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By the end of the program, graduates will:

• Demonstrate integrated, innovative strategic thinking and problem-solving skill sets.
• Demonstrate exceptional oral, written, and presentation skills.
• Synthesize operational knowledge of business, marketing, project management, information technology, finance, accounting, statistics, and quantitative analysis.
• Appraise environmental, corporate, and financial resource sustainability.
• Evaluate ethical and responsible behavior in business activities.

Applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree (any major) from a regionally accredited college or university with an overall GPA of 3.00 or higher. Applicants who do not hold a bachelor’s degree in business or a related field may be asked to complete the following undergraduate courses (or their equivalent) with a grade of “B” or higher prior to matriculation into the program:

• Introduction to Business or Introduction to Management
• Economics
• Accounting

Students must have a minimum of five (5) years’ professional work experience.

Students will complete nine (9) core course requirements (27 credits) and three (3) courses in their chosen concentration (9 credits). A total of 36 credits are needed for graduation.

Core Classes

• BUSN 5100������ Financial Statement Analysis
• BUSN 5300������ Operations Management
• BUSN 5400������ Strategic Marketing
• BUSN 5800������ Business Analytics
• BUSN 6250������ Managerial Economics
• BUSN 6910 ���� Strategic Analysis (Capstone)
• CORE 5100������ Graduate Research and Writing
• CORE 6100������ Ethical Leadership
• CORE 6200������ Corporate Law and Regulations

Accounting Concentration

• ACCT 5250������ Advanced Auditing
• ACCT 5300������ Forensic Accounting
• ACCT 6150������ Corporate and Partnership Taxation

Finance Concentration

• BUSN 5550 ���� Fundamentals of Financial Instruments
• BUSN 5600������ Portfolio Management
• BUSN 6350������ Financial Markets and Institutions

Health Systems Management Concentration

• HSM 6100���������� Health Systems Management
• HSM 6150���������� Essentials of Managed Health Care
• HSM 6200���������� Health Law and Ethics

Leadership Concentration

• BUSN 5250������ Global Work Teams
• BUSN 5350������ Organizational Development
• CORE 5200������ Conflict Management Skills

Marketing Concentration

• BUSN 5450������ International Marketing
• BUSN 5500������ New Product Development
• BUSN 6300������ Marketing Analytics

Project Management Concentration

• BUSN 5650������ Project Management
• BUSN 5700 ���� Agile Project Management
• BUSN 6400������ Project Management in Practice

���ϳԹ��� College accepts students throughout the year with starts dates in August, December, and April.

The competency-based MBA program will operate throughout the year based on three 16-week trimesters: fall, spring, and summer. Students must complete one course each semester but are not limited in the number of courses they can take. Courses must be taken sequentially. All competencies in each course must be met before progressing to the next course.

What are the admission requirements for the Competency-Based MBA?

Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree, in any major, from a regionally accredited college or university and have an overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher. Applicants must also have at least five years of professional work experience.

Students whose bachelor’s degree is not in business or a related field may be asked to complete undergraduate coursework in Introduction to Business or Management, Economics, and Accounting, or demonstrate that they have completed equivalent coursework or work experience before beginning the MBA.

Can I begin the CBE MBA if I have not yet completed my bachelor’s degree?

A completed bachelor’s degree is required for admission to the MBA program. If you are currently finishing your bachelor’s degree, you are encouraged to complete those remaining requirements and then apply to the CBE MBA.

Professional experience is an important part of the CBE model, but it does not replace the bachelor’s degree requirement.

Can my professional work experience replace required courses?

Professional experience does not automatically waive MBA courses or substitute for the bachelor’s degree requirement. However, the CBE format is specifically designed to recognize what experienced professionals already know. If you are already proficient in a subject area, you may be able to demonstrate competency and move through that material more quickly rather than spending a predetermined amount of time on it.

Can I transfer credits from a previous graduate program?

