SKIP TO COURSE REQUIREMENTS
The Metro MBA program is divided into three phases:
Phase I Covers the core functional disciplines of typical business enterprises and provides a solid grounding in the core theories, processes, and skills required by managers in today's rapidly-changing business environment.
Phase II consists of electives which students may choose to best meet their individual career needs and interests. Electives may focus on one of several disciplines or include courses from different disciplines. The general MBA consists of 8 elective credits (total of 40 program credits). Alternatively, the student may elect an MBA with a concentration by choosing 12-course credits in a selected discipline concentration (total of 44 program credits).
Phase III of the MBA program is the synthesis and capstone phase. The capstone course, MGMT 699 Management Strategy, and Policy, calls for the student to integrate what has been learned in previous courses and life experiences to form a coherent picture of management and organizations. All Phase I courses must be completed in order to register for the capstone course.
Students in the combined BS+MBA program will complete MGMT 600 prior to taking any other master-level courses.
Course Overlap
Students in the combined BS+MBA program will have up to sixteen credits of coursework overlap between their BS and MBA degrees by taking up to four of the following six master-level courses in place of the indicated undergraduate courses:
Phase 1 Courses
MKTG 600 in place of MKTG 300
MIS 600 in place of MIS 310
FIN 601 in place of FIN 390
DSCI 681 in place of DSCI 434
Electives
ACCT 515G in place of ACCT 515
FIN 511G in place of FIN 511
Important Information For BS+MBA Students
Upon completion of the College of Business and Management foundation courses and admission into the BS+MBA program, students should take MGMT 600 prior to taking any MBA courses.
Students should complete the four classes (sixteen credits) of overlapping coursework prior to registering for MGMT 499, which should be taken in the final semester of the B.S.
Students who complete courses equivalent to the overlapping undergraduate courses may choose overlapping electives (ACCT 515G or FIN 511G) or may simply have fewer overlapping courses/credits.
Students who decide not to pursue the MBA can still use the graduate level courses for satisfaction of undergraduate graduation requirements including GELS and RIGR requirements.
It is strongly advised that students work with an academic advisor or the MBA director develop a course plan for completion of both the B.S. and the MBA degrees. Sample course plans for various College of Business and Management majors are available here.
Please note that there are several important financial aid implications of enrolling in the BS+MBA program and students are strongly encouraged to discuss these with a representative of Gateway Student Services:
1. MGMT 600, which is a two-credit course, is not grant eligible but may be covered by loans or other forms of financial aid. If you need to have a minimum number of aid-eligible credits each semester please remember that MGMT 600 will not be included in this.
2. Upon completion of the requirements for your B.S. your financial aid status will automatically transition from undergraduate to graduate even if you do not apply for graduation.
MBA with concentration
The Metro MBA offers five subject-specific concentrations which, when earned, are noted in the student’s academic transcript. In addition to completing Phase I and Phase III courses described above, students combine the 8 credits of their Phase II electives with one additional 4 credit course, resulting in an MBA with Concentration of 44 total credits. Current concentrations offered are Project Management, Management Information Systems, Finance, Global Supply Chain Management and Analytics.
A concentration can be declared at the time of application to the MBA program or after full admission. If the student declares a concentration after admission, a written statement requesting the concentration must be submitted to the College of Business and Management Graduate Program Office. The student can declare up to two concentrations with advisor approval.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite courses for admission to the MBA program are Financial Accounting, Statistics (except when MBA Math is selected; see program application information in the How to enroll tab), Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. Both the Microeconomics and Macroeconomics prerequisite can be satisfied by taking ECON 611. A letter grade of "C-" or above must be received in prerequisite courses. If some or all of these prerequisites have not been satisfied, the applicant may do so by taking one or more of these prerequisite courses.
This course in financial accounting acquaints students with the "language of business" and the concepts and practices of accounting in order to understand, interpret, and analyze the financial accounting reports of economic entities. Topics include: economic context of accounting; introduction to basic financial statements with emphasis on the statement of cash flows; measurement fundamentals; analysis of financial statements; cash; receivables; inventories; investments in equity and debt securities including Consolidations; long-lived assets; current and long-term liabilities; stockholders' equity; and time value of money concepts and computations for decision making: international accounting practices are incorporated into every topic. This is not a bookkeeping course.
