Admission Procedures Admission Eligibility Admission Requirements Appeal of Graduate Admission

Transfer Residency Requirement Academic Policies Degree Requirements

The University of North Georgia (UNG) Cottrell Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a cohort program with a new group of approximately 20 to 25 students starting each August. The 30-semester-hour graduate program is organized to be completed in 21–24 months. Additional course work prior to the start of the Cottrell MBA program may be necessary for students with non-business undergraduate degrees.

The Cottrell MBA program is offered at the Cumming campus. Classes meet two nights per week. Students will carry a six semester hour course load during the fall and spring semesters and no more than a six semester hour course load during the summer.  The Cottrell MBA is a part-time graduate program.

The Cottrell MBA program selects a cohort of students with a diverse background of work and educational experience. Early application is advised since initial acceptance notification can occur as early as the fall semester in the year prior to program start date in August.

Two required events help initiate students into the program. First, students attend a two-day Cottrell MBA retreat at the Cumming campus approximately two weeks before the first fall semester.  Second, students attend an orientation session one week prior to the start of the Cottrell MBA program.

Graduate Studies’ Admission Procedures

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Application materials may be obtained from Graduate Studies or from the Cottrell MBA website www.ung.edu/mba. Applicants must pay a one-time, non-refundable application fee. Admission requirements are listed below. When all application materials have been received by Graduate Studies, notification will be sent to the applicant and a copy of all materials will be forwarded to the program. Upon review, a letter from the Cottrell MBA program will be sent to the applicant verifying acceptance or denial, conditional on verification of authenticity of all application materials by Graduate Studies. Once application materials have been authenticated, the candidate will receive an official admission letter from the program.

Students who are admitted, but do not enroll with the cohort must reapply to the program by submitting a new application to Graduate Studies for readmission. Students who were previously enrolled but have not been in attendance within the last three semesters must also reapply to the program by submitting a new application to Graduate Studies for readmission. All documents and materials submitted to fulfill the application requirements for entry to a program at UNG become the property of the university and will not be returned. Materials are kept for one year for incomplete application files and for three years for completed application files.

Cottrell MBA Admission Eligibility

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1. Bachelor’s degree in business from a college or university with separate accreditation for the business program (AACSB or ACBSP).
2. Bachelor’s degree (non-business) from a regionally accredited college or university.

Transcripts of applicants without a degree in business will be evaluated on a course-by-course basis. Applicants who are deficient in one or more foundation content areas will be considered for admission to the Cottrell MBA program with foundations. Students who successfully complete the foundation requirements will be included in the next available cohort.

Evaluation of Credit for Meeting Foundation Requirements

The Cottrell MBA academic advisor will evaluate previous academic credit for meeting the following foundation requirements:

• Accounting Concepts [Financial and Managerial Accounting]
• Principles of Finance
• Fundamentals of Management
• Principles of Marketing
• Survey of Economics [Macro and Micro Economics]
• Statistical Analysis

Foundation courses must have been completed with a minimum grade of C within ten years of admission to the Cottrell MBA program. The Cottrell MBA Director may, after review of the applicant’s records and professional work history, grant an exception to this requirement.

The admission letter for students admitted to the Cottrell MBA program with foundations will indicate foundation topics that must be satisfied prior to starting the program. The Cottrell MBA Director will meet with each student individually to address options for completing foundation requirements.

Cottrell MBA Admission Requirements

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1. Graduate Studies application.
2. Non-refundable application fee.
3. Attendance at a Cottrell MBA information session or other approved meeting with the Cottrell MBA Director or person designated by the Cottrell MBA Director.
4. Official scores on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), Graduate Record Exam General Test (GRE), or evidence of a graduate degree. Only test scores that are less than six years old will be considered.
5. Official transcripts from all institutions of higher education previously attended. Official international transcripts must have a foreign course-by-course credential evaluation done by an independent evaluation service that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, Inc. (NACES). Evaluations must include certification that the applicant has received a baccalaureate from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum grade point average of 2.75.
6. Resume.
7. Two letters of recommendations from professionals familiar with your work, e.g. current or past supervisors or managers.
8. Minimum of two years of professional work experience.
9. Proof of lawful presence in the United States, if applying for in-state tuition.
10. UNG Certificate of Immunization showing proof of immunizations as required by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia should be submitted to Graduate Studies, grads@ung.edu, before registration.

