Admission Requirements

Students enrolled in the BBA in Accounting program are not eligible for the 4+1 MBA program.

90 undergraduate credit hours must be completed, including 15 hours in the undergraduate major, before a student may apply.

• The student must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 and 3.25 in the undergraduate major.
• Admission requirements for the graduate major must be met in order for the student to enroll in graduate-level coursework.
• The student must have met with both the undergraduate advisor and graduate advisor to develop an approved Program of Study, including a plan for advising and notation for financial aid impact.
• Up to 12 credit hours of structured graduate coursework may be applied toward undergraduate degree requirements.
• Total combined credits for both the undergraduate and graduate degree must be at least 150 credit hours (120 for bachelor’s and 30 for master’s), even if graduate coursework is used to fulfill undergraduate degree requirements.
• A minimum graduate GPA of 3.0 must be maintained, and participating students must earn at least a ‘B’ in graduate coursework used to fulfill undergraduate degree requirements.

How Do I Join the 4+1 MBA Program?

1.      Start by reaching out to your Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP) Coordinator, Dr. Anshu Saran, who will coordinate your admission into the program.

2.    Once you’ve been selected for the AMP, you and your AMP coordinator will fill out your AMP form together, and the Office of Graduate Studies will properly code you within the system.

3.     Once your undergraduate requirements have been met, your AMP coordinator will assist you in applying for admission to Graduate Studies through GoApplyTexas.

Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP) students who have successfully completed all undergraduate degree requirements and maintained the requirements of the AMP will be granted automatic admission into Graduate Studies and the corresponding graduate program. Students must submit an admission application, but all other admission requirements will be waived, including GMAT test scores.

• Degrees are completed sequentially. The bachelor’s degree must be conferred as soon as requirements are met and will be required for full admission into the corresponding graduate program.
• Students must pay graduate tuition whenever taking graduate courses.
• Students that are in the 4+1 program excluding 5th-year Accounting will not be eligible for financial aid for courses taken at the graduate level.

Have questions? Contact gradstudies@utpb.edu to learn more.

Faculty Bios

Joe Stauffer, PhD

Associate Professor
Chair
Department of Management, Marketing, and Industrial Technology
PhD, University of Oklahoma
MA, University of Iowa
MBA, Western Illinois University
stauffer_j@utpb.edu 

Joe Stauffer is the chair of the Department of Management, Marketing, and Industrial Technology (MMI). He teaches statistics and operations management. Dr. Stauffer has a Bachelor of Business degree and an MBA from Western Illinois University, a Master of Arts in human resources and labor relations from the University of Iowa, and a PhD in management from the University of Oklahoma. Prior to his time at UT Permian Basin, he was the department head of marketing and management at Texas A&M University-Commerce.

Gary (Ryan) Peckham, DBA

Assistant Professor of Management
Roden Fellow in Entrepreneurship
DBA, University of Liverpool
MBA, The University of Texas at Dallas
peckham_g@utpb.edu

Ryan Peckham, DBA, is an assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship within the College of Business at The University of Texas Permian Basin. He started in the role of assistant professor in the College of Business in 2019 after serving on the faculties of Midland College, Texas Christian University, and Syracuse University. Dr. Peckham’s research interests are in management, finance, behavioral finance, and entrepreneurship. He is also a registered investment advisor (RIA) and has owned a private investment firm for 10 years. Prior to these roles, Dr. Peckham was VP of business development for Security Bank and worked with many small businesses across West Texas. He teaches courses in the undergraduate and graduate MBA and management programs as well as various entrepreneurship programs. Dr. Peckham’s professional service includes areas such as recruitment, Blackstone Launchpad, Odessa and Midland Business Challenges, and the Incubator Makerspace. He was named 2016 Business Professor of the Year and 2016 Cowen Financial Literacy Institution Columbia University Attendee.

Click here to read more about Ryan Peckham and his experience with UT Permian Basin's management program.

