The Department of Finance and the Master of Business Administration program in the Alvah H. Chapman Jr. Graduate School of Business at Florida International University have a joint degree pathway culminating in both a Master of Business Administration degree (MBA), and a Master of Science in International Real Estate degree (MSIRE). Under the joint degree pathway, a student can obtain both degrees in less time than it would take to obtain both degrees if pursued consecutively. The joint degree pathway will use existing faculty, courses, and resources. Important criteria relating to the joint degree pathway are as follows:
- Candidates to the joint degree pathway must meet the entrance requirements established by each individual program.
- Applications for the joint degree pathway will not be accepted from candidates who have already completed either degree. MBA or MSIRE students must apply and be admitted prior to or concurrent with the last semester in which they are expected to complete their original degree requirements.
- Candidates must satisfy all requirements for each degree. To obtain the MSIRE degree, the student will be required to take ten (10) courses totaling 30 hours as required by the program. This includes two finance courses, FIN 6406 Corporate Finance and FIN 6644 Global Financial Strategy, included in the MBA (and required by all the individual MBA programs) which are also required by the MSIRE Program, plus five real estate core courses in the MSIRE Program, plus two real estate (REE prefix) electives and an additional graduate course approved by the Program Director.
- To obtain the MBA degree, the student will have to fulfill all the MBA program requirements for the specific MBA program in which they are also enrolled including the three 3-credit hour prerequisites, ten 3 credit core courses, four 1-credit seminars, and four 3-credit hour electives, for a total of 55 credit hours. Two finance courses are specifically required by both programs. In addition, two of the real estate (REE prefix) courses in the MSIRE may be considered as partially satisfying the elective requirements of the MBA program. The two degrees will have 4 common courses.
- All courses transferred between degrees must be completed with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. MSIRE courses transferred to meet MBA elective credit must be 6000 level courses. Directors of the MBA and MSIRE degree programs may adjust these exact course requirements as a result of future changes to the MBA or MSIRE curriculums.
- Joint degree pathway candidates will not receive either degree until all requirements for both programs have been satisfied. Students deciding against completing a second degree must satisfy all first degree program requirements as if the student had never been a joint degree candidate.
With the joint degree pathway students will take a total of 73 credit hours to get both degrees. Without the joint degree pathway students would need to take 85 credit hours to earn both degrees. A maximum of 12 credit hours or four courses will be double counted for both degree programs. This means that a MBA student will be required to take a minimum of six courses or 18 additional credit hours above the requirements for the MBA Program to earn both degrees. Similarly, a student of the MSIRE must satisfy an additional 43 credit hours in order to earn both degrees.
For more information, contact the appropriate academic department or program manager.