Full-Time MBA Curriculum
The Smith School’s STEM-designated MBA curriculum has been carefully designed to develop the skills you need for long-term success. While you’ll leave Smith with a solid foundation in leadership and the functional areas of business, what will truly set you apart is the ability to make data-informed decisions to create exceptional value for your organization.
You’ll be trained to acquire relevant information, ask the right questions, and apply keenly honed critical thinking–preparing you for leadership in the uncertainty of the complex modern business landscape.
You'll be exposed to a breadth of business problems, ranging from data interpretation to management challenges, that will help you develop a comprehensive understanding of the business world and prepare you for whatever the future brings.
Fall 1
Financial Accounting
Managerial Economics
Finance
Data-Driven Decision Models
Leadership and Teamwork
Marketing
Spring 1
Operations Management
Data Analytics
Strategic Management
Fall 2
Strategic and Transformational IT
Managerial Accounting
Spring 2
Global Economic Environment
Integrative Capstone
MBA Specializations
Smith’s MBA specializations allow you to focus your studies around a particular field or career path through a series of targeted electives. Take all courses available in your specialization, or mix and match courses to suit your career goals.
Specializations are built through offerings of electives, and thus may be subject to change.
AI and Business Strategy
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Finance
Marketing
Sustainability
Consulting
Acquire a body of knowledge that will help you fully understand and strategically use AI in the business world. In this specialization, you'll analyze real business cases addressing the numerous uses and functionalities of AI in business. You'll also address a variety of topics related to AI, including its value, return on investment, ethical use, short- and long-term impacts and the future of work itself. This specialization is best suited for MBA students who want to excel in business positions requiring cutting-edge technological solutions.
Discover the best ways to start a business and bring innovation into the market. This specialization will help you understand which types of ideas and technologies are most valuable in the market, and how to thrive in the current entrepreneurial ecosystem. You can also get valuable, hands-on experience partnering with startups and other businesses through the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship. The entrepreneurship and innovation specialization is best suited for MBA students pursuing careers in corporate innovation.
Build knowledge and skills to help companies make strategic investment decisions, value their assets, and manage their financial risk. Advance in your career using the latest financial technology and programming languages. Full-time MBA students with a finance specialty can be selected to manage the Mayer Fund, which provides students hands-on experience helping the fund meet its long-term performance goals. The finance specialization is a great fit for MBA students interested in pursuing a career in investment banking, financial management, or as a financial analyst.
Build knowledge and skills to make strategic marketing decisions including creating effective marketing campaigns and launching and managing new products. You will become proficient in applying the latest, in-demand marketing concepts and tools to marketing problems, including AI and digital marketing, while also developing strong knowledge of consumer behavior. The marketing specialization is best suited for creative problem solvers interested in product and brand management and marketing analytics.
Acquire the knowledge and skills to address the complex challenges of sustainability in business and management. We'll teach you how to provide thoughtful, clear-eyed analysis of environmental policies and their connection to changing socio-economic conditions. This specialization is a great option for those interested in pursuing sustainability-focused leadership opportunities in areas like consulting, corporate social responsibility and supply chain management.
Acquire expertise that will allow you to work in various client settings and industry functions, broaden your perspective and develop a multifaceted approach to business issues. You'll have opportunities to integrate and apply your learning in real-world projects. This specialization equips students with the knowledge and skills to define the problems or opportunities that businesses face, identify a recommended course of action, and plan the implementation of that solution across the company.
Experiential Learning
Through meaningful hands-on experiences, Smith MBA students tackle real-world business challenges, form connections with industry executives and grow into the kind of leaders who challenge the status quo
The capstone course is the culmination of your MBA - you'll synthesize all you've learned into one consulting project and deliver real business value to a partner organization.
A Smith Live Case brings executives from partner corporations into the MBA classroom to talk about real issues impacting the organization, and student teams compete to provide innovative solutions. Many core courses will feature a Live Case, giving you the opportunity to network, connect course content to top companies and hone your business acumen.
Case competitions allow you to develop your teamwork and presentation skills, and demonstrate your strategic thinking and analytical skills. Smith MBAs compete all over the country and regularly bring back a win—and sometimes a job offer.
Expand your learning across continents with programs designed around hands-on experiences, including global consulting projects or faculty-led, global study travel courses.
Dual Degrees
Combine your MBA studies with graduate coursework in other University of Maryland degree programs to create a unique set of skills and knowledge. It's just one more way the Smith MBA can help you distinguish yourself in a competitive marketplace.
Requirements for dual degrees vary by program. Generally, students take the MBA core courses and then complete the degree requirements for the other graduate program. Separate applications may be required, and some programs may require additional standardized tests prior to admission. Dual MBA degrees with MS in Information Systems, Business Analytics, Marketing Analytics or Master of Finance all require GMAT/GRE scores.
Employers want candidates who know how to analyze big data and think critically to solve business problems. Maryland Smith’s master’s degree programs are designed to give you just that. You’ll develop advanced knowledge of a specialized business area, helping you stand out and make a real impact in the workplace.
Combine your clinical knowledge with business knowledge to increase your flexibility within the medical field. Learn the finance, marketing and management skills you'll need to run your own practice or lead effectively in medical administrative roles.
The dual degree is designed to enhance student leadership skills in preparation for management careers in a diverse range of health care positions, and develop entrepreneurial capabilities for careers in independent and corporate pharmacy and the pharmaceutical industry.
Combining a top JD program and one of the world’s premier MBA programs, students will be exposed to two diverse curricula and faculties. Students will experience life in the Washington-Baltimore corridor, a 40-mile stretch connecting two exceptional cities that share one of the richest concentrations of resources and talent in the nation.
Learn the art of policy and governance, and gain the analytical skills and practical experience to launch a career solving pressing policy challenges.
The combination of real estate development knowledge and business management expertise will offer students the skill and practice to become innovators who will have impactful and unparalleled careers in real estate.
Manage the business of health care as an administrator in a health care system and for senior management-level decision-making on financial, strategic planning, resource management, and governance issues.
In social service agencies, financial and business expertise combined with social work practice, knowledge, and experience is invaluable. The degrees complement each other and provide graduates with a combination of knowledge, experience, and values necessary in business and the human services system.
Make your MBA a Tech MBA by adding the Maryland Smith Graduate Certificate in Technology Management to your electives in your second year. The program prepares public and private sector leaders to identify, transition and leverage emergent technology into and across their organizations and markets.
Top-Ranked Faculty
The Smith School’s faculty are passionate about creating new knowledge and sharing it with students. They regularly serve as consultants for large financial institutions, multinational corporations and government agencies. And in the classroom, they’ll share those same techniques they use to help corporate clients implement their own data-driven decision making.