Master of Business Administration
Degree Requirements
The University’s general degree
requirements are discussed here.
The MBA degree is obtained by
completing a 53-hour program beyond prerequisite courses consisting of 29 hours
of core courses and 24 hours of elective courses. At the option of the student,
a concentration may be developed by taking a set of electives related to an
area of interest. Students may obtain further information about these
concentrations from the School of Management Advising Office. Students must
maintain a 3.0 grade point average in both core courses and in aggregate
courses to qualify for the MBA degree.
There are three different programs
for students interested in the MBA. We offer a daytime, full-time, cohort MBA
program, a professional evening MBA program, and an online MBA.
Note: The Executive Education area of the School of Management
offers four distinctive and separate MBA programs, which retain the same set of
MBA core courses but have their own set of specific topical electives. These
include: the Executive MBA (EMBA), the Global Leadership Executive MBA
(GLEMBA), the Executive MBA with an emphasis in project
management, product lifecycle and supply chain, or organizational behavior and
coaching, and the Executive Healthcare MBA. These are described in the
Executive Education section of the School of Management chapter. All of these programs
are supported entirely by participant fees and special admissions requirements
apply.
Prerequisite
Calculus is required as a prerequisite
for some of the coursework in the MBA. Candidates that have not taken calculus
or an equivalent course will need to take MATH 5304, MATH 1325 or OPRE 6303 to meet this
requirement;
Core Courses (29 hours)
Each candidate must satisfactorily
complete the following core of 11 courses.
ACCT 6201 Financial Accounting
ACCT 6202 Managerial Accounting
BPS 6310 Strategic Management
FIN 6301 Financial Management
IMS 6204 Global Business
MIS 6204 Information Technology and MIS Fundamentals
MECO 6303 Business Economics
MKT 6301 Introduction to Marketing Management
OPRE 6301 Quantitative Introduction to Risk and Uncertainty in Business
OPRE 6302 Operations Management
OB 6301 Organizational Behavior
Elective Courses (24 hours)
Each candidate must also complete an
additional 24 hours of elective graduate course work. Students may develop a
concentration within the 24 hours of electives, but are not required to do so.
Students cannot include more than 15 hours in any single functional area
(demarcated by the area prefix) beyond the required core courses. A student may
elect to submit a Master’s thesis, which counts as three elective credit hours.
Concentrations are informal collections of electives that address a
student’s educational goals. A concentration may be aligned with functional
area specialties, or may cut across functional areas. Students are encouraged
to develop their concentration with the help of a faculty member, area
coordinator, or the Advising Office. Typical concentrations include:
•
Accounting: In today’s
global and technology-driven environment, managers need skills to effectively
analyze accounting information and make value-enhancing decisions. Students may
select accounting and information management (ACCT) courses to concentrate in
financial analysis, consulting, corporate governance and tax management.
•
Electronic
Commerce: Every organization will
increasingly use the Internet as an integral component of their overall
strategy in coming years. Students can select courses to provide a solid
understanding of issues pertaining to the use of the internet as a marketing
tool – focusing on both strategic and technological aspects. This includes
topics such as database management systems, web design and development, and
Internet business models. The Advising Office can provide a plan of study that
covers topics in this area.
•
Finance: Students can prepare for careers in corporate finance,
investment management, or the management of financial institutions.
Courses in this area emphasize creative solutions to business financing
problems, the development of value maximizing investment and financing
strategies, and the analysis and management of fixed income and equity
investments. Students may choose to concentrate in either corporate
financial planning or the analysis of financial securities and investment
portfolios.
•
Healthcare
Administration: The primary goal of this
concentration is to prepare students for leadership positions in healthcare
organizations. The healthcare concentration is cross-functional and
industry focused. Courses will contain cases, projects, and assignments
that are centered around
applying management skills to healthcare issues and organizations.
Classes are taught by School of Management faculty and healthcare executives
who bring special expertise and experience to the program.
•
Information
Systems: Information Technology permeates
all aspects of modern business and our courses will enable you to make the most
of information technology to solve business problems and gain strategic
advantage. We also provide advanced courses for students who wish to be on the
"supply" side of information technology in the areas of IT
consulting, software management, and e-business.
•
Innovation and
Entrepreneurship: Focused on the processes of
technological innovation in both large and small organizations, a set of
multidisciplinary courses prepares students for successful careers either as
principals or key functional managers in emerging growth firms, or as leaders
of technological innovation in established firms.
•
International
Management: In this concentration, students can
take a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of international management,
with courses in finance, marketing, strategic management, and the legal and
cross-cultural differences that effect business. This course of study will
prepare students for careers in international industries.
•
Leadership in
Organizations: The leadership concentration
prepares students for upper management positions through the study of the
psychological, sociological, and organizational behavior disciplines. The
program provides a foundation of leadership theory, building and problem
solving in interpersonal work relationships, group dynamics, organizational
decision making and change, and ethics.
•
Marketing: Students learn to understand customers’ needs and purchase
behaviors, how to satisfy those needs, and how to make a profit in competitive
industries and markets. Topics include: developing an effective marketing
strategy, developing new products, and managing different brands and product
categories. Students can also acquire expertise in pricing, advertising and
promotions, market research, and retailing strategies. Courses are also
available on the Internet’s effect on marketing and business.
•
Operations: Firms can use effective and innovative
operations to create and sustain competitive
advantages. Students in these courses gain a deep, analytical
understanding of how challenges posed by fast developing business environments
can become profit-making opportunities. Integration of various parties
(suppliers, factories, stores) and various functional areas (marketing,
finance, procurement) is an important theme. In particular, incentives,
contracts and information technologies fostering collaboration among
financially independent parties are emphasized.
•
Organizations: This concentration emphasizes organizational behavior and
theory, and human resources management. Students learn how to effectively
integrate and leverage human resources to create sustainable advantages in a
competitive marketplace. Courses chosen in this area integrate a wide
variety of disciplines, including economics, organization theory, finance,
psychology, and sociology.
•
Real Estate: this concentration, which is being launched Spring, 2011,
includes courses in: real estate
finance and capital markets, covering real estate loans,
syndication, securitization, and regulation; investment and analysis, combining
lectures and case studies to explore the sources of real estate value, project
feasibility, strategies for financing, and portfolio management; and,
development, covering market
analysis, government approvals, financing and risk assessment.
•
Strategy: This concentration focuses on corporate level strategic
management, including: implementation of strategic designs; top management team
leadership; the strategic implications of the social, governmental,
technological, and international environments; organization structuring; and
strategic alliances. Students will learn how to integrate accounting, finance,
economics, and organization theory to create sustainable competitive advantage.