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General Business Programs

The academic major in General Business provides students an opportunity to study the fundamentals of a business enterprise and at the same time diversify into a secondary field of concentration. Four of the fields of concentration available to a student are outside of the College of Business.  The program allows students to take courses in General Business only or to concentrate their course work in one of the following areas:  Advertising Communications, Business Education, Entrepreneurship, Industrial Engineering, or Retail Management. 

Business Concentration

The Business Concentration enables an individual to receive a thorough education in business without a major in any one business discipline. This focus gives enough flexibility so that an individual can explore career paths in accounting, real estate, insurance, personnel management, marketing, and finance. This concentration is designed for an individual who is interested in majoring in business but who is undecided about an area of specialization.

Advertising Communication Concentration

The Advertising Communication Concentration is an interdisciplinary program between the College of Business, the Department of Art, and the Department of Communication. This field of study combines a solid knowledge of business with the creation and placement of information designed to produce sales; it is a substitute for the human salesperson. This career, blending commercial business and show business, attracts interesting people with a desire to be creative. Advertising Communication encompasses many areas including marketing, copy writing, art and layout, research, television production, photography, graphics, packaging, printing, and retail promotion.

Business Education Concentration

The Business Education Concentration is an interdisciplinary program between the College of Business and the Department of Professional Pedagogy. This field of study is designed for an individual who would like to pursue a career in secondary education and is interested in majoring in business but who is undecided about an area of specialization. This concentration enables an individual to receive a thorough education in business without a major in any one business discipline and to prepare for a career in secondary education in the area of business. This combined education provides an individual with the flexibility to also explore career paths in various areas of business, including accounting, real estate, insurance, human resources, marketing, and finance.

Entrepreneurship Concentration

The Entrepreneurship Concentration prepares students who are interested in one day starting and running their own businesses. A solid understanding of budgeting and understanding financial statements is obtained from accounting and finance courses. Knowledge of how to hire, train, motivate, and retain employees is gained from the human resource management course. Finally, the three entrepreneurship courses help students crystallize how to identify opportunities in the marketplace and put together a plan to exploit those opportunities through a new business.

Industrial Engineering Concentration

The Industrial Engineering Concentration is an interdisciplinary program between the College of Business and the Department of Industrial Engineering. This concentration combines a solid knowledge of business with the technical expertise of engineering. This combined education enables a graduate to make decisions concerning products to manufacture or services to provide, layout of the production facilities, materials used in manufacturing a product, production procedure, quality control, and inventory control as well as methods of motivating and rewarding employees. Because their skills and knowledge can be used to improve operating efficiency in almost any type of company, graduates from this concentration can be employed by insurance companies, banks, construction firms, public utilities, hospitals, retail organizations, manufacturing companies, and other large business firms, as well as by government agencies.

Retail Management Concentration

The Retail Management Concentration is an interdisciplinary program between the College of Business and the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. This field of study combines a solid knowledge of business with the understanding of fashion and consumer sciences. With advances in computer technology, large-scale retailers have become much more research oriented. Computerized merchandise systems provide buyers with the information they need to identify trends and reorder fast-selling items of merchandise. The Retail Management concentration is designed for the individual wanting to pursue career paths in fashion coordination, visual merchandising, and buying and retail management. Other career paths include accounting control, store operations and management, retail sales analysis, and sales promotion.

Master of Business Administration

Â鶹ÊÓƵ's M.B.A. is fully accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Students with degrees in non-business fields as well as business undergraduates are encouraged to earn the Master of Business Administration degree through Â鶹ÊÓƵ's Traditional M.B.A.

Strategic Role

The strategic role of the Lamar M.B.A. is to deliver a dynamic, integrated management education to a variety of student groups. Our students range from those who are exploring their career goals to students who want to advance their existing business knowledge and to students who have a focused career path. These different student needs are met through either the flexible part-time or the full-time Lamar M.B.A.

The Lamar M.B.A. places a heavy emphasis on an experiential-based approach to problem solving, including the knowledge, skill and ability to incorporate ethical considerations, leadership, teamwork, and a global perspective into the decision-making process. Â鶹ÊÓƵ blends its students' M.B.A. education with passionate teaching, active learning, specialized knowledge, and professional development to enhance their career potential.

Traditional M.B.A.

Students with undergraduate degrees in business and those from non-business disciplines are equally encouraged to apply for a Lamar M.B.A. The M.B.A. is a highly respected vehicle for enriching undergraduate study in science and engineering, liberal arts, and the social and behavioral sciences as well as for adding depth to the traditional undergraduate business disciplines.

For students without any previous undergraduate study in business, the Lamar M.B.A. consists of 54 semester hours (21 courses). The program consists of nine leveling courses, a required core of eight courses, and four elective courses that will allow a student to develop a concentration. One or more of the nine leveling courses may be waived if the student has completed equivalent undergraduate coursework or can demonstrate proficiency in the area covered by the leveling course.

The nine leveling courses may be completed after admission to graduate study or before admission when registering as a post-baccalaureate student. Undergraduate students are limited to six semester hours of graduate work in their last twelve hours of coursework.

