Business Administration, MBA (CAGS)

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) program mission is to equip future business and nonprofit leaders and managers with a Christian world-view and a broad business administration and technology knowledge-base, prepared with the skills and tools required for excellence in leading and growing their organizations in the global economy.

The Master of Business Administration is currently available with several emphases:

• The MBA with an emphasis in Advanced Accounting is designed for students who want to combine advanced business education with additional accounting training and hours beyond their undergraduate accounting degrees. Students must possess an undergraduate degree in accounting (or equivalent) to take this emphasis.

• The MBA with an emphasis in Cyber Security is designed to provide the MBA candidate with soft skills in theoretical aspects within the cyber world. Students will cover the concepts of cyber security based on foundations of introduction to business and information security principles. Students complete the foundation course in Cyber Security and can choose to further study: ethics and design of a cyber-based business model, the principles and mindset of cyber criminology, and creating security policy and governance. 

• The MBA with an emphasis in Enterprise Agility develops skills that enable students to drive initiative, rapid change, and adaptability using agile methodologies in their organizations and departments.

• The MBA with an emphasis in Healthcare Administration focuses on the practical application and unique requirements of the healthcare field, preparing leaders to be effective across multiple industry responsibility areas. 

• The MBA with an emphasis in Leadership provides a more in-depth study of leadership theory and ethical practice.  Students also develop knowledge and skills in financial responsibility and control, markets and promotional strategy, problem-solving and decision-making, human resource management, international business, and research skills.

• The MBA with an emphasis in Project Management builds the knowledge, skills, and processes necessary to attain organizational objectives related to strategic management, project-based teamwork, risk reduction, and risk management.  

• The MBA with an emphasis in Economics integrates economics theory and concepts with the practical knowledge, skills, and processes necessary to attain organizational objectives related to strategic management and economic development in the domestic and international arenas. Economic reasoning is a necessary competency for leaders in business, politics, law and society and the foundation of the program is built on traditional neoclassical (market-based) theories and quantitative methods. Every course integrates a Biblical worldview, preparing leaders to apply their knowledge of economics with a Christian perspective.

Please visit the MBA Program Web site for more information.

Objectives of the Master of Business Administration Degree Program

Students who successfully complete the MBA program will:

• Master the ability at the graduate level to integrate the following functions of management: planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling.

• Analyze and solve business problems in the context of the integration of these functional areas.

• Identify, analyze, and evaluate domestic and global business opportunities.

• Evaluate an organization and construct a business, human resource management and organizational development plan to meet the constantly changing business environment and the objectives of the organization.

• Appraise operations and corporate opportunities in precise terms of costs and benefits.

• Apply the financial concepts of security pricing and valuations, risk and return, derivative securities, hedging corporate risk exposure, and international financial markets and foreign exchange.

• Synthesize historical and modern management theories to develop and implement a practical and cohesive theory of management.

Admission to the Master of Business Administration Degree Program

Applicants to the MBA program are evaluated on the basis of previous academic performance, personal and professional accomplishments and goals. A strong desire to complete graduate-level work in a Christ-centered, biblically based community is important. All MBA admissions decisions are made by and only by Colorado Christian University.

Admission Requirements:

• Completed online application form (including essay, transcripts, and fees).

• Valid state-issued driver's license or state-issued ID card or passport.

• An official transcript that reflects a bachelor's or master's degree from a regionally accredited institution.

• A minimum undergraduate grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. Applicants with an undergraduate grade point average between 2.0 and 2.49 will be admitted on a conditional admit (CAD) basis for the first semester.  CAD students must maintain a 3.0 GPA or better in their first nine (9) credits to remain in the program.

• Professional resume and employment record. It is expected that MBA candidates will have at least 5 years of professional experience or the equivalent.

• Demonstrated completion (C or better) of the following three undergraduate-level prerequisites: accounting, finance, and statistics.

Transfer of Courses

Students may transfer up to nine semester hours of graduate credit from a regionally accredited college or university. The coursework must be comparable to that offered at CCU and fulfill the CCU MBA degree requirements.

