For those seeking career advancement, MBA Certificate Start can be valuable first step
A graduate degree can be a valuable asset to fast-track toward a more lucrative career. However, graduate school who do not perform well on standardized tests or have a less-than-ideal GPA might have some challenges that could prevent them from pursing the master’s degree they need to advance professionally.
“Many students who want to go to graduate school are a bit older and have begun their professional life since they completed their undergraduate courses, and their undergraduate GPA no longer represents their capability or their commitment to successfully completing their college courses,” said University of Houston-Clear Lake’s Associate Professor of Management Dina Abdel-Zaher.
“At UH-Clear Lake, we are offering an MBA Certificate Start that is designed to help students whose undergraduate GPA and GRE or GMAT scores are not high enough to let them start the MBA program,” she said. “If a student’s GPA is above 3.0, they don’t have to take the standardized test. For students who don’t have that, and don’t want to take the standardized test, the MBA Certificate Start is the way to go.”
She said that the certificate consisted of four classes in Environmental Management, Human Resources, or Management of Technology, with more to be added. “As long as a student gets a 3.0 or higher in these four classes, they will be accepted into UHCL's MBA program,” she explained. “It’s a way to get into the program. The four courses will count as electives or specialized concentration courses. Then students can go into the core coursework.”
She said this was a way for students to get a feel for MBA courses and prove to admissions they can do the graduate-level work. “There is no need for your undergraduate GPA to follow you if you struggled at that time. With the MBA Certificate Start, you can prove you’re on the right track and you’re serious about pursuing your next career move,” she explained.
Whether students do the MBA Certificate Start or begin the full MBA program, Abdel-Zaher said the flexibility of the accelerated program make it competitive and market relevant.
“The degree is at the pace that the market changes,” she said. “When you enter the full MBA program, you have a portfolio of specializations from which to choose. Each one opens a different door to areas including technology, leadership, and management, but it can all be completed in just 14 months.”
For more information about the MBA Certificate Start in UHCL’s College of Business, www.uhcl.edu/academics/degrees/business-administration-mba.