Graduate Management Studies

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Charles J. Pendola, M.P.A., M.P.S., J.D., C.P.A., Director, SJC Long Island
Sharon Didier, Ph.D., Co- Director, SJC Brooklyn
Karen R. Pane, M.B.A., Associate Director, SJC Brooklyn

Program Description

The Graduate Management Studies programs were designed to provide working adults opportunities to learn and apply advanced managerial theory and practices, while promoting the business leadership competencies required for successful performance in the corporate, not-for-profit, health care, and public service sectors. These programs emphasize the development of the specific abilities associated with superior managerial performance, and the application of theoretical and quantitative knowledge to real-world business situations. Every course emphasizes ethical behavior and social responsibility.

Current MS students who add a second or third MS concentration are not eligible to receive an additional MS degree or diploma. Student transcripts will note all concentrations completed. MBA students who add a second MBA degree will not receive an additional diploma, however, student transcripts will reflect all degree completed. MBA students who add an MS degree (or vice versa) are eligible for two degrees and two diplomas.

Mission and Goals

The mission of the St. Joseph’s College Graduate Management Studies programs is to promote ethical leadership and managerial effectiveness in organizations. Toward this end, the program provides students with a theoretical grounding in the functional knowledge areas of business, while also providing opportunities for the students to develop the abilities associated with superior, ethical managerial performance.

To accomplish this mission, the Graduate Management Studies Program has established the following goals:

• To support growth in the functional knowledge areas, and to provide opportunities for students to apply the concepts and skills from each course to work-place or industry issues
• To foster the specific abilities associated with superior managerial performance and to provide opportunities for students to develop their managerial abilities
• To enable students to participate as part of management teams
• To involve students in the educational process as self-directed learners
• To endorse ethical behavior and social responsibility as foundations of managerial practice
• To increase students’ awareness of the challenges of an increasingly multicultural workforce and to develop the skills needed for promoting diversity in the workplace.

Academic Standing

Students in the Graduate Management Studies programs are expected to maintain an overall 3.0 cumulative grade point average in order to remain in good academic standing and to graduate. In addition, students enrolled in the M.S. in Management, M.B.A. in Accounting and M.B.A. in Health Care Management degree and certificate programs are required to maintain a concentration GPA of 3.0, with a minimum grade of C in each concentration course identified with an ACC, HCM, HRM or OM prefix, as applicable. The academic records of students who do not meet these requirements will be reviewed by the Academic Development Committee, which will then make recommendations to help the students improve their academic record. Students who continue to fail to meet these requirements may be dismissed.

Admission Requirements

All applicants for admission to the Graduate Management Studies programs will possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution of higher education with an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0. In addition, applicants typically will be required to be employed in a full¬time position and will have substantial work experience involving supervision, program development, specialized training, considerable responsibility and/or independent judgment. In those cases where an M.B.A. applicant’s experiential qualifications fall short of the aforementioned criteria and in cases deemed appropriate by the Director, the GMAT will be required. Students who have been accepted into a Graduate Management Studies program are required to complete missing prerequisites within their first year of the graduate program.

Admission Procedures

1. Candidates are required to submit:
   • An application accompanied by a non-refundable fee of $25.
   • A current resume, which includes chronological dates of employment and descriptions of responsibilities.
   • *Two completed Letter of Reference forms: one from an academic source and one from a professional source (preferred) or two from professional sources.
   • *Completed Verification of Employment form with a signed verification letter outlining the applicant’s designated duties from current (or previous) employer.
   • Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work
   •  *Official GMAT score report, if required.
   • Proof of immunity to measles, mumps, and rubella prior to enrollment for all students born on or after January 1, 1957.
   • Meningococcal Meningitis Vaccination Response Form

2. Applicants must arrange for an interview with the Graduate Admissions Office by calling SJC Brooklyn at 718-940-5800 or SJC Long Island at 631-687-4500.

3. At the time of the interview, the applicant will be required to complete a written statement of approximately 250 words. The essay should address and provide an example or examples of how management/leadership theory acquired at the undergraduate level has been subsequently applied by the applicant to improve his or her managerial effectiveness. If the applicant did not receive an undergraduate business degree, the essay should describe and provide an example or examples of the management/leadership techniques used by the applicant to manage effectively.

Transfer of Prior Coursework

A maximum of six credits (three credits for a certificate) from another accredited graduate program will be considered for acceptance by St. Joseph’s College provided the following conditions are met:

• The course(s) is substantially equivalent to a course in the St. Joseph’s College Graduate Management Studies program as determined by the Director.
• A grade of B or better was earned within the last five years for the course(s) under consideration. Grades of “P” or Pass are not accepted.
• An official transcript has been submitted.

Transfer credit will not be awarded for MGT 500 and MGT 690, and will not typically be awarded for those concentration courses in the M.S. in Management, M.B.A. in Accounting and M.B.A. in Health Care Management programs with ACC, HCM or HRM prefixes.

St. Joseph’s College reserves the right to accept credit in a way best calculated to preserve the integrity of its own degree.

