MBA Courses and Descriptions
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Courses listed below are the core courses required for every MBA.
For full course descriptions for all MBA specialized tracks:
MBA Core Courses
MBA 500 Business Fundamentals
This overview course covers business practices across a number of disciplines. Topics include theory bases for management, organizational behavior, leadership, finance management, economics, marketing, and decision-making. Students can petition for exemption from this course if they have already earned an undergraduate degree with a major or minor in business. However, most students will find that this course serves as a good review of the business fundamentals and theories, laying the groundwork for the subsequent courses. 3.0 credit hours. Prerequisite: None
MBA 600 Management and Organizational Behavior
Contemporary leadership requires managers to excel at skills in challenging the status quo, sharing the vision, creating systems where others can act to meet organizational objectives, model good leadership to others, and inspiring others to carry on. In this course, students develop these competencies, demonstrate how to support and encourage good leaders, analyze the concept of accountability in leadership, and understand the importance of succession planning. Students also learn about the roles, behaviors and skills that are required for a manager to operate effectively in an organization. Theories of motivation, perceptions and attitudes, group and intergroup behavior, culture, organizational structure, change management and quality will be topics in this course. Prerequisite: MBA 500 Business Fundamentals.
MBA 606 Research and Decision Making
This course helps the student to establish skills in research methods for the business environment. Topics include development of inductive and deductive reasoning, problem development, research design, proposal preparation, data gathering, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, interpretation of results, report preparation and presentation of research findings. Students will also learn decision-making tools used to analyze data under conditions of uncertainty and payoffs based on probabilities must be determined. Sampling, organizing, and analyzing empirical data are covered in this course. Case studies are used to illustrate the uses of data and decision tools. Prerequisite: MBA 500 Business Fundamentals.
MBA 615 Marketing
Major elements of the marketing process include domestic and global market assessment, strategic marketing planning, and the development of an effective marketing mix (product, price, promotion, and distribution) to create customer value. Topics include marketing concepts such as consumer/business buying behavior, market research, brand management, product development, and techniques for pricing, promotion and distribution. 3.0 credit hours. Prerequisite: MBA 500 Business Fundamentals.
MBA 620 Accounting for Managers
Developing, interpreting and applying financial information for internal users and decision-making is the focus of this course. Topics include cost accounting and activity based costing, product pricing, profit planning, variance analysis, capital and operational budgeting, cost of capital, investment analysis, and time value of money. Students will learn practical business tools and models that they can apply in their organization to assist in planning, organizing, and controlling their operations, providing internal analysis and decision support. Case studies are included to illustrate the use of these tools and models throughout the course. 3.0 credit hours. Prerequisite: MBA 500 Business Fundamentals.
MBA 626 Information Systems and Technology
In this course, students examine the information requirements for an organization, including the different kinds of information needed at operational, administrative, strategic and administrative levels. Assignments include definitions and uses of technology, information technology planning, implementation management, project and vendor management, and assessments of system effectiveness. Particular attention is paid to issues of data security in today’s evolving business environments, such as the impacts of SOX and HIPAA on technology applications. The course will also address the vast array of other technology used by organizations. Analyses of case studies are used to underscore techniques and methods for solutions in each topical area. Prerequisite: MBA 500 Business Fundamentals.
MBA 631 Operations and Project Management
Meeting the needs of both internal and external customers is the goal of operations, defined as the methods to convert resources into goods and services. Topics include demand forecasting and management, capacity planning and scheduling, inventory control, purchasing and materials management, facilities management, project management strategies and tactics, defining user needs and project scope, scheduling and budgeting, and performance objectives. Control methods such as PERT/CPM, Gantt charts, project management software, and project audits, will also be addressed. Students will focus on developing an overall operations strategy based on common business assumptions in the application of these tools. Prerequisite: MBA 500 Business Fundamentals.
MBA 641 Business and Labor Law
This course focuses on the meaning of the “rule of law” and conduct of a business, elements of contracts and their role in a market economy, regulatory law and how it affects an organization’s choices, and discrimination and employment law from the employer’s perspective. Skills in recognizing ethical issues are built through discussion of current case studies to emphasize the impact of these topics on the daily operations of an organization. Topics related to labor law and how it impacts the management of employees will also be addressed. Prerequisite: MBA 500 Business Fundamentals.
MBA 645 Finance
An understanding of financial statements, expense and income recognition and matching expenses and income, financial projections, auditing requirements, working capital management, ratio analysis, reporting and disclosures for outside users, oversight and accountability, and regulatory responsibilities are covered as topics in this course. The students also gain knowledge about how financial statements are derived from income and expense data in the organization, as well as related compliance requirements that affect corporations today. Application of these principles in real-life business situations are used throughout the course. 3.0 credit hours. Prerequisite: MBA 500 Business Fundamentals.
MBA 690 Strategic Planning
Understanding the dynamic global environment for modern businesses requires that managers master the art of thinking globally and frameworks for acting locally. Strategic planning incorporates the use of mission, vision and values to guide an organization. Analysis of the operating environment at a number of levels, assessment of directions and projections of what is required to meet those goals and objectives are components of this course. Students will develop an abbreviated strategic plan for an organization throughout this course. 3.0 credit hours. Prerequisite: MBA 500 Business Fundamentals.
MBA 691 Graduate Capstone Project
All students are required to complete a capstone final project to exhibit skills integration, analysis and application in their field of study. This project can be a case analysis, development and application of a specific business tool, or other integrative project undertaken with approval from the instructor. MBA691 is taken in the final term and may be continued for a second term for 3.0 additional credits if the student’s final project warrants.