Master of Business Administration

Earn your MBA degree at SBU

Welcome to Southwest Baptist University's MBA Program! Our accredited online MBA program has been designed to provide you with the foundation and knowledge necessary for professional and occupational advancement.

The MBA offered through SBU's Worldwide Campus offers a comprehensive curriculum that covers the most important aspects of modern business. Our courses will help you develop the skills and competencies needed to lead and succeed in today's competitive business environment.

At SBU and the Robert W. Plaster College of Business, our goal is to ensure that our students are equipped with the skills, knowledge and confidence necessary to excel in their chosen profession. Our diverse and experienced faculty are here to guide and support you every step of the way.

We invite you to join us in our MBA Program and experience the flexibility, convenience, and excellence that only a faith-based program can offer.

If you are finishing or have completed an undergraduate degree and are ready to continue your education with an online MBA, learn more about the MBA application and admissions process, MBA cost and financial aid, and more.

SBU's MBA program has three distinctive components:

Intentionally faith-based
Leadership focus
Entrepreneurship emphasis

Concentrations

Data Analytics

The Data Analytics concentration will increase your skills in data analysis and business application using predictive modeling.

Health Administration

This concentration is for anyone who is working in management or aspires to work in management within the health care industry.

Leadership

This concentration will help you gain deeper knowledge of leadership principles. Students exercise their leadership skills in business and beyond, and leave with lessons in leadership that are practical.

Management

This concentration prepares students to lead a broad range of areas within an organization using principles of leadership and administration that have been proven through research over decades, as well as teaching the skills necessary to adapt to our fast-moving culture.

Marketing

The marketing concentration will challenge you to identify and engage consumers through evaluating buyer behavior and utilizing research to improve your decision-making capabilities as a manager and leader in the marketing field.

Ministry Leadership

The ministry leadership concentration will help you learn to build dynamic teams, work to develop a biblical worldview. These courses will work to provide you with a strong biblical foundation. Ministry leadership, in all of its varieties, is all about helping people become such followers of Jesus Christ.

Nonprofit Management

The nonprofit management concentration helps to shape you as a leader of a nonprofit organization. Helping you navigate governance structures, create and manage financial processes and navigate risk dynamics across multifaceted political, social and economic contexts.

"The MBA helped me apply what I was learning immediately in my job. SBU's MBA has a nice integration of faith, leadership and entrepreneurship, which is an essential foundation to have."

Samantha Masters '19, '21

Digital Marketing Manager at Sales Star Networks

4+1 MBA Program

Accelerated master’s degree programs allow students at SBU the opportunity to complete the requirements for both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees jointly to reduce the total time required. In most cases, students can complete a master’s degree in one additional year.

Qualified students may earn up to 12 credit hours of graduate coursework while finishing their undergraduate degree. Students should complete the SBU Accelerated Master’s Program Application when they are enrolled in an Accelerated MBA course. The application link will be provided in the course content. Students pursue only one accelerated master’s degree.

Why pursue an Accelerated MBA?

Earning your Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) will allow any student, regardless of undergraduate major, to develop their management and analysis skills. Any industry has managers, and the MBA is a versatile degree that will help differentiate yourself from your competition. The hard and soft skills developed through these courses will help you to successfully manage a team with a servant-leader's heart. The MBA integrates three pillars into all of the courses: faith integration, entrepreneurship, and leadership. These are skills that all organizations want their employees to exhibit and you will learn to apply them in multiple content areas: accounting, economics, finance, management, and marketing. Current undergraduate students can pursue this option at no additional cost!

2nd or 3rd Year (Undergraduate)

Qualified SBU undergraduate students apply to an accelerated master’s program by submitting the SBU Accelerated Master’s Program Application. Students must have completed at least 45 credit hours and have a minimum 3.0 institutional GPA.

Accelerated master’s applicants apply to the program before they complete an undergraduate degree and formally transition to full graduate status.

3rd or 4th Year (Undergraduate)

After being accepted to the graduate program, accelerated master’s students take undergraduate and graduate classes as an undergraduate student until they complete their bachelor’s degree.

During this period, accelerated master’s students will be able to take up to 12 hours of graduate credit under dual-listed courses (students will receive both undergraduate and graduate credit) while maintaining their undergraduate financial aid status.
The bachelor’s degree will be awarded when the requirements of the bachelor’s degree have been met.

4th or 5th Year (Graduate)

Accelerated master’s students will transition to full graduate status when they complete the requirement for the bachelor’s degree.

