The Accelerated Dual Degree program offers students an opportunity to earn a BA in Environmental & Sustainability Studies and an MBA in five years. The program combines a strong liberal arts undergraduate degree focused on understanding and addressing environmental problems with the professional skillset offered through undergraduate and graduate courses in business administration. Students interested in the program should contact Dr. Jordan Howell in their freshman year. Students may be preliminarily admitted into the program after they earn 60 credits, which usually corresponds to the end of the sophomore year. Transfer students who have fulfilled the requirements may also apply. Students admitted to the program will complete a total of 108 credits for the undergraduate program, and 12 credits of graduate coursework in Business Administration that is applied to the undergraduate degree. The student will then complete an additional 24 credits for the MBA. The total semester hours required for the student to complete both the undergraduate BA in Environmental & Sustainability Studies and the Master of Business Administration is 144.
Eligibility & Admission
Students are eligible for admission if they meet the following requirements:
- Sophomore status (60 or more credits earned)
- Minimum 3.3 GPA in undergraduate coursework
- Must have completed at least five of the MBA prerequisite courses listed below with at least a C in each course:
- Must earn at least a C in all courses that are required for the combined program
Students meeting the above criteria will be preliminarily accepted into the accelerated program after contacting the Environmental & Sustainability Studies Program Coordinator.
To begin taking MBA courses during their senior year, students who have been preliminarily accepted into this accelerated dual degree program must meet the criteria listed below by the spring of their junior year or the semester in which they will have earned 90 credits:
- Earned at least 90 credits (including credits in-progress during the semester in which this analysis is taking place) with a 3.3 overall GPA
- The GMAT requirement is waived for students maintaining a 3.3 GPA after completing 90 undergraduate credits.
- Completed all prerequisites for the MBA with a grade of at least C, or enrolled in these courses in the semester in which they will have earned 90 credits:
Upon successful review of these materials, students will be formally admitted to the accelerated program and will be eligible to take graduate courses in their senior year.
Students who meet the above criteria should submit to the Department Chairperson the material listed below, preferably in the first month of the semester in which this application is taking place:
- A statement of purpose (300-500 words);
- An academic transcript (unofficial) detailing the completion of the above requirements;
- Names and email addresses of two professors who will provide letters of recommendation (preferably one from the Rohrer College of Business faculty)
Students enrolled in this accelerated BA/MBA program may take up to 12 credits of graduate courses at the undergraduate rate in their senior year (two in fall and two in spring), providing they meet the criteria listed above. However, students must meet with the Director of the MBA program, prior to course registration for the next semester after achieving this status, to review course work and requirements for the MBA program.
Graduation
To graduate from this accelerated dual degree program with a BA and an MBA, students must:
- Complete all requirements for the BA in Environmental & Sustainability Studies, including any General Education / Rowan Experience / Rowan Core requirements;
- Earn a grade of C or better in all undergraduate courses required by the BA in Environmental & Sustainability Studies and undergraduate prereqs for the MBA program;
- Complete all prerequisites for the MBA program;
- Complete all requirements for the MBA, which is a “Category 3” program at Rowan. Category 3 program students must: Earn no more than two total “C” grades of any combination of “C+” or “C.” (C- grades are not acceptable.); earn no grades lower than a “C”; earn an official cumulative GPA (according to matriculation level) of at least 3.000 on Rowan’s 4.000 scale
Students who enter the combined program but do not maintain satisfactory progress or who simply choose to not continue pursuing the MBA degree will be allowed to apply up to 12 credits of graduate coursework to the undergraduate degree in Environmental & Sustainability Studies. If the student “opts out” before 12 graduate credits have been completed, any remaining credits needed for the 120 credits required for the undergraduate degree will be selected through consultation between the Environmental & Sustainability Studies academic advisor, the Program Coordinator for Environmental & Sustainability Studies, and the student.
The Program Coordinator for Environmental & Sustainability Studies will meet with students who do not meet the criteria outlined above, and/or who have not gained permission to take graduate-level courses, to discuss the best alternative for the student. It is most likely that students who opt out of graduate-level courses or do not meet the criteria to take graduate-level courses will graduate with a BA in Environmental & Sustainability Studies and possibly a minor in business administration.
For information related to this major or minor, please contact:
Jordan Howell, Ph.D.
856.256.4831
howellj@rowan.edu
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