Master of Science in Commerce

Program Prerequisites

The program is designed for candidates who have graduated or will be graduating within 12 months prior to matriculation with a strong liberal arts, science, or engineering bachelor’s degree.  Students who have an undergraduate major in business are ineligible to apply for the program.  The following prerequisite UVA coursework or equivalents from other institutions must be completed prior to matriculation. *

• Economics 2010: Principles of Economics: Microeconomics
• Commerce 2010: Introduction to Financial Accounting
• Introduction to Statistics *

* UVA statistics courses that would qualify to serve as a prerequisite are: STAT 1120, STAT 2020, STAT 2120, STAT 3710, MATH 3120, APMA 3120, and APMA 3110, SOC 3120, SOC 3130, ECON 3710, PSYC 3005, PPOL 4240.

Admission Requirements

• Completed online application form, including all required documentation and $75 application fee
• Official transcript from all colleges and universities attended  
• Official GMAT scores sent to the McIntire School of Commerce (Candidates who have taken the GRE may submit GRE test scores in lieu of the GMAT.)
• Official TOEFL or IELTS scores, if applicable, sent to the McIntire School of Commerce (McIntire requires a minimum TOEFL score of 100 iBT or higher, or an IELTS score of 7.5 to be competitive for admissions)
• Two letters of recommendation (at least one letter must be from a professor who is familiar with the student’s core academic performance.)
• If accepted, a non-refundable deposit of $1,000 will be required upon acceptance and a second $1,500 deposit will be due in May. Both deposits are credited toward the first tuition payment. For more information or to access the online admissions services, please visit online or contact:

Office of Graduate Admissions

McIntire School of Commerce
Rouss & Robertson Halls, East Lawn
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400173
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4173
(434) 243-4992 Toll-free (877) 349-2620
mscommerce@virginia.edu
www.commerce.virginia.edu/mscommerce

Departmental Financial Aid

The McIntire School of Commerce offers a limited number of departmental scholarships to qualified graduate students in the M.S. in Commerce Program.  Scholarships are awarded based on merit and financial need, and priority is given to those students who apply by February 1 of each admission cycle.  Prospective students must complete a Departmental Aid Application Form and submit this with their application materials by the priority deadline.  Scholarship awards will be communicated to students once admission decisions have been rendered.

Grading & Academic Performance Expectations

Grading

Grades are awarded only to students who are registered for and complete a course for credit.  All courses are on a credit basis only and students must receive a grade.  The letter grades used for grading students in McIntire graduate courses are: A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F.

GPA Requirements for Graduation

Students are required to complete their program of study with a GPA of 3.00 in order to graduate.

Academic Performance Expectations

Good academic standing is defined as maintaining a 3.00 cumulative GPA.  At the end of each term, a student’s academic performance will be evaluated by the Academic Program Director to determine if a student is still in good academic standing.  A student not meeting the 3.00 cumulative GPA criteria at the end of a given term will be placed on Academic Probation.  A notation of Academic Probation will be placed on the student’s academic record until such time as the academic issue is resolved.

While on Academic Probation, a student will meet regularly with his or her Academic Program Director to ensure appropriate progress is being made toward degree completion.  A student who earns a cumulative GPA below a 3.00 in two consecutive terms will be dismissed from his or her program of study.  A student who earns a grade of ‘F’ in any course will be dismissed from the program.

Behavioral & Administrative Expectations

Behavioral and administrative expectations are outlined throughout the Graduate Record and include but are not limited to required class attendance, making progress toward a degree, and fulfilling all expectations implied by enrollment at the University (e.g., Honor Code or Standards of Conduct).

Student adherence to these expectations will be evaluated periodically or when a situation is brought to the attention of an Academic Program Director.  If a student’s behavior is found to not be in adherence with the expectations, a warning will be issued to the student and a behavior modification plan will be put in place.  This plan will include a timeframe for reevaluation of the student’s behavior.  After a reevaluation is conducted, a student who has met the expectations of the behavior modification plan will return to good standing.  A student who is still not meeting the behavioral expectations outlined in the plan will be given a final opportunity to remediate the deficient behavior and return to good standing.  If, after a second opportunity to meet the expectations of the program and university, a student is still found to display behaviors inconsistent with the program expectations, an ‘Enforced Withdrawal’ will be enacted.

Employment and other Extracurricular Activities

Students may not engage in employment or other extracurricular activities in excess of what is compatible with a full-time commitment to masters level study of commerce.  No full-time student may be employed for more than 20 hours per week or receive financial compensation or financial award for activities requiring more than 20 hours per week.

Global Immersion Attendance Policy

The program attendance policy described earlier applies to all McIntire graduate programs.  Beyond on-Grounds classes, all students are expected to fully participate in M.S. in Commerce’s 5-credit hour global immersion experience (GIE).  Participation in GIE constitutes international travel as part of one of the regional tracks offered in the spring term (taking place in May and June) and students are expected to arrive on time and remain with the track for the duration of the international experience.  Exceptions to this requirement are very rare and require the approval of the M.S in Commerce Academic Program Director and GIE Program Director.  Requests for exceptions must be made in writing to the Academic Program Director as far in advance of the scheduled global immersion term as possible.

Obtaining all required visas and travel documents is the student’s responsibility.  Failure to obtain proper documents may result in inability to complete required study abroad coursework, and degree requirements.

Course Enrollment

Enrollment in M.S. in Commerce courses is restricted to students in that specific program.  Permission may be granted rarely to non-degree students to enroll in these courses on an exception basis.  A request for this exception must be made in writing to the M.S. in Commerce Academic Program Director.  Requests will be evaluated based on course availability, applicant qualifications and any other factors that might impact the administration of the graduate course under consideration.

M.S. in Commerce students who wish to further their study of a particular subject beyond required program courses and/or outside the McIntire School of Commerce must receive advance permission from the M.S. in Commerce Academic Program Director and course instructor before the assigned registration period.

M.S. in Commerce Courses