MBA Courses

This course examines the crucial business practices of management and planning with an emphasis on strategy and ethical leadership. Students will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to develop and implement effective strategies within the context of managerial, competitive, global, and ethical challenges. By analyzing and practicing core concepts and models in the field of strategic management, students will develop an understanding of their own leadership styles and capabilities, enabling them to motivate their teams and achieve long-term competitive advantage and sustainable success for their organizations. Additional topics include change management, organizational structure, strategic planning and analysis, and communication and decision-making skills.

This course focuses on the use of accounting information for internal planning, analysis, control, and decision-making within an organization. Emphasis will be placed on understanding, evaluating, and developing actions and strategies based on the major types of financial and non-financial reports available to managers. Students will understand how to use internally generated accounting data to develop and support business strategies and maintain the organization’s competitive advantage. Other key topics include product and service costing and pricing, setting budgets, investment analysis, measuring performance, and forecasting.

This course focuses on the planning and oversight of an organization’s finances, utilizing modeling techniques for budgeting, planning, and forecasting. Emphasis is placed on analyzing and managing financial data to make decisions and mitigate risk. Other key topics include the types and purpose of financial statements; the importance of financial reporting in evaluating performance; valuation concepts, techniques, and models used in finance; and the use of financial analyses using the appropriate financial tools, techniques, and technologies.

Today's leaders are challenged with improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the current environment as well as driving innovation and change to spur growth. This course combines the topics of operations management and project management to provide students with the skills to manage both aspects of the organization. This course focuses on the skill set and knowledge needed to manage specific, time-bound projects alongside the ongoing, day-to-day operations of an organization. Key topics include lean techniques, total quality management, Six Sigma, operations management, and project, program, and portfolio management. Emphasis will also be placed on team dynamics and management as they relate to successfully completing short-term projects and meeting long-term organizational goals. Students will gain exposure to software, tools, and simulations to apply key concepts to real-life managerial situations.

This course develops skills for current or emerging leaders in any field with an emphasis on leading teams, developing and implementing a strategic vision, and communicating effectively with multiple stakeholders. Students will explore the critical role of leadership in shaping organizational success and navigating the complexities of contemporary business environments. Leadership theories, styles, and strategies will be explored, with an emphasis on their practical application in managing teams and organizations. The course combines theoretical frameworks utilizing practical, real-world case studies and experiential learning to develop students' leadership skills, strategic thinking, and ability to drive organizational performance in a dynamic business environment.

A managerial overview of both macro and microeconomics, focusing on economic concepts related to individuals, businesses, and markets as well as the overall economy. Students will emerge with the analytical and economic tools needed to make effective business decisions. Key topics include how markets determine the configuration and pricing of outputs and inputs, the behavior of consumers and businesses in response to market forces, factors affecting economic growth, alternative market structures, regulation, and the effects of fiscal and monetary policy on strategy and concepts like GDP, unemployment, inflation, business cycles, and investments. The course will emphasize the micro foundation of macroeconomics in making key management decisions using economic and optimization models within organizations.

The MBA Capstone course serves as the culmination of the MBA graduate program, synthesizing key concepts and skills acquired throughout the program. This course provides students with the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world challenges in business strategy, management, and leadership. Students will integrate and apply learning from previous coursework to solve complex business problems, develop actionable strategies, and demonstrate leadership in dynamic environments. Through a choice of a research paper, comprehensive strategic plan, or project with an outside organization, students will have the flexibility to tailor their capstone experience to their individual interests and career goals.

This course is designed to help students demonstrate their ability to analyze, evaluate, and lead organizational initiatives, while also making a significant contribution to the field of business practice.

The digital marketing course explores several aspects of the new digital marketing environment, including topics such as digital marketing analytics, search engine optimization, and 3D Printing. It will provide a richer understanding of the foundations of the new digital marketing landscape and a new set of stories, concepts, and tools to help the students digitally create, distribute, promote, and price goods and services.

