Executive Master of Business Administration (eMBA) Program

Associate Dean of Graduate Programs: Jewel Shepherd, Ph.D.

Beacom School of Business
Master of Business Administration Program
414 East Clark Street
Vermillion, SD 57069
Phone: 605-658-6532 or 866-890-1MBA
eMBA@usd.edu
http://usd.edu/emba

FACULTY

Professors:

Michael Allgrunn, Ph.D., Michigan State University, Economics,Chair, Division of Accounting and Finance.
Chet Barney, Ph.D., New Mexico State University, Management-Organizational Behavior.
David Carr, Ph.D., University of Colorado-Boulder, Economics, Chair, Division of Economics and Decision Sciences.
Daniel Tracy, Ph.D., Washington State University, Decision Sciences.

Associate Professors:

Klaus Beckmann, Ph.D., University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, Business Administration, Finance.
Tyler Custis, J.D., University of South Dakota, Business Law, Chair, Division of Entrepreneurship, Management, and Marketing, and, Division of Health Services Administration.
Bartlomiej Hanus, Ph.D., University of North Texas, Business Computer Information Systems.
Jewel Shepherd, Ph.D., Old Dominion University, Health Services Research.
Carole South-Winter, Ed.D., St. Cloud State University, Health Services Administration.
Thomas Tiahrt, Ph.D., University of South Dakota, Computational Science and Statistics.
Rand Wergin, Ph.D., Oklahoma State University, Marketing.

Assistant Professors:

Heather Anderson, Ph.D., University of Oklahoma, Management-Organizational Behavior.
James Driver, Ph.D., Texas A&M University, Finance.
Yi Liu, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University, Supply Chain and Information Systems.
Elizabeth Manser-Payne, D.B.A., University of Wisconsin.
Adrian Tippit, Ph.D., University of Texas at El Paso, Finance.
Nicholas Wilson, Ph.D., University of Nebraska Lincoln, Accounting.
Sara Yang, Ph.D., University of Texas at El Paso, Accounting.

Assistant Professor of Practice:

Gregory Bertsch, Ph.D., University of South Dakota, Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
Erin Cornelsen, M.P.A., University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Accounting.
Matthew Heard, M.B.A., University of South Dakota, Health Services Administration.

Instructors:

Chad Birger, M.S., South Dakota State University, Decision Sciences and Statistics.
Mike Cuperus, M.B.A., University of Sioux Falls, Business Administration.
Karen Davies, M.P.A., University of South Dakota, Accounting.
Marek Kolinski, Ph.D., Kennesaw State University, Business Administration.
Todd Muehler, J.D., University of North Dakota School of Law, Business Law.
Emily Quinn, M.B.A., University of Sioux Falls, Marketing.
Mandie Weinandt, M.B.A., University of South Dakota, Decision Sciences.

DEGREE

Executive Master of Business Administration (eMBA) – NEW Fall 2025

SPECIALIZATION (Optional)

Health Services Adminstation – NEW Fall 2025

Program Description

The eMBA will identify needs, create value, and improve relationships across organizations’ environmental, social, and financial practices. The program will develop leaders through an immersive, intensive, and transformative experience.

The cohort-style program provides knowledge that enhances career trajectories and strategic thinking. Enrollment requires a special application process; eMBA completion requires five semesters, each with two eight-week courses.

The eMBA offers an approach to identifying needs, creating long-term value, maintaining continuous growth, and improving stakeholder relationships across the environmental, social, and financial practices of organizations. This distinguished program will offer cohort-style learning and leadership development in an immersive, intensive, and transformative experience.

The intention of this program is to provide knowledge and training that will significantly contribute to the current position held by the learner as well as to support career trajectory and promotion. It will also benefit the strategic planning priorities of the organization. A special application process will be used for this program, which can be completed in 5 semesters, with two eight-week long courses completed in each. This program will increase the number of South Dakota residents possessing a graduate degree.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS (eMBA)

Traditional recruitment and marketing will not be used for this program as this program is only open to organizations that will fund their employees’ degree programs. Prior to receiving access to the application access code, employers must submit a signed affiliate agreement with the business school.

Completed Graduate Application
Official transcript(s) verifying receipt of an undergraduate degree and previous graduate credit (in English or with translation). Transcripts must be complete (e.g., if currently enrolled, work-in-progress coursework must be included, foreign transcripts must include a grading scale, and for countries that issue, copy of degree certificate/diploma i.e., India, Nepal, etc.). The USD Graduate School and/or academic units retain the right to require credential evaluations from organizations, such as Educational Credential Evaluators/World Education Services (ECE/WES), for a student if such an evaluation is deemed necessary.
Each applicant must have a baccalaureate degree or an equivalent degree from an institution with institutional accreditation for that degree (minimum GPA of 2.7 and/or graduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better, based on a 4.0 scale). Each graduate program may admit students on provisional status per university policy.
Applicants with degrees from countries other than the United States who have obtained a high school diploma, undergraduate, or graduate degree from an institutionally accredited American college or university or from an accredited institution in the approved list of English-speaking countries are not required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score. For all other applicants with degrees from other countries, a minimum score of 79 on the Internet-Based TOEFL (iBT), 550 on the Paper-Based TOEFL (PBT), 8.5 on the TOEFL Essentials, 6.0 on the IELTS Academic, 53 on the PTE, or 110 on Duolingo is required for graduate admission.

Additional Program Admission Requirements:

Resume

Application Deadline

Four weeks before the start of the Fall semester.

Student Learning Outcomes for Executive Master of Business Administration (eMBA)

GOAL #1: Our graduates will demonstrate knowledge of the basic business disciplines and strategic integration in business in a global environment. 

Objectives:  

Graduates will demonstrate knowledge of core concepts in business disciplines. 
Graduates will demonstrate an understanding of strategic integration in a global environment on a designated assignment.

GOAL #2: Our graduates will employ analytical and critical thinking skills to make business decisions in a dynamic environment. 

Objectives:  

Graduates will employ analytical skills to perform systematic business analysis, identify problems, and suggest solutions on a designated assignment.   
Graduates will employ critical thinking skills to analyze/identify the impact of the business environment on business decisions on a designated assignment.

GOAL #3:  Our graduates will communicate effectively and professionally. 

Objectives:  

Graduates will demonstrate strong oral presentation skills on a designated assignment.   
Graduates will be able to create professional-quality business documents for a designated assignment.

GOAL #4:  Our graduates will recognize the importance of ethics and social responsibility in business. 

Objectives:  

Graduates will be able to apply ethical principles in identifying and resolving ethical dilemmas on a designated assignment.  
Graduates will demonstrate an understanding of social responsibility in business on a designated assignment.

GOAL #5:  [Specialization] Our graduates seeking specialized eMBA degrees will demonstrate competency in their proposed specialization. 

Objectives:  

Health Services Administration: Graduates will be able to identify common industry problems and provide solutions based on health services administration best practices on a designated assignment.

Programs

Executive Master of Business Administration (eMBA) Fall 2025