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Electives
Smith's MBA electives enable you to build a personalized portfolio of
management knowledge and skills. In addition to acquiring expertise in one or
more functional areas of business, you'll further develop your ability to
analyze, synthesize, and communicate. Elective course content is both
timeless—exploring theories that are the foundation for modern business
practice—and timely—incorporating the "best practices" emerging from today's
technology-powered global markets.
You can choose from a wide range of electives in traditional and
cross-functional areas, selecting courses that meet your professional goals.
Explore in depth a traditional and an e-business area (e.g., marketing and
e-commerce) to build specialized expertise. Or choose two distinct traditional
areas (e.g., marketing and finance) to further develop your cross-functional
management skills.
Once full-time MBA students complete the core classes required to graduate in
College Park, they may choose take elective courses in College Park, Baltimore,
Shady Grove, or Washington, D.C. Part-time MBA students may also take advantage
of electives at College Park, Baltimore, Shady Grove, and Washington, D.C.
(Students who are not residents of the State of Maryland may be subject to
non-resident tuition rates.)
Students may also take a limited number of electives outside the Smith School
of Business by selecting courses from:
A sample listing of course electives offered by the Smith School:
Accounting and Information Assurance
Accounting provides managers with the financial information necessary for
planning business strategy and managing financial assets. Smith's accounting
electives focus on the areas of advanced managerial accounting, financial
statement analysis, and taxation. When combined with courses in information
systems, accounting courses deliver strong preparation for jobs with major
accounting and consulting firms.
Accounting Electives:
- Accounting Information Systems (BUAC 726)
- Advanced Accounting Theory (BUAC 710)
- Financial Planning and Control Systems for Managers and Consultants (BUAC
711)
- Business Law for Managers (BUSI 793)
- Financial Statement Analysis (BUSI 758)
- Impact of Taxation on Business Decisions (BUAC 713)
- International Accounting: A Managerial Perspective (BUAC 715)
Accounting and Information Assurance Department
Business Telecommunications
Telecommunications is now the lifeblood of nearly every organization, and the
Greater Washington area has emerged as the nation's capital of this exciting,
rapidly growing industry. Smith’s telecom electives deliver the combination of
technical skills and management knowledge that MBA graduates have leveraged into
employment with established companies and new ventures, including Commerce One,
Lockheed Martin, American Management Systems, Accenture, and Proxicom.
Business Telecommunication Electives:
- Data Mining (BUDT 726)
- Telecommunications and Technology Policy (BULM 758)
- Data Analysis for Decision-Makers (BUDT 733)
- Telecommunications and the Internet (BUDT 705)
Decision,
Operations and Information Technologies Department
Electronic Commerce
The Internet and the Web are transforming business around the world,
facilitating new kinds of interactions among companies, suppliers, and
customers, as well as within firms. The vast potential of this area has created
a need for managers with a broad understanding of the key trends in
technology-supported applications who can explore emerging new business models.
Graduates have applied their e-commerce studies in a variety of positions
including systems analyst, e-business consultant, and customer relationship
manager.
Electronic Commerce Electives:
- Data Mining (BUDT 736)
- E-commerce: Business Models and Technology (BUSI 780)
- Telecommunications and Technology Policy (BULM 758)
- Managing the Real-Time Supply Chain (BULM 744)
- Web Commerce Security
Decision,
Operations and Information Technologies Department
Entrepreneurship
Drawing on its internationally recognized research faculty, and successful
entrepreneurs, investors and clinical practitioners in the Dingman Center for
Entrepreneurship the program brings together the best that research and
experience have to offer Smith MBAs. The school's Dingman Center for
Entrepreneurship provides networking opportunities with the area's rich base of
technology entrepreneurs and investors through its Baltimore-Washington Venture
Group and Private Investors Network. By participating in the university's $50K
business plan competition, the business plan review course, or the National
Venture Capital Competition, Smith MBAs have ample opportunities to practice
what they learn.
Entrepreneurship Electives:
- Business Plan Review (BUMO 748)
- Corporate Venturing (BUMO 730)
- Creation of High Potential Ventures (BUMO 744)
- New Venture Creation (BUMO 732)
- New Venture Financing (BUSI 771)
- Strategic Growth of Emerging Companies (BUMO 752)
- Technology Entrepreneurship (BUSI 793)
- Technology Transfer and Commercialization (BUMO 743)
- Venture Capital for Investors and Entrepreneurs (BUMO 734)
Dingman
Center for Entrepreneurship
e-Service
The two most important long-term trends in the business world are the
shifting of the economy from goods to services, and the rapid expansion of the
information economy and electronic networks. These two trends converge in the
concept of e-service, which is the provision of service over electronic networks
such as the Internet.
This opportunity has generated significant interest in both practitioner and
academic communities in understanding how the Internet and the network
environment can be harnessed in providing "e-service" Thus, we have private
sector companies investing in IT infrastructure to build eCRM
(electronic-Customer Relationship Management) systems, one-on-one marketing
systems, apply data mining tools to understand their customers better and
provide focused service; in the public sector, organizations and agencies are
rapidly setting up "e-government" systems to provide service to citizens; while
in the academic community there is an increased interest in understanding how
"e-service" impacts consumer behavior their loyalty behavior, and their
expectations about price, quality and service attributes and how this
knowledge can be used to design better framework and systems for service
provision.
