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Master of Business Administration (MBA)

4+1 program

4+1 Program

Roanoke College's MBA is a 4+1 program allowing students to complete their undergraduate degree in four years and their MBA after a fifth year. Our master's level program is implemented as a face-to-face degree with a focus on teamwork, leadership and ethics to develop socially responsible citizens. It consists of summer and regular-term courses and require 10 master's level courses taken by yearly cohorts of 20 students. These cohorts will contain four teams working together on projects that will culminate in a master's level comprehensive team project. We also offer a 2-year, self-paced, 100% online MBA for those who have already completed their bachelor’s degree.

students in class

Why get your MBA at Roanoke?

  • Custom Learning

    In-person classes, direct faculty engagement, small cohort model and deeper peer collaboration

  • Grow as a leader

    Rotating team assignments to build leadership and adaptability

  • Network

    Networking events with alumni, faculty and local business leaders 

  • Career Ready

    Capstone projects that tackle real-world challenges and a special topics course focused on global business issues

Program Highlights & Learning Outcomes

Program Highlights

  • We offer a face-to-face master's level program, which is increasingly difficult to find.
  • With small class sizes and a small cohort, you can make meaningful connections with both faculty and your peers.
  • You will be part of a different team each semester, which allows for building skills as team members and as team leaders.
  • Our master's level program will have many networking opportunities with alumni and professionals in the local business community, and through faculty introductions.
  • Our special topics course has a global theme, allowing you to apply your knowledge to current events. 

Learning Outcomes

Leadership and Teamwork Skills
Students graduating with an MBA degree will be able to form, lead and work effectively on diverse organizational teams.

Knowledge
Students graduating with an MBA degree will be able to synthesize knowledge from all functional areas of business into appropriate applications.

Critical Thinking
Students graduating with an MBA degree will be able to think critically through complex business problems and provide viable solutions.

Communication
Students graduating with an MBA degree will be able to communicate effectively with advanced written, oral, analytical and presentation skills to function effectively in complex business environments.

Ethical Reasoning
Students graduating with an MBA degree will be able to guide and distinguish ethical and socially responsible behavior in the workplace.

Multicultural/Global Business
Students graduating with an MBA degree will be able to utilize alternate viewpoints in order to compare and contrast multi-cultural/global issues related to business.

A student sits in an MBA class.

Courses

Courses Overview

Below are the following master's level courses that will be completed during the MBA program as a full-time student (10 units=10 courses):

Summer (3 units)

BUAD 500 Leadership & Ethics
BUAD 548 Supply Chain Management & Logistics
BUAD 554 Organization Behavior & HRM

Fall (3 units)

BUAD 533 Strategic Marketing
BUAD 525 Accounting
BUAD 560 Special Topics

Spring (3 units)

BUAD 542 Finance
BUAD 521 Managerial Economics
BUAD 570 Research & Analysis

Summer (1 unit)

BUAD 599 Community/Corporate Project

Course Descriptions

BUAD 500 – Leadership and Ethics
This course provides an examination of theoretical principles and applications as they relate to ethical leadership. The course will also include the fundamentals of team dynamics and team leadership. (1)

Lecture: 3 hrs/week
Pre-requisites: BUAD 499

BUAD 521 – Managerial Economics
Applies economic analysis to managerial decision-making in market contexts shaped by domestic and international developments.  Topics covered include cost-benefit analysis, pricing and profit maximization, market structures, foreign exchange markets, and uncertainty. (1)

Lecture: 3 hrs/week
Pre-requisites: BUAD 499

BUAD 525 – Managerial Accounting
This course provides an overview of managerial accounting with support to management decision-making.  The course emphasizes the methods available to measure and evaluate costs for decision-making and performance evaluation purposes. (1)

Lecture: 3 hrs/week
Pre-requisites: BUAD 499

BUAD 533 – Strategic Marketing
This course offers an advanced view of marketing with focus on a systematic process for developing, planning, and evaluating strategic marketing decisions. While the course builds on the function and the tactics of marketing, considerable attention is given to enhancing capacity to thinking strategically.  The combined roles of social media and analytics will be examined for their prominence in marketing strategy and practice.  (1)

Lecture: 3 hrs/week
Pre-requisites: BUAD 499

BUAD 542 – Managerial Finance
This course will explore the financial management of an organization. The scope of the course includes historical, theoretical, and procedural analysis of the firm’s finance function with specific emphasis on maximizing shareholder value. Focus areas include capital structure, dividend policy, working capital management, and valuation. Through analyzing cases, as well as completing assigned exercises and problems, you will further develop and strengthen your financial management skills required to meet the challenges facing today's complex organizations.  (1)

Lecture: 3 hrs/week
Pre-requisites: BUAD 499 

BUAD 548 – Supply Chain Management & Logistics
Develop a strategic understanding of supply chain management through end-to-end analysis of the supply chain by building knowledge and experience across the areas of procurement, operations, modeling, analytics, and logistics.  Giving individuals the skills to identify and manage supply chain issues, as well as recommend strategies for improved supply chains. (1)

Lecture: 3 hrs/week
Pre-requisites: BUAD 499

BUAD 554 – Organizational Behavior & Human Resource Management
Organizational behavior and human resource management is concerned with managerial decisions focused on the principles of managing people, teams, and organizations. This course introduces the strategic role of human resource management through organizational behavior theories in attaining a competitive advantage for organizations. (1)

Lecture: 3 hrs/week
Pre-requisites: BUAD 499

BUAD 560 – Global Special Topics in Business Administration
A course offered on various topics, designed to educate students on topics not regularly offered with a global impact.  Topics are selected on the basis of faculty and student interest.

