M.S. in Management with Data Science Emphasis

Program Design & Structure

This five semester format is structured as follows:

• Explore material with absorption, assimilation, and practical applications within each course topic.
• Benefit from rewarding internships and the collaboration opportunities in residential instruction
• Begin with any course and finish at the completion of the chosen curriculum path

Conferral of diplomas is done in August, December, or May. The conferral date that immediately follows the student’s last course is the one on which the degree will be conferred and the diploma provided. There are two graduation ceremonies each year, one in the spring around the first of May and the other in December. Students must apply for graduation, whether or not they attend the ceremony in May or December. If a student misses a course or must retake one or more courses, graduation must be postponed until the courses in question are offered again and satisfactorily completed.

Program Objectives

1. To prepare one for employment and advancement in a wide range of positions requiring graduate business education.
2. To cultivate one’s knowledge and skills for management functions.
3. To develop understanding and appreciation for statistical and quantitative reasoning.
4. To enhance one’s knowledge of current managerial practices and trends.
5. To augment one’s skills in critical thinking and decision making for strategically positioning the institution or organization.
6. To strengthen one’s capacity to be effective in human resource management through the understanding of skills essential for executive decision making.
7. To prepare the manager for crisis management under varied circumstances.
8. To develop one’s awareness of group dynamics and organizational behavior.
9. To construct understanding and application of business and web analytics within an institution or organization.

Admission to the Master of Science in Management with Emphasis

1. Admission to the Master of Science in Management with Emphasis program requires that an applicant meet the following criteria:
2. Students must submit a completed graduate application.
3. Students are required to submit a resume including education and work experience.
4. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a minimum GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
5. Official copies of all transcripts must be received prior to consideration for admission and must be sent from each college or university attended directly to Graduate Enrollment at Faulkner University. Hand-delivered copies, photocopies, and printouts of grade reports are not acceptable. Any exceptions to the admissions criteria are considered by the M.S.M. Program Staff and the Administration of the Harris College of Business and Executive Education.

International applicants will be required to submit additional documentation.

Note: Previously completed graduate courses are not transferable.

Disenrollment and/or Administrative/Academic Withdrawal

Administrative and/or academic withdrawal

Administrative and/or academic withdrawal can be initiated by the Graduate Enrollment office, the M.S.M. Department, the College of Business, Student Accounts, or the Registrar’s office as a consequence of a variety of issues addressed in the MSM-Emphasis Student Handbook. Examples include behavioral misconduct, lack of academic performance, low GPA, academic performance that does not exhibit progress toward successful continuation of graduate study, exceeding the limit of two grades of “C” or lower within the program, lack of official transcripts, or any other reason that leads to an incomplete file, Financial Aid or Student Accounts issues, etc. The list above is not exhaustive and only intended to illustrate certain scenarios.

Re-Enrollment

All requirements of the Master of Science in Management with Emphasis degree must be completed within five (5) years of initial enrollment to the program. Prior to reentry/ re-enrollment, students who withdraw from the program must satisfy the requirements based on the current curriculum/catalog including completion/satisfaction of any core requirement deficiencies.

Re-enrollment into the graduate program after a voluntary or involuntary withdrawal for any reason, including but not limited to, academic deficits pertaining to grade point average, withdrawal from the program, either voluntary or involuntary, poor academic performance with grades of C’s, D’s or F’s, or any other reason leading to an inability to complete the program with proper academic sequence, is handled on a strictly case-by-case basis. Some cases/circumstances will need to be reviewed by the Academic Director and the Dean before a decision can be made. The College of Business fully reserves the right to deny re- enrollment.

1. In addition to the factors mentioned above, the Academic Director and the Dean may, at their discretion, consider factors including, but not limited to the following:
2. The academic standing of the student as reflected by GPA and overall performance.
3. The motivation of the student as determined by class presence (number and pattern of absences), timely submission of assignments and class participation.
4. Maturity, attitude, disposition and demeanor exhibited with faculty and staff of the MSM-with Emphasis program.
5. The length of time from last enrollment in the program (to allow completion within five years). If it has been more than one year since last enrollment, the student may be asked to re-apply to the program to ensure the most current information is on file.
6. Previous academic probation and/or disenrollment.

