Mar 28, 2024  
2005-2006 Graduate Catalog 
    
2005-2006 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]


Business Administration



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The M.B.A. program at the Maine Business School is designed to provide students the skills and understanding to achieve long-term success in the complex, rapidly changing, and global economy. The program emphasizes experiential, hands-on learning, teamwork, critical thinking, and leadership while still delivering a core set of knowledge in the traditional business disciplines. The University of Maine M.B.A. program produces graduates with practical business skills and global perspective, but more importantly, produces business leaders who can think strategically and critically, adapt and foster change, inspire and lead, and create and convey a vision.

The M.B.A. program consists of 42 credits: 30 credits of classroom-based courses and 12 experiential credits – residency week, an internship, and an international trip.  There are six core classes covering the major business disciplines, and four elective courses allowing students to choose a concentration or track.

Admitted students may commence their studies on a full- or part-time basis in the fall, spring or summer terms, although most students begin during the August residency week.  Full-time students who have completed the foundation courses or their equivalents, and who begin in May through August, can complete the program of study in 12 to 16 months. 

M.B.A. students at the Maine Business School come from varied backgrounds, with undergraduate degrees from more than 50 undergraduate institutions and more than 30 different majors.  Eight foreign countries are represented in the most recent M.B.A. class.

The Maine Business School M.B.A. is accredited by AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Foundation Requirements


All students are expected to enter the program with knowledge of macroeconomics, microeconomics, and financial and managerial accounting. These prerequisites may be met on campus through two accelerated courses for pre-M.B.A. students, listed below.  Students entering the M.B.A. program also need knowledge of marketing, management, statistics, and finance.  These requirements can be met through prior course work or through the completion of tutorials coordinated by the Maine Business School Graduate Office.

Experiential Requirements


In addition, all candidates for the MBA degree must complete the following three experiential requirements:

The Residence Week


All students attend this week-long residency before their first fall semester.

The Field Experience/Trip


The Field Experience/Trip (4 credits): All students will be required to complete a group field experience, usually in an international environment, near the end of the program. In the past our students have joined students from other countries on projects for foreign firms.

The Internship/Consulting Requirement


The Internship/Consulting Requirement (4 credits): All students will be expected to apply the skills from the program to an organization in a hands-on environment. This may be an internship in a profit-making firm, or a not-for-profit, or being part of a consulting team from the Business School working on a project for a firm.

Electives


Electives and Tracks


Candidates for the MBA degree may complete a General Management Track or choose more focused tracks in finance or decision sciences.

Students pursuing the General Management track can choose their four electives from any 500-600 level MBA course offered by the Maine Business School. With approval, students may also take appropriate courses from other programs on campus.

Decision Science Track


Students take:

Finance Track


Students take:

Admission Requirements


Admission to the University of Maine MBA program is competitive. In its admission process, the University of Maine Business Graduate Program considers factors that indicate the potential to successfully complete the MBA program and achieve positions of leadership in the private or public sector. That potential is judged by academic performance, GMAT score, letters of recommendation, communication skills, and work experience.

Academic Performance: Applicants must have a four-year U.S. bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, or a four-year international equivalent. In reviewing the academic record, the Graduate Committee considers both the institution attended and curriculum. Students with GPAs over 3.0 are considered competitive; our most recent class averaged 3.35.

GMAT Score: All applicants for the MBA program must submit official scores obtained on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) taken within the last five years. Students are considered competitive with GMAT scores above 500. The average for our most recent class was 555. In addition, the Business School requires a 3.5 on the analytical writing portion of the exam. Students who score below 500 (or below 3.5 on the writing portion) will be asked to retake the GMAT exam before their application will be considered.

Students whose GMAT score or previous academic performance does not fall in the competitive range may be admitted if the Business School feels there is substantial alternate evidence of aptitude for business graduate work.

Letters of Recommendation: Three letters of recommendation must be included with the completed application. If possible, MBA applicants are encouraged to submit letters from current or former supervisors or those who can comment on work-related responsibilities and accomplishments, career advancement and potential, managerial experience, and future career goals. Meaningful academic references are also acceptable, and are most relevant for recent undergraduates. References should detail your strengths, weaknesses, and potential for academic and managerial success.

Communication Skills: Students are required to submit a personal essay as part of their application. The essay is an opportunity for the candidate to describe important attributes not apparent from the rest of the application, and also to convey one’s unique background, character, and ability to add value to the Business School’s Graduate Program. The essays are evaluated not only for content, but also for writing style and grammar. Interviews are not required for admission to the Business School’s graduate programs, but may be requested by either the applicant or the Business School. If requested, candidates will interview with a University of Maine Graduate Program representative prior to the final decision on admission.

University of Maine Business School Graduate Programs require extensive oral and written communication. All students will be assessed on these skills at the beginning of the program. Those demonstrating insufficient skills will be required to utilize campus resources (e.g., Writing Center).

