The Intensive English Program (IEP) at Western Washington University works closely with the Graduate School and the College of Business and Economics in helping international students prepare academically for the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. This pre-MBA track in IEP is not a formal conditional admission to the MBA program, but rather it is a concentration of coursework on academic preparation in IEP and business foundation courses at the undergraduate level. Students enrolled in the pre-MBA track would still need to meet all the Graduate School requirements for formal admission into the MBA program.

 

Students who enroll in the IEP with plans to enter graduate programs initially take the IEP Academic Preparation class, in addition to other IEP coursework, in which the IEP students audit, as a group, a Western undergraduate class. The students focus on developing academic English skills that involve listening to lectures, learning note taking skills, reading academic texts, participating in group discussion, taking exams, and other skills that the students will need to be successful in a degree program.

 

Students then begin enrolling, for credit, in undergraduate classes which are foundation courses for the MBA program. This enrollment challenges students to meet the English language and academic skills that is expected of them in university courses and also helps students fill in any gaps in their business background. Students who are preparing for the MBA program often take Intro to Microeconomics, Intro to Macroeconomics, Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, and Business Computing. These are the primary courses that have been suggested by the director of the MBA program for international applicants. Other undergraduate business courses would be available, depending on a student’s English ability and business background.
 

The requirements for enrolling in these undergraduate classes are: the successful completion of the IEP Academic Preparation course; a TOEFL of 520 PB/190 CB/68 iBT; and a strong recommendation from IEP instructors. Students enrolled in credit courses would drop to a part-time status in IEP. Students enroll in their credit courses on a space-available basis. Non-resident undergraduate tuition rates apply to the credit coursework.

 

Most students in the pre-MBA track are also preparing to take the TOEFL and the GMAT as well as completing their applications to the MBA program.

 

Full application to the Graduate School requires completion of the baccalaureate degree (BA), equivalent to the 4-year degree from an accredited university; undergraduate grades of at least a B, or 3.0 GPA; GMAT scores of at least 500; and a TOEFL of 227 CB/86iBT. Meeting these requirements does not guarantee admission to the MBA program. However, this pre-MBA program track in the IEP can provide help in meeting application requirements and an excellent preparation for graduate level studies at Western.

 

More information on the MBA can be found at the MBA Program website:

 

WWU MBA Program Website