Given the interest in e-service and the simultaneous, albeit fractured,
developments in the various sectors, it is understandable that many definitions
and perspectives have emerged regarding "e-service" Some private sector
companies view "e-service" narrowly as information services, while IT
organizations such as Hewlett-Packard have been making "e-service" as their
marketing theme in order to move away from product-centered focus to a
service-centered focus. In some government agencies, "e-service" is viewed as a
means of holding government accountable to its citizens. Other IT companies,
such as Microstrategy, for example, view "e-service" as a purely IT driven
concept. In the academic community, e-service is seen as an overarching
customer-centric concept (Rust and Lemon, 2000).
Put simply, e-service means managing e-commerce from a customer's
perspective. Emphasis in e-service is on the customer rather than the
technology. The focus is on issues such as customer relationships and customer
equity in networked environments, understanding the nature of service quality in
such an environment, and how an e-service customer can best be satisfied. While
these issues all require a knowledge of technology, the primary interest is in
consumer behavior and the maintenance of profitable customer relationships.
Courses in e-Service
- e-Service – discusses the basics of e-service, as described above
- Service Marketing – provides the customer-focused management framework and
tools that are essential to understanding e-service
- e-Commerce: Business Models and Technology (BUSI 780)
- Data Mining (BUDT 726)
Center
for Excellence in Service
Finance
Challenging and comprehensive, finance electives provide a broad
understanding of corporate finance, financial restructuring, securities
analysis, portfolio management, and financial institutions and markets. Smith
has become a leader in finance education by assembling a group of talented
faculty members who are well-recognized industry experts and prominent in
academic circles. A select group of students may also gain practical experience
through the Mayer Fund, a year-long advanced finance program in actual money
management. Recent Smith MBAs have gone onto careers with Credit Suisse First
Boston, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, Deutsche Bank, T. Rowe Price, and Legg Mason
Wood Walker, Inc.
Financial Engineering
Financial engineers combine mathematical skills with an understanding of
financial paradigms to create new financial products and manage risk, thereby
better serving the strategic needs of business organizations. The
multidisciplinary nature of financial engineering is reflected in our
cross-functional curriculum that includes courses in finance, information
systems, management science, operations research, and statistics.
Finance and Financial Engineering Electives:
- Advanced Financial Management (BUFN 714)
- Computational Finance (Financial Engineering) (BUFN 735)
- Fixed Income Securities (BUFN 731)
- Banking and Financial Institutions (BUFN 722)
- Financial Restructuring and Strategy (BUFN 716)
- Futures and Options (BUFN 726)
- International Financial Management (BUFN 724)
- Investment Management (BUFN 700)
- Investment Fund Management (Mayer Fund) (BUFN 738)
- New Venture Financing (BUSI 771)
- Applied Equity Analysis and Portfolio Management (Equities Markets) (BUFN
702)
Finance
Department
Mayer Fund
Global Business and Knowledge Management
These electives when combined with electives from other areas enhance a
student's preparation for a management career in the global, knowledge-based
business environment.
Global Business and Knowledge Management Electives:
- Environment of International Business (BUSI 761)
- Global Business and Knowledge Management (BUSI 762)
- Management of Technology (offered by the Decision and Information
Technologies faculty) (BUSI 790)
- International Marketing (BUMK 753)
- International Financial Management (BUFN 724)
- International Accounting (BUAC 715)
Decision
and Information Technologies Department
Logistics,
Business, and Public Policy Department
Center for
Global Business
Information Systems
Information systems and technologies are fueling the transformation of
corporations to meet the challenges of the knowledge-based economy. Smith offers
a rich selection of courses in this area to prepare students for careers in the
management, design, and implementation of information systems. Smith's IS
curriculum is ranked among the best in the nation by US News & World Report..
Information Systems Electives:
- Modeling and Designing IT Systems (BUDT 703)
- Data Mining (BUDT 732)
- Data Management Systems (BUDT 704)
- E-commerce: Business Models and Technology (BUSI 780)
- Information Technology and Corporate Transformation (BUDT 710)
- Security and Control of Information Systems (BUDT 713)
- Telecommunications and the Internet (BUDT 705)
Decision,
Operations and Information Technologies Department
International Business
International business electives provide a broad look at issues global
organizations face across the enterprise. Taught by faculty with extensive
global research and consulting experiences, students explore international
marketing, finance, management, and organizational behavior strategies. Optional
study abroad activities, including week-long study trips and semester exchange
programs, provide a global business perspective.
