Graduate Business Programs
238 Elliott Hall (map)
(248) 370-3287
OUgradbusiness@oakland.edu
http://www.oakland.edu/business/grad

Program Director:
Paul Trumbull
238B Elliott Hall
(248) 370-3277
trumbull@oakland.edu

Program Description

In this program, students will gain foundational knowledge in the fields of accounting, finance, and marketing. Electives in economics, organization behavior, quantitative methods, and operations management offer the flexibility to pursue additional business knowledge that is relevant to a student’s goals.

This graduate certificate is ideal for the working professional in any field who is interested in gaining foundational knowledge of the key business disciplines to either advance in their careers or manage their businesses.

Admission Terms and Application Deadlines

Before an applicant’s file can be reviewed for full program admission, all application documents must be received at Oakland University Graduate School by the semester deadlines listed below. Incomplete applications will not be sent to departments for admission review.

February 15 (early), April 15 (regular) and July 15 (late) for fall semester
October 1 (early) and November 15 (regular) for winter semester
March 1 (regular) for summer semester

International Applicants

May 1 for fall (September) admission
September 1 for winter (January) admission
January 1 for summer (May) admission

Application Requirements

To be considered for graduate admission, applicants must submit all Graduate Application Requirements and additional department requirements by the published application deadlines:

Graduate application requirements

Additional department application requirements

An earned baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution OR a degree equivalent to a four-year U.S. baccalaureate degree from a college or university of government-recognized standing.
Applicants should have minimally some college algebra coursework in their undergraduate degree program
Curriculum Vitae or Resumé

Admission Review and Assessment

Admission to the Graduate Certificate in Business Essentials program is selective. In making admission recommendations to the graduate certificate program, the department assesses the potential of applicants for success in the program by examining their graduate records, their experience, and their recommendation forms.

Certificate Prerequisites

Personal Computer (PC) skills: students will be required to have proficiency in the use of word processors, spreadsheets, graphics, database management systems, and the Internet. If a student is deficient in these skills, the student would be required to take a college course, workshop, or continuing education course in PC skills as a prerequisite to the program.

Certificate Requirements

The Graduate Certificate in Business Essentials is awarded upon satisfactory completion of 15 graduate-level credits in an approved program of study.

Course requirements (9 credits)

course Financial Accounting (3 credits)
course Financial Management ( 3 credits)
course Marketing Management (3 credits)

Electives (6 credits)

Choose two from the following approved elective courses.

course Economics for Managers (3 credits)
course Organizational Behavior (3 credits)
course Quantitative Methods for Managers (3 credits)
course Operations Management (3 credits)

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is the term used to denote a student’s successful completion of coursework toward a certificate or degree. Federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to monitor Satisfactory Academic Progress for all financial aid recipients each semester.

Students who fall behind in their coursework, or fail to achieve minimum standards for grade point average and completion of classes, may lose their eligibility for all types of federal, state and university aid. Contact the Office of Financial Aid for additional details.

Good Academic Standing

All graduate students are expected to remain in good academic standing throughout the entire course of their graduate program. To be in good Academic Standing, a graduate student must make satisfactory progress toward fulfilling degree requirements, including the completion of critical degree milestones as set forth by the academic program. The student must also maintain a minimum semester and overall GPA of 3.0 (B) or better.

Good academic standing is a requirement for:

Holding a Graduate Assistantship
Receiving a fellowship or scholarship
Advancing to candidacy for a graduate degree
Going on a leave of absence
Obtaining a graduate certificate or degree from Oakland University.

Additionally, graduate students must meet all department academic standards which may be more stringent than the minimum set forth by the University.

Graduate students who are not in good academic standing for any reason are subject to probation and/or dismissal from further graduate study.

Related Program Information

Plan of Study

All accepted applicants, in consultation with their assigned faculty program adviser, must develop a plan of study that details specific courses the students will use to satisfy their degree requirements. The plan of study must be approved by the faculty program adviser and submitted by the student to Oakland University Graduate School.

Master’s and graduate certificate students must submit a department-approved plan of study by the end of their first semester of graduate coursework. Doctoral students must submit an approved plan of study prior to completion of the first year of coursework. (See the Graduate Student Responsibility section of this catalog.)

Note: Credit granted for successful completion of a course toward an undergraduate degree program may not be repeated for a graduate degree. If a substitution is approved, the minimum number of program-approved graduate credits will be required. A Petition of Exception - OU Course Waiver/ Substitution requesting the substitution must be approved.

Business Essentials

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General

Requirements

Major Dependent Concentration(s)

Major Dependent Concentration Declaration