Washburn MBA Program
Today's business world is highly competitive. Move ahead in your field by earning an MBA through Washburn University in as few as 12 months! Our program develops leaders with excellent communication and business skills, while creating expanded career opportunities and increased earning potential. The program is designed to provide maximum flexibility and convenience for working professionals. Attend classes either on campus or virtually – from anywhere or a mixture of both.
Our courses are taught by professors with executive-level, real-world business experience and professional connections within their fields. Choose between a part-time schedule or attend full-time and earn your MBA in one year for, in most cases, less than $20,000 – a short-term investment that pays a lifetime of benefits. A Washburn MBA degree will be of professional value and will remain applicable regardless of what business, industry or career you pursue at any point in your professional journey. The program is accredited by AACSB, a designation shared by only the top five percent of business schools worldwide. Earn a quality, established graduate degree that is valued by employers nationally and worldwide.
Master of Business Administration
Washburn's MBA program is designed for the working professional and non-traditional student and can be tailored to fit your needs. Students who prefer a traditional, in-person learning experience may attend classes on campus. Or, if virtual learning is a better option for you, join the live classroom through video conference while remaining at home or anywhere else you choose. You have the option to blend virtual remote and in-person course attendance modalities at your discretion. The entire MBA program can be completed remotely from any distance with no required travel to campus. Current students and graduates report better learning outcomes and overall, more positive experiences with Washburn’s uniquely designed hybrid MBA program, which features a majority synchronous in-person or synchronous virtual teaching approach. Synchronous (live) learning helps you succeed academically while receiving the most value for your educational investment.
Build a degree completion plan based on what works best for you! Students can pursue a fast-track option and complete the degree in just 12 months or move at a slower pace and attend part-time. Completion pace can be increased or decreased each semester, based on your needs. Each synchronous course, in-person or virtual, is scheduled one evening a week, excluding Fridays and weekends from 5:30 until 8:15 p.m.
While delivery and schedule may differ for each student, the program's high quality remains the same. At graduation, 87 percent of Washburn MBA graduates have either secured a job or continued to higher-level education.
Students meeting full admission requirements automatically qualify for a GMAT/GRE graduate program entrance exam waiver.
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Quality of Program: Accreditation by AACSB, a distinction bestowed upon only the top 5% of business schools nationwide.
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Quality of Faculty: Highly-qualified, industry-experienced faculty provide valuable tools to compete in a real-world business environment. (Meet the faculty).
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Quality of Connections: Students can interact in the classroom with other professionals from top companies in the area.
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Quality of Students: In the last five years, Washburn MBA students have consistently scored at or above the 80th percentile on the national standardized Major Field Test for the MBA degree.
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Quality You Can Afford: Students can complete the 10-course/30-credit-hour MBA degree for less than $20,000. Contact MBA Director Danny Funk to learn more about the value of a Washburn MBA and to design an individualized degree completion plan.
ADMISSIONS INFORMATION
Early Admission: 3+2 Program
- The Washburn MBA program offers qualified undergraduate students an early MBA program admission and completion option. 3+2 MBA students are permitted to take graduate-level MBA courses while completing the final undergraduate bachelor's degree requirements during their senior year.
Apply Now
Complete an application and begin your journey toward earning an MBA from Washburn.
Applicants with Non-Business Backgrounds
Applicants with a bachelor’s degree in a field outside of Business benefit from a uniquely-designed, accelerated foundational course preparatory curriculum to ensure success in future upper-level MBA courses. If needed, up to three expedited foundational courses quickly provide needed business background knowledge to the non-business major. Non-business background applicants will be evaluated on an individual basis to determine which, if any, part of the foundational course curriculum could be needed. Previous coursework, professional work experience and on-the-job training are taken into consideration when determining foundational course needs. In many cases, select upper-level MBA courses can be taken simultaneously with required foundational courses.
- BU522 Business Analysis Tools
- BU526 Accounting and Finance for Managers
- EC525 Economic Environment
International Connections
With the International Business and Entrepreneurial Experience, the world is your classroom. The course offers a unique international offering that combines a hands-on business education with a multi-cultural study abroad experience. Washburn students work in teams virtually with students in South America and Europe to solve business problems for companies in the U.S. and overseas. At the end of the semester, students travel to Europe or South America to meet their international team members and present their project.
The Washburn MBA partners with the entrepreneurial MBA program at ASEBUSS University in Romania. This experience provides students with a unique learning opportunity as students from both universities collaborate on a project in the MBA Capstone course.
Get More Info
Complete an interest form to begin your journey toward this advanced degree.
STEP BY STEP
- Summer semester - May 1
- Fall semester - July 31
- Spring semester - December 1
- Summer semester - April 1
- Fall semester - June 15
- Spring semester - November 15
All admitted MBA students are required to attend an orientation session prior to beginning their first semester in the program. The MBA Orientation event for Summer and Fall-start students will be held in-person on a date one to two weeks prior to the beginning of the Fall semester. Spring-start students will attend orientation separately in January. The MBA office will reach out to admitted students with further information in advance of the orientation session. A Zoom attendance option will be available for long-distance students.
During orientation you will:-
Learn what is expected of you and what you can expect of your MBA professors and of the program.
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Meet your future professors and other students in your MBA cohort.
