Core Courses
The MBA curriculum requires 45 credits of study including twelve core courses and three elective courses. Please see descriptions below for core courses. (For a list of electives and areas of emphasis, see Elective Courses.)
Behavioral Science for Management
Investigation and consideration of individual and group behavior within an organizational context is explored. Focus is on the understanding and application of knowledge issues, including motivation, group process, leadership, communication, performance enhancement, innovation, cultural diversity, and management perspectives on global issues.
Managerial Accounting
Accounting in relation to the decision making process; various cost systems; relevance of various cost concepts; direct costing, flexible budgets, distribution costing; break-even analysis; capital budgeting; and other techniques of management planning and control are among the topics addressed.
Statistical Analysis for Managers
This course is designed to help students acquire a sound intuitive grasp of statistics - what it is, how and when to apply statistical techniques to managerial situations, and how to interpret results. The course focuses on the use of statistics in research, including defining the research question, designing experiments, collecting, managing, and analyzing data, and interpreting results. Descriptive and inductive statistics are discussed in detail. Topics include: an introduction to math, distribution, probability theory, continuous probability distribution, discrete probability distribution, interval estimations and confidence intervals, and hypothesis testing.
Organizational Theory & Development
Analysis and design of complex organization with an emphasis on organizational technology is studied. Major theoretical perspectives covered include organization design parameters, structural configuration, organization culture, organizational effectiveness, the external environment, issues related to globalization, change due to emerging organizational technology, and others. This course integrates theoretical knowledge with practical applications.
Management Concepts of Information Technology
In today's dynamic and competitive economy, the ability of an enterprise to effectively leverage existing and emerging information technology is a critical success factor in gaining and sustaining a strategic advantage. This course presents management concepts that lead to an understanding of information technology and its role within the enterprise. The course also reviews how to build consensus among business and technology professionals using a variety of proven management techniques.
Financial Principles and Policies
Finance and financial institutions as they relate to the firm and the flow of funds are studied and discussed. Emphasis is on the supply and demand of capital, principles and tools of business finance and money, as well as capital markets.
Managerial Economics
The role of economic theory in management analysis and decisions is studied. Issues of demand, cost, and supply theories from a business viewpoint are also addressed.
Marketing Theory
Marketing Theory is about understanding and appreciating the basic concepts and fundamentals of marketing and how they can be applied toward improving the prospects of companies faced with the opportunities and challenges of increasing global competition. Topics and course materials are contemporary, practical, and strongly relate to the situations and realities that face modern managers.
Law for Business Executives
Analysis of the essential aspects of law which pertain to business, including the law of contracts, sales, agency, business organizations, property, negotiable instruments, and secured transactions. The effects of government regulation on labor and business are also analyzed.
Business Ethics
Situational dilemmas and relationships with employees, unions, customers, competitors, and government and society are examined from an ethical point of view.
Management Science
The purpose of this course is to provide students with a conceptual understanding of the role management science plays in the decision-making process. Specifically, the course is concerned with the wide variety of quantitative techniques currently used in the field of management science (a field melding portions of business, economics, statistics, mathematics, and other disciplines into a pragmatic effort to help managers make decisions). Covered topics include regression analysis, forecasting, linear programming, inventory decision-making, decision analysis, transportation models, goal programming, and simulations.
Strategic Management
The central theme of Strategic Management is the general manager's, CEO's, or Director's responsibility to oversee the implementation of a long-range plan that will result in a sustainable competitive advantage for the organization. This course also includes steps that lead to a successful strategy, how to translate strategy into tactical plans that drive day-to-day action, how to measure performance of the strategy, and how to determine and enact necessary organizational corrective adjustments.