Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)

About the Master's of Business Administration

Our master’s degree in business administration prepares students to assume leadership roles in their organization. Paced to suit the needs of career-oriented candidates, the program is tailored to the demands of students preparing for greater professional challenges.

The curriculum for the Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) reflects the school’s mission to emphasize functional knowledge, skills, and capabilities. The various influences of ethics, global community, politics, society, and diversity are interwoven throughout the school’s graduate courses. Faculty use case studies in many courses to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

Small class size gives students important one-on-one experience with faculty members whose research, teaching, and consulting experience puts them on the cutting edge of regional, national, and global business issues. To accommodate students from a broad spectrum of north central Indiana and southwestern Michigan locations, master’s degree classes are taught on both the South Bend and Elkhart campuses. Some online and hybrid courses are also offered.

Program Requirements­­ (36-57 cr.)

All courses are 3 credit hours, unless otherwise designated.

Students who took specific business courses within the last five years and meet the minimum grade requirement, may qualify for automatic exemption from part of Phase I. If the specific business classes were taken over five years ago or if the minimum grade requirement was not met, the Office of Graduate Business Programs may use placement examinations to establish possible exemption from any of these courses. In addition, each candidate must pass a computer skills test prior to beginning their graduate coursework. Students who do not pass this test must take BUS-K 501 Computer Skills for Management.

Phase I | Prerequisite Courses (0-21 cr.)

M.B.A. students must complete prerequisite courses (Phase I) before entering the core curriculum (Phase II). The student must achieve a grade of B or higher in each of these prerequisite courses.

• BUSB-A 501 Survey of Financial Accounting and Reporting
• BUSB-A 503 Statistical Applications
• BUSB-A 511 Mathematical Tools in Business
• BUSB-A 514 Survey of Economics
• BUSB-B 502 Organizational Behavior I
• BUSB-D 501 Management of Marketing
• BUSB-D 502 Financial Management

Phase II | Core Courses (21 cr.)

Note | The student must achieve a grade of C or higher in each course in Phase II, III, and IV.

• BUSB-A 502 Managerial Price Theory
• BUSB-A 504 Management Information Systems
• BUSB-C 502 Legal and Ethical Environment of Business
• BUSB-D 503 Production Management
• BUSB-F 542 Strategic Financial Management
• BUSB-M 550 Consumer Insights

Select one international course from the following:

• BUSB-A 545 International Accounting
• BUSB-F 506 Management of International Operations
• BUSB-F 530 International Finance
• BUSB-M 594 Global Marketing Management

Phase III | Advanced Management Competence Courses (12 cr.)

Note | The student must achieve a grade of C or higher in each course in Phase II, III, and IV.

• BUSB-B 503 Leadership and Change
• BUSB-F 503 Management Accounting Concepts

Electives

Select two eligible electives, based on concentration desired (general business, finance, or marketing)

General Business Concentration |

• Any BUSB 500 level courses

Finance Concentration |

• BUSB-F 514 Investment Management
• BUSB-F 517 Financial Markets & Institutions

Marketing Concentration |

• BUSB-M 544 Managing Advertising and Sales Promotion
• BUSB-M 503 Applied Marketing Research

Phase IV | Capstone Course (3 cr.)

Note | The student must achieve a grade of C or higher in each course in Phase II, III, and IV.

• BUSB-E 510 Business Policy

Comprehensive Examination Requirement

Each graduate business student, as a condition for graduation, must pass a comprehensive examination during his or her final year. The examination is given near the end of each semester.