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Accelerated Online MBA Curriculum and Course Descriptions

A Curriculum That’s Tailored to You

Saint Mary’s accelerated online MBA curriculum focuses on real-world issues and provides learning that is immediately applicable to students’ careers. Designed to help students rapidly advance their progress as professionals, the program can be completed in as little as 12 months1. All of the courses in this program can be completed online.

This MBA consists of 10 courses for 30 total credit hours. All students must complete seven core courses (21 credits), three special topic courses (3 credits), and two General MBA courses (6 credits).

Students may choose a certificate in a content area of interest: business analytics, finance, healthcare analytics, healthcare administration, human resource management, international development, nonprofit management, or project management. Most certificates are 12 credits; however, business analytics and healthcare analytics are 15-credit certificates, and students with either of these certificates may substitute the additional credits for MBA600 Quantitative Decision Making. 

Core Courses (21 credits)

MBA 600 Quantitative Decision Making (3 credits)

This course is designed to give students a practitioner’s ability to utilize quantitative decision making tools and techniques commonly used in business. The QDM tools and techniques used in operations management, inventory management, marketing, project management, and finance are covered. Topics include hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, subjective probability, decision trees, Bayes Theorem, and regression.

Upon completion of the course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

  1. Utilize hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, and regression to obtain a quantitative basis to make business decisions.
  2. Apply decisions trees to qualitative situations in business.
  3. Apply subjective probabilities to provide insight into business situations involving uncertainty and risk.
  4. Utilize decision software designed to support qualitative business decision making.

MBA 604 Managerial Economics (3 credits)

This course focuses on the application of economic theory to examine how an organization can efficiently achieve its aims or objectives. The tools and applications used by organizations to make decisions and assess their outcomes in a global context are covered. Topics include advanced supply and demand analysis and estimation, production and cost analysis, market structure and price analysis, regulation and risk analysis, and global pricing practices.

Upon completion of the course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

  1. Forecast market trends in prices and industry profitability in a global context.
  2. Assess the competitiveness of a firm within an industry from a production and cost perspective in a global environment.
  3. Analyze market demand from a competitive and profitability perspective in a global environment.
  4. Analyze the impact of global forces on market structure and firm behavior.

MBA 609 Operations Management (3 credits)

This course covers the tools, techniques, and methodologies used by managers to plan, design, and implement control systems that create/produce services and/or goods in an organization. The decisions for which operations managers are held accountable, methods used to make those decisions, and the factors affecting productivity, effectiveness, and efficiency in an organization are covered. Topics include strategic considerations in operations management, operations decision-making, quality management, forecasting, just-in-time inventory management, and facility location.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

  1. Apply the basic terms, principles, concepts, techniques, tools, and methodologies of operations management.
  2. Review and examine techniques of enterprise control and performance management.
  3. Assess the impact of strategic managerial actions on the shape and direction of the operational function.
  4. Develop an operations plan which integrates human, technological, and economic factors.
  5. Assess the linkage between the factors that affect the operations system.

MBA 640 Managerial Accounting (3 credits)

This course examines on the principles and techniques of managerial cost accounting. It covers various cost accounting techniques and the effective use of accounting information for business decision-making. Topics include cost-volume-profit analysis, activity based costing, activity based management, inventory costing and capacity analysis, cost allocation, and budgeting.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

  1. Use cost accounting techniques to support decision making in an organization.
  2. Solve previously unseen problems using the concepts and techniques of managerial accounting.
  3. Apply strategic cost management techniques.
  4. Contribute to the management capacity of a firm by proper use of costing information.

MBA 643 Corporate Finance (3 credits)

This course examines the principles of corporate finance and the tools and practices used in financial decision making. It examines the treasury function of an organization and the decisions made by the treasurer. Topics include long term financing, capital budgeting decisions, beta, debt-equity options, dividend policy analysis, and IPOs.

  1. Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:
  2. Use tools and techniques of corporate finance.
  3. Support treasurer level decision making with financial information.
  4. Demonstrate the ability to make capital budgeting decisions.
  5. Create a dividend policy.
  6. Prepare financial information necessary to take a company public.

MBA 655 Marketing Strategy (3 credits)

This course addresses the principles of marketing and the tools and practices used to design and implement a comprehensive marketing strategy. It examines the frameworks and strategies behind making effective marketing decisions that build customer value and drive an organization’s growth. Topics include market research, target marketing, product development and positioning, brand-building, buyer behavior, pricing, distribution, and integrated marketing communications. In addition, the course focuses on achieving competitive advantage within the context of ethics and sustainability.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

  1. Describe different types of marketing research and construct a marketing research approach for a brand.
  2. Formulate a marketing strategy based upon effective segmentation, targeting, and positioning.
  3. Practice application of different pricing models and distribution strategies.
  4. Develop integrated marketing communication and other strategies to leverage promotion opportunities.
  5. Create comprehensive marketing plans in the context of strategic brand planning and product lifecycle management.
  6. Explain the role of marketing in the context of ethics, mission, and sustainability.