Attendance

Students will not be permitted to register for a class after the first class session has met. If a student has registered in advance for MGT 500 -Leadership and Managerial Development or MGT 690 - Integrative Analysis in Management, but misses the first class session, that student will be required to transfer to another open section that has not yet met or will be required to withdraw. If students have registered in advance for other courses, but have missed the first class session, they will be encouraged to withdraw from the class due to the compressed nature of the Graduate Management Studies program-scheduling configuration.

Students should understand that if they insist on staying in the class under these circumstances, they accept the responsibility of their decision. They should also understand that it will be difficult for them to make up the missed work, the instructor is under no obligation to help them make up the missed material, and their final grades may be affected both from the standpoint of material missed and forfeited class participation opportunities.

Change of Program

Students who wish to change their concentration or degree or to add a degree, concentration, or advanced certificate must submit the required form to their graduate academic advisor. In order to add a second degree, students must have: a minimum overall and a concentration (if applicable) GPA of 3.0, completed 27 credits of their first degree, and completed all prerequisites of the second degree or concentration to be added. Change of concentration or degree should be effected before the period of programming for the following term.

Matriculating M.S. and M.B.A. degree students do not receive a certificate in their area of concentration. They may, however, apply to an advanced certificate program that is outside their concentration. (For example, M.S. students pursuing a Health Care concentration may apply for the Human Resources advanced certificate.)

If a student graduates with an advanced certificate in addition to the degree, the student receives both a diploma and a certificate.

Procedures for Incomplete Coursework

The following procedures regarding incomplete coursework will be strictly enforced. An extension of time to complete coursework will be granted only when unusual, extenuating circumstances exist and only after consultation with the instructor. It is the responsibility of each student to keep his or her instructor informed of reasons for late submission of coursework. It is also the student’s responsibility to obtain, complete, and submit the necessary form (available on line) to the instructor no later than the last day of class. If the instructor approves the student’s written request for an extension of time, the instructor will sign and submit the required form to the Office of Graduate Management Studies.

If the student does not provide the form on the last day of class, the instructor is required to submit a grade and will assign a grade of 0 for the missing coursework. Proof of the extenuating circumstances indicated on the Request for Extension of Time to Complete Coursework may be required before final approval by the Dean is granted.

It is the responsibility of the student for whom such an exception has been granted to submit all missing coursework to the Instructor and Director, or Associate Director, on or before the dates listed below:

Note: These dates will apply regardless of whether or not the Request for Extension of Time to Complete Coursework has been submitted to the Office of Graduate Management Studies.

The instructor reserves the right to reduce the grade on incomplete coursework in addition to any other reduction in grade already imposed for late submission of coursework. Failure to comply with the above procedures and time lines will result in a student receiving a zero for the missing coursework. In addition, if a student does not submit a SMAC, by the end of the semester or by the approved extended due date, the student will be assigned an F for the course.

Students who have requested extensions of time to complete coursework will have their registration for following semesters restricted as follows:

• Registration will be restricted to six credits (or fewer credits depending upon other grades) for students in good academic standing with one incomplete grade in a prior semester.
• Students with incomplete grades in more than one semester will not be permitted to register in subsequent semesters without approval of the Director and Dean.

Students with a pattern of incomplete coursework (and absences from finals) may be dismissed from the program.

Grade Appeal Procedure

Students should attempt to resolve issues involving grades with their instructor. If the issue(s) cannot be resolved with the instructor, students may request an independent review of their grades by submitting the required form to the Director within thirty (30) calendar days from the time that final course grades are posted to Web Advisor. The student is required to identify: (1) the component of the final grade that is being appealed, e.g., midterm, SMAC, final exam, or participation, (2) the specific issue(s) being appealed, and (3) the reason(s) the student believes additional credit is warranted.

Repeated Courses

A student, who receives an unsatisfactory grade in a course specifically required for the degree, may request the Director’s approval to repeat the course. In addition, the Graduate Committee on Academic Development may mandate that one or more courses be repeated if a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 is not achieved, or if a concentration GPA of 3.0 is not achieved or if a minimum grade of C is not earned in a concentration course (ACC, HCM, HRM, OM). In such cases, the Director may permit or direct the student to repeat a course(s) in order to demonstrate mastery of the subject. Both the original grade and the repeated grade will appear on the transcript. Credit will be given only once for the course, and only the most recent grade will be calculated in the index. The student is liable for the tuition and fees incurred for repeated courses.

Reinstatement

Students who have been dismissed because of their unsatisfactory academic progress may apply to be readmitted to the College. The procedure requires a written request addressed to the Academic Dean. This request should address the changes in the student’s life that have occurred since his/her dismissal, which will increase their chances for academic success. The Dean’s decision will be based upon: an assessment of the student’s previous academic record, their potential for success based upon evidence of their increased motivation, a possible interview, and consultation with the Director and instructors.

Students who have been reinstated are responsible for contacting the Office of Financial Aid to discuss the conditions, if any, which must be satisfied in order to obtain financial aid.

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