The Master of Science in Business Administration (MSBA) program is a 33-hour program that has a typical graduation timeline of two (2) years.

The program offers the most in depth exploration of Finance & related topics of any of the Master's programs offered at the University of Memphis. Prominent features of the program are the wide range of Finance electives, evening classes that are convenient to students working in the Memphis area and small class sizes.

The Master of Science in Business Administration (MSBA) programs give students more emphasis in the specialty area than traditional MBA programs. Fogelman MSBA graduates work on several goals such as the following. 

1. Acquiring theoretical & practical financial knowledge & skills consistent with 21st century organizational needs & financial industry careers.
   
   
2. Learning about academic opportunities for future success in financial certification exams or a terminal degree in Finance.
   
   
3. Becoming well-rounded professionals consistent with the needs in a wide variety of working situations.

The MSBA program assumes a pre-qualification in Calculus. Students entering with a bachelor's degree in Business or Engineering are usually able to enter the program without further study.

Prerequisite of MATH 1830 or its equivalent

GRE or GMAT score required

Students with the necessary pre-qualifications may have the prerequisite waived by the program coordinator.

Each candidate must complete a minimum of 33 semester hours of approved graduate courses

The 33 graduate credits include a minimum of 18 hours in the concentration (21 if a thesis is written; students electing to write a thesis should familiarize themselves with the Thesis/Dissertation Preparation Guide before starting to write). At least 24 semester hours must earned in courses at the 7000 level or higher.

Finance Concentration = 18 hours

• Six courses (18 semester hours) must come from the following list, with at least three (9 semester hours) at the 7000 level or higher.
• NOTE: this list is subject to change. Students must consult the UofM Catalog or their academic advisor to ensure they are taking the correct courses.
  

• Electives = 15 hours
  • The remaining 5 or less courses (15 semester hours) may be chosen from graduate courses offered by other departments in the Fogelman College. Upon approval of an advisor, a graduate course can be taken from colleges other than the Fogelman College. Between concentration requirements & electives, no more than 3 courses (9 semester hours) may be taken at the 6000 level.

Courses taken as part of the MSBA Finance Program can also be counted toward the Professional Real Estate Program, Financial Analyst Certificate or the Financial Planning Certificate.

Prospective students applying to the MSBA Finance program should submit an online application & pay the relevant application fee ($35 for domestic students & $60 for international students). They should also send transcripts of their undergraduate work & test scores on either the GRE or GMAT to the Graduate Admissions Office. Once applications are complete, the Graduate Admissions Office forwards them to the Graduate Programs Office & the FIR department for review.

For US students, the Fall application deadline is July 1. The Spring application deadline is December 1.

Well-qualified undergraduate students who are in their final year of the BBA program in the Fogelman College may benefit from the Accelerated BBA/MSBA Finance program. Interested students must make an appointment with the MSBA Finance program coordinator prior to registering for their final semester of undergraduate work. These students must hold an undergraduate GPA of 3.25 or above. Once accepted in the accelerated program, students may register for up to 9 hours of graduate courses that may count for both undergraduate & graduate credit. As a result, students would be able to earn the MSBA Finance degree with only 24 hours beyond the BBA degree. Another benefit of the accelerated program is that prospective graduate students can avoid the GRE/GMAT requirement.

The college requires an evaluation of transcripts by WES for students who are applying for a graduate degree program in the Fogelman College who earned their last degree at a university outside of the USA.

Admission Process

Applicants to all MSBA programs in the Fogelman College must have the following:

1. An undergraduate degree from an accredited college or institution;
2. Application for admission & appropriate fee;
3. Official transcript from each college or university attended;
4. Satisfactory performance on undergraduate coursework & a satisfactory score on the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) or the Graduate Record Examination GRE;
5. International applicants must submit an acceptable TOEFL score.

Qualified candidates may enter these programs at the beginning of any semester.

The Graduate Non-Degree classification allows individuals who have not yet decided to pursue a graduate degree or who have professional development needs to enroll in MSBA courses (a maximum of 9 credit hours). To remain enrolled as a Graduate Non-Degree student, individuals must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0. Students should note that the 9-hour maximum is more stringent than the University Graduate School policy.

Students in the MSBA Finance program may obtain up to 3 hours of academic credit for finance-related internships. In order to get 3 hours of credit for FIR 7911, they must work a minimum of 150 hours in the internship & work with a faculty member to show evidence of their accomplishments in the internship. A major advantage of studying in the Memphis area is the wide variety of employers who are able to offer work & internship opportunities for students.

The Professional Development Center (PDC) located in the Fogelman College offers a wide variety of support services to students who need assistance finding internships & career opportunities in the areas of finance & business. Students turn to the PDC for help in improving their resumes, strategies to enhance their interviewing & networking skills, & seminars to learn how to be successful in the corporate world. Finance students benefit from the professional development series Futures in Finance aimed specifically at students seeking a career in Finance.

MSBA Finance students seeking further practical learning in the investments area may benefit from participating in the CFA Institute Research Challenge & the TVA Investment Challenge. In the CFA Institute Research Challenge, selected students compete against students from other universities to show evidence of superior ability in analyzing a single company. In the TVA Investment Challenge, students invest actual money held by the Tennessee Valley Authority with the goal of earning a higher return than teams from other regional universities.

In both competitions, University of Memphis students have at their disposal the resources of the Cook Analytics & Trading Lab, which is located on the ground floor of the Fogelman Classroom Building. This new facility greatly enhances students' abilities to conduct financial research & to acquire cutting-edge research skills that employers seek.