Admission Policies

Prospective students may apply for admission to graduate management programs at any time of the year. All applicants must submit all of the following to the Director of Admissions (or local representative) prior to consideration for admission to any graduate program in the College of Management and Business (CMB):

1. A completed application form.(Available online at: www.nl.edu) 
2. A nonrefundable application fee. (See Fee Schedule)
3. Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. Completion of a bachelor's degree must be verified. Graduate students who already possess a graduate degree from a regionally accredited institution and meet all other CMB graduate admissions requirement will only be required to submit transcripts of their graduate degrees. Other transcripts will not be required.
4. A list of three references to include supervisors, employers, professors, or others who have known the applicant in a professional or academic capacity, or are in the position to judge the applicant's ability for graduate study. Some programs may require written recommendations. Please refer to specific program requirements. 
5. A score on the writing assessment. This requirement is waived for applicants who have earned a graduate degree from a regionally accredited institution. Scores on the GMAT taken within the last five years are acceptable in lieu of the writing assessment.
6. A professional resume. (In lieu of a resume, U.S. military personnel may submit a copy of their DD214 and U.S. government employees may submit a copy of their SF171.)
7. International students and those for whom English is a second language, must submit results from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
8. Applicants with a graduate degree from a regionally accredited academic institution are only required to submit a transcript of their graduate degree work, and are not required to take CMB admissions writing tests; however, they must submit all other required admissions materials.

Admission Standards

Upon receipt of the required documentation, an admission decision will be made by the Director of Admissions (or local representative) for those applicants who meet the full admissions standards as outlined herein. A local CMB Faculty Admissions Team will be convened to make the admissions decisions for those applicants who do not meet the general criteria for full or provisional admission. The admissions criteria are as follows:

Full Admission Criteria

1. Verified completion of a bachelor's degree from a four-year college or university that is accredited by a regional accrediting agency in the United States or the equivalent from an institution outside the United States.
2. A grade point average of 2.75 or better on a 4.0 scale over the applicant's entire undergraduate program.
3. A score of 3.5 or better on the writing assessment. 
4. A minimum of three years of full-time professional, technical, or managerial work experience (or the equivalent in part-time work).
5. Computer literacy required.
6. For those who do not have English as their first language; a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based version, or a minimum of 213 on the computer-based version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Provisional Admission

Applicants who do not meet the grade point average requirements for full admission or have a writing assessment score of 3.0. may have additional admission requirements or may be denied admission. 

Students who are provisionally admitted, must maintain at least a 3.0 ("B") cumulative grade point average
(GPA), with no outstanding "I" grades for all courses taken during the first term.

These courses may not be extension courses, transfer credit, workshops, independent studies, or internships/practicums, except when taken by veterans receiving benefits. If a minimum 3.0 GPA is attained at the end of the probationary period, the student will gain full academic standing; if the student's GPA is below 3.0 at the end of the probationary period, the student will be dropped from the graduate program.

Applicants who score a 3.0 on the writing assessment and are acceptable for provisional status by the CMB Faculty Admission Team, must enroll in MGT523, Analytical and Writing Skills for the Manager. Students must successfully complete MGT523 to gain provisional admission status for the first class session. That is, students must pass MGT523 before they will be allowed to begin attending classes in their chosen CMB graduate program. MGT523 is a one semester hour, not for credit, pass/fail course which is designed to hone the student's writing and critical thinking skills.

The course's purpose is to increase the student's potential for success in graduate studies.

International Student Admissions

The College of Management and Business welcomes qualified international students for enrollment into its graduate programs. Applicants are required to present official records of scholastic achievement and evidence of proficiency in spoken and written English as a prerequisite for admission.

Please refer to International Students Admissions at Graduate Admissions

Admissions Appeals

1. If an applicant or student wishes to appeal an admissions decision, the appeal must be made in writing to the University Director of Admissions (or local representative) within two weeks of receipt of the decision letter. Appeals will be forwarded to the College of Management and Business Academic Issues Governance Unit, which will make a decision to uphold or deny the appeal.
2. The Academic Issues Governance Unit will forward its decision to the applicable program administrator and to the University Director of Admissions and Records who will officially notify the applicant of the unit's decision.
3. Further appeals will be administered in accordance with the University policy on academic appeals as outlined in the Student Guidebook.
4. Applicants may initiate a request for an admission requirement exemption, along with their application for admission, when they know in fact that they do not meet a program admissions requirement. An exemption is required when an applicant does not meet the minimum requirements for provisional admission. Requests for an exemption will be forwarded to the Academic Issues Governance for an admissions decision.

Status of Formally Admitted Students

Enrollment

1. Graduate students must be fully or provisionally admitted prior to the start of the first course of the program. Unclassified students are not eligible for admission into graduate programs.
2. Special Status students may be allowed to enroll in the first course of Term I while awaiting the completion of the formal admissions process. Special Status students must take the writing assessment test prior to starting class; they must also enroll in MGT523 prior to starting class if they score less than a 3.5 on that assessment. Admission under this status will be conditional upon a determination by local admissions personnel that available information indicates that the applicant may eventually be fully or provisionally admitted to the program. In the event that the formal admissions process is not completed by the end of the first course, the student will not be permitted to continue in the program (regardless of their grade in the course), until a formal admissions decision is made.
3. Unclassified or Visiting Students may be allowed to take individual MS-HRM&D courses for professional development with the permission of the local program administrator without being formally admitted to the degree program.

