Overview:

The OEM program is an excellent preparation for a management career in the technical realm, since it combines important technical skills with a solid preparation in business fundamentals. Many OEM graduates have seen the advantage of getting an MBA degree in addition to the degree awarded through the OEM program. Through an innovative program, students are able to probe deeper into the core business subjects and develop new business expertise by building on the OEM coursework to earn concurrently both the OEM and MBA degrees. The MBA curriculum provides advanced skills in finance, marketing and strategy, as well as business law, international business, ecommerce, and entrepreneurship. In the MBA portion of the concurrent program, following a year of OEM coursework, you will team with business professionals from a variety of backgrounds, including those with experience in accounting, finance, marketing and operations. This additional training provides an excellent foundation for those aspiring to senior management.

OEM applicants do not have to decide whether or not they will apply for the concurrent degree option until they are in their fourth semester of the OEM program. Upon acceptance and admission into the MBA program, concurrent degree students take the MBA courses via the Internet* MBA Program for the next three semesters (12 months). This portion of the MBA curriculum requires one campus visit per semester to take exams and interact with fellow students and MBA faculty. Concurrent degree students are exempted from attending the one-week Foundations Review course that is normally required of MBA students during Orientation. In the final (eighth) semester, students complete the remaining MBA courses via the Internet*, but also work with faculty advisors from ISE in order to fulfill the requirements for the OEM Master's Project course. At the end of the eighth semester, both degrees are conferred simultaneously.

Students who choose to finish the OEM program and wait for some period of time before enrolling in the MBA program are still eligible to apply for a shortened MBA option, but the duration (16 months) and number of courses required in that case would be greater than what is available by participation in the concurrent degree option.

More details about the structure of this program, as well as the curriculum and application requirements, are included below.

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*An option may be available for concurrent degree students to instead choose an MBA program that meets in Gainesville one weekend per month. Availability of the weekend format for the MBA portion of the concurrent degree option is not guaranteed and will be partially dependent upon participant demand.

Program Structure:

4 semesters of OEM (weekend format)
3 semesters of MBA (via Internet*; requires one visit to campus per semester)
1 final semester concludes OEM & MBA (Internet format)

Both degrees are awarded at the end of eight (8) semesters.

Curriculum:

Application Requirements:

OEM students who wish to enroll in the concurrent degree program must apply and be admitted to the Internet MBA program. The admission requirements are unique to that program. Before applying, the applicant must have successfully completed the first year of the OEM program. The application components are:

·    MBA Application (the OEM file will also be sent to the MBA office)

·    Essays and Short Answer Questions

·    Employment History

·   Updated Résumé

·   $30 Application Fee

·   At the discretion of the admissions officers of the MBA program, the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) requirement may be waived for OEM students who have taken the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) within the past 5 years. In these cases, the GRE score will be evaluated and compared to the mean GMAT average of the I1MBA program.

Comparison Chart for Various Degree Options