Pre-MBA Program (Dual Degree)
(DUAL DEGREE)
ADVISOR: N. Wilkinson
Five Year Dual Degree Bachelor/MBA Program
The combination of a technical undergraduate degree and a graduate degree in business has been cited by many experts as the ideal educational preparation for a career in private industry. For that reason, the School of Business offers the opportunity for obtaining dual degrees (i.e., the Bachelor of Science and the Master of Business Administration, MBA). The dual-degree program can be completed within five years, however, the program is demanding, and curriculum planning with the student's advisor and the School of Business should start by the beginning of the student's third year at WPI at the very latest.
Only registered WPI undergraduates may enter the Dual-Degree Bachelor/MBA Program. A separate and complete application to the MBA program must be submitted. Admission to the Dual-Degree Bachelor/MBA Program is determined by the faculty of the School of Business. The student should begin the curriculum planning process as early as possible in his/her undergraduate program, but no later than the beginning of the third year, to ensure that all of the required undergraduate courses are completed within the student's four years of undergraduate study. It is recommended that the MBA application be submitted during the student's Third Year of undergraduate study. A student in the Dual-Degree Bachelor/MBA Program continues to be registered as an undergraduate until the bachelor's degree is awarded.
Students wishing to do a combined Bachelor/MBA must complete the following courses while an undergraduate:
BUS 1010 Leadership Practice
BUS 2060 Financial Statements for Decision Making
BUS 2070 Risk Analysis for Decision Making
BUS 3010 Creating Value through Innovation
BUS 3020 Achieving Effective Operations
BUS 4030 Achieving Strategic Effectiveness
MA 2611 Applied Statistics I
MA 2612 Applied Statistics II
ECON 1110 Introductory Microeconomics
ECON 1120 Introductory Macroeconomics
To obtain a bachelor's degree via the Dual-Degree Bachelor/MBA Program, the student must satisfy all requirements for the bachelor's degree, including distribution and project requirements.
To obtain an MBA via the Dual-Degree Bachelor/MBA Program, the student must satisfy all MBA degree requirements. In addition to the prerequisite undergraduate courses listed above, the student must complete the following graduate courses:
ACC 503 Financial Intelligence for Strategic Decision Making
BUS 500 Business Law, Ethics and Social Responsibility
BUS 501 Integrating Business Concepts to Lead Innovation
BUS 517 Graduate Qualifying Project in Management (GQP)
ETR 500 Entrepreneurship and Innovation
OBC 501 Interpersonal and Leadership Skills
12 Elective Graduate Credits
A student in the Dual-Degree Bachelor/MBA Program may, with prior approval, apply the equivalent of a maximum of 12 graduate credits from the same courses toward both the bachelor's and MBA degrees. Students in the Dual-Degree Bachelor/MBA Program may not take graduate-level management courses prior to their Fourth Year of undergraduate study, and then only provided the corresponding prerequisites have been satisfied.
The School of Business may make other requirements as it deems appropriate in any individual case. These requirements take the form of a written agreement between the student and the School of Business, and must be filed with the registrar before the student may be matriculated in the Dual-Degree Bachelor/MBA Program.
The Dual-Degree Bachelor/MBA Program is a full-time program of study. Once admitted to the Dual-Degree Bachelor/ MBA Program, a student must register every fall and spring semester until the MBA is completed. A student in the Dual- Degree Bachelor/MBA Program who has no registered activities during a given fall or spring semester is automatically terminated from the Dual-Degree Bachelor/MBA Program, and may only be readmitted to the Dual- Degree Bachelor/MBA Program by the School of Business Graduate Policy and Curriculum Committee and the Committee for Graduate Studies and Research via petition showing extenuating circumstances. Termination from the Dual-Degree Bachelor/MBA Program does not affect a student's ability to continue toward the bachelor's degree.
