Welcome to Walla Walla University’s online M.B.A. program that combines academic and professional excellence with a nurturing, faith-based learning environment, all at an affordable cost. Our program is designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge necessary to be cutting-edge, strategic, tech-savvy leaders and managers in today's dynamic business world. Ethical principles are integrated into every aspect of our curriculum.

We understand the importance of flexibility and accessibility, which is why our M.B.A. program is offered entirely online with flexible scheduling. This means you can pursue your education from anywhere in the world, on your own schedule, without sacrificing quality. Our faculty members are experienced professionals and leaders trained in facilitating real-world learning and providing personal interaction in an online learning environment.

Apply today and join a supportive community of fellow students and faculty who share your values and are dedicated to helping you grow, personally and professionally.

Reasons to earn an MBA

• Distinguish yourself as a strategic business leader and decision-maker.
• Confidently deal with continual change and complex challenges in the business environment.
• Join a lifelong, connected community of seasoned business leaders and visionaries.
• Broaden your global perspective and professional network.
• Increase your salary potential by as much as $20,000 per year (1)
   

Admission requirements

1. Application with three professional references.
2. A minimum overall 3.0+ Grade Point Average (G.P.A.) on a 4.0 scale for all undergraduate credits or for the last 96 quarter credits (or 64 semester credits) of the baccalaureate degree. Applicants who do not meet the G.P.A. requirement may be considered for provisional admission at the discretion of the Program Director, who may require additional steps, including completion of the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT).
3. Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV).
4. Statement of purpose and goals, not to exceed 1,000 words, that answers the following questions:
   1. Why are you pursuing an M.B.A. degree, and why are you interested in the M.B.A. program at WWU?
   2. What are your career aspirations?
   3. What challenges do you foresee in completing an M.B.A. degree?
   4. What characteristics and life experiences demonstrate your potential as a graduate student in business administration and a future manager and leader?
5. A short video (maximum two minutes) introducing yourself or, alternatively, an interview with the program director.

M.B.A. students are expected to have competencies in accounting, finance, statistics, and spreadsheets. Applicants may consult with the program director for suggested resources to help develop those competencies as needed.

Degree requirements

Students have a choice of pursuing a General M.B.A. (45 credits) or an M.B.A. with a specialization (55 credits) in finance, healthcare administration, business analytics, artificial intelligence, or cybersecurity. (Specializations start fall 2025).

General M.B.A.

The General M.B.A. program consists of 12 courses, nine in the core, two electives, and a capstone, for a total of 45 credits.  The core courses cover subjects essential for organizational leaders and managers, including a seminar about ethics and integrity that is led by experienced leaders.  The elective courses provide options for further study in areas of interest.  For the capstone project, students will demonstrate their ability to perform research and synthesize information by either preparing a business plan for a new organization or a strategic plan for an existing organization or department.

• Core Courses (33 credits)
  • Orientation and Colloquium (0 credits)
  • Accounting for Decision Making  (ACCT 510 - 4 credits)
  • Business Intelligence & Data Analysis  (CIS 520 - 4 credits)
  • Financial Planning & Performance  (FINA 530 - 4 credits)
  • Leadership & Organizational Behavior  (MGMT 540 - 4 credits)
  • Ethical Leadership Seminar (MGMT 550 - 2 credits)
  • Managing and Motivating People  (MGMT 560 - 4 credits)
  • Strategic Marketing Management  (MKTG 580 - 4 credits)
  • Innovation & Change Management  (MGMT 590 - 4 credits)
  • Graduate Religion Course  (3 credits)
• Capstone Project (GBUS 596 - 4 credits)
• Two electives courses (8 credits) selected from:
  • Disruption & Entrepreneurship (MGMT 575 - 4 credits)
  • Managing in a Global & Diverse Environment (MGMT 565 - 4 credits)
  • Elective courses in Finance, Healthcare Administration, Business Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, and Cybersecurity (starting Fall 2025; see specialization courses below).

