Frequently Asked Admissions Questions

Applicants must meet at least one of the following conditions to be waived from submitting a GMAT score of 500+ for admissions:

• Have a 3.0 cumulative GPA on a conferred bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution - OR - 
• Have a 3.0 GPA for the most recent 60 hours of enrollment - OR - 
• Have a completed master’s or doctoral degree from a regionally accredited institution - OR - 
• Have 10+ years of upward professional progression, post matriculation (after completion of bachelor’s degree) 

If an applicant does not meet any of these conditions a GMAT score of 500+ is required to be eligible for admissions.

The application fee falls under the discretion of the Graduate School for domestic students, and the Admissions-International Office for International applicants. At this time, neither office has an application fee waiver available.

Applicants who pay the application fee and decide to change the program in the same semester they are applying to will have their paid fee moved to their new application.

Returning students who were previously admitted do not have to pay the application fee again.

Your resume/CV must include the following as per standard US practice:

• Name and Contact Information
• Education section with institutions attended with full name of degree(s) conferred or anticipated completion date if not conferred. This information must match transcripts.
• Work experience with the most recent experience first, company name, dates of employment, job titles and work duties listed.
• Certifications
• If applicable, a list of programming languages used in a skills section of the resume.

Use this chance to make a strong impression during the application process by sharing more about yourself and your interest in this program. Your essay will play a crucial role in the admissions decision, so be sure to highlight your academic and professional goals.

The following structure must be utilized for an acceptable SOG for degree seeking applicants:

• Single spaced, written statement consisting of 250-500 words, nothing beyond 500 words will be read for evaluation.
• Specifically state the graduate program you wish to pursue.
• State career goals.
• Explain what you hope to learn in the program and how it will help you with your career goals.
• Do not include a header, footer, cover page, or signature.

If the SOG is found to be unsatisfactory, the applicant will be notified and given the opportunity to revise their SOG and upload a new copy.

Applicants must demonstrate their writing ability by submitting a statement of goals (SOG). Submission of written papers and exams are required in the graduate programs.

The following structure must be utilized for an acceptable SOG for non-degree seeking applicants:

• Single spaced, written statement consisting of 250-500 words, nothing beyond 500 words will be read for evaluation.
• Specifically state why you wish to be admitted as non-degree seeking rather than degree seeking.
• State career goals.
• Using the Syllabi Search page, list out each class you wish to take as a non-degree seeking student. Applicants will be vetted to be sure that prerequisites of these courses have been completed.
• Explain what you hope to gain from these courses and how they will help you with your career goals.
• Do not include a header, footer, cover page, or signature.

If the SOG is found to be unsatisfactory, the applicant will be notified and given the opportunity to revise their SOG and upload a new copy.

All applicants must have 2 recommendations as part of their application to speak to their maturity, ability to work in a group setting, and suitability for graduate work.

• Applicants will add recommender email addresses in their application portal. Our system will email a link to the recommenders. They will click the link and answer questions regarding the applicant.
• Written recommendation letters are not required, however recommenders can upload a letter in the system if they so choose.
• At least one recommendation must be a professional recommendation (supervisor or instructor/professor).
• Recommendations from family members are not accepted.

No. We do not differentiate whether a program was completed online or in the classroom. Our online courses are taught by the same PhD faculty for both on-campus and online courses. Professors are in residence on campus and do all of their own course preparation, teaching, and grading.

The program is available online in an asynchronous format. Students are not required to come to campus, or be logged into class at any specific time. However, students are always welcome to visit campus and attend the College of Business graduation reception and commencement ceremony at the end of their program.

We do offer on campus courses for local students. Students that intend to complete the program fully online will need to make sure that they do not register for on campus classes. All programs have some on campus classes available except for the MAcc program. 

Very few online classes are self-paced as most courses still have structured deadlines for each learning component. Students are expected to complete the program within 6 years. Most of our students are full time employed professionals that choose to enroll in half time enrollment and complete their program in about 2 to 2.5 years. Full time enrolled students will be able to complete the program at a quicker pace.

You can find syllabi for past courses on our Syllabi Search page to see representative course information, learning materials, delivery methods, grading rubrics, and course timelines. Courses may be composed of lecture capture, audio, podcast, video, readings, and discussion boards. Professors utilize the methods that best fit the course material and their teaching style.

Students will work at the pace that best fits their available time outside of work and family time. Students may also sit out semesters without being penalized, and are not required to enroll every semester classes are offered. Please be advised that if a student does not enroll in a fall or spring semester, a returning student application must be submitted at zero cost to the student.

