Bachelor’s Degree
- Undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
- A minimum grade point average of 2.8 is required as your overall GPA or for your last 60 semester (90 quarter) units attempted.
Foundation Courses
Students enter the MBA program from a wide range of academic and professional backgrounds. Foundation courses help ensure all students begin the program with the core business and quantitative skills needed for success.
Before enrolling in MBA core courses, students must complete six foundation courses or approved equivalents.
During the transcript review process, students may receive credit for equivalent coursework completed at regionally accredited institutions. To qualify, coursework must:
- have been completed within the past 10 years, and
- include a minimum grade of C- or CR.
The following lower-division foundation requirements may also be satisfied through approved Coursera course certifications:
- ACC 2110: Introduction to Financial Accounting
- ECON 2510: Principles of Microeconomics
- MATH 1610: Statistics for Decision Making
Students who have not yet completed all foundation requirements may still be granted conditional admission and will have one semester to complete any remaining prerequisites. The table below outlines the required foundation courses and approved equivalent coursework options.
| Course | Level | Modesto Jr. College | Merced College | San Joaquin Delta College | Columbia College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACC 2110: Financial Accounting* | Lower-division | BUSAD 201: Financial Accounting | ACTG-04A: Financial Accounting | BUS 3: Financial Accounting | BUSAD 2A: Financial Accounting |
| ECON 2510: Principles of Micro Economics* | Lower-division | ECON 102: Principles of Microeconomics | ECON-01: Intro to Microeconomics | ECON 3: Principles of Microeconomics | ECON 11: Principles of Economics - Micro |
| MATH 1610: Statistics for Decision Making* | Lower-division | MATH 134: Elementary Statistics | MATH-10: Elementary Statistics | STATS 12: Introduction to Probability and Statistics | MATH 2: Statistics |
| FIN 3220: Business Finance | Upper-division | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| MGT 3310: Management Theory & Practice | Upper-division | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| MKT 3410: Principles of Marketing | Upper-division | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
* ACC 2110, ECON 2510, and MATH 1610 may also be satisfied through approved Coursera course certifications.
Note: If each of the foundation courses listed above is NOT on your transcripts, a transcript review and department approval are required. Simply email copies of your transcripts to Dr. David Zhu at dzhu@csustan.edu, and he will confirm whether your transcript/s includes an equivalent for each foundation course from an accredited college or university that can satisfy these eligibility prerequisites.
Work Experience
Candidates must demonstrate at least two years of relevant, full-time employment in a professional role, a supervisory role, or an equivalent. Those without the required experience may request a waiver based on exceptional academic performance.
International Student Enrollment
International Students are eligible to apply to the Evening MBA Program through our International Education and Global Engagement department.
Updated: May 26, 2026