Master's degree with low undergrad GPA

This isn't for me, it's for my husband.

Hubby recently got his B.S. in Marketing from a B&M state university. It's been a long and convoluted road for him, and right now he's focusing on finding work in his field.

He started off at a small private liberal arts school, where he majored in business for 3.5 years. His mother passed away, and he took a leave of absence to go home and help the family. At some point it was determined that he couldn't afford to return to his old college and he transferred to a state university near our hometown. He attended full time for several semesters (getting Cs and a few Ds - which he had to repeat for a better grade) before switching to part time status, at which point he was able to get As and Bs since he only had 1 or 2 different courses to concentrate on at any given time. He's worked part time (~30 hours a week) all along. He had to start over as a sophomore since his major changed (from business to marketing), and he finally finished his degree last month. I'm very proud of him.

It should be noted that hubby finished school with only a 2.6 GPA. Several months ago he was diagnosed with ADHD and is on medication. He is doing incredibly well, and our only regret is that he didn't seek help much earlier for this issue that he's dealt with since childhood! It's literally like someone flipped a switch; the change has been really profound.

Hubby has been helping me with my courswork (I'm an engineer working on an M.S. in management, so his business background has been helpful) and has expressed interest in going to grad school himself within the next few years. The major barrier that we can see is his undergrad GPA.

He tests reasonably well and could pull off a decent GRE or GMAT score. But without outstanding scores, how likely is he to get into a decent DL master's program in management with that awful GPA?

Also does anyone know of a DL, RA certificate program (post-bac level) in business or marketing? If he was to complete a grad certificate with good grades, it might help his case for getting into a master's program down the line. I've searched and have had a lot of trouble finging a DL grad certificate program in marketing - plenty of schools have certificates in IT or e-commerce or the like, but none of those are of interest to him.

Like I said, he's focusing on getting his career launched at the moment but would be interested in starting grad school within a year or so. Any ideas on how to make up for his poor GPA when applying?

 

I entered grad school after having an undergrad 2.39 GPA. However, I was entered into provisonal status by Florida Tech, to see if I could hack it. After a few successful courses, I applied for regular admission and the earlier courses applied. I completed my MSc with a 3.54 average, and I have a 4.0 average in my Doctoral program after four courses. Some people are "late bloomers."

 

About all I can say is check out which schools actually offer a master's in marketing via distance learning and then check out their websites and try to find one that has admission requirements for which hubby would qualify. I think you'll find that there are a good many accredited distance learning master's degrees in marketing which will admit hubby. Check out the schools listed below.

University of Adelaide www.adelaide.edu.au (BG16, 141, 188)
Ashworth College www.ashworthcollege.edu (BG16, 96)
Baker College www.baker.edu (BG15, 99)
Boston University www.bu.edu (BG16, 99)
California National University for Advanced Studies www.cnuas.edu (BG15, 100)
Capella University www.capella.edu (BG15, 156)
Charles Sturt University www.csu.edu.au (BG15, 104)
Cheltenham Tutorial College www.cheltenhamlearning.co.uk (BG15, 104)
City University www.cityu.edu (BG15, 105)
Columbia Southern University www.columbiasouthern.edu (BG16, 106)
Deakin University www.deakin.edu.au (BG15, 108)
DeSales University www.desales.edu (BG15, 108)
Golden Gate University www.ggu.edu (BG15, 113)
University of Leicester www.le.ac.uk (BG15, 138)
Madurai Kamaraj University www.mkuniversity.org (BG15, 120)
University of Maryland www.umuc.edu (BG15, 140)
University of Melbourne www.unimelb.edu.au (BG15, 140)
Mercy College www.mercy.edu/merlin/index.html (BG15, 121)
Monash University www.monash.edu.au (BG15, 122)
University of New England www.une.edu.au (BG15, 144)
University of North Texas www.unt.edu (BG16, 149)
Open University (England) www.open.ac.uk (BG15, 126)
Regent University www.regent.edu (BG15, 128)
University of Stirling www.stir.ac.uk (BG15, 180)
Syracuse University www.yesu.syr.edu (BG15, 174)
Technikon of South Africa www.tsa.ac.za (BG15, 132), now part of University of South Africa www.unisa.ac.za
University of Teesside www.tees.ac.uk (BG15, 181)
Western Governors University www.wgu.edu (BG15, 151)

 

I only had a 2.3 under grad gpa when I applied for grad school. It was difficult for me during my undergrad years I was working almost full time I had military commitments and I was also going through some "personal" things in my life. But Capella gave me a chance. I graduated with a 3.8 and eventually moved into the field I wanted. Now I'm completing my second masters. All it took was someone giving me a chance.

 

I wouldn't worry about the GPA too much. I think you'll find many schools will allow him to study on a provisional basis, or under some type of probation for the first few classes. Once he proves he can hack it in graduate school, the probation will be lifted.

 

If he were interested in an RA grad program, I would suggest a face-to-face meeting with the grad program director/coordinator or someone with a similar title.

For a DL school, I would call and have a conversation with the individual in a simial role.

I'm on a graduate admissions committee for an B&M, RA, AACSB-accredited business school. These decisions ALWAYS go to the committee and the grad programs director can influence the decision by how they present it.

The story that you related would likely receive favorable consideration at my institution and with a high GMAT (600+) might garner an unconditional admission.

 

Low GPA?

I had a 2.3 GPA for my UG. Several years later I applied to the MBA program at The University of Akron. I was admitted on a probationary basis. Ended up with a 3.7 GPA in the program.

Go to the dean and set up an appointment for an interview. The other tip might be is to start in January. Most people still have the traditional mindset to start in September. Admission in January tend to be less competitive.

Good luck.

 

Hi,
I am graduate from UTM Malaysia with a low cpa of 2.21 out 4.00. I have applied to several Universities like University Laval Canada and University Erlangen Germany. But I got rejected from there. Now I am very much worried about my career. And very confusing whether I can proceed on my education level further or not?

 

I suggest that you take some individual courses, one at a time. Focus on your assignments and when you get better grades you can say that this is a more accurate representation of your capabilities. Good luck.

 

But there is no way because I have completed my course already.

 

better university selection

SUNY NEWPALTZ is the best option