Admission Requirements

Admission is based on a combination of many factors, including undergraduate GPA, GMAT score(s), professional experience and references. The admissions committee also considers your essay and interview in helping them assess if a Lipscomb graduate business program is the right fit for you. Three years of professional work experience is required for the PMBA.

An “admission score” is calculated using the following formula: Undergraduate GPA multiplied by 200 added to the GMAT score. The minimum admission score to be considered for acceptance is 1050; however, this score is only a minimum and is no guarantee of acceptance. Our average GMAT score is currently 530.

The GMAT requirement is waived for applicants with more than 10 years of professional work experience combined with an undergraduate GPA of 3.0.

Prerequisites/Leveling

Leveling is synonymous with prerequisites. Students are welcome to apply to the PMBA program from all academic disciplines and professions, but students with bachelor’s degrees in disciplines other than business will need to complete leveling work before enrolling in graduate business courses. Students who have taken the following classes – or some equivalent to be determined by our admissions committee - will not be required to take further leveling classes.

• Principles of Accounting I & II     
• Business Law
• Principles of Finance or Managerial Finance
• Micro & Macro Economics
• Statistics or Quantitative Methods
• Principles of Management
• Principles of Marketing

If you have not taken one or more of these classes in either an undergraduate program or another graduate program, you have several options for completing them.

1 – Take the appropriate leveling course through Lipscomb. These one-hour non-credit courses are available in a four-week online format and are billed at Lipscomb’s undergraduate hourly tuition rate. You must be accepted into the MBA program at Lipscomb before you can register to take these courses.

2 – Take the appropriate undergraduate courses at Lipscomb OR any other accredited institution. Lipscomb offers an adult degree program in the evenings for working professionals (615-966-5279).

3 – Demonstrate proficiency through work experience and/or continuing professional education in a specific area. A written test will be required to demonstrate this proficiency.

4 – Pass the CLEP test(s) for the appropriate course(s). For more information, contact the Testing Center at Lipscomb (615-966-6294).

Click here to see the leveling courses schedule.

Pricing and Payment

Tuition and fees for the PMBA are as follows:

• 36-hour program / $1,090 per credit hour (all classes are 2 or 3 hours)
• Books and fees included in tuition
• International week-long trip included in tuition

Courses are billed to you as you take them over the course of your program. Your tuition is due no later than 14 days after your grade is posted per class.

Financial Assistance Options

Student Loans

Alternative and Stafford Student loans are available through lending agencies, and application materials are available through the Financial Aid Office at Lipscomb (615-966-1791 / financialaid.lipscomb.edu). After completing and submitting your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and loan application, it will take approximately four weeks for the Financial Aid office to receive your FAFSA results. The Student Loan process and FAFSA filing takes time to process, so please complete these documents and submit them at least six weeks prior to the start of the semester you are enrolled.

Corporate Partnership

Students and their employers may participate in the Corporate Partnership Program in which Lipscomb University will match an employer’s student educational funding up to 25% off of the total cost of the MBA program.

Learn about our Corporate Partnership Program

Scholarships/Assistantships

Merit scholarships and non-teaching assistantships are awarded each year to selected students in the Graduate School of Business. Applicants for scholarships and graduate assistantships must complete a graduate assistantship application and/or scholarship application (go to onedegreeaway.lipscomb.edu – click MBA, How to Apply, Financial Aid for details). 

Yellow Ribbon Program
The total value of a Lipscomb graduate business degree provided to veterans is sufficient to provide an MBA degree at little to no cost. This amount may include books and fees. For more information visit yellowribbon.lipscomb.edu. 

Is the Program the Right Fit?

After reviewing information about this program, we certainly hope that you'll find a Lipscomb MBA to be the right fit for you. In making your decision, consider the profile of our average student:

• Approximately 80 to 90% of our students work full-time and attend graduate school part-time.
• Approximately 15% of the evening MBA students will finish in a year taking two classes every eight-week term.
• The remainder of students will take 16 months to two years to complete the MBA, with the majority taking one class every eight-week term.
• The average MBA students has six years of work experience.

Lipscomb's students have graduated while managing work and family commitments in addition to their educational pursuits. It is challenging, but yields man benefits for your career today and tomorrow. The working adult should keep in mind that group projects are a required component of most graduate classes.

PMBA Curriculum

The Lipscomb PMBA is taught in a learning module format as seen below. The 36-hour program includes 27 hours of required core coursework and nine hours of concentration coursework. Classes should be taken in sequence within the module.