A survey and case study course emphasizing the importance of data privacy and security. We need to share data in organizations, but the more we share it, the more it becomes necessary to protect it. By the end of the course, students will understand the legal, social, and ethical ramifications of data security and privacy as well as the concepts behind data guardianship and custodianship and data permissions. Special attention will be given to industry-specific data privacy laws (HIPAA, FERPA, PCI DSS, etc.).

The digital marketing course explores several aspects of the new digital marketing environment, including topics such as digital marketing analytics, search engine optimization, and 3D Printing. It will provide a richer understanding of the foundations of the new digital marketing landscape and a new set of stories, concepts, and tools to help the students digitally create, distribute, promote, and price goods and services.

This course focuses on several important areas impacting the dynamic nature of internet marketing by addressing the role of mobile marketing, social marketing and local marketing in today’s environment, the integration of e-commerce into the marketing activities, and the major problems and opportunities that e-commerce activities pose for the marketing manager.

This social media marketing course is designed to help the students understand how marketing has changed due to the rise of social media and changes in various underlying contextual factors such as dramatically increased speed of information dissemination across consumers and brands. The emphasis of this course is on understanding consumers’ social interactions, examining the various social media channels available to marketers, learning how to build social marketing strategies, and practicing how to track their effectiveness.

This course is designed to introduce to students various marketing aspects of entrepreneurship such as idea generation, problem validation, market research, marketing strategy development and financial forecasting. Students will develop a marketing plan for a venture idea of their choosing and apply online marketing strategies to help market that idea. The course focuses on understanding customer needs, target selection, positioning, and data analytics. Through case studies and project work, students learn to develop a feasible marketing plan, and leverage digital technology to market their new venture.

This course explores the intersection of law and finance in the entrepreneurial environment, focusing on the legal and financial challenges faced by startups and emerging businesses. Students will gain an understanding of the legal principles that govern business formation, contracts, intellectual property, regulatory compliance, and dispute resolution, as well as how to structure financing options for entrepreneurial ventures. The course covers various sources of capital, including venture capital, angel investing, crowdfunding, and debt financing, and provides insights into financial modeling, valuation, and risk management. Through case studies, simulations, and real-world applications, students will develop the skills needed to navigate the complex legal and financial landscapes that entrepreneurs require to succeed in the business world.

This course focuses on developing the leadership and management skills necessary for success in entrepreneurial ventures. Students will explore how entrepreneurs lead and manage their businesses through the phases of startup, growth, and scaling, with a focus on creating value, building strong teams, and driving innovation. The course emphasizes practical strategies for navigating the challenges faced by entrepreneurs, such as resource constraints, risk management, and market competition. Students will learn how to effectively lead teams, make strategic decisions, and foster a culture of innovation within their organizations. The course covers key aspects of entrepreneurial management, including operational efficiency, financial oversight, and growth strategies, equipping students with the tools to lead successfully in both small businesses and high-growth startups.

This course explores the strategic design, innovation, and development of business models in both established organizations and startups. Students learn to create, evaluate, and refine business models that can drive growth, profitability, and sustainability. Through a combination of frameworks, case studies, and practical applications, the course will cover key topics such as value proposition design, customer segmentation, revenue models, and the integration of technology in business model innovation. Emphasizing both traditional and emerging business models, the course will provide students with tools to adapt and thrive in rapidly changing business environments. By the end of the course, students will have a comprehensive understanding of how to innovate and adapt business models to meet evolving market demands, enhance organizational performance, and capture new opportunities.

This course examines the unique challenges and strategic decisions involved in managing a business beyond the startup phase and through various stages of growth. Focusing on the complexities and challenges of managing growth, students will explore key areas such as operational efficiency, organizational structure, leadership, financial management, marketing strategies, and strategic decision-making in expanding businesses. Students will learn how to address the unique challenges that arise during the growth phase, including maintaining company culture, managing resources, overcoming operational hurdles, and navigating market competition. The course emphasizes an experiential approach to growth management and equips students to lead and manage organizations effectively through periods of expansion while maintaining agility, innovation, and profitability.

