MBA Program Handbook

Updated: 2022 (For previous versions of the handbook, please contact Kambiz Raffiee.)

MBA Program Handbook

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) Program at the University of Nevada, Reno accommodates the needs of students by offering all evening courses. Students can complete the MBA at their own pace without interrupting their professional career. This MBA program is also among a select group of worldwide graduate business programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the highest level of accreditation attainable in business education.

The University's MBA program has appeared on several lists of top business school in recent years. Kambiz Raffiee, Ph.D., Associate Dean for the University's College of Business and Director of its MBA Program, says this is because of the quality of its faculty and the student-focused nature of the program.

"Our faculty is comprised of internationally respected scholars with real-world experience and a passion for teaching and inspiring students," says Raffiee. "Our class sizes are relatively small, which prevents students from getting lost in the crowd. Our extensive ties to local, regional and national business communities through the Career and Corporate Outreach Center help students and alumni when it comes time to navigate their careers."

The program is designed for individuals who have completed a baccalaureate degree in any field and who have at least two years of professional experience in a business, government, or non-profit organization. The MBA program generally can be completed by most students in three years or less of evening study.

This program is distinguished by four characteristics:

It allows students a high degree of flexibility to choose electives that is applicable to their overall professional interest,
All appropriate courses have an in depth content related to business issues,
The program responds to those currently in managerial and professional positions and is flexible to their needs, and
It is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the highest level of accreditation attainable in business education.

The program has been designed to promote understanding of the basic tools and techniques needed to manage effectively and efficiently in the changing global marketplace. An MBA from the University of Nevada, Reno will enable a manager or executive to perform a wide range of managerial functions, including:

Managing human and material resources in a culturally diverse and rapidly changing technological world,
Making decisions based on complex business information,
Using the most up to date financial and business data bases for analysis and application,
Understanding the implications of an increasingly global economy and the changing legal, ethical, cultural and political environments of business, and
Developing business policies and strategies that are responsive to rapid change.

Program Objectives/Student Learning Outcomes

The context of assessment for the MBA program at the University of Nevada, Reno is based on the guidelines of assurance of learning (AOL) by the Association to AACSB. Specifically, both course- embedded measures and indirect measures are used to assess student achievement of the program. The student learning outcomes of the program are:

Students will demonstrate mastery of fundamental business knowledge and practices.
Students will possess analytical and critical thinking skills
Students will be Effective Communicators within a Business Environment.
Students will be able to use information technology to support business analysis and operations.
Students will develop a global business perspective and will have the knowledge and skills to conduct business internationally.

Contact Information

Kambiz Raffiee, Associate Dean and Director of MBA Programs
(775) 682-9142
raffiee@unr.edu

Christie Chaump, MBA Programs Coordinator
(775) 682-9140
cchaump@unr.edu

Mailing address:
MBA Program
The College of Business, Mail Stop 0024
University of Nevada, Reno
1664 North Virginia Street Reno, NV 89557-0024

This handbook lists graduate program academic policies and procedures. It includes information on graduate school policies, degree requirements, timeline for degree completion, committee selection guidelines and comprehensive exam/thesis requirements. Every effort has been made to make this handbook accurate as of the date of publication; however, this handbook does not constitute a contractual commitment. Graduate programs may not offer all of the courses as described, and policies are subject to yearly review and changes with program director and Graduate Council approval.

Degree Requirements

Program Total Hours (51 Units)

21 units in the core
18 units in the breadth section
9 units in the emphasis (electives) units
3 units in the Integration course

MBA Curriculum

Students must complete the core requirements before enrolling in breadth courses. 51 credit hours are required for the completion of the MBA Program if nothing is waived out of core courses and 30 credit hours must be taken at the University to graduate from the MBA Program.

See the University Catalog for more information about courses descriptions.

Business Administration, MBA

Areas of Emphasis

Our MBA program offers areas of emphasis in accounting, entrepreneurship, finance, information technology, renewable energy, and sports management. Students need a total of 9 credits for either an emphasis or general electives in the MBA Program at the University of Nevada, Reno. Students who graduated from the College of Business at UNR cannot enroll in 600 level courses if they took them at the 400 level at UNR. Note that MBA students can also pursue other areas of emphasis by taking graduate courses of their choice outside of the College of Business. For additional information on developing an emphasis in an area other than Business, please contact the MBA Office at 775-682-9140 or visit the emphasis webpage.