Academic Policies

Transfer between Graduate Programs

Students wishing to transfer from one graduate program to another within the university must request permission to do so. A written request will be directed to the person/unit responsible for admissions decisions in the college to which the student is transferring. Any special admissions requirements for the new program must be met. The academic record will be evaluated and the admission status to the new program will be determined based on this evaluation. The student will be notified of the decision and new academic standing.

Transfer of Credit

Graduate hours completed at an accredited institution which offers graduate degrees may be transferred into College of Management and Business graduate programs. Such institutions are either those approved by one of the regional accreditation associations or those approved by agencies recognized by the Council on Recognition of Postsecondary Education. The number of credit hours that may be transferred is determined on an individual basis. No transfer is automatic. A maximum of nine semester hours may be transferred. The following criteria apply to transfer credit:

1. The transferred course must have provided bona fide graduate credit that would have fulfilled graduate degree requirements at the institution at which the course was taken.
2. The credit must not have been used toward a degree which was awarded.
3. The credit may be for graduate work completed at National-Louis University or elsewhere for which a degree was not awarded.
4. Credit earned more than six calendar years before graduate admission is not transferable.
5. Courses with a grade below B cannot be used for transfer credit. A "Pass" grade for a completed pass/fail graduate course is acceptable.
6. Transfer credit may be prohibited or limited in certain academic programs.

Students must petition for transfer of credit at the time of application for admission. This petition must include a transcript showing satisfactory completion of the course and such supportive evidence as may be needed to establish relevance of content to the student's degree program. Transfer of credit will be approved by the appropriate local program administrator pending verification of the graduate course level and institutional accreditation by the Registrar's office.

Required Course Waiver(s)

Students may request a waiver of one or more required courses if previous academic work or experience indicates a high degree of competency in the content of the course. Waiver of a required course does not grant equivalent credit toward the degree; it permits the student to substitute an appropriate elective course for the waived course. A Course Waiver Request Form must be completed by the student and the advisor and submitted with appropriate documentation to the appropriate local program administrator.

Graduation Requirements

1. The College of Management and Business reserves the right to update/change the graduate curricula at any time. Any candidate for a degree shall be held to compliance with changes, as far as the uncompleted portion of their program is affected.
2. Students must fulfill all degree requirements, including theses, research projects or other requisites, within 10 years from the beginning of the first course taken in the specific graduate program to which they are admitted. (Transfer credit is not computed in determining this requirement)
3. Students who have not completed their degree within the 10 year required time frame, may apply to the college for readmission into the applicable program. Prior to readmission, the students must agree to develop a Degree Completion Plan which will provide for taking a minimum of six program core courses within a three year time limitation. Additional courses may be required to meet the total number of semester hours required for the degree being sought.When the required courses are completed within the indicated time frame, the degree requirements shall be considered met and a degree may be awarded.
   

Academic Standards

Students enrolled in the graduate programs will be monitored continuously to ensure compliance with program academic standards. To remain in good academic standing and complete the requirements for the programs, students must adhere to the following academic standards:

1. If the GPA of a student admitted with full-standing status falls below 3.0, the student will be placed on academic probation. The student will be notified in writing and given the maximum of four graded courses or nine semester hours (depending on the program) taken at National-Louis University to raise the GPA to 3.0. If a 3.0 GPA is attained, the student will gain good academic standing. These courses may not include workshops, independent studies, transfer credits or internships/practicums. All credit courses will be used for calculating the cumulative GPA of veterans.
   
2. If the student fails to raise the GPA in the designated probatory period, the student may be considered for dismissal. If a student wishes to appeal this decision, a petition must be made to the CMB Academic Issues Governance Unit to deal with student academic appeals.
   
3. College of Management and Business graduate students who are dismissed from the University for academic reasons may apply for readmission at such time as they have regained good standing and meet the requirements of the program.
   
4. Attendance in class is mandatory. Circumstances and events may arise that may preclude a student from attending every session; however, a student must contact the instructor in advance.
   
5. Students who miss 50% of class meetings in one course (unless special arrangements were made beforehand with the instructor) will be given a "N" in that course and will be required to retake the course.
   
6. Students who miss three consecutive class meetings in a term will be dropped at the end of the term or the last day of attendance where state or federal law supercedes and must apply for readmission if they wish to complete the program.
   
7. Any student carrying three or more outstanding "I" grades will be dropped from the program at the end of the term in which the third "I" grade is received. Students may apply for readmission only when oustanding "I" grades drop below three.
   
8. Instructors may set specific conditions (e.g., time limit) for a student to complete "I" grade course work and may convert the grade to "N" if the conditions are not met. In the absences of specific conditions, students have one year after the final class meeting of their cohort group to complete any "I" grades before such grades are converted to "N" grades.
   
9. Any course for which a "D", "F" or "N" grade was assigned must be repeated and successfully completed. Students must pay for re-enrollment in such a course.