College of Business

Admissions/Full Admission
Degree candidates must:

1. Hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
2. Complete an application for graduate admission, including a non-refundable application fee. Apply online by visiting lewisu.edu/apply
3. Submit official transcripts from each college or university attended. (Not required for Alumni.)
4. Have an undergraduate GPA ≥ 3.0 or GMAT ≥ 550.
5. Submit a professional resumé.
6. Provide two recommendation forms, available from the Graduate School of Management online or by phone at (815) 836-5348. (One required for Alumni.) Letters of recommendation are also accepted.
7. Complete the orientation checklist with a member of the Graduate School of Management.

Degree Seeking Candidate
A degree-seeking candidate is a student who has an undergraduate GPA of ≥3.0 or GMAT ≥ 550 ; OR has a post-graduate degree from an accredited university; AND has submitted all appropriate admission documents, and has received official documentation of acceptance.

Student-at-Large/Conditional
A student whose cumulative undergraduate GPA is less than 3.0 will be required to take three specified foundation level MBA courses and obtain a cumulative GPA of 3.33 after the completion of these courses. Students must meet this requirement on their first attempt. No further courses will be allowed if the GPA requirement is not met.
For MBA or MSF students: If a student has already taken a required foundation course as an undergraduate, and earned a grade of B or higher, they will choose from the following courses to complete the Conditional Admission requirement: ACCT 55000 Managerial Accounting; ECON 55400 Managerial Economics; and FINA 57002 Managerial Finance.

Visiting Student
An applicant with an undergraduate bachelor’s degree may enroll in GSM courses and seminars as a visiting student with the approval of the GSM program director.
A visiting student may take a maximum of six graduate credit hours and must have:

1. A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
2. Submitted a completed application form with the appropriate non-refundable application fee. Apply online by visiting lewisu.edu/apply
3. An official transcript from each college/university attended sent directly to the MBA Admissions Committee of the Graduate School of Management.
4. Complete the orientation checklist with a member of the Graduate School of Management.
5. An undergraduate GPA ≥ 3.0 or GMAT ≥ 550.

Students Educated Outside of the United States
International applicants must satisfy specific requirements before the application will be considered, and before an I-20 will be issued. The requirements include:

1. U.S. bachelor’s equivalent if a bachelor’s degree was obtained outside the U.S., and official transcript evaluation by One Earth Evaluations, W.E.S. ,E.C.E or Educational Perspectives.
2. A minimum score of 550 on the paper based TOEFL or 79 on Internet-based, or IELTS score of 6.0.
3. Students with a cumulative undergraduate GPA below 3.0 must fulfill the admission criteria required for full degree candidacy (see Student-at-Large/Conditional). Students who are educated outside of the U.S. who have obtained U.S. citizenship or resident alien status are not required to fulfill full degree candidacy prior to beginning the program, but may be required to show English proficiency.
4. Submission of all financial documentation and requirements of issuance of I-20.

Grading
GSM students must achieve a 3.0 GPA (B average) overall for completed coursework. If any grade of D is received for any required course, the grade will not count toward degree requirements and the course must be repeated.

Academic Probation
Students whose GPA falls below the required 3.0 minimum will be placed on academic probation for the following eight-week session. Students who do not successfully increase their GPA to 3.0 after the probationary eight-week session will be subject to academic dismissal.

Transfer of Graduate Credit
A student entering any Lewis GSM program with appropriate prior graduate coursework may have a maximum of six credit hours beyond the foundation level applied to Lewis course requirements.
Course credits eligible for transfer consideration must meet the following criteria:

1. All transfer credit must have been earned within an eight-year period prior to matriculation in the Lewis GSM programs.
2. The coursework must have been completed at a regionally accredited graduate school.
3. A minimum grade of B must have been earned for the course.
4. The coursework must have an equivalent in the Lewis GSM curriculum.

Time Commitment
Graduate level study requires a significant commitment of time. Because of the concentrated, eight-week course schedule, it is crucial that students attend all class meetings. Students should expect two to three hours of homework for every class hour. Thus, a three-credit-hour class may result in a substantial number of study hours.

Assignments must be submitted on time, or a course grade could be jeopardized. Although most instructors will try to make arrangements for a student whose work demands travel, this may not be possible in all cases. Students are responsible for informing instructors in advance of known absences and as soon as possible in the case of emergencies. Two or more unexcused absences in an 8-week session can result in a grade of F.

Course Load
The Graduate School of Management strongly recommends that students who are employed full-time enroll in no more than one course each eight-week session, for a total of six credit hours per semester.
A course load of three classes (nine credit hours) each semester is considered full-time, and is only advised for students who are not employed or are only minimally employed.

Immunizations
Please see Immunization Law.

Outcomes Assessment
The program reserves the right to require students to participate in institutional testing programs as part of ongoing assessment of student outcomes. Currently, all MBA and MSF students must complete the Major Field Test (MFT) exam during the last semester prior to graduation.

Course Meetings/Times
Classes usually meet once a week during weekday evenings or on Saturday mornings. Some courses are offered online.

Class Attendance
Students are expected to attend scheduled classes regularly. This expectation presumes a mature student’s interest in maximizing the opportunity to profit from the instructor’s expertise, planned class activities, and the interchange with peers. It also presumes the student’s responsibility to contribute to the quality of intellectual interaction in the class. Each instructor specifies the class attendance policy in the course syllabus at the beginning of each course. A student registered for a Saturday course may not register for a weekend GSM seminar.

Time Frame for Completion of Degree Requirements
Attending classes part-time, a GSM student generally completes all degree requirements in two to three years (including summers). A full-time student should be able to complete all degree requirements in one to two years. The maximum time allowed to complete all degree requirements is seven consecutive years from the date of matriculation.

Withdrawing from a Course
Students should consult with the GSM advisor and the course instructor when considering withdrawal from a course. Please see Withdrawal Policies.

Incomplete Grade
Please see Incomplete Grade.