This course provides business students with a comprehensive understanding of healthcare management principles, focusing on the unique challenges and opportunities within the healthcare industry. Students will develop a detailed understanding of the structure, function, and culture of healthcare organizations and will explore key topics such as healthcare operations, financial management, policy and regulation, strategic planning, and innovation in healthcare delivery. The course emphasizes applying business principles to improve healthcare organizations' efficiency, quality, and patient outcomes. Topics associated with healthcare technology and health regulation will be explored, along with emerging issues in healthcare management and organizations. Through case studies, industry analysis, and real-world applications, students will develop the leadership, analytical, and decision-making skills necessary to navigate the complex and evolving healthcare landscape.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of public health administration, focusing on the intersection of business principles and public health management. Students will explore the structure and function of public health systems, policy development, healthcare financing, program planning, and population health management. The course emphasizes strategic leadership, financial stewardship, and operational efficiency in public health organizations. Key topics include healthcare policy and regulation, epidemiology, health equity, and crisis management. Students will apply administration principles in developing solutions to modern public health problems and will understand the role of government and other organizations in creating and implementing policies that impact the performance of the public health system.

This course introduces students to legal, ethical, and policy issues in public health and healthcare. Students will explore basic principles underlying the legal system, governmental regulation, the development of policies and legal rules, and how to interact ethically and effectively with the legal system as a public health practitioner. Topics include healthcare reform, regulatory compliance, risk management, patient rights, bioethics, and the role of government in healthcare decision-making. Students will examine the legal context of the relationship between the individual and the community and understand public health regulation in the context of a market-driven system. The course emphasizes the application of business and legal principles to navigate complex ethical dilemmas, ensure regulatory compliance, and develop strategies for effective healthcare leadership.

This course provides an in-depth exploration of marketing principles and strategies tailored to the healthcare industry. Students will examine the unique challenges and opportunities in healthcare marketing, including consumer behavior, branding, digital marketing, patient engagement, and regulatory considerations. The course covers key topics such as market segmentation, strategic communications, healthcare service promotion, competitive positioning, data-driven decision-making, customer-centric approaches, and the role of technology in shaping healthcare marketing strategies. Emphasis is placed on ethical marketing practices, compliance with healthcare regulations, and the impact of public perception on healthcare organizations. Students will connect marketing principles to innovation, operations, and strategy in the healthcare industry to ensure overall healthcare business success in their roles as managers and leaders.

This course provides an in-depth examination of economic and financial management principles as they apply to the healthcare industry. Students will explore the unique financial structures of healthcare organizations, economic theories shaping healthcare markets, and the impact of policy decisions on healthcare costs and access. Key topics include supply and demand, labor issues, healthcare spending, reimbursement models, financial management, cost-benefit analysis, risk assessment, the role of government and private entities in healthcare financing, and techniques for economic evaluation in healthcare. Students will gain an understanding of basic financial management principles, capital planning and financing, financial statements, and budgeting in healthcare organizations and will use these functions for decision-making. Through case studies, data analysis, and financial modeling, students will develop the analytical and decision-making skills needed to navigate the complexities of healthcare economics and finance as effective managers and leaders.

This course explores the financial systems, policies, and strategies that govern international markets. Students will gain a working knowledge of the practical applications that integrate theory, methods, and practice of international finance through a focus on controlling exchange rate risk and approaches to financing multinational corporations, capital flows, international financial environments, types of institutions and instruments, foreign exchange operations, and the role of global financial institutions. Students will be able to explain the effects of global financial crises, the role of multinational corporations, and emerging market economies. They will learn to understand and apply the major aspects of investment decision-making performed by managers of multinational corporations.

This course provides an in-depth examination of global supply chain management's strategic, operational, and financial aspects. Students will explore key topics such as supply chain design, logistics, procurement, inventory management, risk mitigation, and the impact of globalization on supply networks. The course emphasizes the integration of supply chain processes across international markets, the role of technology in optimizing efficiency, and the challenges posed by geopolitical and economic factors. Key topics include basic supply chain metrics, tradeoffs in making supply chain decisions, and tools for effective and efficient supply chain management, production planning and inventory control, order fulfillment, and supply chain coordination. Through case studies and real-world applications, students will develop the skills to manage complex supply chains, enhance global sourcing strategies, and improve overall supply chain success and resilience.