There are five types of admission to the Cottrell MBA program:

• Regular Admission [30-semester-hour program]
• Irregular Admission [30-semester-hour program]
• Provisional Admission [30-semester-hour program]
• Regular with Foundations Admission [includes foundation requirements]
• Irregular with Foundations Admission [includes foundation requirements]

Applicants’ grade point averages, GMAT or GRE scores and work experience are used to select applicants for admission to the Cottrell MBA program.

	Admission to Cottrell MBA with Foundations Program	Admission to Cottrell MBA Program
Regular	Students without a degree in Business but have an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited college or university.	Students with a degree in Business from a university with separate accreditation for business who supply all necessary application materials and who meet cohort requirements.
Irregular	Same as above but without GMAT or GRE scores.	Same as above but without GMAT or GRE scores.
Provisional	No provisional status for Cottrell MBA with Foundations is available.	Students who have the potential to be successful in the Cottrell MBA program, but do not meet cohort requirements.

Irregular Admission

Students admitted under an irregular admission type may register for no more than a total of six hours of graduate credit. Irregularly admitted students should schedule an appointment with the Cottrell MBA academic advisor for individual advisement. Student status will be reviewed to determine eligibility for regular admission upon receipt of official GMAT or GRE scores. Scores must be received prior to the first day of the term for which review of admission status is to be conducted.

Irregularly admitted students are not eligible for financial aid. 

Provisional Admission

Students admitted provisionally may register for no more than a total of six semester hours of graduate credit. Provisionally admitted students should schedule an appointment with the Cottrell MBA academic advisor for individual advisement. Student status will be reviewed to determine eligibility for regular admission following completion of six semester hours. Provisionally admitted students who earn a grade of C or lower in any Cottrell MBA course taken during the provisional period will not be allowed to continue in the program. A student who has been removed because of a deficient grade may petition by letter to the Dean of the Mike Cottrell College of Business for readmission as a provisional student in the next available cohort.

Provisionally admitted students are not eligible for financial aid. 

Transient Student Admission

An individual currently enrolled at a regionally accredited college or university as a graduate student in good standing may apply to UNG as a transient student. Transient students may only enroll in MBA elective courses. These are typically offered summer semesters. Individuals must receive pre-approval from the Cottrell MBA Director before enrolling in courses. Requests will be considered on a space-available basis.

The following documents must be received prior to admission: 

1. Graduate Studies application.
2. Non-refundable application fee.
3. Letter of good standing or transient permission form documenting that the student is not on academic probation or suspension or on disciplinary suspension at the student’s home institution. The letter or form should state that the student is in good standing and should indicate the course(s) the student is allowed to take at UNG.
4. Proof of lawful presence in the United States, if applying for in-state tuition.
5. UNG Certificate of Immunization showing proof of immunizations as required by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia before registration should be submitted to Graduate Studies, grads@ung.edu, before registration.

Transient admission is for one semester only. An individual who wishes to return to UNG as a transient student for a subsequent semester must reapply to Graduate Studies.

Admissions Requirements for International Students Non-Native English Speakers

Applicants whose native language is not English must submit TOEFL or IELTS scores. Minimum acceptable scores on the TOEFL are 550 on the paper version; 213 on the computer version; 79 on the Internet version; or 6.5 on the IELTS. This language proficiency requirement is waived for applicants who have received a degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or from institutions in countries where English is the primary language.

International students who are required to enroll in more than six semester hours per semester or who are not allowed to work are not eligible for the Cottrell MBA program. 

Appeal of Graduate Admission

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A candidate whose application is denied has the right to appeal the decision. An appeal must be made in written form to the Cottrell MBA Program, Mike Cottrell College of Business, University of North Georgia, Suite 232, 300 Aquatic Circle, Cumming, GA, 30040. The letter should clearly state the grounds for appeal. Students whose appeals are accepted will be admitted provisionally and are not eligible for financial aid while enrolled with this status. Students may not appeal for regular admission.