Full course description for Financial Accounting
This course focuses on the economy as a whole and studies how government can affect the economy. After starting with principles of markets, the price system and supply and demand, the course covers national income accounting, business cycles, inflation, unemployment, fiscal policy, monetary policy and the Federal Reserve System, different approaches to economic growth, and the foundations of international trade.
Full course description for Macroeconomics
This course focuses on the interactions between the consumer and the producer. It begins with the theory of markets, supply and demand, and the price system. Then it covers demand elasticity, the costs of production including the various factor inputs, the four major market structures (pure competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly and monopoly), and ways to increase the competition in markets.
Full course description for Microeconomics
This course meets the prerequisite requirements for undergraduate courses in microeconomics and macroeconomics. It does not count toward your master's degree, but permits you to take one course instead of two undergraduate courses. The course covers the major concepts in basic economics including demand analysis, determinants of supply, price system operations and government's roles. Attention is also directed to business cycles, national income accounting, employment and fiscal policy. The course enhances your understanding of economic conditions, economic changes, and organizations' roles in the private, nonprofit and government sectors in the allocation and use of economic resources.
Full course description for Foundations of Economic Analysis
This course covers the basic principles and methods of statistics. It emphasizes techniques and applications in real-world problem solving and decision making. Topics include frequency distributions, measures of location and variation, probability, sampling, design of experiments, sampling distributions, interval estimation, hypothesis testing, correlation and regression.
Full course description for Statistics I
Requirements (40 credits)
Focuses on the functional disciplines of business and organizations and provides a solid grounding in the core theories, processes and skills needed by managers in today's rapidly-changing environment.
This foundational course provides students with practical knowledge needed to conduct research in organizations. Major topics covered include research design, data collection and analyses, research proposal and research report. Students will gain practical experience by applying the procedures and techniques learned in this class to organizational functions, such as marketing, finance, management, and operations. This course must be taken during the first semester of MBA studies.
Full course description for Practical Research Methods for Managers
This course focuses on accounting for managerial planning and control. The role of financial and nonfinancial information in a strategically focused decision environment is discussed. Emphasis is on strategic cost management and cost analysis.
Full course description for Management Accounting
The growing interdependence of business functions such as marketing, accounting, finance, information systems, and engineering requires effective and efficient operations management strategies and practices. The main objective of this course is to develop basic skills and knowledge necessary for managing the operations function in both manufacturing and service delivery firms. Special emphasis will be placed on contemporary issues facing operations managers such as supply chain structure and strategy, enterprise resource planning issues, product and process design, process management, value chain, and lean systems. Another objective of this course is to develop analytical skills necessary to identify and solve problems in the operations management arena.
Full course description for Operations Management
This course focuses on the application of economic analysis to enterprise decision making. The basic topics include analysis of demand, costs, capitalization and strategy. The purpose is to apply economics to achieve long-run profit maximization. Students apply principles of modern strategy to real case studies.
Full course description for Managerial Economics and Strategy
This course introduces the applications to financial decision-making of mathematics, statistics, economic theory, and accounting procedures. The two central ideas are time value of money and the relationship between expected return and risk, and how these ideas are used to value bonds, stocks, and other financial securities, and to make capital investment decisions. The course also includes the optimal management of the firm's assets and financing requirements.
Full course description for Financial Management
This course focuses on behavior in organizations as influenced by individual differences, group processes and interactions, and organizational processes. Skills and abilities essential for effective management in changing organizational contexts are emphasized. Topics examined include motivation, diversity, group development team building, power and politics, leadership, job design and organizational culture.
Full course description for Organizational Behavior and Leadership
Management Information Systems (MIS) evolved from essentially an organization's support operation to a strategic element of an organization's life and survival. This course explores information systems' new and expanding roles in the enterprise. Models examined showing how new technologies are assimilated into the organization, how to plan for systems within the overall strategic management process, assess the risk in system development projects, and become a "sophisticated user" of information systems. Traditional and new technologies are utilized. The course also includes a solid review of the strategic and tactical impact of computers, networks and new technologies. . This course broadens understanding of the design and implementation of various computerized information systems to support management decision making and evaluation, and prepares the student to integrate new technologies and configurations into the management process.
Full course description for Management Information Systems
This course examines activities through which organizations provide goods and services to serve the needs of the marketplace. Some of the topics included are analysis of internal and external factors of an organization that contribute to a successful marketing campaign, consumer behavior, positioning, , setting marketing objectives, designing marketing strategies and tactics, integrated marketing communications, pricing, and elasticity of demand.