Internship and Independent Study

Also note that BADM 792 (Internship) and BADM 793 (independent study) are among the available courses to MBA students as either electives or as courses for an emphasis. For guidelines to do an independent study, see appendix 1. For BADM 793, you need to have a faculty advisor from the College of Business. Prior to registering for BADM 792 or BADM 793, you should contact the MBA Office to discuss the details of the work involved and to get the contact information of a faculty advisor. Once the scope of the work for BADM 793 is worked out, the MBA Office will provide you with the information on how to register in the course.

Comprehensive Exam

This is not applicable to the UNR on-campus MBA Program.

Graduate School Academic Standing and Dismissal Policy

Please find updated policies on the Graduate School website.

Timeline for Degree Completion

The exact timeline to finish the MBA program depends on the number of courses waived and the number of courses taken in each semester. Please note that the schedules of study provided below are recommended only and may vary according to work schedule of students.

Please note the Graduate School requires that all course work must be completed within six years preceding the awarding of the degree (i.e. course work from more than six years ago cannot be applied towards the MBA degree).

Scenario A

For students who do not have any MBA Core courses waived, the course requirements of the program can be completed in 3 years.

Admitted Fall Semester

First Year

Fall: BADM 700 and BADM 710
Spring: BADM 701 and BADM 741
Summer: BADM 730

Second Year

Fall: BADM 720 and BADM 760
Spring: BADM 750, BADM 772 and an elective
Summer: Breadth Course

Admitted Spring Semester

First Year

Spring: BADM 700 and BADM 720
Summer: None
Fall: BADM 710 and BADM 760

Second Year

Spring: BADM 701 and BADM 730
Summer: Breadth Course
Fall: BADM 741, BADM 72 and a Breadth Course

Third Year

Spring: BADM 750, Breadth Course and an Elective
Summer: An Elective
Fall: Breadth Course, an Elective and BADM 781

Scenario B

Students with an undergraduate degree in business who are waived from the MBA course requirements will only have to take a total of 10 courses to complete the program. They should be able to finish the MBA in two years or less.

Admitted Fall Semester

First Year

Fall: BADM 750 and BADM 772
Spring: Two Breadth Courses
Summer: Breadth Course

Second Year

Fall: Breadth Course, Elective and BADM 781
Spring: Two Electives
Summer: None

Admitted Spring Semester

First Year

Spring: BADM 750 and BADM 772
Summer: Breadth Course
Fall: Two Breadth Courses

Second Year

Spring: Breadth Course, and Elective and BADM 781
Summer: None
Fall: Two Electives

Scenario C

Students with a partial waiver from the MBA course requirements will have a schedule of study similar to the one in Scenario A that can be completed in less than 3 years. The details of the schedule of study in Scenario C will be developed in consultation with the MBA advisors.

Scenario D (Thesis)

If students opt to do a thesis, they will (1) sign up for a 3-credit independent study, BADM 793, to develop a thesis proposal and to write a comprehensive review of the literature, and (2) enroll in a thesis course, BADM 797, for 6 credits. The work done in independent study and thesis will be supervised by College of Business faculty. Prior to starting the thesis, students must contact the Director of the MBA Program.

The recommended schedules of study in Scenarios A, B and C will be revised in consultation with MBA advisors if students choose to go for a thesis option.

Graduate School forms and resources related to thesis and dissertations:

Master’s Thesis Filing Guidelines

Once all requirements have been met, students need to submit a Final Review Approval and Notice of Completion form in order to graduate.

Final Review Approval – Obtain sign-off from advisory committee chair
Notice of completion – completed form should be submitted after all requirements have been met.

Deadlines

The following timeline is based on expectations of the Graduate School and the MBA Program.

Program of Study

The Program of Study form is the foundation of your graduate program in that it lists all course work or credits that are required to fulfill the requirements for the degree. This includes course work already completed, in-progress, to be completed, and transfer credits. The Program of Study form can be found at: Program of Study form. For master’s students, the completed form must be submitted to Graduate School by the end of the student’s third semester. For doctoral students, the completed form must be submitted to Graduate School by the end of the student’s fourth semester.