Credit by Portfolio

Credit by Portfolio is currently offered to current Master of Business Administration (MBA) graduate students as a way to substitute up to three 3-credit hour course requirements, or add an emphasis or specialty in their degree plan. Portfolios allow students to demonstrate masters-level knowledge and skills gained from prior learning experiences by submitting documentation and written descriptions of student's learning. Prior learning may have come from work experience, on-the-job training, volunteering, personal experience, teaching or other sources.

Time Limitation

The Master of Business Administration program is a 39 credit-hour degree designed to be completed within 18 months of intensive study by persons who work or are otherwise occupied by the equivalent of a full-time job. M

All work applied toward a master's degree must be completed within a four-year period from the date of enrollment. After the four-year period, an MBA student who has not completed the requirements to graduate will be withdrawn from the program. Students who go beyond the four-year period and wish to complete their MBA degree will be required to apply for reconsideration by completing a Petition for Exception to Academic Policy. Readmitted students will be required to adhere to the degree plans and academic policies in place at the time they are readmitted.

MBA Prerequisites

All applicants to the Colorado Christian University program are required to have a background in the areas listed below. This background may be obtained through undergraduate coursework as demonstrated by the student’s transcript, or taken at CCU or another accredited institution. Additionally, the student may complete the equivalent CLEP or DSST exams.

• Accounting - An introduction to corporate financial accounting, focusing on the accounting process, balance sheet, and income statement. Emphasizes the accounting cycle, financial statement analysis and generally accepted accounting principles. Includes an introduction to performance measurements, budgeting, and income tax accounting.

• Finance - The Finance prerequisite can be met through coursework or testing that involves a practical overview of relevant foundational aspects of business finance such as the role of the finance manager, risk-return, time value of money, ratio analysis, and financing decisions; basic application of these principles to the business environment.

• Statistics - An introduction to probability and statistics with primary focus on collecting, displaying, analyzing, and interpreting sample data. Using probabilities to solve problems. Application of basic probability distributions, methods of statistical inference including parameter estimation and hypothesis testing.

• Information Security - This prerequisite is for candidates in the MBA with Cyber Security emphasis only. The prerequisite undergraduate course is an introduction to the field of information security, including the exposures and vulnerabilities to information security, and appropriate countermeasures such as planning and administrative controls.

• Economics - A foundational microeconomics course and a foundational macroeconomics course (e.g. course and course) are required for the MBA with Economics emphasis only. Note that math at the level of at least Calculus I is needed for those foundational courses. These courses prepare students for the higher level analysis needed for the intermediate microeconomics and macroeconomics courses as well as the economic development and international political economy courses in the emphasis.

An MBA candidate may start CCU’s MBA program before completing the prerequisites, but must complete the appropriate prerequisite prior to registering for the class for which it is required. Undergraduate prerequisite classes are ineligible for federal financial aid once the student has begun the MBA program.

Students may also enroll in the MBA Prep program prior to starting the MBA program, and take the prerequisite classes with potential financial aid eligibility. The MBA Prep program is a 5th-year undergraduate, post-baccalaureate academic program consisting of the MBA prerequisite courses. Please consult your enrollment counselor for further information.

Taking Prerequisite Courses Online

CCU has partnered with Ivy Software to provide students with a convenient and flexible way to fulfill prerequisite requirements at an affordable cost. The following courses are available for purchase:

• Business Math and Statistics (fulfills Statistics prerequisite)

• Financial Accounting: A Management Perspective (fulfills Accounting prerequisite)

• Understanding Corporate Finance (fulfills Finance prerequisite)

The program takes on average 20 hours to complete. Students are able to download all course material. The student must pass a final course test with at least an 80% in order for the course to count toward the prerequisite. This test may be taken as many times as needed, but students are only allowed three attempts per purchase. Additionally, if exams are purchased but not completed within two years, the exam expires. Students may also test out of the statistic requirement by selecting the Ivy option #2. Upon selecting this option, the student would know immediately if they passed the assessment test, and the school will be notified via email that the requirement has been fulfilled. The student is then refunded the remaining cost of the course ($100). Otherwise, the student completes the course along with the final exam as normal. The Lockdown Browser with camera is used for both the beginning assessment test and the final exam.

Purchase and download prerequisite courses on the Ivy Software website.

Notify your CCU Student Service Advisor (SSA) of any problems you encounter with an Ivy Software program or any time you pass a test. He or she will be able to take the appropriate action to ensure that your degree plan is updated with the completed prerequisite information.