During this period, accelerated master’s students will enroll in graduate classes as a graduate student.
The master’s degree will be awarded when the requirements of the master’s degree have been met.

Contact Information

If you are interested in the Accelerated MBA please contact your academic advisor and Dr. Levi Bridge, MBA Coordinator, at lbridge@jdzruiran.com to discuss your career goals to best determine which concentration is right for you and how to fit the courses into your current schedule.

The SBU Advantage

Faith Integration

SBU's College of Professional Programs and the Robert W. Plaster College of Business have a Psalm 15 initiative, which provides intentional integration of faith and academic discipline. Using Psalm 15 as a basis, the Colleges have identified eight character traits that should be the hallmark of the students and graduates. These character traits are emphasized in coursework and in a special lecture series. The highlighted character traits are: Integrity, Service, Respect, Charity, Faithfulness, Truthfulness, Humility and Perseverance.

Mission of the MBA Program

The mission of the Master of Business Administration program is to equip graduate students from a Christ-centered perspective, building on foundational business principles, with the interpersonal, critical thinking, and analytical skills to empower them to become servant leaders in a global society.

The MBA degree is offered through SBU's Robert W. Plaster College of Business.

Master of Business Administration Courses

MBA core requirements

ACC 5113	Accounting for Managers	3
BUS 5043	Ethics & Critical Thinking in Business Administration	3
MGT 5013	Managerial Communications	3
ECO 5043	Business Economics for Managers	3
FIN 5023	Financial Management	3
LDR 5063	Leadership Development	3
MGT 5063	Entrepreneurship	3
MGT 5093	Organizational Strategy	3
MKT 5023	Strategic Marketing	3
Total Hours		27

Data Analytics Concentration

BUS 5203	Data Analytics	3
BUS 5213	Processing Data for Decision Making	3
BUS 5223	Leading Data Analytics Projects	3
Total Hours		9

Health Administration Concentration

HAD 5093	Organizational Analysis and Innovation	3
HAD 5113	Advanced Health Care Leadership & Administration	3
HAD 5153	Quality & Safety in Health Care	3
Total Hours		9

Leadership Concentration

LDR 5123	Developing Dynamic Teams	3
LDR 5063	Leadership Development	3
LDR 5113	Strategic Thinking	3
Total Hours		9

Management Concentration

BUS 5053	Global Business	3
BUS 5203	Data Analytics	3
MGT 5043	Organizational Behavior and Servant Leadership	3
Total Hours		9

Marketing Concentration

MKT 5203	Data Analytics	3
MKT 5003	Consumer Behavior	3
MKT 5253	Digital and Social Media Marketing	3
Total Hours		9

Ministry Leadership Concentration

LDR 5263	An Interpretive Study of Biblical Leadership	3
LDR 5243	Developing a Biblical Worldview	3
LDR 5253	An Interpretive Study of Biblical Discipleship	3
Total Hours		9

Nonprofit Management Concentration

LDR 5213	Governance & Admin of Nonprofit Organizations	3
LDR 5223	Financial Management of Nonprofit Orgnaizations	3
LDR 5233	Risk Management for Nonprofit Organizations	3
Total Hours		9

NOTE: This is a proposed guideline. Please check the catalog and see your advisor for your final degree requirements.
Southwest Baptist University reserves the right to make changes to degree plans without advanced notice or obligation.
The student is responsible for understanding and completing all general education, degree, departmental and graduation requirements.

Sample MBA Course Plans

Graduate Plans by Concentration

Data Analytics

Health Administration

Accelerated MBA Plans by Concentration

4+1 Data Analytics

4+1 Health Administration

4+1 Management

4+1 Marketing

SBU Discover Core Curriculum

Learn More About Earning an MBA Degree

Admissions Information

Whether you’re a high school student looking to enter an accelerated program or looking for a postgraduate degree, SBU is happy to help you begin your journey towards your next academic achievement.

If you are ready to continue your education with an online MBA, apply today or contact us to learn more about the application and admissions process, cost and financial aid, and more.

Talk to Admissions

To learn more about the MBA program and the admissions process, contact Nicki Harmon at (417) 307-0322 or nharmon@jdzruiran.com.

Application and Cost

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SBU Worldwide Campus

The SBU Worldwide Campus makes it possible for those who have work, family, or military obligations, or seek flexible learning options, to pursue educational programs from wherever you are.

Upcoming SBU Worldwide Start Dates

January 13, 2025

Apply by:
December 30, 2024

March 3, 2025

Apply by:
February 17, 2025

June 9, 2025

Apply by:
May 26, 2025

Worldwide Campus Info