Mays Business School offers a Professional MBA (PMBA) Program leading to the degree of Master of Business Administration (MBA) for business professionals with professional work experience. Only students selected and admitted into the Professional MBA program are eligible to enroll in the Mays Professional MBA Program courses.

The Mays Professional MBA Program is a lock-step program. All course enrollments are handled through the Mays Professional MBA Program Office. The Mays Professional MBA Program class sessions are held at CityCentre III in Houston, Texas, on alternate weekends: Fridays from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Details regarding the Mays Professional MBA Program and detailed class schedule may be obtained by contacting the Mays MBA Program Office or at the program website. Admission to the program is only in the fall semester. Mays Business School is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) at all program levels.

This program is approved to be offered at CityCentre in Houston, Texas, and is also approved for delivery via synchronous distance education technology.

GMAT/GRE and TOEFL Requirements

Mays Professional MBA Program applicants must take the GMAT or GRE (GMAT/GRE waivers are available via the program office). International students are required to meet a minimum TOEFL score or receive a waiver.

Program Requirements

• Student's Advisory Committee
• Degree Plan
• Credit Requirements
• Limitations on Credits and Coursework
• Final Examination

Student’s Advisory Committee

On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs

After receiving admission to graduate studies, students will consult with the graduate program concerning selection of a chair, which will be either the Director of the Mays Professional Master of Business Administration Program or the Assistant or Associate Dean for Graduate Programs within Mays Business School.

Only members of the Graduate Committee Faculty located on Texas A&M University campuses may serve as chair of a student’s advisory committee. Other members of the Graduate Committee Faculty – including those located off-campus or outside the university (if permitted by program, department, and college/school policy) – may serve as a co-chair or member.

The Director, or the Assistant or Associate Dean, is responsible for advising the student on academic matters. The duties include responsibility for approving the student’s proposed degree plan; research proposal (if applicable); thesis, dissertation, or record of study (if applicable); and conducting examinations (if required). The advisory committee members’ approval of a degree plan indicates their willingness to accept the responsibility for guiding and directing the entire academic program of the student and for initiating all academic actions concerning the student. Additionally, in the case of academic deficiency, the advisory committee is responsible for initiating recommendations to the Graduate and Professional School.

If the chair of the student’s advisory committee is unavailable for an extended period of time in any academic period during which the student is involved in activities relating to an internship, thesis or professional paper – and is registered for courses such as 684, 691, 692, or 693 – the Department Head or intercollegiate faculty Chair may appoint an alternate advisory committee chair during the interim period.

If the chair of a student’s advisory committee is on an approved leave of absence – and the student is near completion of the degree and wants the chair to continue to serve in this role – a written request must be submitted to the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School, by the Department Head or intercollegiate faculty Chair, that the faculty member who is on an approved leave of absence be allowed to continue to serve as chair of the advisory committee – without a co-chair – for up to one year. The request must confirm that the faculty member is able to engage in the required duties as chair during the leave of absence. Extensions beyond the one-year period (if necessary) may be granted with additional approval of the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School.

If the chair of a student’s advisory committee voluntarily separates from the university, and the student is nearing completion of the degree, the chair may continue to serve in this role – at the student’s request – for up to one year. Two options are available:

• The chair may continue, with a co-chair, without additional approval by the Graduate and Professional School. The student must select a current member of the Graduate Committee Faculty – from the student’s academic program and located near the Texas A&M University campus site – to serve as co-chair of the advisory committee.
• The chair may continue, without a co-chair, with approval by the Graduate and Professional School. A written request must be submitted to the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School by the Department Head or intercollegiate faculty Chair to allow the faculty member to continue as chair, without a co-chair, of the advisory committee.

For both options, extensions beyond the one-year period (if necessary) may be granted with approval of the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School.

Although individual advisory committee members may be replaced by petition for valid reasons, all members of a student committee cannot resign en masse.

Degree Plan

On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs

Students, in consultation with the Professional MBA Office, will develop a proposed degree plan. The degree plan must be created, submitted, and approved through the Document Processing Submission System (DPSS). The degree plan must be submitted prior to the deadline imposed by the student’s college or school and approved by the Graduate and Professional School no later than the dates announced in the Graduate and Professional School calendar of deadlines for graduation. Students must select the appropriate program option when submitting a proposed degree plan.