Stuart MacDonald, JD, LLM, PhD

Senior Lecturer
LLM, George Mason University
PhD, The University of Texas at Dallas
MS, The University of Texas at Dallas
JD, Oklahoma City University
macdonald_s@utpb.edu

Stuart MacDonald, PhD, JD, LLM, is a senior lecturer of management within the College of Business at The University of Texas Permian Basin. He graduated in 2000 with a PhD in political economy from The University of Texas at Dallas and joined UTPB in the fall of 2019. Prior to his start at UTPB, he worked at a law firm, served as chair for the Department of Economics, Finance, General Business and International Trade, and served as faculty at Midwestern State University and the University of Central Oklahoma. His research interests include the oil and gas industry, ethical behavior, and game theory, and his work has been published in Oil and Gas Quarterly, the Journal of Education and Business Leadership, and the Southwest Journal of Business and Economics. Dr. MacDonald will be teaching the following courses within the management undergraduate program: Energy Law and Environmental Law & Regulation in the Energy Industry.

“Many spectacular business failures such as Enron can be traced to leadership that was smart enough to manipulate the law but not wise enough to know when they shouldn’t. Guided by that, I endeavor to show my students that the law, more than a constraint, is actually a tool that can be used to gain and maintain a competitive advantage, as long as they have the wisdom to know how far is too far.”

Pinyarat (Mink) Sirissomboonsuk, PhD, PMP

Assistant Professor of Management
PhD, Texas Tech University
MBA, Oregon State University
sirissomboonsuk_p@utpb.edu

Pinyarat Sirisomboonsuk, PhD, PMP, is an assistant professor of management at The University of Texas Permian Basin. She started in the role of assistant professor of management at the College of Business in 2018 after being a full-time lecturer at the University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth. Her research interests include supply chain management, project management, lean-agile project management, organizational maturity, and strategic alignment. She has presented publications at conferences such as The 50th Southwest Decision Sciences Institute Annual Conference and The 12th Annual Education and Development Conference 2017. She has published articles in International Journal of Project Management, American Journal of information Technology, and Journal Line.  

"After three degrees in business (one from an overseas university), I decided on two very important business topics that were particularly fascinating to me—operations/supply chain management and project management—both of which are very fast-changing as a result of new developments in the technologies supporting these. I was introduced to project management by a leading textbook author as a result of editing six different editions of his project management text. My professional mission is to make contributions to these important disciplines while concurrently leading students to an understanding of these content areas that will serve them for a lifetime. After all, accountants, architects, administrators, and auditors are, by any other name, project managers." 

Mortaza Zare, PhD

Assistant Professor of Management
PhD, New Mexico State University
MBA, New Mexico State University
zare_m@utpb.edu

Mortaza Zare, PhD, is an assistant professor of management at The University of Texas Permian Basin. He started in the role of instructor at New Mexico State University, a visiting instructor of Louisiana State University, and then assistant professor of management at UT Permian Basin's College of Business in 2018. He has published research in Human Resource Management Review, Human Performance, Academy of Management Proceedings, Tamara: Journal for Critical Organizational Inquiry, and the Philosophy of Management. He has presented papers in the Western Academy of Management, the Southwest Academy of Management, the Southern Management Association, and the Western Academy of Management. Dr. Zare has taught the following courses: Graduate Organizational Behavior, Undergraduate Organizational Behavior, Management Concepts & Organizational Theory, and Entrepreneurial Leadership.  

Katelin Barron, MBA

Lecturer of Management and Marketing
ABD, Liberty University
MBA, The University of Texas Permian Basin
barron_k@utpb.edu

Katelin Barron, MBA, is a lecturer of management at The University of Texas Permian Basin. She started in the role of lecturer at the College of Business in 2013. Not only is Ms. Barron from Odessa, TX, she has taught the following courses for UT Permian Basin: Principles of Marketing, Energy Marketing, Principles of Landman, Business Communication, International Marketing, Strategic Brand Management, Sports Marketing, Management Concepts, Consumer Behavior, Sales Management, E-Commerce, Organizational Behavior, Marketing Strategy, Healthcare Marketing, Production Operation Management, Human Resources Management, and Project Elements. She has published articles in International Journal of Management Practice, the Journal of Global Responsibility, Society and Business Review, Management Research Review, and the Journal of Management Sciences. Ms. Barron currently serves as a member of the College of Business Scholarship committee and a member of the athletic committee for UT Permian Basin.