Students entering the Lamar M.B.A. with undergraduate degrees in business from an accredited business school will likely have satisfied the graduate leveling work, and all of the nine leveling courses may be waived. The M.B.A. will then consist of 36 semester hours (12 courses), including eight core courses and four elective (concentration) courses.

Dual Degrees offered:

1. Master of Science in Nursing/Master of Business Administration
2. Master of Science in Accounting/Master of Business Administration

B.S. IE/M.B.A. Industrial Engineering undergraduates are eligible to participate in a 5-year academic program that leads to two degrees: a B.S. IE and M.B.A. Industrial Engineering students will complete all of the normal INEN degree requirements, with one exception: INEN electives are replaced with M.B.A. leveling courses. The program is designed to be completed in 5 years with a general structure as follows:

• Years 1, 2, and 3 are spent in pre-engineering and industrial engineering coursework.
• Years 4 and 5 are spent taking M.B.A. courses.

B.S. EE/M.B.A. Electrical Engineering undergraduates are eligible to participate in a 5-year academic program that leads to two degrees: a B.S. EE and M.B.A. Electrical Engineering students will complete all of the normal ELEN degree requirements, with one exception: ELEN electives are replaced with M.B.A leveling courses. The program is designed to be completed in 5 years with a general structure as follows:

• Years 1, 2, and 3 are spent in pre-engineering and electrical engineering coursework.
• Years 4 and 5 are spent taking M.B.A. courses.

1. The student is required to take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT).

• The applicant's undergraduate grade point average and GMAT scores must equal or exceed the minimum standards. The student must meet at least one of the following standards:
  • A. A total of at least 950 points based on the formula: 200 times the overall undergraduate GPA (4.0 system) plus the GMAT score. (See Note below)
  • B. A total of at least 1,000 points based on the formula: 200 times the GPA (4.0 system) of the last 60 hours of undergraduate work plus the GMAT score. (See Note below).
    • Note: Students must make a minimum score of 450 on the GMAT for unconditional acceptance and meet standard "A" or "B" above. Students who make 400-450 and meet either standard "A" or "B" above will be admitted conditionally pending satisfactory completion of nine hours with a "B" (3.0) average on graduate work. A student who makes less than 400 on the GMAT will not be admitted regardless of GPA.

2. All applicants are required to complete two essay questions.

3. A student whose native language is not English is expected to score over 525 (paper-based), 197 (computer-based), or 71 (internet-based) on the TOEFL.

4. Post-baccalaureate students are not permitted to enroll in business courses for graduate credit without the prior consent of the associate dean.

5. All applications will be reviewed on the basis of the profile material required and submitted for admission consideration. Each required document contributes to the overall profile of the candidate for admission. Qualified applicants for graduate study must provide evidence of good standing at the college or university from which they earned their undergraduate degree. No single application element will be either an automatic qualifier or disqualifier for admittance.

• Online ERP Certificate

  Four courses are taught online. No GMAT is required. SAP ERP Academy (TERP10) offered. Students must obtain a 3.0 GPA for the four courses with a "C" or better in each class.

  Courses offered: MISY 5340 ERP Overview, MISY 5350 ERP E-Commerce, MISY 5360 Business Intelligence OR INEN 5382 Enterprise Data Mining, MGMT 5370 Supply Chain Management OR INEN 5357 Supply Chain Management

  M.B.A. students who have completed three ERP courses or more are encouraged to take the SAP ERP Academy (TERP10). TERP10 is a highly intensive training by certified SAP trainers focusing on the integration of business processes and covering 16 different SAP modules. The Academy is concluded with a certification exam on Day 10. It is the first step toward becoming an SAP Certified Associate.

  Leadership Certificate

  Students must have a bachelor's degree. No GMAT is required. Students must obtain a "C" or better in each course and maintain an overall GPA of 3.0.
  Students may select 15 hours from the following list:

  BULW 5320 Leadership and Negotiation (fall and spring)

  MGMT 5312 Personal Leadership (fall and spring)

  MGMT 5313 Team Leadership (summer II)

  MGMT 5314 Tactical Leadership (fall)

  MGMT 5315 Strategic Leadership (summer I)

  MGMT 5316 Performance Leadership (spring)

  
  Certification courses will apply to a full degree once you gain full admission to the M.B.A. program (GMAT required). In addition, students entering the M.B.A. program who do not have an undergraduate degree in business administration may be required to take leveling courses before entering the M.B.A. program.

