Why Elms for your BA/MBA Accelerated Program?

  • Academic excellence — our BA and MBA business programs are IACBE accredited.
  • Earn two degrees in five years or less.
  • Begin MBA classes during your junior year.
  • Specialize in accounting, financial planning, healthcare leadership, or management.
  • Study flexibly — our hybrid classes combine in-class meetings with online discussion.

Fast-Track Your MBA

The accelerated BA/MBA program at Elms College helps you establish yourself as a business leader. Beginning as early as your junior year, you will take graduate courses to deepen your knowledge of accounting, financial planning, healthcare leadership, or management. Our graduates earn two degrees in five years and enter the job market one step ahead of their peers.

Take a Holistic Approach to Business Leadership

The MBA program at Elms emphasizes ethics to give students a framework for responsible leadership. Accelerated BA/MBA majors are prepared to lead companies in a positive direction that balances organizational goals with respect for the greater good.

Seminar-style courses challenge you to think critically, analyze issues from multiple perspectives, and communicate your ideas clearly. Our expert faculty bring a wealth of experience to the classroom, putting case studies into context and discussing current developments in the business world. Accelerated BA/MBA students benefit from taking classes alongside industry professionals — you’ll make the leap from textbooks to real-world insights by collaborating with them.

The accelerated BA/MBA program at Elms College emphasizes holistic approaches to business management. In our program you will fine-tune the soft skills and technical knowledge that drive effective leadership. Our program prepares insightful managers to fulfill their goals wherever their ambition takes them, to Western Massachusetts and beyond.

Find Success — Our Grads are 100% Hired

Accelerated BA/MBA accounting majors from the classes of 2014, 2015, and 2016 are all employed in their field – many had job offers before graduating. Students in this track can earn both degrees in 4.5 years. One of the main benefits of our accelerated accounting courses is that students earn the 150 credits required to sit for the CPA exam in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Students in the healthcare leadership, management, and financial planning tracks can earn their degree in five years, covering 156 credits.

Take Advantage of a Flexible Timeline

Undergraduate students enrolled in the program can take up to six MBA classes at half of the graduate tuition cost. Students can begin taking their MBA classes during their junior year, one night per week, in a flexible hybrid format that combines in-class meetings with synchronous online discussions.

Quick Info

Required Credits

150

Degree Option

Bachelor of arts (B.A.) degree and master of business administration (MBA) degree

Cassie Sarno ’19, MBA ’20

Photo of Cassie Sarno '19, MBA '20

“It’s so beneficial to go to a business program at a liberal arts school. Rather than just learning the nuts and bolts of finance, or how to build a budget, you also get more of those soft skills. There’s an emphasis on writing.”

After earning her BA and MBA at Elms, Cassie landed a job as a healthcare project coordinator at the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, where she is working on strategies to prevent opioid abuse. Read Cassie’s story.

Curriculum

Click to view course requirements for the BA/MBA Accelerated Program.

Students will receive a B.A. in one of the following disciplines: Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Healthcare Management, Management, or Sports Management. The core business requirements are listed below for your convenience.

Business Core Requirements (40 credits)

Course #Course Name# of Credit Hours
ACC 2001Accounting I3
ACC 2002Accounting II3
BUS 2201Computer Applications3
BUS 2402Principles of Management3
BUS 2408Global Business Environment3
BUS 2502Principles of Marketing3
BUS 2600Legal Environment of Business3
BUS 3101Principles of Financial Management3
BUS 3402Managerial Communication3
BUS 4800Business Strategy3
BUS 4801Career Development3
BUS 4802Internship4
ECN 2102Economics II3

Required courses that also satisfy college core requirements (6 credits)

Course #Course Name# of Credit Hours
ECN 2101Economics I3
MAT 1009Statistics3

Core MBA courses (15 credits)

Course #Course Name# of Credit Hours
BUS 6000Managerial Finance and Data Analysis3
BUS 6100Globalization and Social Responsibility3
BUS 6200Leadership and Teamwork3
BUS 6300Current Events Impact on the Economy3
BUS 6400Cases and Readings in Strategic Management3

Courses for Accounting concentration (15 credits)

Course #Course Name# of Credit Hours
ACC 6103Business Law and Ethics for Accountants3
ACC 6203Advanced Cost Accounting3
ACC 6003Corporate Taxation3
ACC 6303Non-Profit and Government Accounting3

Courses for Healthcare Leadership concentration (21 credits)

Course #Course Name# of Credit Hours
ACC 6002Accounting for Managers3
HCL 6105Business Dynamics of Healthcare3
HCL 6205Budgeting in Healthcare3
HCL 6300Policy, Law, and Ethics in Healthcare3
HCL 6305Managing Human Capital in Healthcare3
HCL 6500Information Systems in Healthcare and Nursing3
HCL 6600Global Issues in Healthcare3

Courses for Management concentration (21 credits)

Course #Course Name# of Credit Hours
ACC 6002Accounting for Managers3
BUS 6102Legal Environment of Managers3
BUS 6202Production and Operations Management3
BUS 6204Organizational Behavior & Development3
BUS 6402Managing Innovation and Technology3
BUS 6502Strategic Human Resource Management3
BUS 6602Global Marketing Management3