Classes and Concentrations for the Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Certificate-based Course Plan (30-33 credit hours)
This curriculum plan provides students with two concentrations or majors in their MBA. It also awards professional credentials, or certificates, as a student progresses through the master’s program. Using this plan, you receive certificates in Business Fundamentals and two (2) concentration areas–AI, Finance, Global Supply Chain, Leadership, Marketing–on your way to earning your MBA.
All students must take the MBA Fundamentals Certificate courses, which consist of the following:
Introduces fundamental economic and accounting principles essential for managerial decision making. The course covers microeconomic and macroeconomic analysis, including supply and demand, as well as fiscal and monetary policy. It also addresses financial and managerial accounting concepts such as financial reporting, cost behavior, and performance analysis, integrating conceptual frameworks with quantitative techniques to evaluate organizational performance and economic conditions.
Introduces foundational financial principles for managerial decision making, including key concepts, quantitative techniques, and the role of capital markets. The course addresses the time value of money, rates of return, and valuation, while examining financial instruments and market structures. It also develops understanding of cash flow management, credit, risk, working capital, and financial statement analysis, providing a foundation for advanced study in financial management.
The objectives of this course are to provide students with an understanding of the role of operations managers in commercial organizations and to illustrate how the latter gain competitive advantages in the marketplace through lower costs, better quality, greater productivity, quicker response, and on-time delivery. Students are also instructed on how changes made in these key operational areas are achieved through the application of project management principles, the basics of which are included in the course.
The course will introduce the student to the basic concepts and principles of marketing and their application with a focus on digital and social media marketing. An overarching course objective is to enhance student abilities to cooperate with marketing departments or agencies in their workplace.
Corporate finance is central to the operation of every organization. This course explores the theoretical aspects of corporate finance. The end goal is to provide students with the tools necessary to conduct accurate financial analysis. For students pursuing a career in finance, the topics provide the foundation for an immersion in the science of finance. Students pursuing non-finance careers will receive a complete coverage of finance issues encountered by all senior managers.
Detailed coverage of corporate finance issues is addressed in this course. Topics such as cost of capital, value of the firm, derivative securities, efficient capital markets, capital structure, and others are covered in the context of value maximization. Strong mathematical skills and extensive use of computer-based tools are required. Prerequisite foundation courses are integrated throughout the course. It is assumed that students have a working knowledge of financial accounting, economics, and statistics.
Students then select two certificates/concentrations from five options:
Organizations are collecting more data than ever before, relying on data, not intuition, to make important business decisions. The AI & Analytics concentration focuses on the strategic and advanced uses of data analytics across a broad range of industries and occupations. Courses cover data mining, visualization, modeling and text analysis. A generalized framework for data analytics is woven through the classes that starts with business understanding and goes through the necessary steps to perform the analysis and make optimal business decisions.
- MBA 611 Data Visualization – hybrid
This course focuses on the area of data visualization. This is the process of representing business or scientific data typically in a tabular format as images and charts that can aid in understanding the meaning of the data. - MBA 617 Predictive Analytics – hybrid
This course focuses on data mining. This includes predictive analytics which is the process of using historical and current data to make predictions about future events; cluster analysis, typically called market segmentation; and association analysis, typically called market basket analysis. - MBA 620 Artificial Intelligence – hybrid
This course offers a comprehensive exploration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), equipping students with the skills to leverage the technologies in modern business communications and data analysis. Students will gain hands-on experience with Al agents and ML tools, focusing on prompt engineering and the iterative refinement process of AI to create insightful and actionable outputs across a variety of projects. These include utilizing AI and ML to evaluate business risk, financial risk, and company purchase price. Students will leverage their use of AI to generate detailed written reports supported by AI-driven data visualizations. Students will also use AI agents to create avatars to deliver PowerPoint presentations and promotional videos of their findings to a real-world business professional.
The Finance concentration offers students in-depth knowledge of the areas of corporate finance, portfolio management, and risk management. Professors provide students with a strong foundation in the quantitative aspects of each of these disciplines. Throughout the course of study, a primary emphasis is placed on the practitioner approach to high-level finance.
- MBA 681 Investments– hybrid
Through an in-depth study of portfolio theory and asset-pricing models, students acquire the analytical skills necessary to conduct valuations of equities, fixed-income securities, and alternative investments. This exploration leads to an understanding of the concept of portfolio management and the importance of diversification in controlling portfolio risk. - MBA 683 Financial Engineering – classroom
Students gain a thorough understanding of options, futures, and other financial instruments. Skills are developed in basic pricing analysis, use of pricing models, and trading and hedging strategies. The primary method for teaching these points follows a two-step approach. First, the student will be introduced to standard techniques for pricing, hedging, and other analysis. Second, techniques will be applied through a variety of real world strategies. The end goal is to develop skills which the students can apply in derivative markets.
Note: The 3rd course in the Certificate, MBA 680, is taken in MBA Fundamentals.
The Global Supply Chain Management concentration will give you the tools necessary to compete in an industry segment experiencing constant growth. Supply chain management involves managing raw materials, finished products, developing logistics strategies and analysis of planning through a global network.
