Master of Business Administration (MBA)

MBA-5810-9  Selected Topics in Bus Administration  (Variable semester hours)  

This course will address a specific area of study in Business Administration not already covered by other course offerings. Prerequisites vary by topic.

MBA-6020  Marketing Management  (3 semester hours)  

The primary purpose of this course is to determine how to develop marketing strategy. Students will develop a client focus and learn how to target market. They will also study product, distribution, promotion, and pricing strategies. Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to conduct market-planning analysis, solve common marketing problems, develop marketing strategies, and implement introductory marketing campaigns.

MBA-6030  Leadership and Organizational Behavior  (3 semester hours)  

This course introduces students to an advanced treatment of the behavioral role of the leader interacting with others within the organization. It offers a critical review of leadership and human behavior, and addresses those behavioral concepts that influence such factors as group dynamics, interpersonal relations, and ultimately, organizational effectiveness.

MBA-6045  Budgeting and Financial Management  (3 semester hours)  

This course will explore and have students utilize the various accounting tools, techniques, and knowledge base used by managers to make more effective decisions. This course will look at a number of aspects within the budgeting and financial decision-making framework. These aspects will include: overview of accounting and financial reporting, how accountants measure and report, managing financial reporting, cost concepts and analysis, product costing and an introduction to cost management, analysis for capital investment decisions, and measurements for management. Business decision- making will be the focus of this course and the business cases approach will be used extensively.

MBA-6050  Corporate Finance  (3 semester hours)  

This course examines financial theory and activities connected with the organization and operations of a business. It explores the relationship between management decisions and financial results, interpretation of financial reports, the development of financial projections, the evaluation of investment decisions, the relationship between risk and return, capital budgeting under risk and uncertainty, the cost of capital, and estimation of the value of a business or a security.

Prerequisite(s): MBA-6045.
MBA-6075  Operations Management  (3 semester hours)  

Operations Management analyzes the role of evidence-based decision-making in manufacturing and service organizations. Topics include production planning, master scheduling, inventory control, material requirements planning, personnel planning, quality control and just-in-time systems. The course will focus on the concepts and methods necessary to direct and control the "transformation process" of resources into goods and services within an integrated framework/model of the firm.

MBA-6085  Ethics and Decision Making  (3 semester hours)  

This course is about leadership ethics and the professional responsibilities of both leaders and organizations. Students will acquire a practical understanding of professional responsibilities to stakeholder groups including investors, customers, employees, suppliers, and the general public. Students will learn to think critically about professional ethics and social responsibility. This course will expose students to ethical issues throughout the business, nonprofit, and government sectors, while allowing students to use critical thinking in analyzing ethics case studies and scenarios in the decision making process. Students will participate in case discussions of ethical issues that are grounded in strategic organizational settings.

MBA-6090  Applied Business Research  (3 semester hours)  

Designed to understand the process by which business leaders respond to business problems. Integrates action research skills and professional business practices and provides an opportunity to apply current research to a business problem.

MBA-6100  Strategic Management  (3 semester hours)  

In this course, all functional disciplines are integrated together in an attempt to look at and comprehend some of the important issues in strategic management. It concentrates on modern analytical approaches and on enduring successful strategic practices. It is consciously designed with a technological and global outlook since this orientation in many ways highlights the significant emerging trends in strategic management. The course is intended to provide students with a pragmatic approach that will guide the environmental analysis, formulation, implementation evaluation and control, and the feedback systems needed to have a successful strategy. This course will cover strategic and tactical planning, budgeting, analysis of decision under uncertainty and change. Issues related to making ethical judgment and leadership are also covered. Teams of students complete strategic analyses, plans and recommendations for individual companies.

Prerequisite(s): MBA-6020; MBA-6030; MBA-6045
Co/prerequisite(s): MBA-6075; MBA-6085.
MBA-6130  Economics  (3 semester hours)  

This is a graduate level introductory course in economics. This course will teach students the basic tools of economics and how to apply these tools to real-world economic policy. This course will help students understand how to evaluate macroeconomic conditions such as unemployment, inflation, and growth; how monetary and fiscal policy can be used to influence macroeconomic conditions; and how to interpret accounts of economic events.

MBA-6200  Human Resource Management  (3 semester hours)  

This course explores the basic concepts of individual and social behavior as they apply to the modern organizational environment and day-to-day issues of human resource management. Specific topics include communication, motivation, training and development, compensation, and labor relations issues. Labor relation issues include minority rights, sexual harassment, and environmental concerns. Emphasis is on organizational development and team building.

MBA-6250  Data Analytics  (3 semester hours)  

This course examines data analysis in business settings. The course stresses the connections between research design, data analysis, and the use of computer software for statistical analysis and reporting. Topics include the use of statistical software, the relationship between quantitative research design and the appropriate selection and use of descriptive and predictive analytics.

MBA-6310  Design Thinking  (3 semester hours)  

An entrepreneurial creativity and innovative mindset are needed for success in the business world. This course aims at developing student understanding of design thinking as a methodology for addressing unstructured, highly complex wicked problems encountered in business, government, and the public sector. Students learn how to employ a business- design framework that includes identifying new business opportunities based on market needs, designing and testing breakthrough concepts, and developing a viable business strategy and multifunctional operating model. As such, this course enables students to work with user-centered innovation to address problems where not all knowledge is available at the outset, i.e., the problem itself is unknown.

