Apr 23, 2024

2020/2021 University Catalog

2020/2021 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Business Administration, M.B.A. and Latin American Studies, M.A.

General Information

The Fowler College of Business and the Center for Latin American Studies offer a three-year concurrent program study leading to a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Arts in Latin American Studies. The primary objective of the concurrent program is to offer preparation in the fields of business administration and Latin American studies for the purpose of providing the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and engage in business relationships within a Latin American historical, cultural, and linguistic milieu, in Latin America or in the United States.

For information, contact the chair of the Latin American Studies Committee or the director of graduate programs in the Fowler College of Business.

Admission to the Degree Curriculum

Since this program combines disparate disciplines, applicants are required to submit GMAT or GRE scores and should have substantial academic backgrounds in the humanities and social sciences. Applicants should also have a background in Spanish or Portuguese language and literature. Students in the concurrent degree program are expected to be full time so that all requirements will be satisfied in an acceptable time.

Advancement to Candidacy

All students must meet the general requirements for advancement to candidacy as described in Requirements for Master’s Degrees . In addition, (1) the student must complete with a grade of B (3.0) or better, either SPAN 302 (or its equivalent) or Portuguese 401 (or its equivalent), or three units of 500-level or graduate coursework in Spanish, or pass the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) oral proficiency examination in either Spanish or Portuguese with a score of 2.0 or above; (2) all core courses in business and Latin American studies must be completed prior to advancement in any core course; (3) the student must have been recommended for advancement by the combined advisory committee; (4) the student must have a thesis proposal approved by the combined faculty advisory committee.

Upon advancement to candidacy, the student will enroll in B A 799A - Thesis . A thesis (Plan A) incorporating theory, method, and analytic techniques from both disciplines is the culminating experience for the concurrent program leading to the M.B.A. and M.A. degrees.

Specific Requirements

In addition to meeting the requirements for classified graduate standing and the basic requirements for the master’s degree as described in Requirements for Master’s Degrees , the student must complete an officially approved course of study consisting of 63 units as outlined below.

The College Expects Students Entering

The college expects students entering the Master of Business Administration and Master of Arts in Latin American Studies to be proficient in several areas. These include proficiency in statistics, mathematical skills, basic economics and in the use of personal computers, including spreadsheets and word processing. The students are responsible for ensuring that they possess these skills before beginning the program.

Complete the Following Core of Seven Courses (21 Units)

Subject to a limit of two courses, the requirement to complete individual core courses B A 623 to B A 629 may be waived by the director of graduate business programs if an equivalent course has been completed. Equivalency is determined by course content, institution at which course was taken, grade received, and time since course was taken. Current students are required to enroll in graduate courses and may not satisfy core course requirements by enrolling in undergraduate equivalency courses.

B A 623 - Statistical Analysis Units: 3
B A 624 - Organizational Behavior and Leadership Units: 3
B A 625 - Financial and Management Accounting Units: 3
B A 626 - Business Economics Units: 3
B A 627 - Marketing Units: 3
B A 628 - Operations and Supply Chain Management Units: 3
B A 629 - Financial Management Units: 3

Requirement

B A 630 - Business Strategy Units: 3

Complete 15 Units in Business Administration to Include

FIN 654 - Seminar in International Business Finance Units: 3
MGT 710 - Seminar in World Business Environment Units: 3
MKTG 769 - Seminar in International Marketing Units: 3
Complete six additional units with the approval of the graduate adviser.

24 Units

Complete 24 units in courses of Latin American content, including the following required courses:

LATAM 600 - Seminar in Latin American Studies Units: 3
LATAM 601 - Seminar on Methodology of Latin American Studies Units: 3

The Remaining 18 Units Selected From the Following List of Courses

Sociology

Spanish

SPAN 602 - Foundations and Research Methods of Hispanic Linguistics Units: 3
SPAN 606 - Spanish American Literature: Independence to Present Units: 3
SPAN 751 - Seminar in Realism Units: 3 *
SPAN 760 - Seminar in Reading in the Transatlantic Imaginary Units: 3

The Student Must Complete

The thesis in business administration will treat a Latin American related topic and will be supervised by a business faculty with international business expertise and at least one faculty member from the Latin American studies program.

If a student after entering the concurrent MBA/MA program returns to a single degree program, all the requirements for the single degree program must be met.

MGT 797 - Research Units: 3
or
LATAM 797 - Research Units: 1-3 But not both.
B A 799A - Thesis Units: 3 in addition

California Western School of Law

Students may take two courses from California Western School of Law with the approval of the Latin American Studies graduate adviser. Students must apply to enroll under the provisions of the affiliation agreement with the California Western School of law.

Note

* Acceptable when of relevant content; check with the Latin American Studies graduate adviser before enrolling. Students must apply to enroll under the provisions of the affiliation agreement with the California Western School of Law.

A Master of Engineering degree is offered for students who are interested in a career in engineering with a business/management emphasis.

For course requirements consult Engineering in this section of the bulletin.