GREENEVILLE – The Master of Business Administration degree at Tusculum University features many attributes, such as an affordable cost and convenience for the students.
Dr. Joshua Ray, right, serves as director of the Tusculum MBA program and teaches managerial decision-making. Dr. Tim Carter, left, teaches marketing in the program.
Applicants also experience another benefit – they are not required to take the Graduate Management Admissions Test or report its score to be accepted into the MBA program. Tusculum is not alone in waiving the GMAT score, and College Consensus, a national website, has ranked the best 25 best online MBA programs in the nation that do not require one.
Tusculum is No. 7 on the list. Others include the University of Illinois, Colorado State University, the University of Michigan-Flint and Marshall University.
“We are pleased to be recognized for taking a different approach to our selection of MBA students,” said Dr. Jacob Fait, dean of Tusculum’s College of Business. “After thoughtful consideration, we concluded the GMAT is not necessarily an accurate reflection of an applicant’s ability to succeed in this field of study. Instead, we take into account a number of other factors that allow us to evaluate whether somebody would likely achieve in our program.”
Those items include undergraduate grade-point average, personal statement or testimony, work experience or resume, an interview and personal and professional letters of reference.
“We endeavor to make the MBA degree accessible to as many people as possible,” said Dr. Joshua Ray, director of the Tusculum program and an associate professor of management. “Some of our candidates do not come from a business background, so we have found that past performance and experience are the best indicators of success.”
In its evaluation of Tusculum, College Consensus gave the university high marks for affordability, with the 30-credit-hour degree costing $15,000.
“The business school has made it a priority for its students to succeed, so it offers assistance for distance learners looking for financial aid, a payment plan for tuition and available federal loans,” the website said.
The website also scored Tusculum high in convenience for offering classes online and on the Greeneville and Knoxville campuses. Another strength of the College of Business is its accreditation with the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs.
The Tusculum MBA program curriculum contains a deeper and broader study of core areas of business while also emphasizing the use of accounting, finance, economics, management, marketing and business ethics principles in the context of today’s contemporary global business environment.
For more information, please visit www.tusculum.edu/mba. To see the list of programs ranked by College Consensus, please visit http://bit.ly/2X4EEDf.