"My fundamental interest is centered on organizational behavior. This has allowed me to study various theories and analyze human behavior within an organizational setting. Moreover, when teaching strategic management and business communications, I can share the application of theories and how human behavior impacts an organization."

Michele Harmon, EdD, MBA, MEd

Management Lecturer
EdD, The University of Houston
MBA, The University of Texas Permian Basin
MEd, The University of St. Thomas
harmon_m@utpb.edu

Dr. Harmon is a lecturer in the College of Business at The University of Texas Permian Basin, teaching Human Resource Management, Ethics and Public Policy, Professional Communications, and Business Management. She began her career working for two Fortune 500 companies, then transitioned back to education, serving as a middle school teacher and administrator and working as a director in three large urban school districts in Texas, serving as the Director of Special Programs, Human Resources, and Career and Technical Education.

Dr. Harmon's degrees include an EdD in educational leadership and cultural studies from the University of Houston, an MBA from The University of Texas Permian Basin, an MEd from the University of St. Thomas, and a BS from The University of Texas at Austin. Her doctoral dissertation was on school finance and progressive models for funding public education. She has researched for the Texas Equity Center and Moak, Casey Consulting. She has published and presented nationally on subjects that include the Americans with Disabilities Act, school finance, recruiting and retaining Millennials and Gen Z, preventing harassment in the workplace, efficient HRM practices, conflict resolution, customer service, and ethics.

Dr. Harmon owns Michele Harmon, LLC, dba RRR Assessment and Behavior Center, offering human resource management (HRM) and mediation to clients in public and private organizations, career planning, and conflict mode assessment for staff. She writes a monthly column on various HRM topics for Permian Basin Oil and Gas Magazine.

Click here to read more about Dr. Harmon and her experience with UT Permian Basin's BBA in management program.

Anshu Saran, PhD

Director of Graduate Programs, UT Permian Basin College of Business
Professor of Marketing
saran_a@utpb.edu

Anshu Saran, PhD, is a professor of marketing within the College of Business at The University of Texas Permian Basin. Graduating with his PhD from The University of Texas – Pan American, he joined UTPB in the fall of 2006. Prior to this, he served as faculty and taught at the APS University Rewa, Amity Business School Noida, and The University of Texas – Pan American. His research includes competing in the global marketplace, marketing strategies, social media ad marketing, and cultural differences in international business and marketing. His work has been published in the International Journal of Business Research, Journal of International Business Research, and Journal of Global Marketing. Accumulating work experience for 12 years in different parts of the world, he served as chief operating officer for Tata International Ltd. along with other accolades in India. Dr. Saran currently teaches the following classes within the MBA program: International Business (on-campus and online) and Marketing Strategy.

“My research interests and experience in international business and marketing have supported my academic endeavors and helped me incorporate industry examples in the curriculum, creating value for students and supporting their job and career progression.”

R. Wayne Counts, PhD, CPA, CFP

Associate Dean
Associate Professor of Accounting
UT Permian Basin College of Business
counts_r@utpb.edu

Roy Wayne Counts, PhD, is an associate professor of accountancy and associate dean within the College of Business at The University of Texas Permian Basin. Graduating from Texas Tech University with his PhD in 2005, he joined UTPB from 2004-2010 and rejoined in Spring 2015. Prior to this, Dr. Counts served as faculty and taught at Oklahoma City University and Youngstown State University between 2010 and 2015. His research interests focus around income wages, social security, and factors affecting finance. His work has been published in the Journal of the Academy of Business and Economics, International Journal of Business Research, and the Journal of Corporate Accounting and Finance. Dr. Counts currently teaches the following courses within the accounting undergraduate program and the MPA program: Intermediate Accounting I, Federal Income Tax, and Energy Accounting.  

“My interest in financial planning is what inspired me to specialize in tax accounting. Helping students to see how they can provide value-added services to clients is very rewarding. My passion is helping students get prepared for taking and passing the CPA exam.”

We’re pleased to offer program admission on a rolling basis.

Rolling admission refers to our process of accepting and evaluating applications as we receive them and moving any applications that miss the deadline to the next semester. However, if you want to enroll in courses for a specific semester, you will need to make note of the application deadlines found below. If you don’t complete your application and submit the required materials by the deadline, your application will be rolled over to the next semester.