Yes, ���ϳԹ��� College will accept up to 9 graduate credits toward the 36-credit MBA when the previous coursework is applicable to the program and meets transfer requirements. Official transcripts are reviewed to determine whether individual courses are eligible for transfer.

Are International Students eligible for acceptance into the program?

Yes and no. International students residing in their home country may participate in the CBE MBA. However, international students residing in the United States are not eligible to participate due to the online delivery method of the program; international students studying in the United States are required to take in-person classes and the MBA CBE program does not offer in-person classes.

How is the Competency-Based MBA structured?

The CBE MBA is a fully online, mastery-based program. Instead of progressing according to a traditional weekly course schedule, students advance by demonstrating mastery of clearly defined competencies.

The program consists of 12 courses, or 36 graduate credits: nine core MBA courses and three courses in the student’s selected concentration.

Is the program completely self-paced?

Students have considerable flexibility in determining how quickly they progress, but the program still operates within 16-week semesters. Students must successfully complete at least one course during each semester to remain active in the program.

There are three 16-week semesters each year—fall, spring, and summer—with start opportunities in August, December, and April.

Can I take more than one course at a time?

Courses are completed sequentially rather than simultaneously. You work through one course, demonstrate competency in its required areas, and then move into the next course.

There is no predetermined limit on the number of courses you may complete during a semester. This means a student who has more time available or substantial existing knowledge may progress much more quickly than a student who needs additional time with the material.

Is there a limit on how quickly I can complete the MBA?

There is no standard course-load cap within a semester. Students may continue progressing through courses as competencies are successfully completed.

The program is designed so that highly motivated and experienced students may be able to accelerate significantly. Most students are expected to complete the MBA in approximately two or three 16-week semesters, although actual completion time depends on the individual student.

Could I complete the entire program in one semester?

The CBE format allows students to progress as quickly as they can successfully demonstrate competency. However, completing all 12 graduate courses within a single 16-week semester would require an exceptionally intensive pace and should not be viewed as the typical completion timeline.

Are there scheduled classes or required login times?

No. The program is asynchronous and does not require students to attend class online at a particular day or time. Students can generally complete their coursework around their professional and personal schedules.

What learning platform does the program use?

The CBE MBA is delivered through Canvas, ���ϳԹ��� College’s learning management system. Students will need reliable high-speed internet access and a computer capable of completing online graduate-level coursework.

What do the courses look like?

Each course is built around a course project that focuses on specific competencies that students must demonstrate before completing the course. Courses include learning materials designed to help students develop or refresh the knowledge and skills associated with each competency.

Because this is competency-based education, the emphasis is less on accumulating points and more on demonstrating that you can apply what you have learned.

What types of assignments should I expect?

Each course has one project which is broken into several parts (i.e. competencies). Work is assessed via rubrics as either Mastery, Competent, or Not Yet Competent. Content rated as ‘Not Yet Competent’ needs to be revised before proceeding to the next competency.

How many assignments are there in each course?

The number of assignments vary from course to course, ranging from three (3) competencies to eight (8) competencies.

Are all assignments available when I begin a course?

Yes, students are given access to the project for each course as well as all of the learning material as soon as they are enrolled in the course.

Are there class discussions?

No, class discussions are not a part of competency-based education. However, each course culminates in a presentation of your course project (live or recorded).

How are students assessed?

Competency is demonstrated through the completion of course projects which are broken into several sections called Competencies. Grading rubrics are used to assess student work and are provided to students at the beginning of each class.

Are there proctored exams?

No, there are no exams in the CBE program.

What happens if I don’t demonstrate competency on my first attempt?

The mastery-based model is intended to give students an opportunity to learn from feedback, improve their work, and demonstrate competency. A student who has not yet demonstrated the required level of competency will receive feedback regarding what needs improvement before progressing. Students will revise their work until competency has been achieved.

How long does it take for assignments to be graded?

Faculty will return graded work within 48 hours of submission.