Additional coursework may be added to the approved degree plan by petition through DPSS, if deemed necessary, to correct deficiencies in the student’s academic preparation. It is recommended that a student who is planning to take additional courses after the completion of the Mays MBA core courses meet with the academic advisor in the Mays MBA Program Office.

Coursework included on the degree plan is subject to the requirements and restrictions detailed in the Credit Requirement and Limitations on Credits and Coursework sections in each degree program page.

Degree program time limits apply to courses listed on a degree plan. Details are available on the Time Limits section in each degree program page.

Credit Requirements

On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs

A minimum of 45 hours is required for the non-thesis Mays Professional Master of Business Administration Program degree.

No options are provided for completing a certificate program or additional courses beyond the degree requirements.

Limitations on Credits and Coursework

On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs

Credit-hour requirements are subject to the following limitations:

1. To receive a graduate degree from Texas A&M University, students must earn one-third or more of the credits through the institution’s own direct instruction. These limitations also apply to joint degree programs.
2. Transfer credits may not be used toward meeting the credit hour requirements.
3. The maximum number of credit hours taken in post-baccalaureate non-degree (G6) classification at Texas A&M University which may be considered for application to the degree plan is 12.
4. Only grades of A, B, C, and S are acceptable for graduate credit.
5. Graduate courses on a degree plan may not be taken on an S/U basis except for 681 (Seminar), 684 (Professional Internship), 690 (Theory of Research), 691 (Research), 692 (Professional Study), 693 (Professional Study), 695 (Frontiers in Research), 697 (Methods), 791 (Doctoral Capstone), or SOPH 680 (Public Health Capstone).
6. A student pursuing a non-thesis option Master’s degree may not enroll in 691 (Research) courses for any reason.
7. Graduate courses on a degree plan may not include 684, 685 (Directed Studies), 690, or 695.
8. A maximum of 2 credit hours of 681 may be used toward the non-thesis option Master’s degree.
9. Zero-credit courses may not be used toward meeting program requirements.
10. No more than 25 percent of the total credit-hours required on the student’s degree plan may be in any combination of 684, 685, 690, 691 (if permitted), and 695.
11. Undergraduate courses may not be considered for application to the degree plan.
12. No more than 50 percent of the non-research coursework required for an in-person degree program may be completed through distance education courses.
13. Continuing education or extension courses may not be used for graduate credit.

Some departments may have additional or more restrictive requirements. Exceptions will be permitted only in unusual cases and when petitioned by the student’s advisory committee and approved by the Graduate and Professional School.

Final Examination

On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs

A final examination is not required for the non-thesis Professional Master of Business Administration degree.

Additional Requirements

• Scholastic Requirements
• Application for Degree

Scholastic Requirements

On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs

To maintain good academic standing and to be eligible for graduation, a Mays Professional MBA Program participant must maintain a cumulative 3.000 GPA in the Mays Professional MBA Program curriculum, and he/she must not have any unabsolved grades of D, F, or U on any course on his/her degree plan. To absolve deficient grades, the student must repeat the course at Texas A&M University attaining a final grade of C or better. A student failing to attain or maintain a cumulative 3.000 GPA by the end of the next term may be dismissed from the program. The Director of the Mays Professional MBA Program and the Assistant or Associate Dean for Graduate Programs will evaluate all scholastic probation participants at the end of each of the program’s terms and take appropriate action. When necessary, recommendations regarding the blocking of a student from further enrollment will be made to the Graduate and Professional School.

A Professional MBA participant who withdraws or is dismissed from the Mays Professional MBA Program may not reenter the program. An exception may be granted in the case of voluntary withdrawal in good academic standing with prior written approval at the time of withdrawal from the Director of the Mays Professional MBA Program and the Assistant or Associate Dean for Graduate Programs. A participant who withdraws or who is dismissed from the program after the deadline for refund will not receive any refund of tuition and fees.

Please see the student handbook for additional academic standards, requirements, and processes.

Application for Degree

On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs

For information on applying for your degree, please visit the Graduation section.