The course provides a comprehensive overview of the major legal considerations involving international business transactions and operations. Students will explore key topics such as international trade law, contract law, dispute resolution, intellectual property rights, and regulatory compliance. The course also covers the role of international organizations such as the WTO, UN, and regional trade agreements in shaping global business regulations. Emphasis will be placed on legal risk management, ethical considerations, and the impact of geopolitical factors on multinational enterprises. Students will engage in in-depth case analyses and develop a discussion paper on the legal and/or ethical implications of a specific international convention, business practice, or topic involving multinational corporations operating in the contemporary international legal environment.

The course explores the development and management of human resources in international, multinational, global, and transnational firms. It explores the complexity, challenges, and choices managers encounter and their strategies to effectively develop and manage their international workforce in culturally and geographically diverse environments. The course examines key topics such as global talent management, international labor laws, diversity and inclusion, expatriate management, and conflict resolution in an international business context. The course emphasizes the role of effective communication in managing a global workforce, fostering collaboration across cultures, and navigating the complexities of international HR policies.

This course examines the complex relationship between domestic and international politics and culture and how they influence economic relations for businesses operating in the global arena. Topics include major types of cross-border flows and the policies and international institutions that regulate them: the flow of goods (trade policy), people (immigration policy), production (foreign investment policy), capital (financial and exchange rate policy), and information (data policy). The course emphasizes critical analysis of contemporary global issues, including economic inequality, political conflicts, cultural identity, and the impact of international organizations such as the UN, IMF, and World Bank. Through case studies, research, and in-depth discussion, students will develop an understanding of the interconnected forces that drive global change and influence decision-making in international business organizations.

Introduces the key concepts of data analytics and data science as applied to solving data-centered business problems in many industries. Emphasizes principles and methods covering the process from envisioning the problem to applying data science techniques to deploying the results to improve a business and help make decisions. Topics include an introduction to data-analytic thinking; application of data science solutions to business problems; achieving and sustaining competitive advantage with data science. Students will read and analyze data analytics case studies in various industries.

An intermediate statistics course focusing on techniques used in data analytics. Introduces key statistical methods for applying data analytics. Introduces statistical thinking – starting with a question and using data and software tools to form a reasonable conclusion. Covers statistical analysis of both categorical and quantitative data. Most analysis will be performed using SAS software. Topics include statistical distributions, probability density functions, model accuracy analysis, bootstrapping, and sampling techniques.

A hands-on data analytics course for structured data using SAS Enterprise Miner. Covers the skills that are required to assemble analysis flow diagrams using the rich tool set of SAS Enterprise Miner for both pattern discovery (segmentation, association, and sequence analyses) and predictive modeling (decision tree, regression, and neural network models). Course includes defining a SAS Enterprise Miner project and explore data graphically, modifying data for better analysis results, building, and understanding predictive models such as decision trees and regression models, comparing and explaining complex models, generating, and using score code, applying association and sequence discovery to transaction data. Upon completion, students will have a set of practical data analytics skills and know how to apply these skills in a variety of business environment and with many types of structured data.

A survey and case study course emphasizing the importance of data privacy and security. We need to share data in organizations, but the more we share it, the more it becomes necessary to protect it. By the end of the course, students will understand the legal, social, and ethical ramifications of data security and privacy as well as the concepts behind data guardianship and custodianship and data permissions. Special attention will be given to industry-specific data privacy laws (HIPAA, FERPA, PCI DSS, etc.).

A hands-on course emphasizing the importance of data visualization in understanding data. Designed for those who have never used data visualization software before, this course will utilize Microsoft Power BI to prepare students to create reports and dashboards at all levels of an organization. Students will learn exploratory and explanatory data analysis and learn how to ask the right questions about what is needed in a visualization. Students will assess how data and design work together and learn which visualization to use in various situations. Students will learn how to balance the goals of their stakeholders with the needs of their end-users and be able to structure and organize a digital story for maximum impact.

