Executive BBA

The Executive BBA is unique because students complete their degree in a cohort format in one year. The degree is for someone with significant work experience in a business, health care, governmental, or nonprofit organization who desires to complete a baccalaureate degree for both professional and personal advancement. Program emphasis is on the practical application of proven business management principles so that students not only gain the knowledge needed to succeed, they also learn how to use this knowledge to make a significant and immediate difference in their companies. The pace of the program is rigorous but the rewards are immeasurable in terms of broadening professional skill sets and enhancing career opportunities.

Career Benefits

  • Immediate career impact: complete a BBA degree in one year
  • Enhanced employer appeal: demonstrated application of business concepts
  • Improved career flexibility: broad degree content is applicable to most business careers
  • Professional network: cohort classmates and faculty relationships benefit beyond graduation

Convenient Program Features

  • Time and expense savings through transfer and work experience credits
  • Course scheduling tailored to working adults via on-ground and distance options
  • Academic success promoted by faculty-mentor guidance
  • All-inclusive tuition (There are no fees; textbooks are included in tuition and are shipped directly to the student’s home)
  • Financial assistance and payment plan options

Project-Based Learning

The Executive BBA program design incorporates application through project-based learning.

Executive BBA Project Sequence

The Executive BBA Project Sequence is a multi-course sequence completed over the entire year of the program. Students carry out projects involving primary research, process improvement, business plan, marketing audit, implementation plan, or feasibility study. A faculty mentor works with each student to complete the project and tailor the work to align with the professional and personal development interests of the student. Often Executive BBA projects solve a significant problem for students’ employers.

Capstone project in each course: Course capstone projects involve comprehensive application of the course principles to relevant management circumstances.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon the completion of the Executive BBA program students will be able to:

  • Apply critical thinking to the research, analysis, and resolution of business problems
  • Demonstrate effective communication skills and an ability to work effectively in teams
  • Recognize ethical, legal, and social considerations in complex business situations
  • Understand the global, economic, ethical, and legal environments of contemporary business
  • Identify and practice the leadership and motivational traits and qualities necessary to accomplish organizational goals
  • Create a final report that incorporates course outcomes into a customized application project

Student Entry Requirements

The Executive BBA entry requirements are designed to ensure a high quality academic experience and student success.

Admission to the Executive BBA requires:

  • An awarded Associate Degree from a regionally accredited institution, or a minimum of 90 transfer quarter-credits (60 semester credits) that satisfy a credit distribution requirement
  • A cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher in transfer courses
  • Minimum age of 30 at entry. Required courses which include core subjects and the project sequence are completed at Cleary University in a cohort format in 12 months (3 ½ terms). No substitutions are permitted.

Required Courses

  • ORN 099 - Undergraduation Orientation

    This online course includes an on-campus student component. ORN 099 prepares the student to be successful in Cleary University's undergraduate academic program. Students learn how to use Cleary’s course management software, receive an introduction to Cleary's electronic research tools and library services, and review the writing process. Academic policies are reviewed and student skills are measured. Time management resources, along with learning and study aids, are identified. Successful completion of this course is required.

  • BAC 300 - Business Research and Communication

    This course introduces the transfer student to academic resources: distance technology; project-based learning; working in teams; academic policies, processes and expectations; and the accelerated learning environment. Cleary’s online environment is introduced and explained. Students learn how to use electronic resources to conduct research, analyze findings, and report results in written and oral form. The research and writing processes are introduced and used to create academic papers and business reports. Plagiarism and academic ethics are discussed and students learn how to properly acknowledge research sources using APA format. Students learn to make effective formal presentations for local and remote audiences.

  • LAW 320 - Business Ethics and Legal Issues

    This course provides an understanding of the body of legal principles that govern the structure and conduct of business organizations. This survey course covers such topics as the legal environment of business, regulatory environments affecting business, business-to-business relationships, and business ethics and social responsibility.

  • PJT 492 - Senior Project II

    PJT 492 builds upon the work completed in PJT 491 and involves data analysis, evaluation of alternatives, development of recommendations, and writing the project report. The student begins to present the results/findings of the research conducted. A draft of all inferences made from the data is presented, as are any charts and/or tables that support those inferences. Specific research questions and/or hypotheses are discussed in turn. PJT 492 will address two important goals: (1) interpret and discuss the findings of the research and (2) understand and apply recommendations and conclusions to the quantitative research. Successful completion of PJT 492 requires a C grade or better.

