Resources for prospective students

Master of Business Administration

It’s a complex program with a simple promise:  A high quality MBA at an affordable price.  Through the WIU MBA students are prepared for socially responsible leadership and managerial roles in an interdependent, multicultural, and diverse business world.

The WIU MBA is accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) – putting WIU in the top 25% of business schools nationwide. 

AACSB Accreditation LogoOverview

The WIU MBA is open to business graduates and those in liberal arts, engineering, mathematics, science, and other fields.  Degree program requirements are based on previously completed coursework and may range between 33 and 60 semester hours.

MBA courses are offered by the Departments of Management; Marketing and Finance; Accountancy; Economics; Information Management and Decision Sciences; and Agriculture.

The mission of the MBA program at Western Illinois University is to prepare individuals for leadership and socially responsible managerial roles in an interdependent, multicultural, and diverse business world.

Coursework

Foundation courses provide a solid background in concepts of business functions for students who do not have satisfactory academic work in these areas.  Successful MBA students need a base of up to 27 semester hours of coursework in accounting, economic theory, the legal environment of business, business statistics, operations research, management principles, marketing, operations management, and management information systems.

Focus area courses develop functional and technical knowledge, analytical skills, and interpersonal communication. Students select courses that give them well-rounded exposure in the following core perspectives:  Organizational, Financial, Global, and Competitive Planning.  A capstone course, strategic management, provides the framework for full integration of the specific business disciplines. 

Concentration courses are chosen from one of the functional areas or from a cross disciplinary set of courses.  This provides students with maximum flexibility while maintaining specific career needs and aspirations.

GMAT

The GMAT exam is a requirement for entrance into the MBA program at Western Illinois University. The test is given at different sites around the country and internationally. The GMAT website will help you navigate through the process leading up to the test. It will also give you information about testing sites. You will receive a raw score immediately; however, your official score will take approximately 2-3 weeks to arrive at WIU.

The GMAT is scored 200-800 with the mean being 530. WIU requires an acceptable combination of undergraduate GPA and GMAT to fulfill the following criteria:

(200 x GPA) + GMAT greater than or equal to 1100. A minimum GMAT composite score of 450 is required. When a student has an admission formula between 1000 and 1099 and a composite GMAT of 450 or above, they may be accepted as a probationary student.

Graduate Assistantships

Students can apply for tuition assistance via a Graduate Assistantship. The College of Business and Technology awards 8 graduate assistantships annually. These are highly competitive and are awarded based on GMAT score, GPA, and personal recommendations.

The CBT assistantships are presently categorized as 2/3 time (or 10 hours of work per week). Students are paid a stipend of $506 per month and receive a full tuition waiver.

There are other assistantships available on campus as well. For more comprehensive information regarding graduate assistantships, please visit the WIU School of Graduate Studies.