Stem path, mba

Application Window

You can apply to the STEM Path to the MBA after being admitted to both The University of Alabama and the Honors College. Applications are open until the seats in the freshman class are full, at which point students are eligible to be placed on the waiting list. Therefore, it is better to apply for the STEM Path to the MBA earlier rather than later to secure a spot in the freshman class.

Online Application

Admission to the STEM Path to the MBA is not automatic. You must fill out the online application here to be considered for admittance. Admittance will be communicated via your Crimson email address, typically within ten days.

Apply to the STEM Path to the MBA for Entering Freshmen

Standardized Test Scores and GPA

The standardized test scores and GPA requirements match those of the Honors College (3.5 high school GPA and 28 ACT or 1250 old SAT/1310 new SAT), and you must also be a member of the Honors College to be eligible for the STEM Path to the MBA.

MBA Program Admission

In the fall of your junior year, you will apply separately to the MBA Program. The application process is similar to that of the traditional MBA path. You must have a 3.0 minimum undergraduate GPA and preferably a 600 GMAT/305 GRE. You will also secure several supporting documents, including a resume, statement of purpose, and recommendation letters. Consistent with the requirements of the Graduate School, you will need at least 91 credit hours completed before you can begin graduate-level coursework. This means that by the end of your junior year spring semester, you must have at least 91 credit hours.

More about the MBA Program’s admission requirements

Undergraduate Coursework

Each semester, you will take a STEM Business Honors course worth 1.5 credit hours that meets for 75 minutes per week. The class size is limited to 35 students, and each semester covers a business topic like Marketing, Accounting, or Operations Management, among others. You will engage in several group projects, closing out each semester with a case study based on the semester’s business topic. You are encouraged to stay with the same faculty member for each STEM Business Honors course to develop a mentor-mentee relationship with your professor and a sense of camaraderie with your cohort. Additionally, the STEM Business Honors courses will fulfill your departmental honors credit requirement as a student in the Honors College.

Graduate Coursework

After you are admitted into the MBA Program, you will take one summer semester of three online MBA classes between your junior and senior years. The courses are online to allow you to engage in study abroad, internship, or co-op experiences while staying on track academically. During senior year, you will take another set of 1.5 credit hour STEM Business Honors courses dedicated to your senior project. You will take another semester of three online MBA classes between your senior year and MBA year. Finally, you will return to campus and take five courses in the fall and five courses in the spring to complete the MBA.

Projects

Starting freshman year, you will be assigned group innovation projects every semester that involve developing business models for new products or businesses. These innovation projects are themed; some past examples include NASA IP, a project focused on creating a marketable application of NASA intellectual property, and SmartCampus, which focuses on integrating modern techniques and technologies into university campuses to solve everyday problems. Typically, there are two innovation projects per semester. Additionally, as a final project, there is a case study focusing on the business topic of the semester. Finally, you will work on a year-long group project sourced from companies on the STEM Path to the MBA Advisory Board during your senior year, such as NetScout, Adtran, and Brasfield & Gorrie. Some of our student projects can be viewed on our STEM & CREATE innovation projects website: stem-create-innovate.ua.edu.

Curriculum Schedule

Freshman Year:

• Fall: GBA 171
• Spring: GBA 172

Sophomore Year:

• Fall: GBA 271
• Spring: GBA 272

Junior Year:

• Fall: GBA 371
• Spring: GBA 372
• Summer: 3 Online MBA Courses*

Senior Year:

• Fall: GBA 571
• Spring: GBA 572
• Summer: 3 Online MBA Courses

MBA Year:

• Fall: 5 On-campus MBA Courses
• Spring: 5 On-campus MBA Courses

*Assumes completion of 91 credit hours and admission to Graduate School

• Engineering (Any Type)
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Environmental Science
• Food and Nutrition
• Geology
• Kinesiology
• Marine Science
• Mathematics
• Microbiology
• Nursing
• Physics
• Pre-Health Tracks (Pre-Medical, Pre-Dental, etc.)