• TOTAL (45 credits)
  
  Read course descriptions.

  ---

M.B.A. with Specializations

Starting in the fall of 2025, the following five specializations will be offered in partnership with Rize Education, Inc.: (1) Finance, (2) Healthcare Administration, (3) Artificial Intelligence, (4) Business Analytics, and (5) Cybersecurity.  These specializations are in areas where there is steady or increasing demand for skilled leaders and managers with specialized understanding of these topics.  The M.B.A. with a Specialization consists of 14 courses, nine in the core, four in the specialization, and a capstone, for a total of 55 credits.  

• Core Courses (33 credits)
  • Orientation and Colloquium (0 credits)
  • Accounting for Decision Making  (ACCT 510 - 4 credits)
  • Business Intelligence & Data Analysis  (CIS 520 - 4 credits)
  • Financial Planning & Performance  (FINA 530 - 4 credits)
  • Leadership & Organizational Behavior  (MGMT 540 - 4 credits)
  • Ethical Leadership Seminar (MGMT 550 - 2 credits)
  • Managing and Motivating People  (MGMT 560 - 4 credits)
  • Strategic Marketing Management  (MKTG 580 - 4 credits)
  • Innovation & Change Management  (MGMT 590 - 4 credits)
  • Graduate Religion Course  (3 credits)
• Capstone Project (GBUS 596 - 4 credits)
• Specialization (18 credits; see below; starting fall 2025)

• TOTAL (55 credits)

   

• Finance Specialization (18 credits; starting fall 2025, in partnership with Rize Education, Inc.)
  • Capital Markets and Investing (BUFI 532 - 4.5 credits)
  • Financial Statement Analysis and Valuation (BUFI 534 - 4.5 credits)
  • Frontiers of Finance (BUFI 536 - 4.5 credits)
  • Elective course selected from any other MBA courses (4.5 credits)
     
• Healthcare Administration Specialization (18 credits; starting fall 2025, in partnership with Rize Education, Inc.)
  • Data Analysis for Healthcare Management (BUAN 522 - 4.5 credits)
  • Healthcare Finance (BUFI 538 - 4.5 credits)
  • Management of Healthcare Organizations (BUMT 542 - 4.5 credits)
  • Structure and Economics of U.S. Healthcare (BUEC 592 - 4.5 credits)
     
• Business Analytics Specialization (18 credits; starting fall 2025, in partnership with Rize Education, Inc.)
  • Spreadsheet Modeling for Decision-Making (BUAN 502 - 4.5 credits)
  • Managing AI Projects (BUAN 518 - 45 credits)
  • Storytelling with Data (BUAN 522 - 4.5 credits
  • Python for Business Analytics (BUAN 526 - 4.5 credits)
     
• Artificial Intelligence Specialization (18 credits; starting fall 2025, in partnership with Rize Education, Inc.)
  • Generative AI for Managers (BUAI 512 - 4.5 credits)
  • Business Use Cases for AI (BUAI 514 - 4.5 credits)
  • AI Governance and Ethics (BUAI 516 - 4.5 credits)
  • Managing AI Projects (BUAI 518 - 4.5 credits)
     
• Cybersecurity Specialization (18 credits; starting fall 2025, in partnership with Rize Education, Inc.)
  • Information Governance, Risk Management and Compliance (BUCS 502 - 4.5 credits)
  • Network Architectures for Cyber Managers (BUCS 504 - 4.5 credits)
  • Cyber Risk Management and Strategy (BUCS 506 - 4.5 credits)

  • Ethical Hacking (BUCS 508 - 4.5 credits)

    Read course descriptions.

M.B.A. Faculty

The M.B.A. faculty seek to make a difference professionally, academically, and spiritually in the lives of their students. Our award-winning professors have a broad range of experience and backgrounds, including executive leadership at large organizations . . . and many run their own businesses as well.  Faculty members are ready to be friends and mentors and to build relationships that students will value for a lifetime. Specializations courses, offered in partnership with Rize Education, Inc., are designed by top professors in their areas of expertise, such as Dr. Michael Parzen, Senior Lecturer of Applied Business Analytics at Harvard Business School, and Dr. Robert Hansen, Professor of Business at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business. 
Go here for a list of WWU faculty.
 

