Business Essentials Requirements

Business Essentials Requirements

The Business Essentials courses are designed to prepare students with the fundamentals of business. In this sequence, they learn the basics of sound theory and practice. The Business Essentials requirements must be completed prior to taking any core courses. Applicants with baccalaureate degrees in business or economics from AACSB-accredited schools (or equivalent schools, as determined by the Business Graduate Curriculum Committee) may meet this requirement by demonstrating a "B" or better in the required undergraduate business courses. See individual degree requirements for specific courses.

These courses must have been completed within the previous seven years, from the date of enrollment into the program. Waivers are not given for professional experience, professional development courses or courses taken at professional institutes.

For all business programs, a student may demonstrate competency in a Business Essentials subject by passing a departmental subject (waiver) examination. Exams must be taken by the end of the student's first term and may be taken only one time. Deadlines for completion of waiver exams may be obtained from the Graduate Business Programs Office.

In order for a course from an international institution or from a domestic non-AACSB-accredited institution to be considered for a waiver of a Business Essentials requirement without examination, the following conditions must be met: 

•    The student must be able to provide a course syllabus for at least two courses taken in the discipline.

•    The student must indicate the textbook used for the course and provide a table of contents, if possible. 

•    At least one course must have been completed at a more advanced level than the Business Essentials course being considered for a waiver.

•    All courses completed in the discipline must have been completed with a grade of "B" or better.

International students who graduate from a three-year degree program may not waive Business Essentials courses.

M.S. Finance

For the M.S. in Finance program, passing level I of the CFA exam may waive some essential classes but determination will be made on a case-by-case basis depending on individual section test scores. 

M.S. Accounting

For the M.S. in Accounting program, students may waive the prerequisite courses if these courses were taken as part of their baccalaureate degrees or as post-baccalaureate students with a "C" or higher in the following undergraduate course(s) within the previous seven years from a regionally accredited college or university:

1.   Intermediate Accounting I

2.   Intermediate Accounting II

3.   Cost Accounting

4.   Accounting Information Systems

5.   Federal Tax Accounting I

6.   Auditing

7.   Business Law I

For the MS-ACC program, if the student has completed the respective undergraduate course(s) with a "C" or higher, but it has been longer than seven years, the prerequisite may be waived if the student has current relevant work experience. Students who have completed any of the required courses at an AACSB-accredited college or university within the previous seven years with a "B" or better in the respective course will be required to substitute the course with an elective allowed within the MS-ACC program. Degree completion requires a minimum of 32 graduate credit hours, 20 of which must be accounting courses. 

Graduate Internships

Graduate students pursuing an MBA have the opportunity to gain practical experience towards the completion of their degree by participating in a maximum of four graduate internships. 
There are two options toward the fulfillment of the BUS 698 requirements in the MBA curriculum:

1.   Take two internships for 2 credits each. For students doing two 2-credit internships, if both internships are at the same company, students cannot repeat the same internship twice. The internships must be different including a different set of learning objectives in order to be approved.

2.   Take four internships for 1 credit each. For students doing four internships, no more than two internships can be with the same company. For internships at the same company, the internships must be two different internships and must have different sets of learning objectives. 

Only approved internships may be completed for academic credit. The employer must submit an Internship Request Form supplied by the Office of Career Services. Students wishing to pursue academic credit while participating in an internship must register for an internship course. Normal graduate tuition fees apply. All internship paperwork must be finalized prior to the start of the semester in which it will take place, and no retroactive credit is allowed. Grading criteria for internships include: final internship reports, weekly journals and an employer evaluation. Internships are graded as any other course in the graduate program and are assigned grades in accordance with University standards. 

Internship applicants must be taking graduate classes at The University of Tampa, must have completed a minimum of two semesters of graduate-level courses with no grade less than a “B” in the discipline and must have an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher. Additionally, to qualify for an internship, students must create a resume and attend the internship preparation workshop. A graduate student who has earned a bachelor’s degree at UT may, upon the recommendation of a UT faculty member, commence an internship after completing two graduate courses. The internship cannot be done with a student’s full-time employer.

International students must have maintained their immigration status for one academic year before they are eligible to apply for an internship, and they are limited to working a total of 20 hours per week for all positions while school is in session. They may work full-time during the summer. Regardless of whether internships are during the school year or during the summer, all internships for international students must be taken for academic credit. 

Students enrolled in the 4+1 program are required to complete two business internships for credit. 

For more information, students should contact the Graduate Business Programs Office at (813)253-6287. 

Independent Study and Special Studies Courses

Graduate students may apply to complete up to two independent studies as part of their graduate program. Independent studies are intended to allow a student to learn more in-depth about a particular topic with faculty oversight. The independent study must explicitly integrate academic content with specific learning outcomes that includes a graded written deliverable. The minimum length of time for an independent study is 12 weeks. Independent studies are independent inquiries into an area of academic interest. Independent studies are not a substitute for required courses or courses offered on a regular basis. They can be utilized as an elective for a course that is not regularly offered as long as the independent study proposal meets the academic criteria and is approved through the normal approval process. 

Independent studies will not be approved for work that the student is already doing. For example, work completed as part of a certification program or work that is part of a job is not an independent study. The independent study may have minimal overlap with work responsibilities but it must not be part of an assigned work project.

In order to participate in an independent study, graduate students must have a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Graduate students must have prior approval from the department chair, the Associate Dean and the Director of Graduate Business Programs for all independent studies.