MBA program adds military service as option to test waiver

Contact: Stacey Markin
Photo of WMU's Schneider Hall.

Schneider Hall, home of the Haworth College of Business

KALAMAZOO—Western Michigan University's Haworth College of Business will now consider military service in its GMAT and GRE waiver process.

Applicants to the Master of Business Administration program are required to supply GMAT or GRE test scores as part of their application package. However, under circumstances where an individual has significant managerial experience, an applicant may petition to waive the requirement. Now, applicants who have a bachelor’s degree and a minimum of seven years of managerial experience within the military may apply for the waiver, based on their experience and training.

"We welcome veterans to our MBA program," says Dr. Satish Deshpande, associate dean of operations and graduate programs. "Students with a background of military service enhance our MBA courses in many ways through their skills, leadership and initiative. We are happy to be able to offer the option to consider extensive military service as a possible exemption from the GMAT or GRE."

"Students with military experience are highly disciplined and driven to complete their studies in an exemplary manner," says Lieutenant Colonel Decker Hains, chair of the Department of Military Science and Leadership. "Based on their experience, often with overseas assignments, they are also culturally and globally aware. Perhaps most important, they have a firm foundation in leadership through their education and training, and often facilitate a great team dynamic in and out of the classroom."

In addition to extensive service in the military, the conditions for waiver consideration are as follows:

  • A terminal degree or master's degree from an approved educational institution.
  • A bachelor's degree from an approved educational institution with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher on a 4-point scale during the last 60 credit hours and evidence of seven or more years of significant managerial experience or experience starting a company.

Haworth College of Business

The Haworth College of Business is a leader in quality business education, applied research and community partnerships with one of the oldest Master of Business Administration programs in the state. The college has held continuous accreditation from the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business since 1970 and is among an elite group of fewer than five percent of business schools worldwide that are accredited at both the undergraduate and graduate levels by the AACSB. It is among a select two percent of business schools worldwide that have additional specialized accreditation for their accountancy programs. WMU's MBA program is available in Kalamazoo and at regional sites in Grand Rapids and Battle Creek.

For more information about the MBA program and the waiver process, contact Roxanne Buhl, Grand Rapids MBA program director, at roxanne.buhl@wmich.edu or (616) 771-9477.