Cottrell MBA Transfer Residency Requirement

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To be awarded the MBA degree, students are expected to take all course work as part of the Cottrell MBA cohort and must earn a minimum of 24 semester hours of graduate degree requirements in residence. The Cottrell MBA Director and the Dean of the Mike Cottrell College of Business must approve all transfer credit. Transfer credit will be evaluated for use only in meeting elective credit in the Cottrell MBA program at the 6000-level. Transfer credit will not be given for any course in which a grade of less than a B was earned. All credits presented for the MBA degree must have been earned within six years of the date of graduation from the Cottrell MBA program.

Cottrell MBA Academic Policies

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Satisfactory Progress

Cottrell MBA students progress through the Cottrell MBA program of study as long as long as no more than one grade is below a B and the final grade point average in the program is at least a 3.0. Students who earn a second C in the program will be withdrawn. The student may apply to Graduate Studies for readmission as part of a later cohort. 

If a student withdraws from a course during fall or spring, the student will not be allowed to continue in the program with the current cohort. The student may apply to Graduate Studies for readmission as part of a later cohort. 

Incomplete Grades

The Cottrell MBA program adheres to the uniform grading system in the Academic Information  section of the Graduate Catalog. Grades of Incomplete are only allowed for non-academic reasons and will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. No degree will be conferred on a student who has an unresolved Incomplete grade remaining on his/her transcript. 

Academic Standing Policy

Cottrell MBA students whose academic performance is unsatisfactory will be subject to the following:

1. Probation — Student will be placed on probation if his or her grade point average falls below 3.0.
   
   No student may be a candidate for the degree while on probation. Probation will be removed when the student’s grade point average reaches 3.0 or higher. Students who are on probation may not register until advised.
    
2. Suspension — A student will be placed on suspension for any of the following reasons:
   a. Student earns two grades of C or lower in any Cottrell MBA course.
   b. Student has already served three consecutive semesters on academic probation.
   
   No student may enroll in graduate courses at UNG while on suspension. Courses taken at another institution during the period of suspension will not be recognized for transfer credit. If suspended, a student must apply to Graduate Studies for readmission to the program by submitting to Graduate Studies a new application and a letter addressed to the Dean of the Mike Cottrell College of Business outlining a rationale for readmission. The student may petition for readmission as a probationary student to the next available cohort. The student will be readmitted only upon approval of the Dean and the Cottrell MBA Director.

Academic and Professional Integrity Policy

At the end of each semester, faculty or the Cottrell MBA Director may intervene to establish a plan of action for any student in the Cottrell MBA program whose competency is in question, for reasons including unprofessional, disruptive, or unethical behavior in the classroom or applied setting. The plan should be signed by the student and the Cottrell MBA Director with copies forwarded to the Dean of the Mike Cottrell College of Business. 

Academic Integrity

The University of North Georgia recognizes honesty and integrity as being necessary to the academic functioning of the university. UNG graduate students are expected to uphold the university regulations addressed in the Student Code of Conduct, Article 3, Rule 2.

Professional Integrity

The Cottrell MBA adheres to the university’s definition of professional integrity as described in the Academic Information  portion of the Graduate Catalog.

Technology

The Cottrell MBA is based in the Cumming campus.  The campus is equipped with wireless access. Although not required for all class sessions, students are expected to provide and maintain their own laptop computer. Most assignments can be completed using Microsoft Office 2010 on a Windows platform. 

Work Expectations

A minimum of two years of professional work experience, subsequent to receiving a bachelor’s degree, is required prior to being admitted in the Cottrell MBA program.  An applicant who has extensive professional experience prior to receiving a bachelor’s degree may be granted admission at the discretion of the Cottrell MBA Director. While enrolled in the Cottrell MBA program, all students are expected to be employed full time. Class engagement and course assignments expect students to draw from experiences in their current workplace.

Cottrell MBA Degree Requirements

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Graduation requirements for the Cottrell MBA student include:

1. Completion of 30 designated semester hours of study.
2. Cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher (a maximum of one C) with no grade of less than a C.
3. Completion of at least 24 semester hours of graduate degree requirements in residence.
4. Completion of all degree-related course requirements, including transfer credit, within a six-year period.