School of Business Master of Business Administration Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, all classes available in the on-campus program are live and in-person.

For students who can’t attend the in-person program, we have a remote learning (HyFlex) option that uses state-of-the-art classroom collaboration technology. You may choose to do the entirety of the program remotely via our Hyflex modality, or you can choose to take an individual 8-week course remotely.*

*Students who are in the United States on an F-1 Visa have limited access to this option, since the government requires your presence in the classroom to maintain your visa status.

Classes start in late August for our Fall cohort and early January for our Spring cohort. See Admissions Requirements for deadlines.

Throughout the whole program, you will be enrolled for one 8-week course at a time, so you can focus on mastering each subject before moving on to the next. You will take two 8-week classes over the course of a 14-week semester—one class at a time.

Two years. The program is 6 semesters long, going through two Fall, Spring, and Summer cycles. The program has a set schedule, so students cannot graduate sooner, even if they transfer credits in for certain classes.

No. There are key classes and electives offered in the summer, so students are required to be enrolled during the summer.

Since the program uses a cohort format and courses are designed to be taken sequentially, it is not possible for students to alter the pace of the program. Our research also shows that students benefit greatly from our cohort model by having a better, more collaborative learning experience.

This means that all the students go through the program together at the same pace. Our current students and alumni often state that the cohort is their favorite aspect of the program. Students build trust, become a support system for each other, and often form lifelong friendships. Many network well beyond graduation, and some have even gone into business together.

See the Admissions Requirements page.

Absolutely. Careers and interests can change over the course of a person’s life, so we welcome applicants from all academic backgrounds. If you don’t have any course work or experience in accounting, you’ll take Introduction to Finance and Accounting as a 1-credit course, which will prepare you for Financial Management and Intermediate Accounting.

During the class session of May-June, students have the option to choose from several electives. The electives you choose will determine the concentration you will graduate with.

Current costs for the MBA program are listed on our graduate costs page.

Yes, each semester, you should expect to pay about $60 in fees.

Yes, we have a financial services team who can provide financial information specific to this program as well as resources for financial aid. You may contact them by email at financialservices@northwestu.edu or by phone at 425-889-5210.

For our Fall start, please submit your application and transcripts by June 30th. For international students, the deadline is May 31st, allowing the student ample time for any visa-related processes.

For our Spring start, please submit your application and transcripts by November 30th. For international students, the deadline is Oct 31st, allowing the student ample time for any visa-related processes.

For transcripts to be counted as official, they must come to us directly from the institution where you studied. Therefore, you must order your transcripts through a service like Parchment or National Student Clearinghouse, or ask your institution directly to send us your transcripts.

Transcripts may be sent electronically to admissions@northwestu.edu or mailed to:

Northwest University
P.O. Box 579
Kirkland, WA 98083-0579

Students who completed their degree(s) outside of the United States should provide a transcript equivalency evaluation in addition to the official transcript(s).* Any NACES-approved organization can complete this equivalency process. Find a list of providers here: https://www.naces.org/members. Please contact your enrollment counselor if you have questions about this evaluation.

*In the United States, for transcripts to be considered “official,” they must come directly from their undergraduate institution. Transcripts emailed to Northwest University are considered “unofficial” transcripts. Students can request their undergraduate institution to send copies of transcripts to either Northwest University or the evaluation company of their choice.

One provider we work closely with is SpanTran.

Order Transcript Evaluation from SpanTran

You may transfer up to nine credit hours of eligible graduate-level coursework, with prior approval from the program director. Please note that transferred credits will not accelerate the time you spend in the program. You would simply sit out the 8-week course that the transferred credits cover.

Yes. While each format has very similar course content, each delivers that content in a unique way. The on-campus program meets for four hours once a week and is nearly entirely instructor-led. The online program has no scheduled meetings, allowing students to study the course content at their own pace while being kept accountable to weekly deadlines.

This varies greatly since different students read and complete their assignments at different paces. This is a reading and writing-intensive program. On average, you should expect to devote 15 to 20 hours a week.