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Elective Course Descriptions

During the course of their program, MBA students take four elective courses. In addition to the courses listed below, specialty electives may be offered from time to time based on faculty interest, student demand, and emerging events in business. These are offered as Special Topics classes and may be used as part of the appropriate concentration.

Concentrations are offered in three areas: Finance, General Management, and Strategic Leadership. In order to obtain certification in either Finance or Strategic Leadership, it is necessary to complete 12 credit hours of elective courses in that area. To obtain certification in General Management, the student may complete 12 credit hours from among any of the elective courses.

Finance Concentration

The Finance concentration is designed to give students an understanding of the theory and practice of financial decision-making. The curriculum covers concepts in investment theory and portfolio management, financial instruments, and global financial issues. It will allow students to combine the broad MBA education with specific skills necessary to be a successful financial analyst or manager. Students will specialize in controlling the resource investments required to support an enterprise's operating activities, planning and negotiating appropriate financing arrangements to support these investment requirements, and managing the risks inherent in an enterprise's investment and financing activities. The concentration is designed for those seeking advancement or employment in banks, brokerage firms, investment banks or other institutions that make financial decisions. (All courses have the core course MBA 510 Financial Management as a prerequisite.)

MBA 512 Investments. Covers the structure, trading, and valuation of financial instruments in dynamic competitive markets. Both money markets and capital markets are examined with an emphasis on longer-term investing. The course uses a blend of theoretical and practical approaches to investment strategies. Specific topics include market efficiency, yield and rate of return analysis, risk measurement, asset pricing theory, portfolio theory, valuation models, futures, and derivative contracts.

MBA 513 Portfolio Management and Analysis. Techniques for analyzing and evaluating financial data for security selection are explored. Security markets, investment theories, valuation techniques and applied investment concepts are discussed. Emphasis is on political theory, risk/return objectives, and portfolio monitoring. Global diversification and resultant effects are treated within the context of constructing security portfolios. Prerequisite: MBA 512 Investments.

MBA 514 Global Financial Management. Tools and concepts used to identify and analyze risks in dynamic international financial markets are addressed. The course is designed in three modules. The first module provides a foundation in currency valuation, currency markets, parity theories, and balance of payments phenomena. The second module examines hedging concepts and practices. Applications of forward, future, option, and swap contracts are emphasized. The last module focuses on different approaches to the management of transaction, translation, and operating exposures of a firm. Case studies are employed as integrating exercises.

MBA 516 Corporate Governance. This class will examine recent corporate scandals and critically evaluate proposed reforms. Topics to be covered include the Sarbanes Oxley Act, earnings management, responsibilities of the board, external auditors and financial analysts, role of institutional investors, moral and ethical issues, and executive compensation. The class will make use of extensive outside speakers, including attorneys, analysts, and high-level executives.

MBA 518 Technical Analysis. Provides an overview of the various analytic techniques utilized in the discipline by professional technicians. Emphasis will be placed on analytical and statistical methodologies used in measuring the primary factors governing the pricing of securities in the marketplace. Interaction of technical analysis with fundamental research will also be examined.

MBA 519 Selected Topics: Fixed Income and Derivatives. The course focuses on institutional features, pricing, and risk management in fixed income and derivative markets. In the fixed income area, major topics include fixed income securities, bond sectors and yield spreads, interest rate risk, and valuation of bonds with embedded options. Topics in the derivatives area include pricing of forward and futures contracts, option payoffs and strategies, option pricing, and hedging. Course materials are taken from CFA required readings, so the course is especially useful for students who wish to take Levels I and II of the CFA exam.

Strategic Leadership Concentration

The concentration in Strategic Leadership is designed to prepare students for leadership roles in tomorrow's organizations. Courses within the concentration have two primary foci: (1) helping students develop individual interpersonal skills that will enhance their likelihood of success as executives and (2) providing students a more global organizational perspective so that they might understand how to strategically lead an organization in a dynamic marketplace. Featured content includes change management, negotiations, entrepreneurship, and issues in groups and teams. (All courses have the core course MBA 530 Organizational Behavior as a prerequisite.)

MBA 531 Leadership. Designed to assist MBA students in making the transition from theory to application in the science and art of leadership. Its focus is on what a leader does in the work environment. The emphasis is on leader/employee interactions and the behaviors required to be an effective leader.

MBA 532 Mergers and Acquisitions. Explores how mergers and acquisitions can achieve the strategic growth objectives of a corporation. The issues raised in merger and acquisition decisions are addressed, specifically (1) negotiation strategies, (2) valuation analysis, (3) strategic fit, (4) effects of competitive bidding, and (5) problems with post-acquisition integration. The alternative mechanisms for corporate diversification such as joint and internal ventures are also explored. Prerequisite: MBA 510 Financial Management.

MBA 534 Negotiations. Multi-disciplinary study of concepts related to bargaining and negotiations. Situations involving interpersonal behavior and group conflict will be examined, using research findings from several disciplines.

MBA 536 New Venture Planning and Financing. Uses a combined case and lecture approach for the study of entrepreneurship, new venture creation, and growth. The course covers the financial, strategic, legal, and market-related elements of new venture creation. Topics include opportunity recognition, business planning, and alternative financing means. Students write a business plan as part of the course. Prerequisite: MBA 510 Financial Management.

MBA 539 - Selected Topics: Leading Organizational Change. An exploration of issues relating to the planning and implementation of organizational change. Students will discuss and apply skills and tactics for leading organizational change as internal consultants. A consulting skills inventory identifying individual consulting-related strengths and developmental needs will be completed; each phase of the consulting process (i.e., contracting and role negotiation, assessment and diagnosis, action-planning, implementation and evaluation) will be practiced.

MBA 539 - Selected Topics: Strategic Process Improvement (Including Six Sigma). An exploration of proven contemporary improvement approaches for transforming organizational culture and resultant performance. Participants will demonstrate application of these philosophies, tools, and techniques (including the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program, Balanced Scorecard, and Lean Six Sigma) through hands-on application and classroom interaction.

General Management Concentration

The concentration in General Management is designed to provide students with a broad overview of the business disciplines. Following the approach of a traditional MBA, this concentration allows students to choose their elective courses from any of the business school's departments including marketing, accounting, finance, economics and management. By tying together elective offerings from a variety of subjects, the General Management concentration provides flexibility in the course of study and expands the breadth of a student's knowledge.