Many prospective students ask what they can do to prepare themselves for MBA study. Our Suggested/Recommended MBA Preview & Preparatory Reading list was developed in response to this query.  Included in the list are 1) tools for assessing your strengths and weaknesses, 2) self-study resources for addressing perceived weaknesses, and 3) recommendations for familiarizing yourself with general business knowledge and current topics in business.

B A 691 Foundations of Statistics and Economics 

• A survey and introduction to quantitative methods for managerial decision making in organizations and basic principles of economic analysis.  The course is intended for PMBA only and lays the foundation for further study in the PMBA program.

MGT 691 Foundations of Accounting and Finance

• A survey and introduction to the principles of accounting and major finance concepts that provide the background necessary for understanding accounting concepts involved in financial reporting, decision making, and analysis necessary to participate in a business environment. The course is intended for PMBA only and lays the foundation for further study in the PMBA program.

PMBA 601 - Financial Markets and the Economic Environment of Business

• Measuring economic relationships, analyzing economic forces and constraints which determine the profitability and viability of the firm; demand, costs, production possibilities, pricing of outputs and inputs in varying marketing structure. Application of economic analysis to allocation problems of scarce resources of modern corporations. Includes a study of economic activity, growth and stability resulting from government policy.

PMBA 602 - Strategic Management of Human Capital

• A strategic and analytical approach to complex behavioral problems involving interactions among individuals, groups, and organizations. Includes the design and implementation of management practices as a basis for aligning human resource practices to support and advance the strategic intent of the organization.

PMBA 603 - Quantitative Analysis for Decision Making

• How to interpret partial or sample information; rational approaches to decision making in an atmosphere of uncertainty; operations research: its methods and techniques, when to use it, and how to use it effectively.

PMBA 604 - Strategic Marketing and Supply Chain Management

• Development and execution of marketing strategy plans and management of marketing operations in the U.S. corporate environment, analyzing both the controllable and uncontrollable aspects of the strategy. Special emphasis on the relationship of marketing mix to the ever-changing consumer needs and dynamic business environment.

PMBA 605 - Accounting for Managers

• Financial accounting data analysis to reflect financial position, operating results, and resource flows. Emphasis upon acceptable alternatives yielding substantive differences. Internal accounting data analysis for short- and long-term performance evaluation and profit planning. Emphasis upon cost behavior and profit centers.

PMBA 606 - Managerial Finance

• The role and responsibilities of today's financial manager with special emphasis on advanced tools and techniques for solving complex financial problems. Topics of special interest in budgeting, funds analysis, and allocation will be discussed. Models for financial decision making under conditions of uncertainty will be formulated.

PMBA 609 - Legal and Ethical Foundations in Business

• Governmental regulatory environment of business and commerce including analysis of statutes, court decisions, and rulings affecting policy decisions. Topics include the administrative process, laws affecting securities markets, business associations, Antitrust Act, laws affecting trade, foreign direct investment and foreign exchange, independent regulatory agencies, consumer protection, intellectual property rights, union-management relations, occupational injuries, employment practices, social and ethical problems, and responsibility in business.

PMBA 610 - Strategic Use of Information

• This course is intended to provide an introduction to information systems and their strategic role in organizations. The course blends organizational and managerial concerns with the study of information technologies. It is broadly focused with an orientation toward fundamental principles and concepts.

PMBA 611 - Management of Operations

• Selected survey and case applications of techniques in plant layout, production planning and control, materials management, quality control, and operations research to operations management problem solving, decision making, and policy determination.

PMBA 612 - Managing Transnational Business

• The focus of this course is on understanding the opportunities and challenges associated with developing strategies and managing the operations of companies whose activities cross national boundaries. This course reviews cultural, economic and political issues which global firms must address. Participants will discuss how these external factors affect the various functional areas of business including global strategy, strategic implementation and control, marketing and human resources.

PMBA 613 - Strategic Leadership

• The primary focus of this course is to analyze and understand the problems handled by chief executive officers or senior management in an increasingly competitive and global environment. Concepts discussed include strategy formulation at the corporate (diversification) and business levels, interrelationships between firms and their environments; corporate governance and strategy implementation issues (developing high performance organizations and strategic performance systems).

PMBA 691 - Individual Integration Project

• Students demonstrate interdisciplinary knowledge and range of skills through integration of business concepts mastered in the PMBA Program.  This project is launched in the third quarter of study and culminates in the presentation and submission of a consulting report in the final quarter of study.