International Business Electives:
- Competing in Global High Technology Industries (BULM 758)
- Environment of International Business (BUSI 761)
- Global Business and Knowledge Management BUSI 762)
- International Accounting (BUAC 715)
- International Financial Management (BUFN 724)
- International Logistics and Transportation (BULM 733)
- International Marketing (BUMK 753)
- Global Strategy (BUMO 754)
- Organizational Behavior: A Multi-cultural Perspective (BUMO 722)
Logistics, Business, and Public Policy Department
Center for
Global Business
Management Consulting
As organizational structures become increasingly dynamic, even virtual, there
is growing demand for talented and creative problem solvers who can deliver
expert knowledge across industries. Smith’s elective courses in the areas of
leadership, organizational change, and strategic management help prepare
students to succeed as external and internal consultants.
Change and Organizational Management
Today's competitive, e-powered business environment requires organizations to
constantly reinvent themselves, developing new structures, work processes, and
decision-making techniques that can provide a clear advantage in the
marketplace. These electives equip students with critical knowledge and skills
and practical experience in facilitating organizational change.
Management of Human Capital
Effective recruitment, development, and retention of talented employees is
critical to the success of every organization. These electives consider
traditional personnel functions from a strategic and tactical management
perspective in the context of today's diverse, global business environment.
Management of Strategy
Complex business operations and the competitive global marketplace have
created opportunities for individuals skilled in strategy and executive
management consulting. Smith MBAs have gone to work for McKinsey & Co., Boston
Consulting Group, Monitor, Booz-Allen Hamilton, AT Kearney, Cap Gemini E&Y, iXL,
Commerce One, and many other leading traditional and Internet solution
consulting companies.
Management Consulting Electives:
- Leadership Development (BUMO 712)
- Executive Power and Negotiation (BUMO 714)
- Implementing Strategy: Organizing to Compete (BUMO 751)
- Industry and Competitor Analysis (BUMO 756)
- Global Strategy (BUMO 754)
- Organizational Change (BUMO 722)
- Project Management (BUMO 758)
Management and Organization Department
Management of Technology
These electives examine how firms link technology with corporate strategy and
how the combined strategy is implemented. Taught by faculty who have experience
in this area as both scholars and practitioners, students develop skills in such
key areas as technology-based strategic planning, technology forecasting,
managing innovation, new product development, and technology integration.
Management of Technology Electives:
- Competing in Global High Technology Industries (BULM 758)
- Information Technology and Corporate Transformation (BUDT 710)
- Management of Technology (BUDT 790)
- Marketing High Technology Products (offered by the Marketing faculty) (BUMK
758)
- Telecommunications and Technology Policy (BULM 758)
- Security and Control of Information Systems (BUDT 713)
Decision,
Operations and Information Technologies Department
Management Science
Management science exploits the power of mathematical modeling and analysis
to support complex decision-making at all levels of the business enterprise.
With a comprehensive list of offerings in this area, MBA students learn to apply
their skills and knowledge in areas such as optimizing the design of supply
chains, identifying prime locations of key facilities, and maximizing the
performance of telecommunications networks.
Management Science Electives:
- Data Analysis for Decision Makers (BUDT 733)
- Data Mining (BUDT 736)
- Decision Modeling with Spreadsheets (BUDT 733)
- Management Simulation (BUDT 737)
- Models and Applications in Operations Research (BUDT 725)
- Models for Operations Management (BUDT 724)
Decision,
Operations and Information Technologies Department
Marketing
Smith's elective courses in marketing explore current marketing topics, such
as data-driven marketing and permission marketing, along with traditional
concepts, such as market segmentation and brand management. Students build a
strong portfolio of marketing skills that can be applied in positions with a
variety of organizations, including finance, consumer products, and high-tech
firms. Elective options include consulting, marketing management, market
research and analysis, and product management.
Marketing Electives:
- Consumer Behavior (BUMK 715)
- International Marketing (BUMK 753)
- Marketing High Technology Products (BUMK 740)
- Service Marketing (BUMK 736)
- Marketing Research Methods (BUMK 701)
- Marketing Strategy (BUMK 757)
- Models for Marketing Decisions (BUMK 706)
- Brand Management (BUMK 716)
- Business-to-Business Marketing (BUMK 731)
- Customer Equity Management (BUMK 758)
- Marketing Communication (BUMK 717)
Marketing
Department
Supply Chain Management/Logistics
The demand for managers who can create competitive advantage for their
organizations by delivering customer value through effective supply chain
management has never been greater. Electives in this area emphasize an
understanding of the latest tools and systems including real-time, e-supply
chain technologies; optimization planning software; and modeling and analysis
applications. Students gain hands-on experience with supply chain technologies
in the Supply Chain Management Center Laboratory.
Supply Chain/Logistics Electives:
- International Logistics and Transportation Management (BULM 733)
- Logistics Management (BULM 732)
- Managing Technology in the Supply Chain (BULM 742)
- Managing the Real-time Supply Chain (BULM 744)
- Models of Operations Management (offered by the Decision and Information
Technologies faculty) (BUDT 724)
- Transportation Management (BULM 730)
- Additional MBA electives in this area:
- Business Law (BUSI 793)
- Environment of International Business (BUSI 761)
- Management of High Technology, Research and Development (BUSI 791)
Logistics, Business, and Public Policy Department
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