1. If I join the STEM Path to the MBA or the CREATE Path to the MBA (S/C P2MBA), what courses will I take?
   1. Each semester, our students register for the courses that they need to complete for their chosen major plus one 1.5 credit hour STEM Business Honors course.
2. What are the STEM Business Honors courses about?
   1. During the first six of the eight STEM Business Honors Courses, you will do four things:
      1. Learn about one of the major areas of business (e.g., marketing, finance or accounting).
      2. Participate in 1-2 small team innovation projects.
      3. Keep a daily personal journal to learn about your character strengths.
      4. Work with a team of classmates to learn firsthand about a developing market (e.g., Colombia, Tanzania, or India) through a one-of-a-kind virtual study abroad program that involves students conducting interviews over Zoom with consumers and business experts in developing countries. Teams also make use of virtual reality videos created specifically for this program.
   2. During the two courses taken during the senior year, students work in teams to complete a year-long project for a company (e.g., Home Depot, Boeing, Bayer, or Capital One) or organization (e.g., NASA or a regional non-profit).
3. Can I participate in Honors College and S/C P2MBA?
   1. All of our students begin as members of Honors College.  You aren’t required to finish in Honors College, but you must start in Honors College.
   2. S/C P2MBA is one of four programs on campus that are premier partner programs for Honors College. Our students who complete the S/C program and finish with a 3.5 or better GPA will earn an Honors diploma by completing our coursework. No further Honors courses are required.
4. How large are the STEM Business Honors courses?
   1. The freshman, sophomore and junior course sections are typically limited to 35 students. The senior courses limit teams to 5-7 students per team, depending on the needs of the project.
5. Will I get to know the faculty and other S/C students?
   1. We encourage our students to stay with the 30-35 classmates and their original S/C faculty member throughout the first six courses. This allows you to spend six semesters with the same 30 or so classmates, and the same professor!  Many of our students become close friends with their S/C classmates and get to know their professor very well.
6. Do STEM Path and CREATE Path students take the STEM Business Honors courses together?
   1. This allows our STEM Path students exposure to classmates from CREATE Path who may be more creatively inclined than their STEM major classmates, while allowing our CREATE Path students much greater exposure to technology and science topics and discussions than their CREATE Path major classmates.
7. Can I participate in CO-OP experiences while participating in the STEM Path to the MBA?
   1. Is is actually encouraged.
8. Are there Study Abroad opportunities offered for S/C P2MBA students?
   1. Each summer, we offer our S/C students opportunities to study abroad in places like Portugal, Australia, Tanzania, India, Vietnam, and New Zealand.
9. Can I do fall or spring semesters abroad while in S/C P2MBA?
   1. Yes, we encourage it.
10. I will be coming to UA with a large number of AP course credits and dual-enrollment credits that I have taken in high school. I should be able to finish my undergraduate degree in three years.  Is it possible to finish the MBA my fourth year at UA?
    1. About 10-15% of our students complete their undergraduate and MBA degrees in four years.
11. I am planning to do the Accelerated Masters Program (AMP) in either Civil, Mechanical, or Aerospace Engineering while at UA. Is it possible to do that with the MBA?
    1. Yes! Students majoring in civil, mechanical or aerospace engineering as undergraduates can use the AMP program to work on their undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering at the same time, while also enrolled in our dual-enrollment masters program that allows nine hours of approved masters work in these engineering fields to count toward the MBA, and allows nine hours of MBA courses to count toward the masters in engineering.
12. If I receive a UA, university-level scholarship (e.g., Presidential Scholar) for eight semesters, or a National Merit scholarship for ten semesters, can I use any semesters of scholarship that are left over after I finish my undergraduate degree to cover MBA semesters?
    1. Once you complete your undergraduate degree, if you have semesters of university-level scholarship remaining, you may apply those semesters of scholarship toward your MBA coursework.
13. How do I apply to the STEM Path to the MBA program?
    1. To apply to the STEM Path to the MBA program, go to stemmba.ua.edu and click on the link to the online application.
14. How do I apply to the CREATE Path to the MBA program?
    1. To apply to the CREATE Path to the MBA program, go to createmba.ua.edu and click on the link to the online application.
15. Can I major in business (e.g., finance or marketing) for either the STEM Path to the MBA or the CREATE Path to the MBA?
    1. Business disciplines are not recognized by the S/C P2MBA programs as either STEM- or CREATE-eligible.
    2. You can major in a recognized STEM or CREATE major and double-major in a business discipline and participate in S/C P2MBA.
16. I am planning to go to medical school or dental school or law school. How wil the UA MBA degree help me?
    1. Medicine, dentistry and law are more business-driven each year. Each year, several of our S/C MBA graduates go on to medical school, dental school, or law school and report that their S/C MBA differentiated them from other applicants.  They also report later that the program and the degree provided them valuable skills that assisted them during professional school and that they expect those benefits to grow as they continue along their career paths.
17. After I apply to the STEM Path to the MBA or the CREATE Path to the MBA, how long does it take for my application to be processed?
    1. If you have already been admitted to UA and have been admitted to Honors College or meet the requirements for Honors College, it typically takes less than 48 hours for us to process your application and get back to you. If you don’t meet the requirements of Honors College, you may be encouraged to apply as a test-optional applicant to Honors College first.
18. Do I need to be admitted to Honors College before I apply to S/C P2MBA?
    1. If you haven’t applied to Honors College yet, go ahead and apply to STEM Path to the MBA or CREATE Path to the MBA.  If you are admitted to STEM Path or CREATE Path, you will automatically be admitted to Honors College.