Executive MBA ~ Typical Pathways

The following pathway is completed in 10-week terms. These terms are to be completed in the order listed.

Term One (10 weeks)

~ BUS 601 EMBA Fundamentals (3 credits)
Students will attain or re-attain a level of understanding and proficiency with regard to statistical concepts, introductory accounting, team building, ethical frameworks and other business-related areas as they relate to the remainder of the EMBA program, as well as business operations of the twenty-first century in general.

Term Two (10 weeks)

~ BUS 632 Organization and Leadership (6 credits)
Students analyze organizational effectiveness - using theories and models of leadership, management, and organizational behavior - and make recommendations for improvement. Students identify and evaluate examples of functional and dysfunctional leadership, drawing on models of leadership with sensitivity to cross-cultural differences. Students apply theories and models of team development, structure and performance to improve personal and team effectiveness and to direct teams to achieve objectives.

Term Three (10 weeks)

~ BUS 687 Accounting and Finance (6 credits)
Students develop the ability to read, understand and use corporate financial statements and published accounting reports. Students become familiar with alternative costing methods and gain an understanding of how cost information can be used for decision making. Students examine both financial and non-financial performance measures for evaluating business strategies and business unit success. Students prepare and analyze financial statements and financial projections for investments, corporations and/or proposed projects. Students identify and evaluate sources of financing for new and existing ventures.

Term Four (10 weeks)

~ BUS 602 Micro-Macro Economics (6 credits)
Students become familiar with microeconomic as well as macroeconomic concepts relevant to managerial decision making. Topics may include: demand and supply analysis; consumer demand theory; production theory; price discrimination; perfect competition; externalities and public goods; risk aversion and risk sharing; hidden information and market signaling; moral hazard and incentives; rudimentary game theory; oligopolies; reputation and credibility; and transaction cost economics.

Term Five (10 weeks)

~ BUS 661 Innovation and Technology Leadership (6 credits)
Students study how and why innovation is important to business success in the twenty-first century. They analyze innovation from three perspectives: product, process and organizational. Students gain an appreciation for the importance of the intricacies of developing new products, processes and organizations and their impact on businesses. Students gain an understanding of how information-based systems can be used to meet the needs and challenges of organizations. Students also study and gain an understanding of how Internet-related technology solutions add value to organizational functions. Students employ principles of operations management to improve strategies, processes, operations and the decision making of an enterprise to better meet customer needs.

Term Six (10 weeks)

~ BUS 626 Marketing and Entrepreneurship (6 credits)
Students integrate current literature (research and practice), historical perspectives, analytical tools and theoretical frameworks to design and conduct market analyses. Students make marketing-related decisions based on identification and analysis of target markets, marketing mix variables and market feasibility. Students systematically identify and analyze high potential opportunities and develop plans for potential entrepreneurial or intrapreneurial ventures.

Term Seven (10 weeks)

~ BUS 631 Global Business (6 credits)
Students gain an understanding of today's global economy and the people, institutions and environmental elements that underlie international and global commerce. Students focus on the world economy and its impact on local business, whether or not the business is thought of as a global business, as well as becoming an educated citizen who understands major issues that impact the global economy. Students will also gain an understanding of organizational sustainability issues as they impact organizations and the economy as a whole. Students are reacquainted with diversity concerns to further heighten their awareness of key cultural, legal and political differences among countries. Such study will provide students with a framework for understanding, interpreting and managing national differences from a business perspective.

Term Eight (10 weeks)

~ BUS 691 Business Strategy (6 credits)
The overall general management of a business enterprise is considered by scrutinizing business planning and strategy processes. Students analyze, study and create business policy and strategies. Students are concerned with the strategic directions of firms, organizational designs as well as the manner in which the organizations progress into the future with regard to leadership succession and organizational growth. Students develop a perspective of the general manager's role and responsibilities in various types of organizations. Organizational structure and strategy are examined as a major focal points as is organizational culture and an understanding of how organizations relate to the industries that they are a part of in addition to their competitive environments. Students should pay special attention to how globalization and cultural diversity affect the competitive dynamics of today's firms.