MBA 669 Strategic Management Capstone (3 credits)

This course is the capstone for the MBA program. Students integrate knowledge from previous courses to analyze and evaluate competitive strategies used by firms. The case method is applied to a wide variety of industries and business issues. In addition, students have the live case experience of working with a sponsoring organization. Students assess the external and internal environments of the organization and develop a strategic plan.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

  1. Utilize appropriate tools to analyze and evaluate strategic decisions of firms.
  2. Design strategies to obtain and sustain competitive advantage.
  3. Create a strategic plan to address an organizational need.

Special Topics (students choose three topics) (3 credits)

These courses explore current topics for business leaders to build competency through an examination of contemporary issues. The courses covers summarized information on the topic assigned, including theories, practical application, and examples.

Upon completion of these courses, students are expected to be able to do the following:

  1. Identify and implement practical application of the content area.
  2. Identify appropriate ethical considerations related to the given topic.
  3. Demonstrate emerging knowledge of the topic.
  4. Analyze and evaluate the need for additional resources, including appropriate collaboration with other disciplines, professionals, and/or systems.*

* In order to allow students more options for learning in the topics they wish to pursue, all students work with the instructors to determine the specific topics for their paper.

View All Special Topics

  • MBA 505 Special Topics: Project Planning (1 credit)
  • MBA 506 Special Topics: Project Scheduling (1 credit)
  • MBA 507 Special Topics: Quality Management (1 credit
  • MBA 508 Special Topics: Risk Management (1 credit)
  • MBA 509 Special Topics: International Development (1 credit)
  • MBA 516 Special Topics: Financial Markets and Institutions (1 credit)
  • MBA 518 Special Topics: Healthcare Policy (1 credit)
  • MBA 519 Special Topics: Healthcare Systems (1 credit)
  • MBA 521 Special Topics: Benefits and Compensation (1 credit)
  • MBA 522 Special Topics: Employment Law (1 credit)
  • MBA 523 Special Topics: Consumer Behavior (1 credit)
  • MBA 525 Special Topics: Marketing Research Strategies (1 credit)
  • MBA 526 Special Topics: Advertising (1 credit)
  • MBA 527 Special Topics: Forensic Accounting (1 credit)
  • MBA 529 Special Topics: Decision Modeling (1 credit)
  • MBA 530 Special Topics: Web Analytics (1 credit)
  • MBA 531 Special Topics: Measuring the Value of Social and Environment Responsibility (1 credit)
  • MBA 533 Special Topics: Monetary Policy and Central Banks (1 credit)
  • MBA 534 Special Topics: Financial Crises (1 credit)
  • MBA 535 Special Topics: Lending (1 credit)
  • MBA 537 Special Topics: Supply Chain (1 credit)

General MBA Curriculum (6 credits)

Students selecting the General MBA option must complete the following courses in addition to the core courses.

MBA 610 Organizations and Human Behavior (3 credits)

This course examines human behavior and social relationships in the workplace setting from a domestic and intercultural perspective. The theories, history, and practice of promoting effective individual and group behavior in organizations across cultures are covered. Topics include groups and teams, multicultural teams, power and influence, trust, gender and equality, the impact of culture on work behavior, and creating cultural synergy in a multicultural work environment.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

  1. Deconstruct the dynamics and complexities of individual and group behavior in a workplace setting.
  2. Build multicultural teams.
  3. Recognize and manage issues of justice, gender, equality, ethics, and trust as they arise in the workplace.
  4. Design a plan to promote cultural synergy in a workplace setting.

MBA 613 Ethical Leadership (3 credits)

This course provides a theoretical framework to analyze and evaluate the ethical dimension of leadership practices. Topics include the implementation of ethical leadership models and practices, ethical considerations in multinational organizational strategy, and building and maintaining international partnerships. The case method is employed to analyze and evaluate the leaders of firms diverse in their perspective and scope.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

  1. Apply ethical leadership techniques.
  2. Evaluate the ethical dimension of organizational strategy with an emphasis on social responsibility.
  3. Analyze ethical leadership models via the case study method.
  4. Evaluate the impact of leadership practices on organizational climate.
  5. Articulate the unique challenges of ethical leadership in international partnerships.

To find out more about Saint Mary’s online accelerated MBA program and its curriculum, call 877-308-9954 to speak with an enrollment counselor or request more information.

 

1Students must be registered for 12+ credit hours each semester in order to complete the program in 12 months.

 

Current Degree Requirements

For current degree requirements, visit the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Course. Catalog at https://catalog.smumn.edu