Full course description for Marketing Management
Choose electives to best meet individual career needs and interests. Electives may focus on one of several disciplines or include courses from different disciplines. The general MBA consists of 8 elective credits (40 program credits). Alternatively, the student may elect an MBA with a concentration by choosing 12 course credits in a selected discipline concentration (44 program credits).
Project Management Concentration
Project management is one of the fastest growing career fields in business. Organizations are increasingly using projects as a means of achieving their strategic objectives. This coursework prepares students for the challenging field of Project Management by providing them with tools, skills, and knowledge necessary to initiate, plan, and implement projects successfully.
This course provides a systematic and comprehensive overview of project leadership and management. Topics covered include all aspects of project management from project initiation issues, RFP formulation, proposal decisions, preparation, and evaluation, project planning and implementation to organization, risk assessment, negotiation, and conflict resolution. Also included are project planning techniques such as PERT, CPM, Earned Value Analysis, and project monitoring and simulation using Microsoft Project software.
Full course description for Project Management
This course provides a comprehensive study of project risk management, including concepts, methodologies, and applications. It includes systematic approaches to risk identification, risk modeling, risk impact assessment, respond planning, and documentation. Decision science methods such as System Dynamics, Monte Carlo Simulation, Decision Analysis, Probability Analysis, Analytic Hierarchy Process, and Scenario Analysis will be utilized in risk assessment. Use of computer software in risk analysis will also be emphasized.
Full course description for Project Risk Management
The primary purpose of this course is to introduce students to overall leadership and methods and procedures for solving managerial problems in multiple knowledge management areas of project management. Students will learn the art and science of problem solving by actively participating in solving real-life problems and cases and in the execution and control of projects through simulations. Emphasis is placed on developing the appropriate knowledge and skills for dealing with complexity and uncertainty. Topics covered include decision making, prediction and forecasting, conflict resolution, scenario planning and strategic problem solving. Applications of appropriate computer software programs will also be emphasized. This course covers many important topics that are included in the Project Management Institute's examinations for certifications like PMP and CAPM. Students who wish to achieve these type of certifications will be facilitated by this course.
Full course description for Project Management Leadership and Problem Solving
Information technology (IT) has been essential to business innovation and enhanced productivity for decades, and will continue for the foreseeable future. Adding the MIS Concentration will better prepare a student to manage in any organization in which IT is a major force in the delivery of its goods and services. Metropolitan State is well known for the strength of its offerings in MIS. The approach of the MIS Concentration allows the student to meet the dual goals of a strong business degree with recognized special expertise in IT. The MIS Concentration provides the opportunity for MBA students to select a mix of coursework from a range of suggested pathways: business analytics, database administration, information management, information assurance/security, systems analysis and design, and systems development. Course requirement (12 credits in addition to MIS 600 required in Phase I) Any 12 MIS graduate credits OR Any 8 MIS graduate credits plus DSCI 620 Project Management (4 credits)
Finance Concentration
All major decisions in corporations are influenced by financial analysis. The required Phase I finance course (Finance 601) presents models which are used for such decisions, but it does not go into the depth required for people who work professionally in finance. The Finance Concentration coursework is designed to prepare the student for professional work in the fields of corporate finance, investments, insurance and commercial banking. Some of the major skill areas covered include: financial modeling; valuation of investment projects, instruments and firms; understanding financial markets; risk assessment and risk management; and cost of capital.
This course provides an in-depth study of the concepts and applications of financial statement analysis including the supply of and demand for accounting information in financial markets and the uses of accounting information in performance evaluation, investment and credit decisions.
Full course description for Financial Statement Analysis
This course is to equip students with strong knowledge of the modern theory of portfolio management and its applications. The major topics to be covered are:
1. The institutional environment of investment, the financial products available and how they are traded;
2. Models used in pricing these products: fixed income, equity, and derivative securities;
3. How to design an optimal portfolio of many assets and the trade-off between risk and return.
Full course description for Investment and Portfolio Analysis
This graduate course examines the same topics as FIN 550, but with greater breadth, in greater depth, and with additional assignments. It is an introduction to the international dimensions of corporate financing, investment, and risk management decisions. Topics include foreign exchange markets, international financial systems, foreign exchange rate determination, currency risk, spot and forward rates, hedging, international monetary and trade flows, multinational capital budgeting, and cost of capital in emerging economies.
