Helzberg School MBA Frequently Asked Questions

Since we offer rolling admission, we do not have firm application deadlines.  A complete admission file includes an application, official transcripts from all schools attended and a GMAT or GRE score if required.  Applications are considered after the suggested completion deadline listed below.  Contact the Graduate Admission office at 816-501-4632 with questions.

• Spring B: March 16 - complete admission file by March 1
• Summer: June 1 - complete admission file by May 10

A requirement of admission is receipt of official transcripts from all schools attended.  This includes transcripts from a community college or other college or university where you may have taken summer classes.

You do not need to take the GMAT or GRE before applying. In fact, we encourage students to apply as soon as you're interested in order to start receiving important information about the program.

The GMAT is required for admission unless a terminal graduate degree is held such as an M.D., D.O., J.D., etc., hold a graduate degree or professional certification, graduated from an AACSB-accredited business program with a 3.25 or higher GPA, or have 3 years of professional, full-time work experience demonstrating career progression.

To calculate the needed score on your GMAT, the following formula is used: Undergraduate GPA x 200 + GMAT score = 1050 or greater. The minimum GMAT score accepted is a 450.

For the GRE, we utilize a conversion tool that translates your GRE score to a predicted GMAT score.  A score of about 150 in both the verbal and quantitative sections will achieve a converted 450 GMAT score.

New MBA students in the fall 2015 had an average GMAT score of 520 and an average undergraduate GPA of 3.30.

Prospective students are waived from the GMAT if they:

• Hold a terminal degree such as a M.D., JD, PharmD, DO, Ph.D., or DDS.
• Hold a graduate degree or professional certification (i.e. CPA, CFA, CMA, CFP) with evidence of significant quantitative coursework and a minimum 3.25 GPA.
• Graduated with a BSBA, BA in Economics, or business minor from Rockhurst University or another AACSB-accredited university with a cumulative GPA and business course GPA (course equivalent designation of AC, FN, MG, BUS, EC, MK) of 3.25 or higher.
• Graduated with a bachelor's degree from Rockhurst's College of Business, Influence, and Information Analysis with a cumulative 3.25 GPA or higher.
• A minimum of 3 years of progressive, professional full-time work experience that entails a significant scope of responsibility (managing of people and/or projects) and employs in-depth analytical and quantitative skills.
• Completion of Rockhurst's Analytics & Insights Certificate (formerly Data Science Certificate) program earning a cumulative 3.25 GPA or higher.

Five, 8 week terms are offered throughout the year with entry points in August, October, January, March and June.  Most classes meet one night a week from 5:45 p.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday. 

• Financial Accounting
• Managerial Accounting
• Statistics
• College Algebra or higher
• Macroeconomics
• Microeconomics
• Essentials of Finance
• Principles of Marketing

Students with an undergraduate degree in business most likely fulfill all prerequisite requirements. Students who do not have all the prerequisites may take them at Rockhurst in tandem with MBA courses once all admission requirements are met. Financial and Managerial Accounting, Statistics and Pre-Calculus, and Macroeconomics and Microeconomics are offered as bundled classes at Rockhurst, so instead of taking two classes for each requirement, one is taken. For example, Financial Accounting and Managerial Accounting are bundled with both topics covered in AC 4500 Principles of Accounting.

Yes, you may start taking graduate-level classes as soon as you are fully accepted into the MBA program. The prerequisite classes may be taken in tandem with your graduate MBA classes.

Generally speaking, scholarships and grants are not available through Rockhurst University for graduate level students. Students are encouraged to complete the FAFSA form found at www.fafsa.ed.gov as soon as possible, as financial aid is available to those who qualify. Also check with their employers regarding tuition reimbursement programs. Resources within the community, like church and educational organizations, may provide academic scholarships to people coming back to school.

AACSB stands for the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and is the benchmark of quality for business education worldwide. Earning and maintaining AACSB accreditation is a comprehensive, demanding process. To learn more about AACSB accreditation, visit www.aacsb.edu/accreditation.

The concentration areas include: accounting, business intelligence, data science, finance, health care management, management, entrepreneurship, fundraising leadership, human capital, organizational development, and nonprofit administration. Learn more about the concentrations.

Electives are available in the above concentration fields. See a sampling of the available electives.

Financial aid is available to those who qualify. We suggest all students complete the FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov as soon as possible. Rockhurst University also has several payment programs if you are paying for the program without student loans.

With a bachelor's degree, you are able to take undergraduate classes with the alumni discount but not graduate level classes.  Students with a graduate degree from Rockhurst may take graduate or undergraduate classes using the alumni discount.  More information about the alumni discount may be found here. 

The alumni discount allows students to take 1 class each semester at a reduced tuition cost.  The half-off tuition price is per semester or 3 classes a year, not per 8 week term.  Students will complete an alumni discount form with the adviser and are able to register for a class two weeks before the term begins if space is available.  If the class is full students using the alumni discount will be unable to register.  Alumni discounted courses must be paid for on the day of registration and are not eligible to be covered with federal student loans. 

Because of the accelerated 8-week format of most courses, attendance is crucial. Faculty do understand that work and family commitments sometimes require missing a class. Students are expected to let the faculty member know in advance about any absences. If more than one class is missed, the student and/or faculty member may decide it is best to drop the course.

Most students working full-time choose to take two courses at a time. Each course meets one day a week.

Each student has a unique schedule that is built based on their graduation timeline and chosen electives. Most students work full-time and take no more than two classes each term, completing the program in about two years.