Full-Time MBA Curriculum
What Will You Learn in the Full-Time MBA Program?
The Knowledge to Lead What's Next
The Smith Full-Time MBA curriculum prepares you to make sound decisions, lead teams and turn strategy into action in a business world shaped by AI, uncertainty and rapid change. The 48-credit curriculum combines 30 credits of core business courses and 18 credits of execution labs, electives and other applied learning experiences. Upon graduating, you’ll have a strong foundation in a range of business disciplines while building fluency with emerging technologies.
You'll understand how businesses work and connect ideas across functions. You’ll develop deeper expertise in areas aligned with your career goals. Through your coursework and other opportunities, you'll develop the strategic judgment to evaluate risk and lead organizations through complex business challenges.
Build AI Fluency for Business
Build the fluency to understand how AI works, where it can add value and how to use it in a business context. Through coursework and applied projects, you’ll use AI-powered tools and data analytics to explore business problems, strengthen analysis and develop recommendations. You’ll learn to assess AI-generated outputs critically, recognize limitations and consider ethical implications.
Full-Time MBA Curriculum
The Full-Time MBA curriculum combines core business knowledge, specialized electives and action-based learning so you can build expertise and apply it in real-world settings.
Core Business Curriculum – 30 Credits
Build broad business knowledge and strategic judgment to understand how decisions across an organization affect performance and value.
- Data-Driven Decision Making
- Digital Transformation in Business
- Financial Accounting
- Financial Management I
- Financial Management II
- Foundations of AI
- Global Economic Environment
- Leadership and Teamwork
- Machine Learning Methods
- Managerial Accounting
- Managerial Economics
- Marketing Management
- Negotiations
- Operations Management
- Strategic Management
Execution Labs & Electives – 18 Credits
Through Execution Labs, electives and other applied learning experiences, we'll help you connect your business foundation with the targeted skills that support your career goals. In the labs, you’ll draw on coursework, data, AI and sound judgment to plan, execute and deliver professional-grade work under real-world constraints. Electives deepen your knowledge in areas aligned with your professional interests, including the Full-Time MBA focus areas. Together, these experiences help you build functional expertise and the discipline and adaptability to lead through complexity and change.
Full-Time MBA curriculum and focus areas are subject to change.
How Can You Customize Your Full-Time MBA?
Build Expertise for Where You Want to Lead
Focus areas allow you to build deeper expertise beyond the core MBA curriculum. Choose electives that align with your interests and career goals while maintaining the broad business perspective that prepares MBA graduates to lead across functions.
Analyze markets, assess risk and make decisions that create value. A finance focus can deepen the judgment you need to assess investments, allocate resources and connect business strategy to financial performance.
Explore how emerging technologies change how organizations operate and compete. You'll build greater fluency in using emerging technologies to improve decision-making among technology teams and leadership.
Learn how organizations understand their customers and identify growth opportunities that meet their needs. Use AI and emerging technologies to develop consumer insights and create business strategies that connect with audiences and drive growth.
Discover how organizations manage operations, supply networks and resources in an interconnected global economy. You'll strengthen your ability to evaluate operational trade-offs, manage risk and help organizations build more resilient systems.
How Will You Apply What You Learn?
Turn Insight Into Action
Experiential learning is built into the Full-Time MBA, so you will repeatedly practice turning analysis into results. Through Execution Labs, consulting-style projects, case competitions and other applied experiences, you'll work on business challenges that require collaboration, sound judgment and measurable outcomes.
Execution Labs
Execution Labs are the applied core of the Full-Time MBA. These labs give you repeated opportunities to solve business problems rather than simply study them. Across five labs, you'll work with real clients to produce professional-grade deliverables such as prototypes, campaigns, strategic analyses and consulting-style reports.
AI and data analytics are part of the working environment in these labs. You'll use technology to increase speed, precision and insight while considering ethical implications, stakeholder needs and long-term business impact.
Mayer Fund
Gain hands-on investment management experience by helping manage a real investment portfolio. Eligible students can use the experience to deepen their understanding of financial analysis, investment decisions and portfolio management.
Co-curricular Opportunities
Extend your learning through co-curricular activities and campus resources that connect you with new ideas, business challenges and professional networks. Activities can include case competitions, pitch competitions, workshops and speaker events, helping you put your skills into practice.
Participate in case interview competitions, tours and networkers with business leaders at top companies.
Take advantage of impact consulting fellowships, case competitions and Lunch & Learns designed to help you make a difference.
Compete in the Pitch Dingman competition, a venture competition showcasing top student and alumni entrepreneurs.
Can You Earn a Dual Degree With Your MBA?
Expand Your Expertise. Broaden Your Impact.
As a student enrolled in the two-year Full-Time MBA path, you can explore dual-degree opportunities that combine broad business leadership with deeper expertise in another professional field.
Dual-degree requirements vary by program. Most students complete the MBA core curriculum along with the requirements for their second graduate degree. Some programs require a separate application or additional standardized testing. Students pairing their MBA with a business master’s degree program that requires GMAT or GRE scores must also submit the required test scores.
Dual-degree opportunities include:
Have More Questions?
The Smith School's Graduate Admissions Office is here to help. Whether you have questions about the curriculum, admissions requirements, application process or student experience, our team can help you determine if the Full-Time MBA is the right fit for your goals.
Questions? Contact the MBA & Business Master's Admissions Office at 301-405-2559 or mbaprograms@umd.edu.