Full course description for International Finance
This graduate course meets jointly with FIN 560. The course examines the same topics as FIN 560, but with greater breadth, in greater depth, and with additional assignments. This course provides an overview of financial markets and institutions. Topics include the workings of various financial markets, the functions of different types of financial institutions, and the regulatory framework for the financial sector. The course concludes with an introduction to the types of risks faced by institutions and the basic tools and concepts to manage these risks. Further, the course will include topics of current interest.
Full course description for Financial Markets and Institutions
This graduate course examines the same topics as FIN 595, but with greater breadth, in greater depth, and with additional assignments. It reinforces and expands on what is covered in FIN 601. Topics include capital budgeting, business strategy analysis, forecasting and prospective analysis, mergers and acquisitions, credit analysis, corporate financing strategies, and risk management. This course requires extensive use of spreadsheets.
Full course description for Advanced Corporate Finance
Global Supply Chain Management Concentration
Supply chain management is one of the fastest growing career fields in business. Specialists in this field have a deep understanding of the structures and rhythms of global supply chains, how to optimize them, manage costs and assure uninterrupted commodity, component, and product supplies, and streamline systems integration. Students will master the basics of international trade and regulations, transportation and logistics, customer service, order fulfillment, sales and operations planning, ecommerce/omni-channel, warehousing and inventory management, and, supplier relations, sourcing, and purchasing.
Prerequisite
DSCI 681 or Instructor's Permission
The growing interdependence of business functions such as marketing, accounting, finance, information systems, and engineering requires effective and efficient operations management strategies and practices. The main objective of this course is to develop basic skills and knowledge necessary for managing the operations function in both manufacturing and service delivery firms. Special emphasis will be placed on contemporary issues facing operations managers such as supply chain structure and strategy, enterprise resource planning issues, product and process design, process management, value chain, and lean systems. Another objective of this course is to develop analytical skills necessary to identify and solve problems in the operations management arena.
Full course description for Operations Management
Required Courses
This course will cover the fundamental concepts in supply chain management, including the forward and backward flows of materials, information, and money. Different configurations of supply chains will be examined, along with the fit of different supply chains to different organizational environments. Techniques for analyzing supply chains and their effectiveness will be examined, including qualitative and quantitative models. Specific topics include concepts and methods in supply chain strategies, planning and operations, inventory and information management, warehousing and materials handling systems, logistics, distribution and transportation systems, distribution strategies, supply chain design, and information technology. Integration of functional areas such as purchasing, materials management, and distribution is addressed.
Full course description for Supply Chain Management: Concepts and Techniques
This course will bring together the full range of factors influencing companies doing business across borders that were covered in the required IBUS 611; globalization, political economies, culture, ethics, legal systems, trade, investment, currency issues, market entry, production, logistics and marketing, and apply them to management decision-making in national and regional operating environments around the world. The syllabus may be modified at short notice to accommodate current world events impacting the international business environment.
Full course description for Doing Business Internationally
This course examines those activities involved in planning, implementing and controlling the flow of raw materials, in-process inventories, and finished goods from the point of origin to the points of consumption at the lowest total costs. Topics emphasized include inventory management, transportation, warehousing, information systems, performance measurement, materials handling, customer services, and the overall management of logistical functions.
Full course description for Supply Chain Logistics
Global competition makes it increasingly important for American firms to contract with foreign companies in order to establish efficient and reliable sources of industrial materials and supplies. Topics include starting a global buying program; dealing with foreign cultures, business practices, monetary systems, and related legalities; writing international purchase orders; controlling global logistics costs; and U.S. programs designed to benefit importing buyers.
Full course description for Global Sourcing
Analytics Concentration
Business Analytics (BA) is one of the most important recently developed areas of information systems management. It generally describes the intensive, iterative, algorithmic, and methodical analysis of an organization's data/information for insights leading to productive actions based on those insights. Organizations dedicated to intensive use of data-driven decision making apply advanced data management and statistical techniques to analyze performance, customer data and patterns, as well as develop insights from external data from competitors and the industry/field.
Required Courses
This course provides students with techniques and strategies to work on complex business problems while exercising strong critical thinking skills. It also helps them develop potential solutions. This course then focuses on how to take the results of students' professional work and present complex material in a manner that helps them clearly explain and market their information.