Graduation Application

Every student must purchase a graduation application by the designated Graduation Application deadline:

May Graduation Deadline: March 1
August Graduation Deadline: June 1
December Graduation Deadline: October 1

Notice of Completion

Submit Notice of Completion form after all requirements have been met: Master’s form

Graduate School Exit Survey

Upon graduation, take the Graduate School’s Exit Survey.

Transfer Credits

These are credits transferred from another institution. Credits completed at UNR in another program or as a graduate special do not need to be transferred. Transfer credit can be requested on the Graduate Credit Transfer Evaluation Request form available on Graduate School website, and must be signed by the student, major advisor, and graduate director. Transfer credits applied to a master’s program must comply with the time limitation on master’s work (6 years). Thus, if a student took a course five years prior to admission, they would have to complete the degree within one year for the course to apply to the degree.

Committee Selection Guideline

This is not applicable to the UNR on-campus MBA Program.

Comprehensive Exam

This is not applicable to the UNR on-campus MBA Program.

Thesis (Optional)

Graduate Assistantships

All graduate students holding an assistantship (teaching GTA or GRA) are considered Nevada residents for tuition purposes. Non-resident tuition is only waived for the duration of the assistantship. To be eligible for an assistantship, students must be admitted to a degree-granting program and be in good academic standing. The student must have an overall GPA of at least 3.0 and must be continuously enrolled in at least 6 graduate level credits (600-700) throughout the duration of the assistantship.

State-funded assistantships (GTA/GRA) may be held for a maximum of: three (3) years for master’s degree students and five (5) years for doctoral degree students.

Please refer to the most updated information on graduate assistantships from the Graduate School.

Health Insurance

All domestic degree seeking graduate students, who are enrolled in six or more credits (regardless of the course level) in a semester, will be automatically enrolled and billed for the University sponsored health insurance for each term they are eligible (fall & spring/summer). If a student has other comparable coverage and would like to waive out of the student health insurance, it is the student’s responsibility to complete the University online waiver form prior to the deadline. If approved, a health insurance waiver is good for the current academic year only. A new waiver must be submitted each academic year. All international graduate students are required to carry student health insurance, and the cost will be automatically added to your student account. Any international graduate students with insurance questions must contact the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) Website directly.

Information on Graduate health insurance.

Leave of Absence

Continuous Enrollment

To maintain “good standing” all graduate students are required to enroll in a minimum of three (3) graduate credits each fall and spring semester until they graduate. International students may be required to enroll in nine graduate credits each fall and spring semester depending on the requirements of their visa. All students holding assistantships (whether teaching or research assistantships) are required to enroll in a minimum of six (6) graduate credits each semester they hold the assistantship.

Leave of Absence

Students in good standing may request a leave of absence by completing a Leave of Absence form during which time they are not required to maintain continuous registration. Usually, a leave of absence is approved for one or two semesters. The leave of absence request may be extended by the student filing an additional leave of absence form. Students applying for a leave of absence should not have any “incomplete” grades which could be changed to “F” and have a detrimental impact on their cumulative GPA. Requests for leave of absences must be received by the Graduate School no later than the last day of enrollment for the semester the leave is to begin.

Reinstatement

When a student has been absent for one semester or more without an approved leave of absence, he or she may request reinstatement via the Reinstatement form. This form allows the program the option to recommend the student be re-admitted to their graduate program based on their previous admission OR require the student to re-apply for admission which would require students to submit a new application for admission and pay the application fee. The Notice of Reinstatement to Gradate Standing must be received by the Graduate School no later than the last day of enrollment for the semester the reinstatement is to begin.

Graduate Student Association

The Graduate Student Association represents all graduate students and promotes the welfare and interests of the graduate students at the University of Nevada, Reno. The GSA works closely with appropriate university administrative offices, including the Graduate School and Student Services and reports to the President of the University. The GSA government functions through the Council of Representatives, Executive Council and established committees.

Graduate School Forms

Please refer to Forms Website for all forms available at The Graduate School.