- MBA 661 Supply Chain Management – hybrid
Supply Chain Management involves the integration of suppliers, logistics, production facilities, and distribution centers in order for customers to receive the right product, at the right quantity, at the right time. This course explores the key issues involved with the design and management of supply chains specifically focusing on supply chains in industrial organizations. Major elements of supply chain management and key requirements and opportunities involved in supply chain strategy are explored. Both conceptual topics and quantitative tools are presented in this class. - MBA 662 Quality and Process Management – hybrid
A key factor for an organization to remain competitive is its ability to produce goods or deliver services in an efficient and effective way. Quality and Process Management serves as an in-depth examination of quality principles applied specifically to manufacturing, service and supply chain environments. Managerial and statistical aspects of quality as well as ethical and international implications are covered.
Note: The 3rd course in the Certificate, MBA 660, is taken in MBA Fundamentals.
With the complex problems and challenges of our ever-changing world, the need for effective leadership is greater than ever before. The Leadership Concentration provides you with an innovative curriculum focusing on the many facets of leadership in the context of modern organizations. This concentration provides students with the foundations of leadership theories and styles that are used effectively in many settings. Courses provide students with opportunities to explore and develop skills needed to navigate organizational change, influence the culture of corporations and carry out strategic planning efforts.
- MBA 520 Leadership & Ethics – hybrid
This course is designed to prepare students for leadership and to meet the ethical challenges facing modern business entities and nonprofit organizations. The class will introduce the basic frameworks of leadership as well as address moral issues at every organizational level - personal, interpersonal, group and system wide. Topics include identifying personal mission and values; developing character; ethical perspectives; moral reasoning and decision-making formats; ethical organizational communication and influence; ethical group behavior and leadership; the creation of ethical organizational climates; and corporate social responsibility. Several aspects of personal style that are thought to be essential or helpful to effective performance will be addressed. - MBA 663 Negotiation – hybrid
This course emphasizes legitimate and effective use of power to resolve conflicts and mobilize action through understanding the talent and self-interest of people involved in decision-making. This course prepares students to achieve organizational objectives through formal and informal channels. Students will learn to achieve a goal by applying negotiation skills within the formal and informal structures of an organization. Other topics include coalitions, types of power, liaison roles, persuasion, strategies and dynamics of deal-making and practical skills necessary to win in a range of business transactions. - MBA 690 Strategic Management – hybrid
The principal focus of MBA 690 is the application of knowledge from various management disciplines in strategic decision making. There are no specific prerequisites for the course, as it is a component of the standalone Leadership Certificate. Students can however benefit from completing courses in the Business Fundamentals Certificate prior to taking this course. Specific objectives of the course include (a) the application of fundamental business principles in resolving strategic issues; (b) gaining experience in case studies and company analyses; and (c) familiarity with executive decision-making processes. Overall, this course will broaden students’ exposure to different industries, companies, and the multiple levels of strategic issues faced by executives. Students will practice the art of business analysis and decision-making in the environment of economic uncertainty, developing essential skills for success as a manager and executive at commercial, non-profit, and public organizations.
The focus of the Marketing concentration is on the processes and tools for building strategies which deliver superior levels of customer value and organizational profitability. A focus on modern digital marketing and effective marketing communications complete the certificate.
- MBA 641 Integrated Marketing – hybrid
More and more organizations have recognized the need to have multiple areas of business development all on the same page. Whether it is integration functionally or literally, the disciplines of marketing, public relations, planning, government relations, and other sub-disciplines must come together as a unified, coordinated whole. This course concentrates on creating an understanding of Integrated Marketing Communications using a combination of lecture, interactive exercises and guest speakers from the business community. - MBA 644 Strategic Communications – hybrid
Unravel the complexities of communicating for non-profits, service industries, and public relations in this comprehensive course. Explore the unique challenges of each, from navigating fundraising in nonprofits to crafting focused service marketing strategies. Delve into the servicescape–the people, processes, and designs that influence service perception–and understand how public relations and marketing collaborate. Gain practical skills through interactive exercises and learn from industry experts. This course equips you with the confidence and knowledge to thrive in today’s dynamic communication landscape.
Note: The 3rd course in the Certificate, MBA 670, is taken in MBA Fundamentals.
MBA Core Course Plan (30 credit hours)
Alternatively, students can opt for the Core MBA curriculum, which is a collection of ten (10) prescribed courses, including those in Business Fundamentals. The Core MBA covers the broadest range of business disciplines and provides an excellent foundation for careers in general management.
The courses included in the Core MBA are as follows (note that any waived courses will be substituted with electives, allowing the student to add a concentration/certificate):
All managers are required to possess a basic understanding of the legal principles governing business and its transactions. This course is designed as an overview of the basics of business law. The essential elements of tort, contract, agency, and partnership law will be covered.
The UIndy Core Course Plan is a package of pre-selected courses that provides a well-rounded graduate business education. UIndy’s Graduate Programs Manager, Kim Lord (lordk@uindy.edu), can work with you to understand the Core versus Certificate course plans in more detail.
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