Master of Business Administration

With a master’s degree in business from Southern, you are positioned for career advancement.

• Graduates are prepared for expanded job responsibility and leadership roles.
• Southern graduates are highly regarded and recruited” by major corporations and leading Adventist Institutions 
• Chattanooga is “Gig City.” With the fastest internet service in the country, Chattanooga hosts several major-name employers in tech, business, and industry, including health care, automotive, logistics, energy, manufacturing, and insurance. 
• Southern has a strong healthcare affiliation. The School of Business maintains close ties with leaders in healthcare organizations and enjoys strong collaboration with the School of Nursing.
• View more about the dual degree program: MSN/MBA »
• View more about the dual degree program: MSW/MBA »

How the program works

Eight-week terms allow students to focus on fewer classes per term while accelerating degree completion. Online courses provide convenience and flexibility, allowing students to balance life and school responsibilities. Most part-time students are able to complete the MBA program in two to three years, and full-time students may finish in one calendar year. 

Available completely online
The MBA degree is offered completely online for all emphases, which include Accounting – CPA prep only; Healthcare Administration; and Management.

Eligibility

• Bachelor's degree:  Bachelor’s degree in any area from an accredited program
• GPA requirement:  Minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0

Admission process

1. Graduate application:  Submit a graduate application (with non-refundable fee of $40). Apply now
2. Transcripts:  Submit official college and university transcripts. Many institutions subscribe to the convenient transcript-request service at National Student Clearinghouse, or you may also contact your institution directly. Have your transcripts sent to the Graduate and Professional Studies office (gradtranscripts@southern.edu). If you earned your prerequisite degree at Southern, you do not need to complete this step.
3. Recommendations:  Submit two recommendation forms (completed by work supervisors or professors). This should be done as part of the online application process.
4. GMAT requirements:  Submit scores from the Graduate Management Admission Test taken within the past five years.
   • Possible exceptions: With approval, applicants may be admitted without the GMAT if they have an undergraduate degree from an accredited U.S. institution with a minimum GPA of 3.25 or above, or a GPA of 3.00 and five years of full-time business-related management experience. These possible exceptions do not extend to international students, who must provide an official GMAT score and a TOEFL score of at least 100 (Internet-based) as a prerequisite for acceptance. 

Application deadlines

Term	U.S. Residents	International
Fall	July 1	May 1
Winter	November 1	September 1
Summer	April 1	February 1

International students

Applicants who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States are considered international students and must meet additional requirements for admission.

• View international-student admission requirements »

  1. All non-U.S. transcripts must be submitted through one of the following approved credential evaluation agencies:
     • SpanTran: use this link to send to Southern
     • Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc (ECE): www.ece.org
     • World Education Services: www.wes.org
     Evaluations are to be sent directly to Southern, Graduate Studies, by the service. All evaluation reports are considered to be advisory. Southern reserves the right to make final equivalency decisions.
  2. Certification of English proficiency.
     See School specific requirements in the Graduate Catalog. Scores are valid for two years from the test date. Learn more at:
     • ets.org/toefl »
     • englishtest.duolingo.com/en »
  3. Submit Declaration of Finances.
     International students must have financial resources sufficient to support themselves for the calendar year, in addition to an international-student deposit of $3,000 (USD). Download Form

  • • To be issued an I-20 Form, students must also provide a letter from financial sponsors (including their name and address), as well as copies of bank statements for the last three months showing the balance history for the student's account or the financial sponsor's account.

Online programs
Since international students enrolling in programs offered completely online do not travel to the United States, they are not required to obtain the Form I-20 or F-1 Student Visa, and they do not have to submit the Declaration of Finances. Because the MBA is available completely online, it doesn’t qualify students for an F-1 Student visa. : 

• Accounting (CPA prep only)
• Healthcare Administration
• Management

Faculty