Master of Business Administration

• Articulate biblical norms for business and how they differ from prevailing practices in business
• Analyze how, throughout history, individuals and communities have shaped modern business.
• Demonstrate ways to individually and communally shape business in a God-glorifying and kingdom-building manner.
• Demonstrate a commitment to Christ-like leadership through wise strategic, tactical, and logistical decision-making.
• Recognize the special place of human beings in creation, specifically in the business space.
• Discern the proper use of talents, tendencies, and challenges to serve the whole person.
• Understand economic theories, systems, and relationships in the context of Christian stewardship.

To learn more, you can also view the program strengths and learning outcomes for this program.

Students enrolled in the Master of Business Administration program are required to complete 36 credits. Cohorts begin in the fall, spring, and summer semesters.

Students who plan to complete the program in two years will average 18 credits a year. Each semester has two seven-week or seven-and-a-half week modules in which students take one three-credit course in each module. These plans assume students are working full-time during the semester.

MBA 501 Foundations in Business Modules (0)

Students in this course will review the foundational knowledge needed for graduate business programs. The course is divided into three sections, Economics, Accounting, and Finance. Core competencies in these areas will be reviewed and assessed via online exams. Students will need to pass each of the three exams before starting each course. Any section of this course may be waived if the student has completed an undergraduate-level equivalent course.

MBA 512 Christian Leadership (3)

This course will examine the theory and practice of organizational leadership, with an emphasis on leadership in public and nonprofit organizations. This includes a study of the ethical dimensions of leadership as well as aspects of self-knowledge and evaluation that will help students develop effective personal leadership strategies. [Cross-listed: Social Work 686]

MBA 513 HR Management (3)

This course will introduce and discuss the major topics in Human Resource Management (HRM), particularly as they pertain to employment in the public and nonprofit sector. This course will address the major HRM tasks of workforce design and planning, managing employee competencies, and managing employee attitudes and behaviors while moving through the employment cycle from recruitment, selection, and compensation to evaluation, training, development, and retention. [Cross-listed: Social Work 687]

MBA 515 Project Management (3)

This course provides students with the principles and techniques of project management. Focus will be given to event and planning implementation as well as an exploration of technological tools available to assist in project management. Students will also learn about and apply theories of organizational change in the context of project management.

Global Business Management (3)

Students will examine the theoretical concepts of business globalization and its impact on culture. Students will articulate the importance of integrating a Christian worldview within the global business practice. Students will defend multicultural competency as a necessary skill for managerial success—cultural differences and how they impact business decision-making, and strategic planning will be analyzed. Application and implementation of course theories and concepts in an organizational setting will be addressed through embedded, experiential learning experiences and activities within the course.

Marketing Management (3)

This course focuses on the process of creating a marketing plan. As a part of the plan, students will develop organizational goals, analyze customer markets, review advertising channels, and discuss customer retention strategies. Students will learn to analyze data to help guide marketing decisions. Students will leave the course with a developed marketing plan that can quickly be implemented. Students will also develop a philosophy of marketing based on Christian values and ethics.

Managerial Accounting (3)

This class will prepare managers and business professionals to evaluate accounting tools helpful for analyzing and interpreting critical information. Students will learn the value of wise business decisions as they strive for success in today’s competitive business environment. This course will illustrate how accounting contributes to the activities and accomplishments of the entire organization, such as internal controls, budgeting, cost measurement, performance evaluation.

Prerequisite: MBA 501

Managerial Economics (3)

This course provides an overview of economic theory, quantitative tools, and analytic approaches available to the manager for business decision-making. It includes the study of microeconomic topics such as firm and consumer behavior, demand and supply analysis, pricing strategies, production, and cost analysis. Behavior under different market structures will be analyzed, as will the macroeconomic environment, the role of government in the marketplace, and macroeconomic policy as it affects the business environment. The purpose of this course is to develop an economic perspective that is appropriate for managers of business units or entire companies in a wide variety of industries, all of which must seek to maximize profits given cost and resource constraints. A Christian perspective is assumed throughout the course, a position that demonstrates explicit awareness of our biblical call to seek the flourishing of all humanity.

Prerequisite: MBA 501

Corporate Finance (3)

In this course, students will learn and evaluate financial issues at the firm level. Key issues of consideration include the process of raising capital, determining the optimal capital structure, valuation of financial assets, financial planning and control, working capital management, capital budgeting, and corporate governance. The course prepares organizational leaders to understand and participate in their organization's capital decisions. The course will address the application of key theories and concepts in experiential learning experiences. Christian perspective on Finance will be explored.

Prerequisite: MBA 501 and MBA 520

Capstone Project (3)

This comprehensive capstone allows students to integrate their learning by formulating a corporate report providing strategic direction to a local, national, international, or global business. The student will work individually with the instructor to determine an area of their business for analysis. The corporate report will include a description of the problem, a hypothesis, a reflection on previous decisions, and a strategic plan. Emphasis is placed on developing strategies, economic analysis, and flexibility of strategic alternatives within the plan.