Retaking Courses

In the event that a student retakes a course, the course must be completed at Faulkner under the M.S.M. with Emphasis degree plan. Outside credit is not accepted in lieu of the specific MSM-with Emphasis program courses.

Course retakes are handled on a strictly case-by-case basis. Reasons for retakes may include academic deficits pertaining to grade point average, poor academic performance with grades of C’s, D’s or F’s, or any other reason leading to an inability to complete the program within the proper academic sequence. Approval for retakes will only be considered for courses in which a student earned a grade of C or lower. The M.S.M. Program Staff, in consultation with the Administration of the Harris College of Business and Executive Education, fully reserves the right to deny retakes.

Financial aid policies and awards may not cover re-taking MSM- with Emphasis courses. Students are advised to contact the Financial Aid Office regarding funding guidelines.

Dual Enrollment

Due to the nature of an executive program and its workload, the M.S.M. Department does not authorize students to engage in multiple programs or enroll in additional classes while attending the M.S.M. with Emphasis program. This includes additional MSM with Emphasis classes, such as retakes.

Program Withdrawal Policy

A program withdrawal form must be initiated, completed and either hand delivered, faxed, emailed, or mailed to the MSM Emphasis Director’s office, or submitted electronically on the Faulkner website, by any student choosing to withdraw from the program. No student is officially withdrawn from class or school until this form has been cleared by the Registrar’s Office, Financial Aid Office, Business Office and, as applicable, Veteran’s Affairs office.

The importance of following withdrawal procedures must be recognized by students. Inattention to the proper procedures may result in the student receiving an “F” for any current course and being charged for the entire course.

Students Contemplating Graduate or Transfer work, Additional Discipline Specific Study, Licensure or Specialized Certification

All students contemplating graduate or transfer work must consult with the educational institution at which such graduate work is to be undertaken or to which such work is to be transferred; the same is true for students seeking to undertake additional discipline specific study at Faulkner or another educational institution.

Different institutions have different requirements and it is the sole responsibility of the students to ensure that their specific course work at Faulkner will be accepted for transfer or as an appropriate foundation for entry into graduate study or as an appropriate basis for further discipline specific study.

Students seeking licensure or specialized certification must consult in advance with the organization awarding such licensure or certification to ensure that their specific course work at Faulkner will be accepted in satisfaction of the organization’s requirements.

Attendance Policy for the Master of Science in Management with Emphasis

Attendance for Online Courses

Regular online participation is expected of all students and is essential for academic development. Class interaction through discussion threads and individual participation are such vital parts of the course objectives that lack of participation negates the value of the course. The following policies and procedures are to be followed in regard to online courses:

Each course consists of several biweekly online sessions. Some courses also include an on- campus residency session at the end. At the close of each scheduled online session, the professor will look at online usage logs to monitor attendance. The professor will determine whether or not the student has completed assigned tasks for that session and then mark the student as either present or absent from that session.

1. Students are required to regularly participate in all scheduled online activities, assignments, exams, etc. as specified in the course syllabus and/or on the course site. Partial or insufficient completion of a task is unacceptable and may be counted as an absence at the discretion of the professor.
2. A required assignment or discussion contribution may not be submitted before the timeframe begins (is opened and available on Canvas) or after the timeframe ends (is closed and unavailable on Canvas). No make-up work is allowed after the exam, assignment, discussion board window, etc. has closed and is no longer available in the course site.
3. Failure to attend a class, as described above, is subject to Faulkner University’s online attendance policy. That policy is available in the Online Student Handbook Supplement, which is found in the Policies area of the university’s Resources Module in every Canvas course site. The manual is published and maintained by Faulkner Online.
4. A student who misses more than one session of any course may receive an automatic “F” in the course unless prior permission is obtained from the MSM Director’s office and appropriate documentation is provided concerning personal illness, family illness, death of family member, work, etc.
5. If a course contains a final exam, a student who misses the final exam for any reason may receive an automatic “F” in the course unless the student has prior approval from both the professor and the MSM Director, and appropriate documentation is submitted.
6. Attendance in any session of an Internship is comprised of participation in the activities approved as relevant to the Internship, recording of such participation, and timely reporting of Internship activities upon the due date at the close of the semester.

