The College of Economics and Political Science (CEPS) strategic plan places a strong emphasis on expansion of its educational programs at the postgraduate level. The MBA program is an important step towards realizing the CEPS’s vision of strengthening the educational program offerings at the postgraduate level.

The existing MBA program first opened its doors for students in 2004 as a part-time evening program. After consulting several experts and different stakeholders, surveying current students and alumni, and benchmarking the existing program with different regional and international MBA programs, we found out the opportunity for further changes that can be made to our program in line with latest developments and international trends. Hence, the program has undergone changes in its structure or curricula as per the Executive Qarar of the University Council no. 131/2021 and 3546/2022.

The MBA program is a part-time evening program open to graduates of the College of Economics and Political Science of Sultan Qaboos University and graduates of other Colleges of SQU, and Bachelor’s degree holders from other recognized universities, provided all other pertinent requirements are met. The program is now operating in both part-time and full-time modes. The program is structured as a coursework with 12 courses (36 credits) including nine core courses, and three specialization courses or electives courses. Students with non-business undergraduate degrees or inadequate preparation in business studies, are required to take up to three (9 credit hours) bridging courses.

The MBA program shall prepare graduates to face business challenges with the specialized skill sets they require to be successful in a changing business world. The current program gives students the option to specialize in a particular business area that is important components for today's business managers. The program offers five specializations; in HR, Marketing, Accounting, Finance, and In-Country Value. These specializations focus on meeting the key challenges of the contemporary business environment and at the same time put an emphasis on the in-country value as an enabler to Oman vision 2040. Nevertheless, these specializations are tailored to fulfil the requirements of preparing executives to maintain high levels of moral and ethical conduct in professional and personal life.

The program offers flexibility for students enrolled in the program. Full-time students will be required to complete the program within 2 years while the requirement for the part-time students is to complete the degree program within 3 years. In all the cases, students can take some courses in the summer. Hence, the normal course load is 6 credits (two courses) per semester for a part-time student and between 9 to 12 credit hours (three or four courses per semester) for a full-time student.

• Applicants should have a Bachelor degree from Sultan Qaboos University or from any other recognized university, with Cumulative Grade Point Average of not less than 2.75 on a 4 point scale, or
  • Two year’s Work experience is a must for candidates with Cumulative Grade Point Average between 2.5  and  2.74 in the Bachelor degree, or
  • Applicants who have bachelor degree from a recognized institution and a postgraduate diploma in a related specialization from a recognized institution of higher education with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 on a 4-point scale or its equivalent.

• Candidates from other disciplines may be asked to attend additional bridging courses before starting the program.
• Applicant must submit a release letter or a study leave from employer for full time study or no objection letter for part-time study, addressed to the dean of postgraduate studies at SQU. Un-employed applicant needs to submit a statement from The Ministry of Labor documenting the unemployment status of the applicant.
• Before starting the program the admitted candidates should submit an English Proficiency Test Certificate band (6) or higher in Academic International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic or a score of (79) or higher in the International TOEFL – IBT.
• Applicants who do not meet normal admission requirements and / or non- business degree holders may be required to complete up to 9 hours of bridging courses before being considered for admission. The bridging courses will not count towards the overall GPA required for satisfactory progress.
• All applicants will be reviewed in terms of undergraduate record, entry exam results, and performance on the TOEFL or IELTS.
• Any further conditions will be included in the notification of admission. If the conditions are not met within the time specified in the admission notification, the candidate’s admission in the program will be cancelled.

For more information, click here

Program Vision

To be internationally recognized for excellence in a hands-on approach to business problems that will develop leaders contributing to continuous social and economic developments.

Program Mission

To provide a life-changing applied business learning and practices benchmarked to international business school standards and engage in national and international strategic partnerships in order to contribute to national development.

Program Educational Objectives (PEOs)

Our MBA program exposes students to:

• Advanced business knowledge
• Successful leaders
• Ongoing professional development
• Global perspectives
• Proactive thinking in the business environment

This is accomplished through the following educational objectives:

1. To provide the labor market with confident managers, leaders, business specialist capable to confront changes in the global business environment, develop ethical practices, and contribute business solutions to social and economic development.

2. To develop proficiency in core and innovative business disciplines.

3. To gain leadership and entrepreneurial skills to lead a successful business-related career and make informed decision.

4. To encourage critical thinking in scanning global business environment and conducting business application that influence an organization competitive advantage.

Required Courses (27 credits hours; 3 credits each course)
ECON6211 Managerial Economics

POMG6713 Operation Management

FINA6322 Managerial Finance

INFS6414 Business Transformation in the Digital Age

MNGT6520 Organizational Behavior and Leadership

ACCT6111 Accounting for Managers

MRKT6611 Marketing Management

POMG6724 Business Analytics for Decisions

MNGT6521 Strategic Management 

Students are required to take the above 9 core courses together with either three general or specialization courses as follow:

General MBA Elective Courses (9 credit hours; 3 credits each course)

Elective 1
Elective 2
Independent Study/ Elective 3

For more information about the list of general elective courses, click here

Specialization Courses in Accounting (9 credit hours; 3 credits each course)

ACCT6121 Financial Reporting and Analysis

ACCT6131 Strategic Management Accounting

ACCT6373 Corporate Governance

Specialization courses in Finance (9 credit hours; 3 credits each course)

FINA6361 Multinational Financial Management

FINA6362 Security Analysis and Portfolio Management

FINA6364 Capital Structure and Budgeting  

Specialization courses in Human Resources (9 credit hours; 3 credits each course)

MNGT6526 Training and Development

MNGT6527 Staffing Organizations

MNGT6512 Human Resource Management

Specialization courses in Marketing (9 credit hours; 3 credits each course)

MRKT6652: Services Marketing

MRKT6674: Marketing Research's Insight

MRKT6673: Digital Marketing Strategy

Specialization courses in In-Country Value (9 credit hours; 3 credits each course)

ICV6xx1 Fundamentals of In-Country Value (fundamentals)

ICV6xx2: Formulation and Implementation of In-Country Value policies in Organizations

ICV6xx3: Execution and sustaining In-Country Value in Organizations

Omani Students:
Cost per credit hour : 125 RO
Total cost for taught courses option(36 x credit hour cost) : 4500 RO
 

International Students:
Cost per credit hour : 150 RO
Total cost for taught courses option(36 x credit hour cost) : 5400 RO
 

Bridging Courses ( For all Students):
Fees per credit hour for bridging courses : 50 RO
 

Remarks:
1. All fees are in Omani Rails (1 RO = 2.60 US Dollars).
2. All quoted fees described are NOT subject to reduction.
3. Fees for Programs do not include bridging courses, or application fees.
4.Fees will be paid every semester upon the number of credit hours; Students won’t be consider as registered unless he/she paid the full amount.
6. Colleges select the study option based on the approved Master program requirements.

Through the Online Application System:  https://pas.squ.edu.om/default.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2f

• Trip to University of Utara Malaysia:

The College of Economics and Political Science organized the first educational trip in June 2019 to University of Utara, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. It was a week visit for 20 students from the Master of Business Administration Program (MBA). The students visited the university campus and other private and public institutions such as Petronas, Central Bank and Telekom Malaysia.