Strategic Module

PMBA 6062 Strategic Marketing       

The basic objective of this course is intended to provide students with an understanding of the strategic marketing planning process from research and practitioner perspectives. It covers the concept of strategic marketing from the customer and brand perspective. The course will go into the concept of marketing strategy: targeting, getting a sustainable competitive advantages, and brand positioning. Emphasis of this course will also be directed toward marketing implications.             

PMBA 6103  Strategic Management

             This course provides students with the knowledge to develop a holistic approach to business decision making by integrating concepts and experiences from all business areas ordisciplines. The ability to work in a cross-disciplinary setting will be enhanced through group assignments. Topics covered include vision, external and internal analysis, and strategic alternatives. The course is multidisciplinary and highly integrative. The overall objective is tosharpen your abilities to “think strategically” and to diagnose situations from a faith-based and strategic perspective.

PMBA 6121 Consulting Project       

Students will serve as consultants for an area business and will be expected to develop solutions to current problems and issues. Students gain invaluable, hands-on experience while working on actual business porjects, interact with area business professionals and be advised by a faculty member. Guidance will be provided consulting techniques and methodology.

PMBA 6633 Global Business Travel

             This course will give learners international/domestic business exposure and a unique cultural experience with an opportunity to encounter first-hand a global business environment including various business segments, trends, governing/advising bodies, cultural influences,political issues, marketing and service strategies, management approaches and other factors impacting the transaction of business in the chosen destination. Participation is required.

Analytical Tools for Managers Module

PMBA 6023 Accounting for Executives

             This course introduces students to financial and managerial accounting concepts and their application in the decision-making process. Case analyses on a variety of accounting topics will be used to make application of the concepts covered in this class. Specific topics include the conceptual framework, revenue recognition issues and the income statement, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows, corporate accountability, product costing and cost behavior concepts, cost volume profit analysis, planning and budgeting, variance analysis, and non-financial measures of performance.

PMBA 6043 Financial Management & Strategy

             All financial decisions a firm must make are interconnected. Likewise, all major financial decisions affect the overall strategy of the firm. This course focuses on creating awareness of these relationships as well as providing tools for financial and strategic decision making. Topics include project valuation, risk analysis, capital structure, financial signaling, and managerial incentives.

PMBA 6073 Service Operations & Managerial Economics

Service companies constitute the largest and fastest-growing segment of the economy of the United States and most developed countries. The purpose of this course is to understand the effective and efficient management of operations in an organization. This course focuses on critical issues such as product and process planning and design, demand theory, forecasting, demand analysis, resource allocation and cost analysis, staffing, job design and workforce measurement.

Managing Human Capital Module

PMBA 6053 Corporate Governance, Ethics, and Corporate Responsibility

This course examines the basic ethical issues involved in the conduct of business from a biblical perspective. The course will promote critical thinking about business as a social, ethical, moral, and spiritual activity. Students will consider the juxtaposition of Christianity and commerce and the role of character in ethical decision-making and behavior. Students will be introduced to successful Christian business leaders, who will be used extensively in guest-lecture formats. A goal of the course is to encourage and facilitate ethical leadership through a practical study of ethics.

PMBA 6083 Managing Human Resources

This course is designed to provide management insight and an applications-oriented, bottom-line approach to human resource management. It is based on the latest research and practice in the human resource management field. The course is also designed to stimulate critical thinking and to provide skills and techniques that will be used in the world of work. Discussions will include topics such as human resource planning, recruiting, training and development, compensation, and employee relations issues pertinent to the new millennium.

PMBA 6533 Leadership & Organizational Behavior

This course will examine the challenges associated with leading and managing organizational behavior within complex situations. Leadership Organizational Behavior focuses on developing skills for identifying behavioral and organizational problems, creating alternative solutions, making and communicating decisions and winning commitment for your position. We will be looking for nuances of behavior that will lead to a higher level of understanding and hence more effective leadership – nuances of different management styles, understanding the boss or subordinates, coping with conflict, developing career strategies, and other leadership challenges.

Concentration Module

Students select three 3-hour courses (9 hours total) from eight current concentration options or a distributed concentration made up of the student’s choice of three 3-hour courses from among the concentrations.

Current concentration options include:

Conflict Management                     Healthcare Management

Leadership                                     Nonprofit Management

Sustainability                                 Sports Management

Financial Services                         Accounting

Click here to find out more about concentrations.

PMBA Program Schedule 2011-12

Entry Dates in August and January

Application Deadline for: Fall admission – July 15 / Spring admission – November 15                        

The PMBA program is an weekend program that meets over the span of two weekends, on Fridays from 4:00-8:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 8:00-5:00 p.m. over eight-week terms. The 36-hour program includes 27 hours in required courses and nine in concentration courses.

Click here to see the 2011-2012 PMBA course schedule.