Managerial communications (3)

Students in this course will sharpen the communication skills needed to be effective business leaders. Students will analyze the role of communication in making, influencing, and implementing decisions. This course will allow students to practice the presentational and interpersonal communication skills needed to build relationships in a world of diverse cultural and professional backgrounds. This course leads students to understand better the role communication plays in using their Christian principles to lead others in the workplace.

Data Analytics (3)

Students in this course will demonstrate how data analyses inform the business decision-making process. This course prepares students to plan, execute, write, and present descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive quantitative analyses of financial and operational data. Students will synthesize an appropriate course of action for business decision-making. Students will develop critical thinking towards deceptive and manipulative abuses of the data from a Reformed perspective.

MBA 514 Public Relations (3)

This course will introduce the field of public relations and equip students with the tools they need to make wise, timely, and tactically sound decisions when in leadership roles, particularly in the public and nonprofit sector. Students will learn to identify their target audience and its characteristics while tailoring effective messaging which makes strategic use of varied media, including print, broadcast, electronic, trade, and social media. Emphasis will be placed on ethical practice and how values can shape an organizations relationship with its publics through case studies and other course assignments.

MBA 522 Budgeting with Public Finance (3)

This course will introduce basic principles of budgeting and finance as it relates to the public and nonprofit sector. Students will gain competencies in reading, creating, and developing budgets. Forecasting for future sustainability will be addressed in content and in course assignments. [Cross-listed: Social Work 684]

MBA 552 Grant Writing and Fundraising (3)

This course will prepare students to pursue funding opportunities for nonprofit organizations. Event planning, social media campaigns and other activities of fundraising will be covered as well as an introduction into grant writing. Students will apply their learning with projects from their real-life work. [Cross-listed: Social Work 685]

Entrepreneurship (3)

Course description to be determined soon.

Negotiations (3)

Course description to be determined soon.

Business Law (3)

Course description to be determined soon.

To apply for admission, students will need to:

1. Fill out the online application
2. Send in all official transcripts (including undergraduate and graduate)
3. Submit information for at least one reference (academic or professional) on the application

If you have had a name change since you graduated, please contact your institution to update the information before requesting a transcript be sent.

Materials can be mailed to:

Dordt University
Graduate Studies Office
700 7th Street NE
Sioux Center, IA 51250

Students may be admitted under one of the following categories:

Regular Admission

Regular admission is granted to all candidates who have met all the admissions criteria. Additional requirements include:

1. A bachelor’s degree (GPA of 3.0 or higher) from an accredited institution.
2. A letter of recommendation addressing the prospective student's suitability for graduate study, especially in business administration.
3. As a prerequisite for full admission to the MBA program, the student must complete the Business foundation modules for the areas of Accounting, Economics, and Corporate Finance. Students who have completed these courses as a part of their undergraduate program will have this requirement waived.

Conditional Admission

Conditional admission may be granted to applicants who do not currently meet all the criteria for regular admission.

The student must complete nine semester hours of graduate credit at Dordt University before conditional status is reviewed. The graduate coursework GPA must be 3.0 or higher. Other regular admission requirements must be met before conditional admission status can be changed to regular admission status.

Special Admission

Special admission may be granted to those who do not plan to become candidates for the Master of Business Administration program but wish to participate in one or more graduate courses. Contact the Graduate Studies Office for more details.

Transfer credits from an MBA or similar master’s at another institution will be evaluated in terms of the courses’ relevance and age as well as the grade earned and the institutions accreditation status. The maximum number of transferred credits is 6 or 9 credits if they are from another Reformed college or university.

Note: Courses older than 10 years at the end of a student's Dordt studies will not be accepted for transfer credit.

Tuition and fees for 2024-2025 are as follows:

• Graduate Courses: $600/credit
• One-time Technology Fee: $100
• Program Completion Fee: $100

Graduate courses taken for graduate credit are worth three credits.

You may now pay your tuition and registration fees by credit card.

The Canadian Exchange Rate is determined on the first and 15th of each month and can be viewed online or by contacting the Business Office at (712) 722-6013.

In an effort to make graduate education at Dordt available to as many people as possible, program costs are kept as reasonable as possible. Financial aid in the form of federal loan programs is available. Students who wish to apply online should go to www.fafsa.ed.gov. For more information, contact Harlan Harmelink in the Financial Aid Office at (712) 722-6082.

The Dordt University Federal ID is #001859.

The MBA program requires a total of 36 credits. The courses are a combination of general business administration courses and electives that deal with relevant, challenging issues.

A typical plan of study takes about two years to complete, with students taking one 7-week course at a time. Some opt for a slower pace, completing the program in four years.

Yes, all courses are 100% online, with both synchronous and asynchronous learning activities.