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Interact with other new MBA students, current MBA students, School of Business alumni and faculty members by participating in a set of specially-designed networking exercises.
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Understand how the Washburn School of Business uses the MBA Major Field Test to assess the effectiveness of the program.
Washburn MBA curriculum will enhance your skill in the areas of communication, leadership, quantitative analysis, computer technology and teamwork along with accounting, economics, finance, information systems, management, marketing, legal and ethical issues and production and operations in the context of domestic and global environments of business.
If you do not have a business degree:
- Our objective is to be sure that your experience in the Washburn MBA program will be a success. Based on each applicant's skill set and background, we will work with you to determine the most efficient path to graduation.
- The 10 course/30 credit hour core Washburn MBA program, plus up to three select foundational courses that may or may not be needed, will complete your degree requirements.
- Non-Business background applicants will be evaluated on an individual basis to determine which, if any, part of the foundational course curriculum could be needed.
If you have a bachelor’s degree in a business field and are fully admitted to the MBA program:
- Your degree will be recognized as proof of competency in quantitative methods and the core areas of business.
- You will advance directly to the 10-course/30-credit-hour core MBA program.
All Non-Business Background Students:
If you’re planning to take any preparatory courses before applying to the MBA program, work with the MBA Director to make sure those courses will satisfy foundational course curriculum requirements. The MBA Director works with all prospective non-business background students to determine what foundational coursework will be necessary.
Required Upper-Level Courses
EC 652 Managerial Economics
AC 654 Management Accounting Analysis
BU 655 Financial Strategies
BU 656 Computer-Based Information Systems
BU 657 Strategic Marketing Management
BU 658 Managerial Skills and Professional Experiences
BU 659 Strategic Analysis
One elective in Global Business1 (BU 674 International Business or BU 678 International Marketing)
Upper-Level General Elective Courses (choose two)
BU 630 Entrepreneurship and Creativity
BU 674 International Business1
BU 678 International Marketing1
BU 679 Investments
BU 683 Venture Creation
BU 685 Business Intelligence Systems
BU 696 Independent Study Research Project in Business
BU 698 Special Topics in Business: International Experience Travel
AC 630 Advanced Accounting Information Systems
The Washburn MBA program closure experience will take place in the final capstone course, BU 659 Strategic Analysis. This course has as its focus strategic decision making in a simulated business environment. The course requires students to produce both written and oral presentations requiring them to utilize the content of their prior MBA coursework to explain the strategic decisions they made in the simulated business environment.
Major Field Test for Master of Business Administration (MFT-MBA)
In addition to the written and oral presentations, students in BU 659 Strategic Analysis are required to take the Major Field Test for Master of Business Administration (MFT-MBA). The computerized exam contains 124 multiple-choice questions, half of which are based on short case-study scenarios. Most of the questions require knowledge of specific information drawn from four content areas: marketing, management, finance and managerial accounting. Some questions require strategic integration skills – the ability to integrate knowledge of two or more content areas. The test also includes questions that focus on international business, information technology, the legal and regulatory environment, business ethics and social responsibility, quantitative analysis and managerial economics.
A unique feature of MFT-MBA design is the capability of measuring critical thinking ability – that is, the test assesses the ability to:
- Analyze and interpret data
- Apply concepts and ideas
- Analyze theories and relationships deductively and inductively
The test is a standardized exam taken by students across more than 300 schools that offer the MBA degree. The MFT-MBA exam is used to provide information to both the MBA faculty and students on their level of academic achievement relative to the other MBA degree granting schools that participate in the MFT-MBA exam.
Reflective Essay
In addition to the capstone course, BU 659 Strategic Analysis and the MFT-MBA exam, each student is required to write a reflective essay during the final weeks of the student’s graduation semester. This essay is a response to a series of questions in which the student evaluates MBA Program Goals. For each question, the student is required to write a paragraph to explain their response.
The purpose of the reflective essay is to help the student recognize that their work fits into a coherent whole. It helps the student appreciate that upper-level courses had an overall purpose and were not simply random selections. The reflective essay also allows the student to evaluate how well the Washburn MBA experience met their expectations
Career Engagement Employment Survey
A short online survey administered through the Washburn Career Engagement Office is the final item required prior to a student’s graduation from the MBA program. Printed confirmation of completion of the survey will be turned in to the MBA director with the reflective essay during the final weeks of the student’s graduation semester. Data received from this survey is vital in gauging the effectiveness of the MBA program and the career successes of our graduates.
A Competitive Advantage
Autumn Birk, BBA ’12, MBA ‘16
A Personal Connection
Fred Palenske, MBA ‘85
A Real-World Education
Kent Townsend, MBA '87
By the Numbers
Student/Faculty Ratio
10:1
Nationwide Average
$109,760
AACSB Accreditation
5%
Program Cost
Washburn offers an affordable flat-rate tuition that is the same regardless of distance/in-person course modality or state/country of residency. Financial aid and tuition payment plan options are available to those who qualify.
How to Apply
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and applicants can expect an admissions decision to be made within 10 business days. Students choose to begin the program in January, June or August. Requirements include: a bachelor's degree in any field, official transcripts for any applicant without a Washburn degree, online application and two letters of reference. For more information about the program, contact Danny Funk, MBA Director, at 785.670.2047 or mba@washburn.edu.
