Graduate Program

The aim of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program of IBA is to produce leaders and world-class managers
who are well-informed and well-equipped with technical, professional, theoretical and academic knowledge to lead the
global organizations of the 21st century.
IBA has both full-time and part-time MBA programs, which are professional graduate programs to develop skills and
judgment in individuals for effective management. The emphasis is on developing a student‘s ability to evaluate business
and organizational situations so that he/she is able to make informed and creative judgment about policy and operational
issues. Central to this approach is the development of creativity and reasoning in students, which is essential for every
manager regardless of function or level within an organization. A unique educational approach is taken to groom the
graduates who enter the institute from diverse academic backgrounds.
The intended learning outcomes of the MBA program are as follows:

• Concrete and comprehensive understanding of business and business organizations
• Ability to manage people and understand organizational culture even in the global context
• Use of business analytics and other quantitative and qualitative techniques to make informed and prudent decisions
• Ability to formulate and implement strategy under resource, time and other constraints
• Ability to communicate in the language of senior management and utilize networking skills

ADMISSION

The rigorous and transparent admission process is one of the core strengths of IBA and is designed to select well-rounded individuals with proven strength in academics, strong capability in written and oral communication, and high cognitive development. The Admission Test into the MBA program (both full-time and part-time) is held annually. Every applicant must fulfill the eligibility requirements laid down by IBA. The eligibility and admission requirements are set annually by the Academic Committee of IBA based on the local and global context. A foreign national who has met the above criteria and appeared for the GMAT Test and obtained a minimum 75 percentile may be exempted from the written part of the admission test. However, this minimum qualifying score is set annually by the Academic Committee of IBA.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

In order to qualify for the MBA degree, a student has to meet the following requirements:

• Pass all 20 courses individually and maintain a minimum CGPA of 2.50 at the completion of the program;
• Pass the Internship with minimum ‗C+‘ grade; and,

Complete the program in a maximum of 8 (eight) academic years from the date of admission.

CURRICULUM ADMINISTRATION

Course Load

Full -time Students

A full- time student must register in 5 (five) courses in each semester. However, students may take 6 (six) courses in the final semester or in a semester if they need to repeat a course in order to clear a previously obtained ‗F‘ grade. This is allowed only once during the entire program. In exceptional cases, course load may be relaxed, contingent on the approval of the Academic Committee.

Part- time Students

A part-time student must register in 3 (three) courses in the first semester. From the second semester onwards a part-time student may take a minimum of 2 (two), but not more than 3 (three) courses per semester. However, students may take 4 (four) courses in the final semester. In exceptional cases, course load may be relaxed, contingent on the approval of the Academic Committee.

Change of Status

A full-time student is eligible to switch to part-time only on the ground of full time job employment. In that case, s/he can apply to change status from second semester onwards by taking the same course load as that of a part-time student. Change of such status will be allowed only if the student has minimum CGPA 2.50. However, s/he must submit valid evidence in support of full-time job placement. No part-time student can change status as full-time student.

Course Drop or Add

Course drop/add is allowed subject to taking minimum course load as specified in section 3.1 and within one week from the beginning of the semester. For exceptional cases, permission must be taken from the Academic Committee.

Transfer of Credit Hours

Transfer of credit hours from foreign institution(s) having equivalent curricula, comparable grading system, and grading standards may be allowed for a maximum of 15 credit hours, provided that a student has obtained minimum ‗B+‘ grade in the courses intended for transfer. Students seeking transfer must have had similar courses at the same level with at least 80% identical content. Transfer of credit will be considered only after a student enrolls in the program having fulfilled all admission requirements as applicable for regular students. All applications for transfer of credit will be considered by the IBA Equivalence Committee on a case-by-case basis. The Academic Committee will be the final authority to permit transfer of credit hours.

