Greetings for the Fall 2009 semester. As classes get set to resume on September 9th, we extend a welcome to all new and returning MBA students and wish each of you a successful and fulfilling term. We look forward to all of you individually or in class in the weeks to come. Please feel free to stop by the MBA office, located in the Demergasso-Bava Hall room 209, anytime you’re in the “neighborhood”.

By now, most of you will have registered for fall classes. Due to early registration for this term, many of the core classes are presently showing “full”. For those of you who haven't yet registered, or have found that the course(s) you wanted were already full, please be aware: (1) that there might be some spaces remaining in some of the core classes offered, and (2) a limited number of spaces will likely open in many of the filled classes. We strongly recommend that you attend the first session of a course that you wish to try to add. If possible, you may want to contact the course instructor prior to the first class and inquire about being wait-listed.

As you register for classes, be sure to keep in mind the pre-requisite requirements for certain courses, mainly FIN 5210 and Mgt 5900. The instructors will hold you to the required pre-requisites as shown on this Web site.

Fellowships: Six years ago we were fortunate to receive two fellowships that are awarded annually only to MBA students; one John Z. Bava Graduate Fellowship of $2,812.50 and one Constantine and Clementina Demergasso Graduate Fellowship of $2,812.50 both for graduate students majoring in Business Administration.

To be eligible for a graduate fellowship, a graduate student must:

1. be admitted and enrolled as a classified graduate student in the MBA program at CSUS.
2. maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 each semester.
3. provide evidence of superior academic achievement on the application form.
4. be able to carry out the work requirements of the fellowship as defined by the MBA department.
5. be recommended by the MBA Director and Coordinator to the Dean of Graduate Studies.
6. be approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies.
7. agree to write a letter of appreciation to the sponsor, expressing the benefits received from the fellowship.

The job requirements of the fellowships will involve assisting the MBA Director and Coordinator in enhancing aspects of the MBA program felt to be of value to the program and its participants. In the course of a full academic year (28 weeks), a fellowship recipient is expected to dedicate an average of four hours per week working on program-related projects. The work requirements of one fellowship will be primarily oriented towards on-campus, MBA Program work. The requirements of the second fellowship will involve assisting the College of Business Administration in academic-related project work.

The deadline for fellowship applications for this academic year is Friday Sept 25th. Interested parties should stop by the MBA office and pick up an application form during the next 2-3 weeks; or, you may contact the program at (209) 667-3280 or MBAProgram@csustan.edu and request an application be mailed to you.

If you have any questions regarding program policy or your specific program file please contact us.

Other news:

1. Additional Fee for MBA Courses: As you may have already heard, the CSU Board of Trustees in Long Beach approved a graduate professional business fee, effective this fall semester. The fee is $210/unit per semester unit and will apply to both new and continuing students in the program. As there is much information pertaining to this change (too much to include here), I urge you to go to the “frequently asked questions” link provided here to learn more about this development. Please pay particular attention to the section on “financial aid”, as you may be eligible for an increase in financial aid as a result of this change.
   Download: Fee FAQs.pdf
2. The Comprehensive Examination of the Culminating Experience requirement will be administered this academic year for Fall on Saturday, December 5, 2009 and in the Spring on Saturday, May 15, 2010.
3. For anyone who has not yet taken the GMAT or GRE exam, there will be on-site testing at CSUS on Saturday 10/24 and Tuesday 10/27 for the GMAT. In addition, the Kaplan Test Prep will be here at CSUS on Tuesday, October 13, 2009. Practice exams for the GRE, GMAT, LSAT & MCAT will be held on campus. The GMAT practice exam will be held from 9:00am to 12:15pm in P166. Registration information has not yet been confirmed, but students can plan on registering at www.kaptest.com/practice, by selecting their preferred practice exam and entering "95382" as their zip code.
4. We strongly urge you to use or check regularly your csustan.edu generated e-mail as university notices will be e-mailed to that address: primarily, registration date appointment.
5. The tentative schedule for the Spring 2010 term is: Mon: MGT 5310, MKT 5410 Tues: MGT elective, CIS 5620 Wed: FIN 5210, MGT 5900/02 Thurs: ACC 5110, OM 5630