Lecture 3hrs/week
Pre-requisites: BUAD 499

1st topic - Global Investing & Portfolio Management
This course is designed to help students to manage financial securities to derive the maximum benefit from earnings through the use of global capital markets.  (1)

Lecture: 3 hrs/week
Pre-requisites: BUAD 499

BUAD 570 - Business Research & Data Analysis
The course is designed to give a detailed examination of the research process as applied to business decision making.  Experience is gained in defining research problems, collecting data, analyzing data, interpreting data, and writing a report based on the data.  There will also be case studies and analysis in the course.  This course is designed to work in conjunction with the final project for the RC MBA Program.  The initial stages of research for the corporate/community project will be conducted in this course.  (1)

Lecture: 3 hrs/week
Pre-requisites: BUAD 499

BUAD 599 – Corporate/Community Team Project
The course is designed for students to create the business plans for a corporate or community project synthesizing the knowledge gained from all previous courses in the program.  The business plan will include strategy, marketing, human resources, production/operations, and finance aspects.  The course will include numerous presentations on the component parts and a final presentation on the comprehensive plans. (1)

Lecture: 3 hrs/week
Pre-requisites: BUAD 499, BUAD 500, BUAD 521, BUAD 525, BUAD 533, BUAD 542, BUAD 548, BUAD 554, BUAD 560, BUAD 570

Admissions Prerequisites

Admission Prerequisites

Students interested in applying for the Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree at Roanoke College must meet academic requirements outlined below and complete an application for admission.

  • Current Roanoke College student or graduate
  • Must complete or have completed BUAD 499: Business Policy and pre-requisites
  • Two letters of recommendation (one must be from a faculty member)
  • Formal Resume/CV
  • Roanoke College official transcript
  • Applicants will be contacted to take the Major Field Test (MFT) in Business Administration at Roanoke College

Path for Non-Business Majors

For students who do not plan to pursue a Business Administration degree but are interested in pursuing the Master of Business Administration (MBA), student applicants will need to complete the following courses:   

Required courses:

ECON 121 – Principles of Microeconomics
BUAD 110 – Business Connections
BUAD 205 – Accounting for Decision-Making
BUAD 254 – Organizational Behavior
BUAD 233 – Marketing Management
BUAD 342 – Corporate Finance (Successful completion of an Excel competency module is required prior to entrance into BUAD 342)
BUAD 499 – Business Policy
An approved research methods course

Note:  Completion of the required course load also earns students an undergraduate “Management Concentration”

In addition to the required coursework, all student applicants will need to take the Major Field Test (MFT) in Business Administration prior to being admitted into BUAD 499 – Business Policy.  The MFT is offered in December each year for interested candidates.

Steps to Apply

  1. Complete and submit application for admission – Early Deadline December 6th
    • Submit formal resume/CV
    • Provide contact information for two references
      • One must be from a faculty member
      • Both recommendations should address your ability to work in a team and your communication skills

  2. Submit academic materials
    • Request Official Roanoke College transcript
      • Transcripts must be requested by the student from the Roanoke College Registrar’s Office. Please email registrar@roanoke.edu to request an official transcript. Please indicate in the email that it is for the Roanoke College MBA program.
    • Applicants will be contacted to take the Major Field Test (MFT) in Business Administration at Roanoke College

  3. Check your email for any important action items regarding your application status

Apply Now

Roanoke College reads applications holistically. In order to do so, MBA applicants are reviewed by a committee and are based on the following: the student’s academic achievements, letters of recommendations, personal essay, and Major Field Test (MFT) score.

Unofficial transcripts may be submitted with the application; however, an official transcript will be required once an offer of admission is accepted.

Tuition & Fees

  • Deposit of $1,000 due by March 15, applied to first class
    Tuition for the MBA program 25-26 Academic Year   $25,865  -10 courses

    June – 1 class               $2,586.50

    July – 2 classes            $5,173.00

    Fall – 3 classes             $7,759.50

    Spring – 3 classes        $7,759.50

    May – 1 class              $2,586.50

  • Technology fee $420 commuters, $565 residential students (billed fall & spring semester)
  • Parking decal - $150 for academic year

The Office of Residence Life offers limited housing options for students enrolled in the graduate program, however housing if applicable will be charged at the same rates as undergraduate students.  Housing is not included for spouses or families. 

Graduate students may choose any meal plan currently available for the fall and spring semesters.  While there are no summer meal plans, meals may be purchased as desired at open campus food locations. 

Per Roanoke College policy, students should have tuition paid, or have sufficient loan coverage or payment plan in place prior to the start date of the term.

Faculty

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Contact Us

Contact Us

We are happy to answer any questions you have. 

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"I received my MBA from Roanoke because I had the opportunity to work on an accelerated timeline with faculty and students, I was comfortable with already. Through hands on learning experiences and networking opportunities, choosing this program was an incredible decision for me. I would recommend to anyone interested to take advantage of this great opportunity."

Davis Wheeler

Davis Wheeler

  • Workshop: Communicating Your Research in a Nutshell

    This interactive workshop, the first of a two-part event, is intended to train researchers to better communicate their work with people outside of their field. Folks from all programs are encouraged to attend!

    Date:
    March 27, 2026
    Time:
    4 - 6 p.m.
    Location:

    Antrim Chapel

    Workshop: Communicating Your Research in a Nutshellevent image

  • Nutshell Games Competition

    Engaged in research? Consider competing in this year's Nutshell Games Competition for a chance to win an Amazon e-gift card.

    Date:
    April 21, 2026
    Time:
    6 - 7:30 p.m.
    Location:

    Antrim Chapel

    Nutshell Games Competitionevent image

Interested in earning your MBA at Roanoke College?

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