Work Experience: Work experience is not required for admission to the University of Maine MBA program, but it is preferred. Significant work experience with management responsibilities is especially important to demonstrate maturity and motivation by a student with a weak academic record.

International Students: Applicants whose native language is not English must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The test must have been taken within the past five years; the minimum required score is 213 on the computer-based version or 550 on the paper-based test. However, TOEFL is not necessarily a good indicator of English speaking skills. The University of Maine Business School Graduate Programs require extensive oral and written communication and all students will be assessed on these skills at the beginning of their program. International students demonstrating insufficient skills can be required to attend courses at the University of Maine’s Intensive English Institute in order to continue in the program. Occasionally international students must submit their transcripts to a professional evaluation service (at the student’s expense) in order to demonstrate course equivalencies.

Graduate Standing Requirement: All students enrolled in 600-level BUA courses must be matriculated in a graduate program at The University of Maine or elsewhere. Visiting graduate students will request their department or university to provide a letter of good standing to the Business School Director of Graduate Programs.

Students with an application submitted and transcripts received who are deemed potentially admissible can take one 600-level BUA course before admittance in the program.

Graduate Faculty


Daniel E. Innis, Ph.D. (Ohio State, 1991), Professor of Marketing, Dean of the College of Business, Public Policy and Health, and Director of the Maine Business School. Customer service performance and a firm’s overall performance, the impact of quick response logistics on channel member behavior.

David J. Barrett, A.B.D. (Indiana University), Assistant Professor of Accounting.

Richard H. Borgman, Ph.D. (Florida, 1994), Associate Professor of Finance. Financial institution management, securitization, portfolio risk management, asset pricing, international finance.

Martha Broderick, J.D. (Western New England School of Law, 1983). Instructor in business law.

Steven C. Colburn, Ph.D. (Georgia, 1989), Associate Professor of Accounting. Taxation of individuals, corporations, trusts and estates, with emphasis on tax planning.

Harold Z. Daniel, Ph.D. (Connecticut, 1997), Associate Professor of Marketing. Organizational buying behavior and strategic acquisition, collaborative research and development, strategic management of technology, diffusion of innovations, customer satisfaction, student retention in institutions of higher education.

John K. Ford, D.B.A. (Harvard, 1977), Nicolas Salgo Professor of Business Administration. Professor of Finance. Diversification of bond and stock portfolios.

Virginia R. Gibson, Ph.D. (State University of New York at Binghamton, 1986), Associate Professor of Management Information Systems. Information systems,  Ecommerce, EBusiness.

Carol B. Gilmore, Ph.D. (Massachusetts, 1979), Professor of Management. Labor law, labor arbitration. Public sector collective bargaining, personnel management, employee rights, employee relations law.

Bret Golann, Ph.D. (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1996), Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship/Marketing. Entrepreneurship and managing rapid growth.

Wayne Ingalls, MBA (Wisconsin, Madison, 1968), Certified Public Accountant. Instructor in Accounting.

Nory B. Jones, Ph.D. (Missouri, 2001), Assistant Professor of Management Information Systems. Knowledge management, collaborative technologies, and diffusion of technological innovations.

Omar J. Khan, Ph.D. candidate (St. Louis University, 2005), Assistant Professor of Marketing.

John F. Mahon, D.B.A. (Boston University, 1982), John M. Murphy Chair of International Business Policy and Strategy. Professor of Management. Management policy and strategy, global strategy.

Ivan M. Manev, Ph.D. (Boston College, 1997), Associate Professor of Management. Management of the multinational corporation, formation of strategy and competitive advantage in social networks, management in post-communist transition societies.

Kim K. R. McKeage, Ph.D. (Massachusetts, 1996), Associate Professor of Marketing. Retailing, customer service quality, relationship marketing, internal marketing, socially responsible marketing, marketing education.

David M. Steiger, Ph.D. (Oklahoma State, 1993), Associate Professor of Management Information Systems. Knowledge management, data mining, decision support systems.

Natalie M. Steiger, Ph.D. (North Carolina State, 1999), Assistant Professor of Management. Systems analysis and optimization, operations research and production.

Robert A. Strong, Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State, 1983), University of Maine Foundation Professor of Investment Education and Professor of Finance. The dividend growth rate implied in common stock beta; asset allocation and purchasing power risk; bond portfolio duration.

Marie-Christine Therrien, Ph.D. (Ecole des Mines de Paris, 1998), Assistant Professor of Management / Canadian Studies.

Gloria Vollmers, Ph.D. (University of North Texas, 1993), Associate Professor of Accounting and Associate Dean. History of accounting, ethics in accounting and business, business history.

Stephanie A. Welcomer, Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State, 1997), Associate Professor of Management. Social and cognitive networks, stakeholder theory, organizations and the natural environment.

Additional information is available from:
Maine Business School Graduate Programs Office
Room 209 Donald P. Corbett Business Building
The University of Maine
Orono, ME 04469-5723
Phone: (207) 581-1973
E-mail: mba@maine.edu
Web: www.umaine.edu/business

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