This course is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of marketing in the context of a creative and innovative program design. Students will learn techniques for improving the flexibility and originality of their thinking and will explore approaches used by marketing practitioners to create and sustain organizational innovation.

The marketing management course is designed to serve as an introduction to the theory and practice of marketing. Students will improve their ability to develop effective marketing strategies and assess market opportunities, as well as design strategy implementation programs. In addition, students will have the opportunity to communicate and defend their recommendations and build upon the recommendations of their peers.

The digital marketing course explores several aspects of the new digital marketing environment, including topics such as digital marketing analytics, search engine optimization, and 3D Printing. It will provide a richer understanding of the foundations of the new digital marketing landscape and a new set of stories, concepts, and tools to help the students digitally create, distribute, promote, and price goods and services.

The buyer behavior course examines the consumer decision process and the effect on consumer decision-making of external environmental influences (culture, subculture, social class, reference groups, family, and personal influences) and of internal psychological influences (personality and lifestyle, learning, motives, perception, and beliefs and attitudes). Applications of psychological, sociological, anthropological, and economic theories and models to the understanding of buyer behavior and the development of a marketing strategy.

The marketing strategy course is designed to allow students to understand and develop marketing strategies for a real-world business or organization. Through case studies and in-class discussion, students will analyze the opportunities and challenges of selecting effective and efficient platforms and promotional tools. Special emphasis will be put on the synergies and effectiveness of the marketing mix.

For this specialization, students will take nine core courses as well as any three business electives for a total of 36 credits.

Students may select any business electives including:

• DAN 602 – Statistics for Data Analytics
• DAN 603 – Data Mining
• DAN 604 – Database & Data Warehouse Concepts
• DAN 605 – Visualization & Digital Storytelling
• DAN 607 – Security, Privacy & Ethics in Data Analytics
• DAN 608 – Emerging Topics in Data Analytics
• DAN 609 – Python for Data Analysts
• DAN 610 – SAS Programming for Data Analysts
• DAN 620 – Data Analytics Strategy
• MKT 501 – Strategic Innovation & Creative Problem-Solving
• MKT 503 –Marketing Management
• MKT 612 – Digital Marketing
• MKT 505 – Buyer Behavior
• MKT 612 – Internet Technology, Marketing & Business
• MKT 617 – Social Media Marketing
• MKT 619 – Sports Marketing
• MKT 620 – Role of Graphic Design in Marketing
• MKT 623 – Strategic Event Planning & Management
• MKT 625 – The Entrepreneurial Mindset in Modern Marketing

In this course, students apply theoretical knowledge gained throughout the MBA program in a real-world business setting. This semester-long internship (14 weeks) is designed to help students build professional experience, develop essential business skills, and establish a network within their chosen industry. Students will work within a partner organization (profit or non-profit), applying concepts from their coursework to solve business challenges, while also gaining insights into industry practices, corporate culture, and leadership dynamics. Students will develop practical expertise and enhance communication and problem-solving, to assist them with the transition to a professional career. Students will participate in a weekly seminar designed to support professional growth during the internship and will complete a minimum of 300 working hours with their partner organization.

This credit-bearing special topics course will cover topics of special interest in Business. Special topics courses may be offered in regular semesters, as professional development courses, or in response to special events/opportunities. Course description to match topic.

Introduces the key concepts of data analytics and data science as applied to solving data-centered business problems in many industries. Emphasizes principles and methods covering the process from envisioning the problem to applying data science techniques to deploying the results to improve a business and help make decisions. Topics include an introduction to data-analytic thinking; application of data science solutions to business problems; achieving and sustaining competitive advantage with data science. Students will read and analyze data analytics case studies in various industries.

The marketing strategy course is designed to allow students to understand and develop marketing strategies for a real-world business or organization. Through case studies and in-class discussion, students will analyze the opportunities and challenges of selecting effective and efficient platforms and promotional tools. Special emphasis will be put on the synergies and effectiveness of the marketing mix.