Mission
The mission of the School of Business and Information Sciences at Felician University is to continuously improve the quality and relevance of the academic experience we offer to educate undergraduate and graduate students in accordance with the highest academic and professional standards and within the context of a Catholic and Franciscan Liberal Arts tradition, and to prepare our students for their lives in general and in particular for the world of business.
Course of Study
More and more organizations are searching for employees who not only perform a function but also think creatively, innovate and adapt to changing markets, and demonstrate emotional intelligence when dealing with other employees and customers. The Felician University Master of Business Administration in Innovation and Entrepreneurial Leadership was specifically designed to provide students with not only business content knowledge but also leadership skills for the 21st century, which develop in students the ability to make better business decisions and work with diverse teams to achieve results.
The Felician MBA will equip students with the analytical, creative, and ethical competencies they will need to succeed and prosper. Felician graduates will have the skills to position themselves as change agents within their organizations, to recognize opportunities when they arise, provide expert business consultation, and to think ethically about the ramifications of their decisions. The Franciscan heritage of Felician University embraces service and social responsibility, and the graduates of this program will be equipped to use that heritage to forge connections between their business activities and their communities with competence and integrity.
The program is 36 credits and cohort-based, which encourages students to learn as much from the members of their cohort as they do from their instructors. With its highly experiential approach, students engage with faculty and other students through the completion of challenging and stimulating assignments. The work is done individually or as part of a group in the classroom. Work outside the classroom is a significant aspect of each course, because each course has an active online component to supplement learning. Felician University recognizes that the ability to do something is at least as important as theoretical knowledge, so the MBA program is built around the acquisition of six core competencies: ethical decision-making, critical reasoning, effective communication, emotional intelligence, teamwork, and creativity. The culmination of the MBA program is the preparation of a portfolio exhibiting demonstrations of these competencies, which is reviewed by both Felician faculty and members of the School’s Business and Information Sciences Advisory Committee. Felician University MBA graduates enter (or advance in) their professions armed with the demonstrated ability to creatively solve problems and provide visionary leadership in their organizations.
Admission Requirements
In addition to a completed application, the following are also required:
- Graduation from an accredited baccalaureate program
- General Management Admission Test (GMAT)
- Official transcripts of past collegiate work
- Resume
- Personal statement
The admission criteria are flexible and multi-faceted such that no one factor is determinative of the acceptance decision. The Admissions Committee will review the entire student application package in its deliberations. Upon acceptance, students will be advised of the cohort starting date.
Re-admission
Students who temporarily separate from the course of study and wish to be re-admitted must make formal application to the Dean of the School of Business and Information Sciences. The application will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee. Upon acceptance, and depending on the period of absence from the program, there may be a requirement to repeat one or more courses or complete additional courses if there were curriculum changes.
Master’s-Level Program Conditional Admissions
During the MBA program admissions evaluation, the School of Business and Information Sciences Admissions Committee strives to assess the applicant based upon the applicant’s potential for successfully completing the program and achieving lifelong learning competencies. It is for these reasons that the School of Business’ Admissions Committee, on an exception basis, may accept students on a conditional basis.
When a student is granted conditional admission to the program, the student is apprised in a letter from the admissions office. The letter clearly identifies to the student that only the first course in the MBA program sequence may be taken while in a conditional status. The minimum grade to be maintained in this course is a 3.0. in addition, conditional admit students are required to meet with their academic advisor at the time of the program orientation. If the student does not achieve and maintain a 3.0 in the first course, the student is dismissed from the program. Work satisfactorily completed, with a grade of 3.0 or better, during this conditional period is automatically applied toward the degree once the Dean has confirmed full academic status.
Transfer Credit
Up to 6 graduate credits may be transferred from another accredited graduate program. Transfer credits or course substitutions will not be permitted for the key Felician University courses Organizational Performance and Ethics (ENT 530) and Capstone Experience (ENT 599). Credits must have been earned within the past 5 years and only courses with a grade of B or higher will be considered. A determination regarding the transferability of credits is done on a case-by-case basis. The student is responsible for furnishing the Associate Dean the course syllabus and grade for the course(s) under consideration. The decision of the Associate Dean will be final.
Degree Requirements
- Students are required to successfully complete all required courses in the MBA curriculum and have a GPA of 3.0.
- Students are required to satisfactorily complete and present a portfolio demonstrating mastery of core competencies.
Academic Policies
Successful completion of the 36-credit curriculum.
Students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 and have at least a 3.0 to graduate. If, after 9 completed credits, the student's GPA is below 3.0, he or she will be placed on academic probation. Once the student is apprised of his/her probationary status, the student must make an appointment with his/her academic advisor. Additionally, the student must meet with his/her academic advisor on a regular basis until the student has earned a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better. If the 3.0 average has not been reached by the completion of 9 additional academic credits, the student will be dismissed from the program. Further, a grade of C will be permitted for no more than two courses. A third C will result in dismissal from the program. If a student does not receive a grade of C or higher on the first attempt of a course, that course can be repeated once. Failure to achieve a grade of C or higher on the second attempt will result in program dismissal. Students are permitted to repeat no more than two courses in the program.
Degree requirements must be completed within 5 years from the date of admission. This includes leaves of absence. Students not completing their degree requirements within the 5-year period will either be dismissed from the program or will be required to take additional courses as determined by the Associate Dean.
Online Components
The Felician University MBA curriculum has online components built into its courses. Thus, students participating in the program should be aware of the following:
Access to a computer will be required along with a Felician University email address and access to the Internet.
Online assignments must be completed as prescribed and within the given deadlines.
Felician University and the School of Business and Information Sciences place a high value on scholarship, truth, and ethics. As such, adherence to policies outlined in the University Catalog, Student Handbook, and Honor Code is expected. Unacceptable online conduct will not be tolerated. Examples of unacceptable online conduct include, but are not limited to, postings deemed racist, inflammatory, condescending, rude, or otherwise offensive.
Competencies are abilities to do things. Employers expect their employees to perform in such a way so that organizations are able to meet their goals and to grow, thus increasing value to the organization and its customers. Thus, employees need to act, to do things that bring value to the bottom line. Over and above having knowledge from a content point of view, employees must have certain capabilities or competencies.
The portfolio is the primary means of demonstrating mastery of a set of these skills. The Felician MBA program has been designed around the following six (6) core competencies:
- Critical reasoning
- Effective communication
- Emotional intelligence
- Teamwork
- Ethical decision making
- Creativity
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the MBA program, students should be able to:
- Develop and demonstrate critical reasoning through the ability to recognize the existence of problems and facilitate problem solving
- Develop and demonstrate creativity through synthesis of prior knowledge and skills to create new perspectives and patterns in idea development and problem-solving approaches
- Apply the skills of management science necessary for good decision making
- Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills
- Demonstrate teamwork through compassionate service to others
- Develop ethical decision making through demonstration of the Franciscan values when making business decisions
Throughout the course of study, students are expected to build a portfolio demonstrating mastery of the core competencies and, as part of the MBA Capstone course, present it to the School of Business’ faculty and members of the business community.
Program length: 24 months