Each semester begins and ends on specific dates found on the Registrar’s Academic Calendar:

Fall and Spring Semesters - 14 to 16 weeks:

• Fall runs from the last week of August to the last week of November for 6000 level courses
• Fall runs until the second week of December for 5000 level courses
• Spring runs from the second week of January to the last week of April
• Spring runs until the second week of May for 5000 level courses

Summer 1 and Summer 2 Semesters - 5-8 weeks:

• Summer 1 runs from the first week of June to the second week of July
• Some Summer 1 classes run for 8 weeks. The classes run the first week in June to the end of July
• Summer 2 runs from the second week of July to the middle of August

Because we do not admit by cohort, each student will work at the pace that best fits their time to balance work, family and class time. Students utilizing federal aid, (available only in the form of unsubsidized loans) must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 hours (2 classes) in fall, spring and over both summer semesters to be eligible to borrow funds.

Students may sit out any semester they choose without penalty. Students sitting out a long semester (fall or spring) must submit a returning student application (no application fee required), to reactivate their student account. Students will not need to resubmit admissions materials previously submitted for admissions.

Students that sit out for a long semester (fall or spring) must submit a returning student application to reactivate their student account. Students that do not take summer courses do not need to submit a returning application.

Applicants will need to reapply to the Graduate School through the WTAMU Applicant Portal. Applicants will need to use their previous login and password if their last application was submitted in 2021 or later. If you do not remember your password, you will need to use the reset password link or contact the Graduate School at graduateschool@wtamu.edu. 

If the last submitted application was prior to 2021, the applicant will need to create a username and password before they can submit a returning student application.

1. Login to your application portal
2. Go to “Application History”
3. “Create New”. This will auto populate information into the new app.
4. Next, move through the pages and provide the information in the red boxes. You may skip the other boxes. Do not feel pressure to get the exact dates of attendance correct. This is a piece in the system that we cannot remove.
5. Please be sure to add Buff ID number to the new application so that our system does not create a duplicate record.

On the payment page, returnig students will not need to submit an application payment.

Applicants will not need to submit any new admissions materials for Graduate Business Programs Office, however, the Graduate School has updated policies and may request materials that were not required for previous admissions. Please check your application portal closely.

Once the application is complete, it can take 6 to 10 business days for confirmation that returning students are readmitted.

Graduate students, whether on campus or online, are encouraged to engage with their faculty and classmates to get more than just a degree with us here at WT. Here are some student engagement opportunities:

• Participate in student organizations and honor societies
• Study Abroad opportunities
• On campus commencement ceremonies
• Students and alumni have access to all services provided by the Office of Career and Professional Development

Yes. We will accept up to 1/3 of the total hours required for your degree (not counting leveling). If there is a course on your degree plan that you believe is equivalent to a graduate course you took at another institution, you will need to provide a course syllabus from your other school showing topics covered in that course.

When evaluating transfer credit, we look for these things:

• A grade of B or higher
• From a AASCB accredited school
• Within the past 5 years
• At least 3 credit hours

To start the evaluation process, you will first need a preadmission degree plan to determine which of our courses fall in your program of interest. Please send copies of transcripts from your personal records showing conferred degrees, and any transfer transcripts with accounting, finance, and statistics work.

Once you have your preadmission degree plan, you match the courses you have completed to courses in the program using the Syllabi Search page. Look through our syllabi to match courses you have completed.

You will then provide our course name and number, and a copy of your syllabi to the Associate Dean of Graduate Business Programs, Dr. Jeffry Babb, (jbabb@wtamu.edu), for evaluation for transfer credit.

If all of these criteria are met, then the courses can transfer in and be formally added to your degree plan upon admission to the program. The evaluation process takes about 24-48 working hours, two business days.

No. Required leveling courses are completed within the graduate course work. For example, a student that must take ACCT 6300 can take this course and a qualifying core course(s) in the same semester. Students are not required to start their course work with leveling classes, however most students begin with these courses to make their registration smoother throughout their program.

Yes. You can level courses through any regionally accredited institution. Once the course(s) are complete you will need to submit an unofficial copy of the transcripts to COBGrad@wtamu.edu.

Yes. You can utilize CLEP exams to demonstrate mastery of foundational course work in accounting, finance that covers time-value of money, and/or statistics. Passing scores must be submitted to COBGrad@wtamu.edu.