Tuition

*Students may apply for the WWU Leadership for Change Grant on their application to the M.B.A. program. When the admission files are reviewed, students will be notified if they received this grant.
 

Student Learning Outcomes

• M.B.A. Core and Capstone Courses:
  • Demonstrate a broad knowledge of primary business disciplines and have related functional skills crucial for organizational leaders, managers, and professionals.
  • Master management and leadership theory and employ best practices in successfully leading and motivating people to achieve optimum business outcomes.
  • Recognize ethical complexities in the business world and be guided by ethical standards from a faith-based worldview as leaders and professional role models.
  • Possess the communication skills necessary for effective leadership and management.
  • Have the capacity to synthesize complex ideas and knowledge from credible sources and to effectively address organizational challenges, including change and innovation.
     
• Artificial Intelligence Specialization:
  • Drive business innovation, efficiency, and ethical decision-making by leveraging an understanding of AI technologies.
  • Critically assess the limitations and capabilities of AI technologies to make sure AI-driven business solutions align with organizational objectives.
  • Ensure responsible and compliant AI implementation in business settings by applying governance frameworks and ethical guidelines to AI projects.
  • Communicate AI concepts and solutions effectively to diverse stakeholders.
  • Assess career opportunities and key sectors relevant to AI.
  • Manage the complete lifecycle of machine learning projects, ensuring successful implementation and alignment with business objectives.
     
• Business Analytics Specialization:
  • Create data queries and visualizations using industry-standard tools to analyze complex datasets.
  • Develop and communicate data-driven strategies to achieve organizational goals.
  • Demonstrate proficiency in Python data analysis techniques to support decision-making and drive business insights.
  • Communicate business analytics concepts and solutions to diverse stakeholders.
  • Assess career opportunities and key sectors relevant to business analytics.
  • Manage the complete lifecycle of machine learning projects, ensuring successful implementation and alignment with business objectives.
     
• Cybersecurity Specialization:
  • Evaluate and create comprehensive governance, risk management and compliance plans that align with corporate performance goals, follow key regulations, and enhance organizational resilience.
  • Evaluate security solutions to meet the unique needs of IT and OT systems, cloud environments, data storage, and IoT networks, aligning with business goals.
  • Demonstrate strategic leadership in cybersecurity by proactively planning, implementing, and managing comprehensive security measures.
  • Effectively communicate technical and policy information about cybersecurity challenges in order to effect organizational security measures.
  • Assess career opportunities and key sectors relevant to cybersecurity.
  • Identify and operate open-source hacking tools to recognize and address security vulnerabilities in accordance with ethical hacking principles.
     
• Finance Specialization:
  • Make corporate financial decisions and solve financial problems using modern financial modeling techniques.
  • Apply quantitative and analytical skills to make informed investment decisions and optimize investment portfolio performance.
  • Apply and interpret financial analytics and use valuation techniques to aid in making investment decisions.
  • Communicate financial analyses, insights, and strategies to stakeholders to drive financial success.
  • Assess career opportunities and key sectors relevant to finance.
  • Evaluate new financial technologies and their potential to disrupt traditional finance.
     
• Healthcare Administration Specialization:
  • Analyze the effect of policy changes in the U.S. healthcare system by applying relevant economic frameworks.
  • Evaluate key challenges for today’s healthcare systems — from IT systems to human resources and revenue cycles — and manage them effectively and ethically.
  • Effectively and ethically manage and communicate healthcare data to support clinical decision-making and improve healthcare outcomes.
  • Assess career opportunities and key sectors relevant to healthcare administration.
  • Analyze, model, and communicate financial analysis to evaluate and make financial decisions for healthcare organizations.