Graduation Requirements and Application
Undergraduate Students Taking Graduate Business Courses
Admission Requirements
No decision is made on an application for admission to the graduate programs of business administration until all required documents have been submitted. These include a completed application form, the $50 application fee, official notification by GMAC as to the score achieved on the GMAT - Graduate Management Admissions Test (unless waived), your resume, statement of aims and objectives, and an official transcript from every institution of higher learning attended. To be admitted to the programs, an applicant must show evidence that he or she has earned a bachelor’s degree or equivalent from an accredited institution of higher learning and has the potential to perform satisfactorily at the graduate level. The primary criteria used in making admission decisions are the undergraduate grade point average, the score achieved on the GMAT (unless waived), professional experience, and graduate level GPA (if applicable). The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is acceptable as an admissions examination in place of the GMAT.
International Applicants
GMAT/GRE Waiver Guidelines
MBA / Online MBA/MS in Information Systems Applicants
MBA/MBA Online/MS in Information Systems applicants who meet the one of the following criteria established by the Norm Brodsky College of Business would qualify for a waiver for the GMAT/GRE:
- Applicant has graduated from a regionally accredited undergraduate program with a bachelor’s degree AND has one of the following:
- A minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0.
- 5 or more years of professional experience (reviewed on a case-by-case basis)
- Applicant has earned a graduate degree from a regionally accredited program.
- Applicant has passed a business-related, professional certifying exam, such as the CPA, CFA, CMA, etc (reviewed on a case-by-case basis).
MAcc / Online MAcc Applicants
MAcc/ MAcc Online applicants are not required to provide a GMAT or GRE score with their application.
Graduate Business Certificate Programs - Business Analytics, Forensic Accounting and Sport Management - Admission Requirements
An application for admission to the graduate certificate program of business administration is not reviewed for a decision until all required documents have been submitted. These include a completed application form, the $50 application fee, your resume, and an official transcript from every institution of higher learning attended.
To be considered for admission into one of Rider’s Graduate Certificate Programs, you must hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from an accredited institution of higher learning with a GPA of 3.0 or better.
Admission Classifications
Each student admitted to the MBA, MS-IS or MAcc program is assigned to one of the following classifications:
Full Standing
Students who have full standing are permitted to register for any foundation courses that have not been waived or for certain breadth courses, if those courses are needed by the student.
Conditional Admission
Conditionally admitted students have been admitted into the graduate business program with specific conditions outlined for them to meet within the first 6 credits they take in the program. These conditions may include maintaining a certain GPA and taking specific courses within the program as part of those first 6 credits.
Conditionally admitted students must meet the foundation course requirements for the specific classes they take and may not take classes that could be waived if they were admitted to the program.
Non-Degree Students
Prospective students may take MBA classes as non-degree students under the following conditions:
- graduated with an undergraduate degree from an accredited university with a minimum 3.0 GPA OR has earned a graduate degree
- meets prerequisite requirements for desired course(s).
Non-degree students will only be allowed to take 6 credits in the graduate business program. If a non-degree student desires to take more than 6 credits in the graduate business program, he/she will need to fully apply to the program.
Special
Special student status is granted to those students enrolled in a graduate program at another institution who have been granted permission to take graduate business courses at Rider.
Graduate certificate program students are admitted as “full standing” only.
Transfer of Courses
A student may request the transfer of a graduate course taken at an AACSB-accredited institution. Such a request may be granted if the course was taken within the past three years, was passed with a grade of “B” or higher, and was taken before admission to the graduate program at Rider. Once a student has been admitted to the program, graduate courses taken at other AACSB-accredited institutions must have prior approval of the Dean's Office before transfer credit will be allowed. A maximum of six semester hours of transfer credit may be granted for application against the elective requirements. No academic credit will be granted for corporate-sponsored management or professional development courses.
Advising
The Dean's Office works with the graduate coordinator and academic advisors to advise students in all graduate business programs and tracks program progress. Students are also encouraged to contact members of the faculty and the program's executives-in-residence for career and related advising.
Note: The most significant policies and procedures for the graduate business programs are covered in this catalog. Questions and issues not addressed here default to other University-wide policy statements.
Course Repeat Policy
With the written permission of the Dean's Office, graduate business students may repeat graduate courses for which they received grades of “C+” or lower. Both grades will appear on the student’s transcript, but only the second grade will count in the GPA.
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to conduct themselves professionally and with the highest standards of academic integrity. See Rider's Code of Academic Integrity in this catalog for further information.
Dismissal
Rider University reserves the right to dismiss any student when, in the judgment of the faculty or officers of Rider, such action seems advisable. A student in a graduate business program will be subject to dismissal based on academic standing for any of the following reasons:
- Receiving more than two grades of "C+" or below in graduate-level work;
- Completing graduate course work with a cumulative grade point average of less than 3.0; or,
- Failure to complete the MAcc, MBA, or MS-IS program in the required six years.
In all cases of dismissal, graduate business students have the right of appeal. Academic standing dismissal is a progressive process with student participation and advising designed to help students regain good academic standing. Students approaching the six-year time limit to complete a graduate business program may request a time limit extension prior to actual dismissal. The request should be based on unique work requirements, personal, or other reasons. Time limit appeals will be reviewed and acted on by the Dean's Office.
Honors Graduates
Students who graduate with an overall grade point average of 3.85 or better are designated as graduating with distinction. This term appears on the student’s official transcript, below the student’s name in the commencement program and on the diploma.
Graduation Requirements and Application
To graduate from the a graduate business degree or certificate program, students must have completed all of the course requirements as described above, within the six-year time frame, and have a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or above. In addition, a candidate for graduation:
- Cannot have any grades below a "C ", and cannot have received more than two grades of "C+" or "C" in graduate-level courses.
A student who expects to graduate with a graduate degree must complete and file a degree application form no later than the date indicated on the calendar for each semester, found at the front of this publication.
Undergraduate Students Taking Graduate Business Courses
Seniors enrolled in any business major can take one or two graduate business courses (PMBA or MAcc) in the last semester of their senior year if the following conditions are met:
For taking an PMBA course:
- Students must have at least a 3.5 GPA;
- Students may take an elective or PMBA breadth course if all prerequisites have been met.
For taking a MAcc course:
- Students must have at least a 3.3 GPA or higher overall and in accounting courses;
- Students may take any MAcc course, if all prerequisites have been met.
A graduate business course taken as an undergraduate can fulfill the requirements of only one program, either graduate or undergraduate. There is no “double dipping” of coursework between graduate and undergraduate programs. Permission to take such courses will be granted by the Dean's Office based on a review of a student’s academic record.