Admission to the MBA program is based on your academic background, Statement of Purpose, and professional references. A GMAT score is not required. A complete application portfolio must be submitted to be considered for admission, which is granted jointly by the Fox Graduate School at Penn State and Penn State Behrend’s Black School of Business.

Applicants for Fall 2025 must submit a complete application by June 15, 2025. Late applications may be processed under certain conditions. Email the Graduate Admissions Office for consideration.

All application materials, including references, are due by the deadline. Completed applications are processed on a rolling basis.

International students requiring an I-20 visa and international students residing in the U.S. with a work visa can apply to our MBA program.

Academic Eligibility 

For admission to the Fox Graduate School at Penn State, an applicant must hold either: a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a postsecondary degree that is deemed comparable to a four-year bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution. This degree must be from an officially recognized degree-granting institution in the country in which it operates.

Applicants who expect to graduate with a bachelor's degree may apply for admission to the program in their senior year.

Pre-Enrollment Competencies 

Applicants to the MBA program can have an academic background in any discipline. Prior to beginning the 30-credit MBA program, applicants will need to demonstrate competence in key business disciplines: accounting, business statistics, economics, finance, management, marketing, and operations.

Applicants can demonstrate competency through one of three pathways:

  • Pathway 1: This pathway is available to students who have completed a business degree within the past seven academic years and earned a grade of B or better in relevant coursework. The MBA administrative director, Eric Robbins, will review your transcript to see if you can fulfill your competency requirement using this pathway.
  • Pathway 2: This option is for students whose degree is older than seven academic years or is from a nonbusiness discipline. To fulfill the requirement, you can take three online competency modules from a third-party vendor.  
  • Pathway 3: This option is a mix of the first two options. Students who have earned a business degree within the last seven academic years but received less than a B may need only one or two of the three possible pre-enrollment modules. The MBA administrative director, Eric Robbins, will offer you guidance on a case-by-case basis. 
     

After your transcript has been verified and any necessary competency modules have been completed, you must submit a Proof of Pre-Enrollment Competencies form to indicate how you have obtained competence. 

Online modules

Penn State Behrend uses external partners to allow incoming MBA students to complete pre-enrollment online modules as a way to demonstrate competency—saving graduate students from having to take foundational classes and allowing them to complete their MBA in a shorter time frame. 

You can apply for admission into our MBA program and work on the modules concurrently, as these processes are independent. Modules are self-paced and can be started anytime, but an admitted student cannot begin classes unless the pre-enrollment module process is satisfied. 

For more information about online modules, contact Eric Robbins at [email protected] or 814-898-6940.

Pre-Enrollment Relevant coursework

For reference, the Penn State undergraduate courses that represent the equivalent course for each of the seven areas are:

Accounting

  • ACCTG 211: Financial and Managerial Accounting for Decision Making

Business statistics

Economics

  • ECON 102: Introductory Microeconomic Analysis and Policy OR ECON 104: Introductory Macroeconomic Analysis and Policy

Finance

Management

Marketing

Operations

MBA Application Requirements

Review these steps fully before beginning your application. For best results, apply using a Firefox or Chrome browser. Individuals with international credentials will have additional requirements for application.

1. Submit Penn State’s Graduate School Online Application.

Before you apply, be sure to have official transcripts from all institutions attended (see Step 3 below for details). In the application, skip any questions that don’t apply, such as junior/senior GPA, GMAT/GRE scores, etc.

2. Upload a Statement of Purpose.

The statement should be one to one and a half pages in length. Upload your completed statement to your online application. (Note: It is recommended that the statement be a .txt or .pdf file for ease of uploading.) The statement should address the following:     

  • Why have you chosen to pursue an MBA at Penn State Behrend?
  • How will these studies help you achieve your personal and professional goals?
  • How will your participation contribute to the Penn State Behrend MBA program?
  • Indicate your current, or most recent, work and/or internship responsibilities.

3. Upload a copy of an official transcript from each institution attended, except Penn State.   

Prior to applying, contact the registrar’s office at all institutions attended, except Penn State, to obtain an official transcript. An official transcript bears the university logo and includes the registrar’s signature. Do not upload advising or unofficial transcripts. Your application will not be processed without an official transcript. Do not mail any transcripts or other printed materials to Penn State Behrend or to the Fox Graduate School.

If you are a Penn State alumnus, you do not need to request transcripts for credits earned at Penn State, but you must list Penn State as part of your academic history. Previously submitted transcripts for a Penn State undergraduate application cannot be used for a graduate-level application.
 
You can return to your application in the Graduate School portal at any time. Click on “Check your application status.”

4. Submit contact information for three professional references.

The MBA program requires three references from academic or professional sources. Current undergraduate students are required to have three faculty, within their discipline, listed as references.

References will receive an email directing them to complete a web-based form where they will rank you on 30 qualities. References can add narrative if they choose, but they are not required to submit anything further. 

References must complete the form before or by the application deadline.

MBA Admission Notification

Once your application is complete, a recommendation for admission will be made by Dr. Charles Brown, MBA academic program chair. This typically takes up to seven business days and you will be notified of your admission status by email. Admission is offered jointly with the Fox Graduate School, so your credentials also require its formal approval.

Upon acceptance of your offer of admission, you will receive a request from the Fox Graduate School to send sealed copies of your official transcripts (these are separate from the official transcripts that you unsealed to upload to your online application). Accepting your offer and completing this step in a timely manner keeps the admissions process moving, allowing you to register for classes sooner.

Once you accept your offer, you will receive a series of emails introducing you to the tools you’ll use in your graduate education, including LionPATH, which is Penn State’s student information system. LionPATH is where you register for courses, access your tuition bills, and more. You must complete all pre-registration activities in LionPATH prior to enrolling in courses.

You’ll also be notified about a mandatory MBA orientation session.

If you need to change your semester of enrollment, you can defer it for up to three semesters. Email your request, including the semester in which you would like to enroll, to the Office of Graduate Admissions.

Transferring credits

Penn State allows the transfer of up to 10 qualified external credits into a program. Credits must not have been used to satisfy the requirements of another degree at Penn State or elsewhere. 

Transfer credits must meet the following criteria:

  • Must be equivalent to a 400-, 500-, or 800-level course at Penn State; Must have been earned at a regionally accredited U.S. institution or an officially recognized degree-granting international institution;
  • Must be of "A" or "B" grade value ("B-" grades are not transferable, and pass-fail grades are not transferable unless the “Pass” can be substantiated by the former institution as having at least "B" quality);
  • Must appear on an official transcript of a regionally accredited U.S. institution or recognized degree-granting international institution;
  • Must be earned within five years prior to the date of registration in a graduate degree program at Penn State, and specific criteria apply.

Transfer of external credits must be approved by the academic program and by the Graduate School. Contact Dr. Charles Brown, academic program chair, for consideration of transfer credits.