Academic Issues

Academic Appeal

If a student has reason to question the decision of an instructor with regard to course content or to a grade received, the student should follow the protocol below. A written appeal must be made within six (6) weeks of the completion of the course in question.

The academic appeal process generally takes four (4) weeks.

1. The appeal is first made to the instructor of the course.
2. If the student has further concerns, he/she may appeal (in writing) to the Program Director. The Director will investigate the student’s concerns and respond.
3. If further appeal is required, the appeal should be made to the Dean of the Harris College of Business and Executive Education.
4. If the student wishes, the appeal can next be taken to the Vice President of Academic Affairs.
   1. Please be informed that the Vice President of Academic Affairs represents the final academic appeal for Faulkner University, ONLY AFTER steps 1 through 3 above have been completed, and only if the student so desires.

Students not following the above protocol will be deemed as not abiding by the guidelines of their academic program at Faulkner University. Students contacting any other external (outside of Faulkner University) person, agency, or institution will also be deemed to be in noncompliance with the guidelines of the academic program at Faulkner University.

Action taken may include, but not be limited to, withdrawal from the program, dismissal, probation, suspension, or any other action as deemed necessary by the administration of Faulkner University.

Academic Misconduct And Inappropriate Behavior

Academic misconduct includes but is not limited to plagiarism (including AI-generated content), falsification on tests and/or assignments, attempting to take credit for another’s work, and abuse or inappropriate behavior toward an instructor, student, staff member, or administrator. Inappropriate behavior includes disrespect for an instructor/administrator’s authority, calling members of the administration at home with complaints, or any unprofessional behavior during an academic session. Aggressive and/or offensive communications with instructors, staff, administrators and/or fellow students will not be tolerated.

Faulkner University reserves the right to disenroll a student at any time for any academic or behavior- related cause as deemed necessary by the Academic Department or administration of Faulkner University. Depending upon the circumstances and if applicable, a tuition refund for that term may not be granted. For a more complete description of the MSM with Emphasis program policies, please refer to the program handbook.

Consultation with Administration

The Dean of the Harris College of Business and Executive Education is the Chief Academic Officer of the College of Business. Faulkner University is striving to make your 5 semesters in the MSM with Emphasis program productive, pleasant, and free from problems or frustrations. Occasionally, however, situations arise in which the student feels the need to have an individual consultation with the Academic Program Director or the Dean of the College of Business. In these situations, we request that you call and schedule an appointment. An appointment ensures that you will receive personal and uninterrupted attention. Please be assured these individuals are anxious to serve you and will meet with you at the earliest possible time. However, please do not call administrators at home as such calls constitute inappropriate behavior.

Transferability of MSM with Emphasis Credits or Applicability to Doctoral Programs

Faulkner University’s graduate programs in Business are offered in the format of an executive education program. Because of the wide variety of post-graduate or doctoral programs (numerous programs across the nation and in various fields within the broad area of business, related to business, or outside of business) and the variety of competencies required for entry, it is not feasible for the University to advise students as to whether their programs of study at Faulkner will satisfy the prerequisites of other studies at other universities. Thus, students contemplating transfer, post-graduate or doctoral work at another institution bear the sole responsibility for ensuring that the work done at Faulkner will satisfy program requirements at a different university.

Program Completion

Required Resource: Wall Street Journal Student Trial Subscription

To maximize learning opportunities and ensure access to research materials with current and applicable business scenarios, the MSM with Emphasis program requires students to subscribe to The Wall Street Journal. The MSM with Emphasis program administration will provide instructions for meeting this educational subscription requirement.

Graduation Requirements

Successful completion of all coursework with a minimum GPA of 3.0 is required. No more than two grades of “C” and no grade lower than a “C” in the entire program of study will be allowed. All financial accounts must also be cleared by Students Accounts and/or Financial Aid offices in order to receive a diploma. More information can be found in the M.S.M. with Emphasis Student Handbook.

Courses

The following course list is the current curriculum for the M.S.M. with Emphasis Program.

Note: Faulkner University retains the right to change curriculum, or the order of course offerings.

Total Program Semester Hours: 30

Students participate in Graduate Curriculum Practical Training (CPT) during their course of study. This is made possible through our internship each semester, as a Pass/Fail requirement, because it is integral to the program. To learn more about CPT, please contact intladmissions@faulkner.edu. Students are required to obtain their own Internship.