  • PJT 491 - Senior Project I

    This is a directed study course that allows a student to complete an individualized project on a topic selected and planned with the faculty mentor. Preference is given to selecting topics that solve problems or make contributions for the students’ employers by applying business concepts students learned in their majors. Project types may include: a new venture or product plan, a process or product improvement, or an analysis of a significant workplace problem. PJT 491 is designed to complete five important goals: (1) identify the problem statement or topic, (2) write the problem (topic) description, (3) write the project plan, (4) begin the literature review, and, (5) plan and begin gathering information or data needed to support project development. Some project types will follow different goals that the faculty mentor and student will create. The student and the mentor engage in discussions regarding possible topics for the Senior Project. The discussions should focus on the background experiences and academic major of the student. Upon selection of a topic, discussions shift to the mechanics of constructing the series of drafts that lead to the final document required for PJT 491. PJT 491 is a required class. Students must earn a final grade of C or better to move to PJT 492.

  • MGT 340 - Managing Projects and Processes in Organizations

    This course is designed to provide basic project management skills with a strong emphasis on issues and problems associated with delivering successful application projects. The course will address the particular issues encountered in handling projects and to offer students methods, techniques and hands-on experience in dealing with their successful completion.

  • MGT 412 - Leadership and Teams

    This course will cover the leadership process and how it will influence the output of teams. The course will serve as a guideline for increasing the productivity and creativity of teams while at the same time decreasing conflict. Part of the focus will be on understanding, valuing, and maximizing the effectiveness of a diverse workforce.

  • ENT 405 - Creativity and Innovation

    Creativity, innovation, and risk taking are essential to the success of the entrepreneur. This class will aid students in unlocking their inner potential and focus on “thinking outside the box”. Students will also learn strategies for dealing with rejection and negativity.

  • OPM 400 - Operations Management

    This course provides an overview of key operational issues and processes used in both service and manufacturing organizations. It also reviews the basic analytical methodologies and tools used to manage the production process. Using case studies, students will be exposed to a variety of business and industry models that illustrate the linkages between the inputs brought into the organization and the resultant products and/or services offered to customers.

  • MTH 344 - Quantitative Business Analysis

    This course provides a comprehensive coverage of the critical thinking skills used in statistical analysis. Areas of study include probability, random variables, discrete and continuous distributions, hypothesis testing, confidence interval, correlation, and regression.

  • MKT 415 - Interactive Marketing

    This course explores marketing principles combined with Web-based strategies in an effort to reach customers and build individual relationships. Tools such as electronic advertising, direct e-mail, and electronic commerce are studied. Value analysis will be used to determine the individual customer’s contribution to profit, Web metrics, and analysis of buyer behavior.

  • MGT 420 - International Business

    This course stresses the synergy/connection between environment and culture, and the strategy and functions of business management. It further provides an overview of the functions of business in an international context. Basic economic principles are studied in international markets including micro- and macroeconomics, fiscal and monetary policies, and banking. Factors affecting foreign trade and multinational business are explored, especially the various social, political, technical, and economic complexities of doing business in foreign countries.

  • FIN 400 - Financial Management

    Selected topics in both the financial and managerial aspects of financial management for business organizations are studied with the intention of providing a survey of important concepts, issues, tools, and vocabulary that administrators need to effectively manage a business organization. Students will learn how managers and investors use financial statements in order to meet their financial objectives. The goals of the financial manager, the trade-off between risk and return, and the time value of money will be explained. The application of these basic concepts to the valuation of bonds and stocks, capital budgeting problems, and the process for determining capital structure will also be emphasized.

  • ACC 402 - Managerial Accounting

    This course explores basic managerial accounting concepts used to support business decisions. Topics include basic cost concepts, product costing methods, activity-based costing, cost-volume-profit analysis, standard costing, budget preparation, and relevant cost analysis.

  • ACC 401 - Financial Accounting

    This course introduces fundamental concepts in financial accounting, which are used to create financial statements for external users. The focus is on the accounting cycle and financial statement preparation (primarily the income statement and balance sheet).