Full course description for Problem Formulation and Data Presentation
The improvement in computing and information management technology created opportunity for organizations to generate, store, and process huge amount of data which is being generated in every seconds. Business Analytics provides organizations a new, efficient way to intelligently use those data by combining it with sophisticated analytics. With Business Analytics, organizations can take advantage of data with leveraging and turning it into actionable intelligence that can be used to support reasoned decisions.
This course is designed to provide an introduction to the concepts of Business Analytics and its applicability with real world data in a business environment. Students will gain experience using several cutting-edge software in Business Analytics to support business decision making. Students will also be familiarized with the overall life cycle of Business Analytics project (identify the problem, describe the data, analyze the data, interpret the results, and make recommendations…
Full course description for Business Analytics
Electives - Choose at least four credits from the following:
This course introduces how analytics and Data Mining tools can be used to solve business problems like Best Next Offer, Customer Retention, Customer Potential Life Time Value estimation, Market Basket analysis, etc. This course gives students an opportunity to exercise advanced Data Exploration and Mining software. Introduction to Data Mining tools/solutions evaluation is also part of this course.
Full course description for Data Mining Tools
The course gives students an opportunity to start with several Business Problems which require Data Mining techniques like classification, estimation, clustering. Students are supposed to research on Data Mining vendors/tools to find Strengths & Weaknesses for selected Data Mining tools Students are supposed to use 5 groups of Data Mining tools selection criteria: Hardware/OS/Networking, Data reparation/Manipulation, User Interface/Model Output, Algorithms & Manageability, Support/Documentation/Training. The course gives students an opportunity to exercise advanced Data Exploration and Mining software (developed by Synera Systems, Inc.) to analyze Retail Customer Behavior. Students are supposed to use a macro language to document Data Quality problems. Introduction to E-Customer Behavior is also a part of this course.
Full course description for Advanced Data Mining Tools
Currently, enterprises across almost every industry are seeking talent for predictive analytics. Predictive analytics helps connect data to effective action by drawing reliable conclusions about current conditions and future events. Coupled with other types of analytics available (i.e., Descriptive, Diagnostic, and Prescriptive analytics), enterprises can make predictions and then proactively act upon that insight to drive better business outcomes and achieve measurable competitive advantage. Naturally, such demand is met with creative and critical thinking professionals that have been prepared with theories that can be put into practice. The Predictive Analytics course offering includes modules, activities and projects that are structured for following topic objectives:
*Understanding the different purposes of analytics (i.e., Diagnostics analytics for data discovery
*Why did it happen?, Predictive analytics for forecasting, and simulation
*What will happen?, and Prescriptive…
Full course description for Predictive Analytics
Data analytics is critical to HR and businesses as a part of competitive or business intelligence. In the past, HR professionals typically relied on their understanding of processes and the organization to make decisions and serve their stakeholders. For the last decade, data is increasingly available, and analytics provides a way to demonstrate the linkage between people and business outcomes (Waters et al., 2018). This course is designed to examine the use of data to understand, improve, and optimize the people side of the organization. It focuses on improving students¿ critical evaluation and business acumen, a part of the main core competencies for HR professionals in the Society of Human Resource Management competency model. Students will gain up-to-date knowledge in current evidence about managing people, develop skills necessary to make the most of the available analyses in people decision-making, and become more skilled analysts in incorporating people's data to inform…
Full course description for People Analytics
Beginning where MIS 653/MKTG 653 Supply Chain Management/ Logistics Management leaves off, this course examines the use of information technology to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the corporate supply chain. Topics covered include the strategic role of key information technologies in business-to-business e-commerce; efficient customer response; enterprise resource planning; the virtual value chain.
Full course description for Advanced Supply Chain Information Systems
Phase three is the synthesis and capstone phase. The course, MGMT 699 Management Strategy and Policy, calls for the student to integrate what has been learned in previous courses and life experiences to form a coherent picture of management and organizations. All Phase I courses must be completed in order to register for the capstone course.
As the capstone course for the M.B.A. program, students integrate analytical tools and knowledge from the various functional areas of management, previous graduate courses, work experience and strategic management theories. Case studies and readings provide students the opportunity to analyze past and current strategies and to formulate and implement new strategies for various types of organizations. Prerequisite: Completion of all Phase I courses.
Full course description for Management: Strategy and Policy
