MKT 205 are typically offered each summer with the School of Continuing Education or can be taken at other institutions. Refer to Pre-requisite Transfer Credit Waivers section above.

MBA-level Pre-requisites
Required prior to MBA 690*:
MBA 687

All required prior to MBA 700: Capstone:
MBA 690*
MBA 626
MBA 651
MBA 603

*Take note to plan MBA 687 prior to 690 which is, then, needed prior to MBA 700. 

Core Course and Elective Offerings

• Core courses are offered every semester
• One course in each elective topic is offered per semester (i.e. one Accounting, Finance, Int’l Business, Management, and elective each term)
• Students should plan to take one elective in fall, spring and summer or fall, winter and spring since electives will repeat the following academic year. 
• Only electives are offered during Winter Session; core courses are not offered during winter session.

MBA 770 Special Topics Courses
MBA 770 focuses on selective emerging issues in the fields of Accounting, Finance, Marketing, or Management. Topics differ each term and can be taken multiple times provided topics are not repeated. 

The section of MBA 770: Global Ethics can be counted towards the MBA 677: Professional Ethics and Responsibility requirement. 

Independent Studies
Students who would like to take a course in a unique, specified area may choose to take an independent study. Students will create an original topic in an area they would like to research and seek an MBA instructor in the course topic area to see if the instructor is available to teach the course, one-on-one. The student and faculty member fill out an Independent Study Form together and submit this with a syllabus to pcsb-grad@providence.edu. When the form is approved, the student is registered for the course. Independent studies are typically electives and 3-credits. 

Resources

MBA student resources