  M.B.A. Admission

  Persons seeking admission to this program must meet the general requirements for admission outlined in the Graduate Information section of this catalog, with the following exceptions:

  Degree Requirements

  First Year: Courses (designed primarily for students whose undergraduate degree is not business) ACCT 5200 Financial Accounting Foundations, BCOM 5200 Administrative Communications, BUAL 3310 Business Analysis I, BULW 5200 Legal Environment of Business, ECON 5200 Foundations of Economics, FINC 5200 Foundations of Finance, MGMT 5210 Organizational Behavior, MGMT 5220 Operations Management, MKTG 5200 Marketing Concepts

  Second Year: Courses ACCT 5370 Managerial Accounting, BUAL 5380 Managerial Decision Making, ECON 5370 Managerial Economics, ECON 5380 The Environment of Business and Ethics, FINC 5310 Financial Management, MKTG 5310 Marketing Management, MGMT 5340 International Business, MGMT 5380 Strategic Management

  Additional four courses within one of the following concentrations:

  •  Accounting

  This concentration provides students the opportunity to study the accounting function from a management point of view. Students will be able to understand the role of accounting in managing a business and in financial planning and decision making. (Requires a bachelor's degree in accounting)

  •  Enterprise Resource Planning

  The Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) concentration in the M.B.A. program is about familiarizing our M.B.A. students with the concept of integrating different business functional areas such as marketing and sales, supply chain management, accounting and finance, and human resources to achieve company goals of improving business processes by using ERP software. An ERP software such as SAP can support integration of business processes that cut across different functional areas. This concentration will demonstrate how ERP systems can help a company cut costs and improve efficiencies of business processes by providing managers with accurate, consistent, and real-time data across all business functions. The courses offered in this concentration are: 1) ERP Overview, 2) ERP – E-Commerce, 3) Business Intelligence, and 4) Supply Chain Management. (Available to all M.B.A. students)

  •  Experiential Business and Entrepreneurship

  Having an idea is one thing, commercializing it is another. This concentration contains curriculum that is designed to take teams of graduate students through the process of idea generation to business concept and from business concept to sustainable value through the completion of a competition-ready business plan. Student teams may generate their own ideas and concepts or "commercialize" a technology created by an Engineering Design Team. Program participants are taught how to perform an opportunity analysis and develop a business plan and proposal to help them launch a new venture. Teams that work with the design projects experience how business and engineering work together to achieve the common objective of bringing a product to market. In addition, this concentration prepares students with hands-on application of practical business skills to use in the workforce. (Available to all M.B.A. students)

  •  Financial Management

  The Financial Management specialization provides the student with advanced skills in corporate finance and investments. Students study how to select different instruments for investments, financing business activities, and managing financial risk. (Available to all M.B.A. students)

  •  Healthcare Administration

  The Â鶹ÊÓƵ M.B.A. Healthcare Concentration Program is uniquely suited to graduate students planning a career in health care administration, management, or entrepreneurial investment. The program augments general M.B.A. graduate courses in strategic planning, finance, management, information technology, and economics by concentrating the student's business acumen to the specific entities and conditions of the healthcare market structure. Currently, the program consists of structured, lecture-oriented courses in healthcare economics, strategy, entrepreneurship, and medical information yechnology. Each student, during participation in these courses, will have hands-on, real-time experiential problems to solve and present to the instructors, classmates, and practicing healthcare professional and/ or their organizations. These healthcare professionals are active in Southeast Texas as physician business executives, physician group managers, and healthcare financial investors, as well as hospital and other healthcare institution administrators and will present the students with unique problems for solution from their organizations. The Â鶹ÊÓƵ College of Business has developed a working relationship with the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) so that qualified graduate students may apply for internships at healthcare systems and institutions throughout Texas and the United States. Healthcare M.B.A. Concentration students are urged to join the ACHE as members and to actively participate in the organization's planned education meeting events and programs presented throughout the region. Students' and ACHE members' interaction promotes professional contacts that may lead to mentoring and career path acquisitions. Some Healthcare M.B.A. Concentration Program Courses may require business course prerequisites. (Available to all M.B.A. students)

  •  Leadership

  The M.B.A. leadership concentration focuses on personal and organizational development. Students learn how to unleash the contributions of their teams towards their organization's critical priorities and create a work environment where individuals want to devote their best efforts. Students completing the leadership track will better manage decisions, attention, and energy so that they can create extraordinary value for themselves and their organizations.

  •  Service Management and Marketing

  This concentration prepares Â鶹ÊÓƵ M.B.A. students for careers in which they will establish customer relationships, build loyalty, and increase profits through effective service delivery. This will include the unique challenges involved in marketing and managing services. Students will consider the sources of competitive advantage in service businesses such as managing supply and demand, relationship management, customer satisfaction and loyalty, and the overlap in marketing/operations/human resource systems. (Available to all M.B.A. students)

  •  Thematic

  For students who seek a tailored approach to their degree, the M.B.A. program at Â鶹ÊÓƵ offers a thematic concentration. The thematic concentration allows students to choose their elective courses from a list of elective courses offered in the M.B.A. program. To develop a thematic concentration, students develop a plan of study, including courses to be taken, and then submit them to the director of the M.B.A. program for approval.

  •  Thesis

  Students may choose a thesis route through the M.B.A. program at Â鶹ÊÓƵ. M.B.A. students may elect to complete a thesis of at least six credit hours total under the guidance of a thesis committee. The student is responsible for compliance with all Graduate College rules and procedures, with respect to formation of a thesis committee and completion of a thesis. (Available to all M.B.A. students)

  •  International Business Support Concentration (in addition to the core and main concentration)

  In the increasingly global economy, many of our graduates will be seeking employment in the field of international business with hopes of traveling and working abroad in a variety of countries and cultures.