If you are interested in an online Master of Business Administration (MBA) program, you may be concerned about having to take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). The GMAT is required by many schools around the world, and studying for it can be both time-consuming and expensive.
However, at Northwest Missouri State University (Northwest), students applying to one of the school’s nine specialized online MBA programs have several ways to meet admission requirements without having to take the GMAT.
First, to apply to Northwest’s ACBSP-accredited online MBA programs, students must have a bachelor’s degree in business with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. The school that granted the bachelor’s degree also needs to be regionally accredited.
There Are Multiple Ways to Meet the Second Admission Requirement
Second, you will need any one of the following:
- Three years of continuous, full-time professional work experience
- Three years of continuous, full-time enlisted or commissioned service in the United States military
- A graduate degree from a regionally accredited university with a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA
- A 3.5 or higher undergraduate GPA
- A GMAT score of 440 or above
- An admission index of 1,100 (undergraduate GPA x 200 + GMAT)
- A GRE score of 285 or above
- An admission index of 965 (undergraduate GPA x 200 + GRE)
- A score in the 70th percentile or above on the Major Field Test for Business
As you can see, prospective students who have worked full time for a minimum of three years straight can meet the second entrance requirement without taking the GMAT. Prospective students who have served in the U.S. military for a minimum of three years also meet the requirements.
GRE and Major Field Test Options
Some people prefer the option of taking the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). The GRE General Test focuses on verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning and analytical writing. If your education is itself more evenly divided among undergraduate subjects, the GRE could reflect your preparation better than the GMAT.
Some prospective students might prefer to take the Major Field Test for Business rather than the GMAT. This is a multiple-choice test with many questions based on supplied case study information. It tests knowledge and analytical thinking as applied to subjects like marketing, information systems, management, finance, accounting and international issues.
There are multiple ways to satisfy the requirements and skip the GMAT at Northwest. In addition, if you don’t have a bachelor’s degree in business but want to apply to the online MBA program, you will be required to successfully complete the MBA Business Foundation course, which is designed specifically for students who are new to a business curriculum.
Learn more about Northwest Missouri State University’s online MBA programs.