Does the CBE MBA use traditional letter grades and a GPA?

Yes, students will earn one of four grades:

A- Mastery

B – Competent

IP – In Progress, to identify students who are in the middle of a course when the semester ends. At the start of the next semester, the student picks up where they left off and eventually, the IP is turned into either an A or B.

W – Withdrawn from the program

Grade Point Average (GPA) is provided on the student transcript and is based on the letter grades earned in each class. An ‘A’ is worth 4 quality points and a ‘B’ is worth 3 quality points. Given this grading structure, students who complete the program will earn a GPA of between 3.0 and 4.0.

How much time should I expect to spend on the program each week?

There is no single weekly requirement because the program is self-paced. The amount of time needed will depend heavily on your previous education, professional experience, familiarity with the subject, and how quickly you want to progress.

An experienced professional may move very quickly through material that is already familiar while spending considerably more time on subjects that are new.

Are there weekly deadlines?

No, there are no official deadlines. However, students who want to progress quickly through the program should establish their own personal deadlines for completing the work. It is also important to note that students must successfully complete at least one course each semester in order to remain in the program.

How much does the CBE MBA cost?

Tuition is $5,000 per 16-week semester, regardless of how many courses you successfully complete during that semester.

For example:

• A student completing the program in two semesters would pay $10,000 in tuition.
• A student completing the program in three semesters would pay $15,000 in tuition.

This subscription-style tuition structure means students who progress more quickly can reduce their overall cost.

��Are textbooks included in tuition?

Books and other required course materials are not included in tuition unless specifically provided within an individual course. Required materials vary by course.

��Are there any additional fees?

A $200 graduation fee is the only fee not included in tuition.

Are scholarships available?

���ϳԹ��� offers several forms of financial assistance and graduate tuition discounts.

Graduate students should contact Admissions to determine which scholarships, employer benefits, outside scholarships, loans, or tuition discounts apply to their individual circumstances. Additional information about graduate student financial aid can be found here: Graduate Financial Aid

Students with an approved employer tuition reimbursement or deferment arrangement may also be eligible for ���ϳԹ���’s graduate employer contribution tuition discount, subject to College eligibility requirements.

Can I use employer tuition reimbursement for the CBE MBA?

Yes, ���ϳԹ��� will work with students who receive tuition assistance or tuition reimbursement from their employers. Because employer policies differ, students should check with their employer regarding specific requirements such as minimum grades, documentation, payment dates, or the number of credits that must be completed during a reimbursement period.

Students are encouraged to discuss these requirements with ���ϳԹ��� before enrolling so that they understand how the CBE grading and semester structure will align with their employer’s policy.

What type of support is available to CBE students?

Although CBE provides students with significant independence, students are not expected to navigate the program alone. Faculty monitor student progress and provide feedback throughout each course, and students have access to faculty and academic support when questions arise. Students continue to have access to applicable ���ϳԹ��� College services and resources available to online graduate students.

Is the CBE MBA accredited?

Yes. ���ϳԹ��� College is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), and the Competency-Based MBA received approval from MSCHE before its Fall 2026 launch. The CBE MBA leads to the same ���ϳԹ��� College Master of Business Administration degree offered through the College’s other MBA delivery formats. The difference is the method of instruction and progression.

Will employers recognize the degree?

Yes. The credential awarded is a Master of Business Administration from ���ϳԹ��� College. Competency-based education is the method used to complete the degree; it is not a different or lesser MBA degree. The program requires students to demonstrate the same graduate-level business knowledge and skills expected of ���ϳԹ��� MBA graduates, with the additional emphasis on mastery and applied competency.

Does ���ϳԹ��� have an alumni network?

Yes. CBE MBA graduates become members of the ���ϳԹ��� College alumni community just like graduates of the College’s other MBA formats. Students interested specifically in MBA networking opportunities should also take advantage of relationships with faculty, classmates, alumni, and the professional connections available through the College and their individual concentration areas.