A student who has been granted transfer of credits will be required to complete the remaining credit hours and meet other degree requirements of the MBA program. The transferred credits will not be part of the CGPA. A student, exempted from a course, may take an alternative course of the same level or higher, subject to the approval of the Equivalence Committee within two weeks from the beginning of the semester.

Course Waiver

5 (five) foundation courses (equivalent to 15 credit hours) may be waived provided the student has obtained at least ‗B+‘ grade(s) in similar course(s) (as specified by IBA Academic Committee) in the bachelors/masters level. However, graduates from institutes other than IBA, University of Dhaka must pass in an exemption test for each course to qualify for waiver.

Semester(s) Withdrawal

A student may apply for withdrawal from the semester after completion of at least one semester provided that s/he has minimum CGPA of 2.50. Any student having ‗I‘ (Incomplete)/‘F‘ (Fail) grade will not be allowed to withdraw from the semester(s). However, all students must complete the program within 8 (eight) academic years from the date of admission. Withdrawal from the semester is allowed within maximum 12 (twelve) weeks from the beginning of the semester. Any student not registered in any particular semester without taking withdrawal will be considered as discontinued and therefore, dismissed from the program.

Class Attendance

Students are required to be present in all classes held during each semester. Only 3 (three) absences per course may be excused. Absence in any more than 3 (three) classes without showing legitimate cause may result in strict disciplinary action and may even lead to an ‗F‘ grade in the concerned course.

Probation and Dismissal

In order to continue the program with good academic standing, students must maintain minimum CGPA 2.50 at the end of each semester. Obtaining CGPA of less than 2.00 shall result in dismissal from the program. If a student attains a CGPA of 2.00 or more, but below 2.50 in a given semester, he/she will be placed on probation in the next semester. Failure to raise the CGPA to at least 2.50 at the end of the probation semester will result in dismissal from the program.

Unfair Means

Students are strictly forbidden from adopting unfair means. The following shall be considered as adoption of unfair means:

• Communicating with fellow students for obtaining help, except in the case of collaborative work;
• Copying from another student's script, report, paper, etc. or helping another student to do the same;
• Copying from printed matter, hand-written script, writing on desk or palm of hand, or from other incriminating documents during quizzes or examinations;
• Plagiarizing or copying from existing work without reference for inclusion in any submitted work;
• Possession of any incriminating document/mobile phone/electronic device including smart watches with storage capacity, whether used or not; and,
• Any approach in direct or indirect form to influence a teacher concerning grades.

Students adopting unfair means may be given an 'F' grade for the concerned assignment, test, quiz, term paper, report, or even for the entire course, at the discretion of the instructor. In addition, adoption of unfair means and/or engaging in any behavior, which disrupts the academic atmosphere and violates the tenet of respect towards other members of the institute, will be dealt with strictly. Disciplinary action may include dismissal of the student from the program as well as expulsion from IBA and as such, the University of Dhaka. Detailed consequences of such unfair means are outlined in a separate ‗Handbook of Code of Conduct‘.

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

Continuous performance evaluation system is followed at IBA. Students are given continuous feedback throughout the semester using various performance evaluation tools including class performance, quizzes, exams, assignments, presentations etc.

Grading System

In each course, students receive letter grades such as ‗A‘, ‗A-‘, ‗B+‘, ‗B‘, ‗B-‘, ‗C+‘, ‗C‘, ‗C-‘, ‗D+‘, ‗D‘, and ‗F‘, depending on their performances. 'F' is a failing grade. ‗I‘ stands for incomplete grade. Incomplete grade may be given in case any student is unable to complete certain criterion of grading due to some unavoidable circumstances (e.g. health issues). ‗I‘ grades are always accompanied with an alternative grade. Students must contact concerned faculty members to clear ‗I‘ grades. All ‗I‘ grades must be replaced by other grades within 4 weeks of grade submission. In case no replacement grade is submitted, the alternate grade initially submitted with ‗I‘ grade will be accepted. The numerical equivalence (grade point) of each grade, as used in calculating CGPA, is as follows: