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Master of Business Administration (MBA): Curriculum

Curriculum Details

36–48 total credits required

Scranton’s MBA program is part of the Kania School of Management, which is among an elite 10 percent of U.S. business schools to have earned accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International.

Average program duration is two to three years, depending on specialization. Specializations include Accounting, Business Analytics, Enterprise Resource Planning, Finance, Healthcare Management, Human Resources Management, International Business, Operations Management, as well as a General MBA specialization option so you can build your MBA to suit your goals.

Students who need the appropriate foundational background will be required to take the modules. Based on the student’s prior academic preparation and work experience, some or all of these one-credit modules may be waived.

Cornerstone Course

This course revolves around one of the most significant and controversial concepts of the 21st century. Sustainable Development (SD) involves ethical, environmental and economic issues. The course will analyze and reflect on the relationship between SD, business and all affected stakeholders through case studies, reading, discussions, and guest lecturers.

Accounting, Economics, and Finance Core

The student develops a deeper understanding of accounting as the “language of business” and the ways in which it can be employed to help managers perform within their organizations. Emphasis is placed on ways to use, analyze, and interpret accounting data in planning and controlling organizational activities. Selected techniques required for analysis and managerial decision making are introduced.

An intensive study of the problems of value and costs, including demand theory, empirical demand analysis, production theory, cost theory linear programming applications in resource allocation and cost analysis, empirical cost analysis, market structure and pricing theory, pricing practice and the role of government in the private economy.

Principles of policy formation in the modern corporation; the institutions, instruments and customary procedures that influence the determination of corporate policy; and the reasons for choices in seeking solutions to specific financial problems. A case approach will be utilized to cover problems of working capital management, capital budgeting, and capital structure. Computerized approaches to financial problems will be emphasized.

Operations, Analytics, and Information Core

This course is designed to emphasize the strategic importance of operations management to the overall performance of the enterprise. Topics include: product and process planning and design, forecasting, facility location and layout, production staffing, job design and work measurement, capacity planning, aggregate planning, inventory management, requirements planning, operations scheduling, Just-in-time, and quality assurance.

Business analytics is widely recognized as a strategic weapon in today’s competitive business environment as being merely a supporting tool. As the gateway to the MBA specialization in Business Analytics, the goal of this introductory course is to provide an overview and exposure to the areas of descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics. It will combine the study of key analytics concepts with hands-on exercises in data visualization and mining, statistical and predictive modeling, optimization and simulation.

The course is designed to educate students to the importance of information systems in managing profit as well as not-for-profit organizations such as: manufacturing, banking and health care. The course emphasizes the role of information systems to increase productivity, to improve the quality of products and services, and to insure overall effectiveness of organizational operations. The course introduces the student to information and communication technologies; information system evaluation and development processes; information technology applications for problem solving and management decision making; and use of information technologies to transaction processes and customer service. Appropriate application software will be used to get hands-on experience, to analyze cases, and to complete the class project. The student is expected to have basic knowledge of computing skills.

Management and Marketing Core

A primary goal of an organization is the improved performance of individuals and work groups within the organization. Organizational behavior is the field of study that investigates and explains those concepts or theories which are vital in current management practices dealing with job performance.

Analysis of the conceptual and tactical mechanisms of marketing management with emphasis on how today’s firms and institutions mobilize their resources to achieve market penetration, sales volume, and satisfactory profits. Marketing planning with control and implementation of strategies as major aspects of decision making. Also, exploring market opportunities and formulation of marketing policies (marketing mix) exemplified through case studies.

Accounting (ACC) Specialization

This course is concerned with the principles, methods, and techniques necessary for providing the reporting needs of an organization in an integrated management and information technology environment. It uses an ERP software package to demonstrate the integration of both financial and nonfinancial information systems with an organization’s operating processes to produce managerial reporting capabilities in real time. This course is not open to those students who have received credit for ERP 514.

Accounting for international business; accounting control for the multinational enterprise, global accounting theory and practice, social accounting concepts, tax aspects of foreign transactions, and international financial reporting to investors. This course is not open to those students who have received credit for ACC 475 or its equivalent.

A critical study of the major accounting pronouncements on general purpose financial statements. Research tools such as FARS will be used to analyze annual reports and SEC filings.

Internal control and auditing issues relating to EDP systems, including the organization, equipment, and applications controls; statistical sampling issues; and audit issues relating to certain operating cycles.

This course is directed at graduate students having an accounting and tax background. The course will examine tax regulations applicable to partnerships, limited-liability companies/partnerships, corporations, S corporations, and estates and trusts. The emphasis will be on tax planning.

Advanced study of the use of accounting information in the decision-making necessary for planning, organizing, directing, and controlling a firm’s operations, including budgeting, performance evaluation, statistical analysis, and transfer pricing. The behavioral implications of the processes discussed will be addressed throughout the course. This course is not open to those students who have received credit for ACC 462.

View Course Abstract

This course is designed to enhance the students’ communication skills as applied to accounting-related situations. Course activities include presentations, written assignments and projects in various areas of accounting such as financial reporting, cost management, business evaluation and assurance services (Not open to students who have received credit for ACC 465).

This course is designed to provide a student with an understanding of the critical role that ethics plays in the accounting profession and will advance his/her ability to effectively navigate ethical dilemmas commonly faced by professional accountants. In addition, the student will gain an understanding of current codes of ethics and ethical pitfalls to avoid during his/her career.

This course examines the most common means by which financial reporting fraud is committed. A case study approach is combined with discussions of the accounting and legislative (e.g. Sarbanes-Oxley Act) issues surrounding the commission, prevention, and detection of financial reporting fraud.

This course provides the student with an understanding of the more common forms of occupational fraud and abuse, including: skimming, cash larceny, billing schemes, check tampering, payroll schemes, and expense reimbursement schemes. Special attention is given to the means by which these frauds are typically committed.

Business Analytics (BA) Specialization

Data mining refers to an analytic process designed to explore “big data” in search of consistent patterns and/or systematic relationships between variables, and to validate the findings by applying the detected patterns involved in a variety of phases that will involve data preparation, modeling, evaluation, and application. The instructor will provide hands-on demonstrations using a variety of data mining techniques (e.g. classification, association analysis, clustering, text mining, anomaly detection, feature selections) using widely adopted data mining software tools.

This course focuses on using the programming language R in the field of business analytics. Students will be exposed to the wealth of information in R and its packages as it relates to data visualization, regression models, regression trees, text mining, clustering, and optimization.

This course deals with the study of quantitative forecasting techniques which include exponential smoothing, classical decomposition, regression analysis and Box-Jenkins (ARIMA) methodology, as well as qualitative (judgmental) methods.

This course focuses on the use of simulation modeling as a tool to analyze various business applications in the face of risk/uncertainty. Students will gain hands-on experience in using an appropriate software to build simulation models to tackle applications in project management, inventory stocking policies, financial planning, and revenue management.

This course focuses on the overall structure of database management applications with emphasis on the relational approach. Topics covered include: database design, data dictionaries, query system, methods of storage and access, data definition and manipulation, data security and integrity, recovery and concurrence, distributed database management. Students will learn to design and implement database applications using micro and/or mainframe computers.

(Prerequisites MBA 501C) This course focuses on the use of data visualization within data analysis. Students will learn what data visualization is, storytelling within data visualization and best practices using data visualization. Students will gain hands on experience using Tableau software which is a top visualization tool used in the business world today as well as a top software skill that employers in numerous fields seek.

(Prerequisite MBA 501 C or permission of instructor) Business Intelligence (BI) systems are sophisticated analytical tools that attempt to present complex organizational and competitive information in a manner that allows decision makers to make effective decisions in a timely manner. This course will explore the capabilities and benefits of intelligence systems, data warehousing, and data mining techniques. This course will investigate business intelligence gathering techniques as well as providing hands-on experience. This course is not open to those students who have received credit for MIS 548.

(Prerequisite BUAN 571) Study of selected topics in business analytics such as advanced concepts in clock chain technology, crypto currency, and data mining algorithms (e.g., K-means, Naive Bayes, Decision Trees, and Random Forests).

(Prerequisite MBA 501A) The course focus is on the use of multivariate statistics. Following review of basic statistical inference concepts, students will gain hands-on experience in applying methods in the context of addressing business problems from different functional areas (e.g., marketing, finance, operations). Methods used in both supervised (i.e., predictive modeling) and unsupervised (i.e., pattern recognition) scenarios are covered, such as multiple regression, logistic regression, conjoint analysis, factor analysis, and cluster analysis. Students will use appropriate software (e.g., Minitab, SPSS) for data analysis.

(Prerequisite MBA 504B or by permission of the instructor) The course focuses on a enterprise wide strategy to create a successful customer relationship management program and maintain it on an ongoing basis, by utilizing systems, tools, and techniques that develop a shared view of the customer throughout the enterprise, and using best practice offerings tailored to the appropriate customer relationship life cycle stage. SAP-CRM software platform is utilized for the course. This course is not open to those students who have received credit for ERP 512.

(Prerequisite BUAN 571) This course provides an introduction to programming with Python. Students will learn how to solve business problems related to data processing and analysis using Python including how to use the proper techniques to uncover business insights. The course also provides an overview of Python programming language and the Pandas package for data analysis.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Specialization

This course overviews business processes across marketing, procurement, production and finance as one integrated customer-oriented value chain to be managed from the perspective of the overall enterprise. It examines the optimization of business processes and their integration through the effective deployment of enterprise systems technology such as SAP R/3.

An in-depth look at the planning and control of material flow and production activities in a manufacturing organization. Topics Include: forecasting, sales and operations planning, demand management, master production scheduling, material requirements planning, production execution, and just-in-time systems. Hands-on exercises using ERP software will serve to reinforce the interconnectedness of operations with the other business functional areas. This course is not open to those students who have received credit for OM 547.

This course focuses on an enterprise wide strategy to create a successful customer relationship management program and maintain it on an ongoing basis, by utilizing systems, tools, and techniques that develop a shared view of the customer throughout the enterprise, and using best practice offerings tailored to the appropriate customer relationship life cycle stage. SAP-CRM software platform is utilized for the course. This course is not open to those students who have received credit for MKT 512.

This is an eight-week online MBA course, which focuses on the short-term financial management of a firm. The course uses SAP to keep track of inventory, cash, receivables, and payables of a firm. The course develops financial models to maintain the firm’s current assets and liabilities at the optimal level. This course is not open to those students who have received credit for FIN 587.

This course is concerned with the principles, methods, and techniques necessary for providing the reporting needs of an organization in an integrated management and information technology environment. It uses an ERP software package to demonstrate the integration of both financial and nonfinancial information systems with an organization’s operating processes to produce managerial reporting capabilities in real time. This course is not open to those students who have received credit for ACC 514.

Business Intelligence (BI) systems are sophisticated analytical tools that attempt to present complex organizational and competitive information in a manner that allows decision makers to make effective decisions in a timely manner. This course will explore the capabilities and benefits of intelligence systems, data warehousing, and data mining techniques. This course will investigate business intelligence gathering techniques as well as providing hands-on experience. This course is not open to those students who have received credit for MIS 548.

Finance (FIN) Specialization

A detailed survey of the more important financial institutions of the United States in order to determine their functions and interrelations in the national economy. Monetary and fiscal policy. Material covered will assist the student to understand better the economic, social and political scene in America.

A case oriented approach to financial decision making with emphasis on current management, capital budgeting, capital structure, mergers, and bankruptcy.

A detailed study of the investment environment and the process of investment management. Topics covered include the study of equity and debt markets, options and futures markets, stock and bond valuation models, portfolio selection theory, bond portfolio management and the use of derivative securities for hedging risk.

A detailed survey of the financial decision process in multinational corporations. Topics include the international finance environment, foreign exchange markets, measuring and managing foreign exchange risks, financing the global firm, foreign investment decisions, managing multinational operations, and other advanced issues in multinational finance.

The course develops the theory of option pricing based on the Black-Scholes model. It then applies these ideas to the use of options in investment strategies and in portfolio management. The students get hands-on experience with real-time data to assess the feasibility of various investment opportunities in options markets.

This course develops the fundamental concepts of portfolio theory in the risk-return framework. Different analytical tools for risk management; optimization, duration, immunization, and portfolio insurance are considered. The students are required to construct and maintain a simulated portfolio using real data.

This is an eight-week online-MBA course, which focuses on the short-term financial management of a firm. The course uses SAP to keep track of inventory, cash, receivables, and payables of a firm. The course develops financial models to maintain the firm’s current assets and liabilities at the optimal level. This course is not open to those students who have received credit for ERP 513.

Healthcare Management (HCM) Specialization

Impact of legal factors affecting patient/client care and the operations and administration of healthcare facilities and systems. Examines principles and practices of law, legal relationships, sources of law and legal processes affecting the health services system. Conceptual foundations are drawn from the political sciences.

Operating and administrative issues and problems in health and hospital systems with emphasis given to hospital operation, organization, and administration. The future role of acute care is examined in the context of integrated delivery models and systems.

This course provides an introduction to global healthcare services and systems. Provides a foundation for comparing and analyzing cultural, historical, geographic, environmental, economic and political factors that influence health. Examines determinants of health and illness, health status, public health, health policy and global healthcare management.

This required graduate course studies managerial epidemiology, access to care, health services, health providers, workforce, technology, financing, insurance, health policy, health planning, quality, and the evolution and structure of the U.S. health care system. Conceptual foundations come from systems theory, epidemiology, sociology, political science, and economics.

This course provides an introduction to the health informatics discipline, as the foundation for further study in this inter-professional /multidisciplinary field. This course traces the history of health data management and the role of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) and other clinical informatics applications in healthcare organizations. This course provides knowledge essential for self-selection of subspecialty or pursuit of general practice within the health informatics field. Emphasis is given to clinically transformative technologies, communication processes and information practices in health care.

Exposure to complex problems and case studies with a focus on healthcare providers. This course develops skills in analysis, synthesis and evaluation of advanced financial management theories, principles, concepts and techniques. Topics include: quantitative analysis in financial management, premium rate setting, cost and utilization rates, advanced managerial accounting concepts, variance analysis, HMO rate setting, private and public healthcare reimbursement systems under managed care, financial aspects of integration, and managing resources.

Human Resources Management (HR) Specialization

The course examines staffing processes designed to support an organization’s business strategy and enhance its effectiveness. Contemporary methods used to move people into, through, and out of the organization are emphasized.

This course explores the concept of workplace learning at the individual, group, and organizational levels. Adult learning and development theories provide the framework to understand the elements of effectively designed learning interventions that can enhance the overall performance of the organization.

Strategic and operational decisions in the design and coordination of a total rewards system are presented. Job analysis, job evaluation, pay structures, pay-for-performance plans, performance management, benefits, and legal issues in compensation are explored.

This course examines the need for development and implementation of employee relations interventions, including human resources policies and procedures and the role of organized labor and collective bargaining in the workplace.

International Business (IB) Specialization

It is a comprehensive study of macroeconomics designed to examine how macroeconomic events and policies, both national and global can shape the strategic decisions in a business organization. Emphasis is on the analysis of macroeconomic data and understanding their importance in the managerial decision making process.

Accounting for international business; accounting control for the multinational enterprise, global accounting theory and practice, social accounting concepts, tax aspects of foreign transactions, and international financial reporting to investors. This course is not open to those students who have received credit for ACC 475 or its equivalent.

A detailed survey of the financial decision process in multinational corporations. Topics include the international finance environment, foreign exchange markets, measuring and managing foreign exchange risks, financing the global firm, foreign investment decisions, managing multinational operations, and other advanced issues in multinational finance.

This course provides an introduction to global healthcare services and systems. Provides a foundation for comparing and analyzing cultural, historical, geographic, environmental, economic and political factors that influence health. Examines determinants of health and illness, health status, public health, health policy and global healthcare management.

This course provides an integrated approach to the international environment of the corporation. It offers an overview of the patterns and theories of international business transactions including trade and foreign direct investment; determination of foreign exchange rates; international corporate strategies; and the effects of government policies on the global business.

A basic graduate course in international management, this course focuses on the set of strategy decisions facing the multinational corporation. It will also focus on the external and internal variables that influence the choice and outcome of strategies. The specific strategies covered are entry/ownership, sourcing, control, marketing, financial, human resources, and public affairs. Other topics include the division of labor and resource allocation on a worldwide basis, cultural issues, and issues of nationalism.

A study of the managerial problems in international marketing, covering factors affecting international markets in different cultural areas of the world.

This course focuses on the design, operation, and control of supply chains in the global context. Topics include: supply chain strategy, risk pooling and inventory placement, distribution systems, network design and transportation, strategies for managing product variety, supply chain coordination, revenue management, and decision support systems for supply chain operations. Issues specific to global sourcing, and risk management in international supply chains will be explored.

Operations Management (OM) Specialization

This course focuses on the design, operation, and control of supply chains in the global context. Topics include: supply chain strategy, risk pooling and inventory placement, distribution systems, network design and transportation, strategies for managing product variety, supply chain coordination, revenue management, and decision support systems for supply chain operations. Issues specific to global sourcing, and risk management in international supply chains will be explored.

Data mining refers to an analytic process designed to explore “big data” in search of consistent patterns and/or systematic relationships between variables, and to validate the findings by applying the detected patterns to new data subsets. using a hands-on data mining project, students will be involved in a variety of phases that will involve data preparation, modeling, evaluation and application. The instructor will provide hands-on demonstrations using a variety of data mining techniques (e.g. classification, association analysis, clustering, text mining, anomaly detection, feature selections) using widely adopted data mining software tools.

This course will examine advanced project management concepts covering all phases of the project lifecycle (from requirement specification through post-project assessment). Special emphasis will be placed on understanding projects within the context of complex organizational settings, the need for implementing change, and in particular, managing the strategic change process. The Project Management Institute’s standard (PMBOK Guide, 2000) outlining the current articulated body of knowledge will be heavily utilized.

This course deals with the study of quantitative forecasting techniques which include exponential smoothing, classical decomposition, regression analysis and Box-Jenkins (ARIMA) methodology, as well as qualitative (judgmental) methods. The emphasis is on their practical application in various business forecasting situations. Issues important in the selection of appropriate forecasting methodology such as data requirements, forecast accuracy, time horizon, and cost are discussed.

Quality Management provides the means for the organization to define its culture and to support the constant attainment of customer satisfaction through an integrated system of tools, techniques, and training. Topic coverage focuses on applying various continuous improvement techniques such as statistical process charts and assessment frameworks (e.g., Deming’s philosophy, Baldrige Criteria, ISO 9000) in order to achieve world class quality.

An in-depth look at the planning and control of material flow and production activities in a manufacturing organization. Topics Include: forecasting, sales and operations planning, demand management, master production scheduling, material requirements planning, production execution, and just-in-time systems. Hands-on exercises using ERP software will serve to reinforce the interconnectedness of operations with the other business functional areas.This course is not open to those students who have received credit for ERP 511.

Miscellaneous Advanced Electives

The course focuses on an enterprise wide strategy to create a successful customer relationship management program and maintain it on an ongoing basis, by utilizing systems, tools, and techniques that develop a shared view of the customer throughout the enterprise, and using best practice offerings tailored to the appropriate customer relationship life cycle stage. SAP-CRM software platform is utilized for the course. This course is not open to those students who have received credit for ERP 512.

Marketing Research is studied as the basis for decision making, for analysis of markets, and for evaluation of marketing strategies through systematic gathering of information and evidence. The foundations and methodology of research, including behavioral sciences and multivariate analysis, are discussed. Research projects are conducted by the class participants and research applications to marketing problems are exemplified.

Designing individual and group behavior systems, contemporary topics on designing organizational systems for better utilization of human resources.

Business Intelligence (BI) systems are sophisticated analytical tools that attempt to present complex organizational and competitive information in a manner that allows decision makers to make effective decisions in a timely manner. This course will explore the capabilities and benefits of business intelligence systems, data warehousing and data mining techniques. The course will investigate business intelligence gathering technologies as well as providing hands-on experience.

This course focuses on the overall structure of database management applications with emphasis on the relational approach. Topics covered include: database design, data dictionaries, query system, methods of storage and access, data definition and manipulation, data security and integrity, recovery and concurrence, distributed database management. Students will learn to design and implement database applications using micro and/or mainframe computers.

Data mining refers to an analytic process designed to explore “big data” in search of consistent patterns and/or systematic relationships between variables, and to validate the findings by applying the detected patterns to new data subsets. using a hands-on data mining project, students will be involved in a variety of phases that will involve data preparation, modeling, evaluation and application. The instructor will provide hands-on demonstrations using a variety of data mining techniques (e.g. classification, association analysis, clustering, text mining, anomaly detection, feature selections) using widely adopted data mining software tools.

Capstone Course

This course introduces the student to methodologies for examining strategic policy issues of organizations, primarily business organizations. In providing the student with opportunities to devise policy solutions, the course draws on all of the functional areas in the MBA curriculum. The course provides a capstone experience in which students will develop, present, and defend their own policy solutions for a real company.

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Foundation Module: Decision-Making Concepts and Tools

This course module is intended to develop the statistical concepts and techniques that are needed to make business decisions. Topics to be covered include detailed coverage of descriptive statistics, probability theory (including Bayes’ Theorem), and discrete and continuous probability distributions with an emphasis on business applications. A survey of modern statistical methods covering sampling distributions, interval estimation, hypothesis testing, and regression and correlation analysis will be discussed.

An introduction to the quantitative approaches used in today’s businesses to solve decision problems. Topics will include overviews of linear programming, spreadsheet modeling, project scheduling, waiting line systems, and simulation.

An introduction to computers and how they can be applied to the operations and management of business firms. Topics include data-processing concepts, overview of computer hardware and software, modern data and information processing systems, and applications of computers in business.

Foundation Module: Accounting Analysis and Business Law

An introduction to the basic principles and techniques of financial accounting. Emphasizes the accounting process and the interpretation and use of basic financial statements.

Emphasis is placed on ways to use, analyze and interpret accounting data in planning and controlling organizational activities. Selected techniques required for analysis and managerial decision-making are introduced.

This course module provides the fundamental legal concepts including a basic knowledge of domestic and global legal environments; legal forms of business organization; essential concepts of tort, contract and property law; specific federal regulatory agencies controlling Environmental Protection, Anti-Trust and Consumer Protection; and aspects of employment law.

Foundation Module: Economics and Finance

Intended to provide a foundation in microeconomics for MBA students, this is an intensive course that stresses functioning of the market system. It introduces students to applications of microeconomics in business decisions.

Intended to provide a foundation in macroeconomics for MBA students, this is an intensive course that introduces the student to macroeconomic theory and applications as they pertain to the business decisions. Topics include measurement of GDP, inflation, monetary and fiscal policy, fluctuations, and growth.

Intended to provide a foundation in finance for MBA students, this is an intensive course that introduces students to financial decision making process and to the tools and techniques of financial analysis.

Foundation Module: Management and Marketing

This module will examine major functions of management from an applied perspective. Emphasis will also be placed on understanding organizational structure and processes. Extensive use will be made of class discussion and case analysis. Modules will also address skills managers must develop in working with others.

The MBA module in marketing is designed to introduce students to the basic techniques of analyzing customers and formulating integrated product development, pricing, distribution, and communication programs.

A functional review of how to manage the activities involved in the process of converting or transforming resources into products or services. Topics include an overview of strategic decisions, forecasting, basic inventory models, aggregate planning and master scheduling, materials requirements planning, and scheduling operations.

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