Program Overview

Overview of the Professional MBA Program

The Professional MBA program at the University of South Florida's Muma College of Business is a nationally ranked program designed for full-time working professionals. The program helps students develop analytical skills and creative abilities, promoting collaboration with experienced and diverse classmates. Students learn from world-class faculty, guest speakers, and leaders of industry. The MBA can be completed on the Tampa and Sarasota-Manatee campuses.

Program Structure

The Professional MBA program offers two options: the Evening Program and the Weekend Program.

Evening Program

The Evening Program is offered on the Tampa campus, with evening classes held Monday through Thursday, along with online and hybrid options. Courses are available in 1-week, 4-week, 8-week, and 12-week formats, allowing students to fast-track their program or choose a pace that fits their lifestyle. The program emphasizes student care scheduling, reducing evening classes to two-hour sessions from 6:30-8:30 pm EST for better work-life balance.

Weekend Program

The Weekend Program is offered on the Sarasota-Manatee campus, featuring hybrid course delivery. Courses meet for live, in-person sessions one Saturday per month, balanced with online learning between sessions. This allows students to maintain a consistent balance among their professional obligations, personal responsibilities, and academic endeavors.

Key Competencies

The program focuses on two key competencies: analytics and creativity. Analytics are utilized to describe, predict, and improve business performance, while creativity is cultivated in the classroom to create new forms, methods, and interpretations. These two competencies provide students with a competitive advantage.

Customized Areas of Study

Students can choose electives according to their career aspirations. The USF Muma College of Business has strengths in business analytics and creativity that are woven into the core curriculum. In consultation with an academic advisor, students can choose a series of electives across a broad range of disciplines, or develop an emphasis in a given area. Electives are available in the following disciplines:

• Business Analytics
• Creativity and Innovation
• Digital Marketing
• Entrepreneurship
• Finance
• Global Business
• Healthcare Management
• Information Technology Management
• Leadership
• Marketing Strategy
• Project and Process Management
• Sustainable Business

Finance Concentration

In addition to the individualized areas of emphasis, Professional MBA students can elect to add a Finance Concentration to the degree program. This concentration strengthens the financial acumen of MBA students, with tailored elective offerings in areas like financial modeling, investments, and capital markets.

Key Elements of the USF MBA

The program includes team collaborations, leadership development, and engaging experiential learning. The capstone course, Integrated Business Applications, involves an in-depth consulting project for a live company in strategy, marketing, and finance with actionable recommendations. The college also offers courses in leadership and invites C-level executive speakers to share their best practices.

Admissions Requirements

Admission decisions are based on the strength of the application. Outstanding qualities in one area may compensate for weakness in another. Competitive applicants tend to have strong GMAT or GRE scores, several years of quality work experience, and undergraduate GPAs 3.3 or higher.

Application Requirements

All candidates seeking admission to the Professional MBA must submit the following:

• Online application and $30 application fee
• Transcript showing completion of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited higher education institution in the U.S. or foreign equivalent
• GMAT or GRE score*
• Statement of purpose
• Résumé
• Three reference letters (at least one must be from a professional reference)

*The GMAT/GRE requirement may be waived for candidates that meet certain conditions. A GMAT/GRE waiver request must be submitted with the complete application to be considered for a waiver.