MBA-6350  Nonprofit Management and Leadership  (3 semester hours)  

This course will cover principles of effective management in nonprofit organizations, focusing on leadership theory, governance and board relations, legal structure and standards, strategic communications, financial and resource management, personnel, and volunteer management, and program development. This course will offer both an overview of historical best practices in the nonprofit industry, as well as provide some of the research and theory on issues facing current nonprofits so that students can approach problems from a strategic perspective grounded in both theory and practice. The course will integrate real-world examples and experiences to ensure that academic lessons translate to the nonprofit experience.

MBA-6380  Communication Management  (3 semester hours)  

This course addresses the production and distribution of messages both inside and outside of organizations to diverse audiences. This course surveys the theories and processes of strategic communication and its practice by business, government, politicians and nonprofits - in domestic and international arenas. It also emphasizes the application of theory to provide an in-depth understanding of planning, executing and evaluating strategic communication plans.

MBA-6500  Global Business Immersion  (3 semester hours)  

This course focuses on the differences between domestic and international businesses as well as the impact of the global economy on all functions of business.

MBA-6520  Project Management Planning  (3 semester hours)  

Application of Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), Project Management Planning process group to develop scope, manage time and costs, ensure quality, and develop human resources, communication, and risk management strategies for a project.

MBA-6530  Project Management Execution  (3 semester hours)  

Application of Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), Project Management Executing process group to deliver the committed scope, manage time and costs, ensure quality, and recruit and employ human, communication, and risk management resources for a project. Emphasizes timely achievement of plan objectives, techniques for measuring and documenting success, and effective communication of project status. Includes orientation to change management.

MBA-6540  Entrepreneurial Management  (3 semester hours)  

This course will explore and examine the economic and management roles of the entrepreneur. In exploring the entrepreneur, students will be exposed to the theory as well as the experiences associated with entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial acts, and entrepreneurship in all organizational settings - large, small, public and private. Emphasis will be placed on the integration of theories and concepts with personal and historical experiences.

MBA-6550  Comprehensive Healthcare Management  (3 semester hours)  

This course will allow students to learn theories and concepts in organization behavior and health care management and then integrate theories with real world situations. Students will learn to understand diverse perspectives and to work productively with diverse teams. Students will develop the knowledge and skills to analyze strategic issues in health care organizations. Topics that will be discussed include management styles, performance improvement, culture, change, and leadership. Students will also address the roles of regulatory agencies, laws, ethics, and policies on the healthcare industry.

MBA-6560  Leadership of Not-For-Profit Organizations  (3 semester hours)  

This course is designed to apply the key aspects of leadership to leading not-for-profit organizations in both the public and private domains. In typical leadership courses, students study leadership skills, variables, team-building, negotiation and crisis management. In this course students will learn how to apply those skills in not-for- profit organizations. Emphasis will be in the context of leading in an environment of typical not-for-profit problems such as a lack of direct reporting relationships, fundraising and funding challenges, and impact of external influences such as political priorities. Management outcomes will include developing relationships, building coalitions, developing more effective systems, forming more productive management teams, and incenting and measuring performance.

MBA-6610  Leading Organizational Development  (3 semester hours)  

In today's global marketplace the organizations that thrive are the ones that anticipate change and create new adaptations to their business model. Creativity is the key to finding new opportunities and establishing a competitive advantage through collaborative teams and the use of organizational alliances and strategic partnerships. The three subsections are (1) creating competitive advantage through teamwork, (2) global alliances and partners, and (3) emerging topics.

Prerequisite(s): MBA-6030.
MBA-6620  Leading Strategically  (3 semester hours)  

This leadership concentration course addresses how leaders can effectively utilize creative strategies. Students will explore innovative strategies for overcoming barriers to the ethical resolution of conflict and crisis. Students will also discuss moral, ethical, and legal issues that affect the ability to lead an organization. The subsections are (1) creating competitive advantage through teamwork, (2) global alliances and partners, and (3) emerging topics.

Prerequisite(s): MBA-6030.
MBA-6630  Leading Teams  (3 semester hours)  

This leadership concentration course discusses this field in terms of how it has evolved during challenging times. Students will explore the literature on leadership as it applies to the complexities of the current business environment. In addition, the course will focus on what companies can do to develop tomorrow's leaders and how to overcome the inevitable conflict and resistance to change. The three subsections are (1) developing tomorrow's leaders, (2) evolution of leadership, and (3) leading in a complex environment.

Prerequisite(s): MBA-6030.
MBA-6810-9  Selected Topics in Bus Administration  (Variable semester hours)  

This course will address a specific area of study in Business Administration not already covered by other course offerings. Prerequisites vary by topic.

MBA-6940  MBA Internship  (3-6 semester hours)  

The purpose of the MBA Internship is to enable Aurora University students to apply course concepts in a real world, applied. This experience is designed to expand on the learning experience and to integrate and reinforce skills and concepts learned in the classroom. The MBA internship provides a practical experience in a structured business administration context. Permission of the instructor required.

Prerequisite(s): Instructor permission.