Earn your Appalachian MBA

Application Information

Students can earn an MBA in one year at Appalachian through the full-time, accelerated program or in two years through one of our part-time programs either on campus or in Hickory. The Walker College offers seven concentrations as well as dual degree and certificate options for MBA students. Start in May, August or January. Applicants from all professionals backgrounds and undergraduate majors are welcome.

  • April 1 – Summer Admits
  • July 1 – Fall Admits
  • November 1 – Spring Admits
  • January 1 - International Students (Fall Admits)

Admission Requirements

Application to the Graduate School

Applications must be complete (online application submitted, the fee paid, and all required supporting documents received by the Graduate School) and ready for review by the applicable deadline. If it appears to be too late to apply, please contact the program manager to discuss options.

There is an application processing fee of $65 (which supports the technology and manpower needed for data entry). When you submit your application (by pressing the submit button on the last page), you will be given an application identifier. Please include this identifier on your check or money order if you chose the option 'pay by check' so we can be sure that your payment is properly recorded.

Access the Graduate School application.

Transcript

Applicants need to include Official (sealed) transcripts from each college or university attended.

The Official transcript must be mailed directly to the Graduate School from each of the colleges and universities attended since high school, even if the credits transferred elsewhere. The mailing address is: Cratis D. Williams Graduate School, Box 32068, Boone, NC 28608. If you have attended Appalachian, you do not need to supply the Appalachian transcripts. If you transferred credits into Appalachian from another college, you will need to arrange for those to be sent. If you are using UPS or FedEx, our street address is Appalachian Graduate School; 287 Rivers Street, Room 232; Boone, NC 28608.

GMAT/GRE

For this program, a test score (no older than 5 years) from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is equally accepted. Test scores are applied toward a minimum formula score, including the GPA. For additional test score information see the MBA page in the Graduate Bulletin. [Note: the GRE/GMAT test score requirement may be waived upon official documentation of a previous, successfully-completed graduate degree or relevant professional work/military experience. For more information, please visit the Graduate School's website here.]

Personal Statement

Please upload a 2-3 page (500/750 words), double-spaced Personal Statement on what has prompted your interest in obtaining an MBA in Business Administration degree, and what appeals to you about the program at Appalachian in particular? What professional plans or ambitions do you have once you have completed your master’s degree.

References

We strongly encourage you to have references that are relevant to your field of study, such as faculty who have taught you in related courses, employers who can comment on skills directly relevant to your intended major. Personal references (friends, clergy, etc.) are not as useful to the reviewers.

On the application, you will be prompted for email addresses for your references when you fill out the online application, and we will contact that person with submission instructions. In the event that you are requesting a reference from someone without an email address, please contact us for instructions. We can arrange for a paper copy of the reference information to be sent. Three reference letters are needed for admission.

Resume 

A current résumé should accompany the application and include a history of work experience with an emphasis on any managerial or leadership responsibilities and team projects. 

The resume should be prepared as or scanned into a .doc, .docx or .pdf file (.pdf preferred) and uploaded during the online application process. The resume needs to at the least document your education, military and work experience for the last five years. If you have a gap in your history of four months or more, the UNC system policy requires further documentation. Please provide an additional page in your resume with an explanation of the gaps.

Interview

Applicants should schedule an approximate one hour interview prior to the admission decision. The preference for this interview is in-person, but may be conducted by phone or video with the Director's permission. 

TOEFL

Applicants whose native language is not English and/or whose principal language of university instruction was not English must submit scores from the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Information and test registration for the TOEFL are available at www.toefl.org. TOEFL scores are valid for two years post exam date.

  

Financial Information

Program Cost

Appalachian's MBA program remains one of the best-valued AACSB accredited programs in the region. View Graduate tuition and fees.  Appalachian's MBA Program is consistently ranked by Kiplinger as a best value. Appalachian's graduate school costs are among the lowest in the southeastern US. Still, a graduate student can face financial challenges when budgeting for tuition and fees. We have included several resources and advice for financing your MBA degree.

Assistantships

College

Assistantships are available to students in a variety of areas such as teaching, research, or general graduate assistants. If you are interested in a position, please fill out the Assistantship Form.

University

There are also other assistantships available in many other offices on campus not related to Walker College of Business. Visit the Graduate Assistantship page for more information for a list of "open" positions on campus.

Scholarships

A limited number of departmental scholarships are available to students who have reached outstanding academic merit and express financial need. Interested students need to apply on the general scholarship form.

The NC Tuition Scholarship for Out-of-State Students is a competitive scholarship open to international and out-of-state students and covers the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition (almost $6,000 a semester). Contact the MBA department to request consideration.

For other scholarships open to Appalachian graduate students, please visit the School of Graduate Studies page. For a comprehensive list of nation-wide MBA Scholarship resources, visit Go Grad's Guide to Financing Your MBA Degree.

The MBA is pleased to also offer financial assistance for international travel to students in need. Students interested in applying for the International Travel Scholarship need to fill out the online application form.

Federal Financial Aid

Federal financial aid is available to degree-seeking and certificate-seeking students who are US citizens or permanent residents and are enrolled at least 1/2 time (4.5 hours). The financial aid graduate students are eligible for includes Federal Student Loans (Stafford or PLUS).

For more general financial support information visit the School of Graduate Studies page.