Business
Administration, MBA

The two-course foundation program provides the groundwork for the core program and concentration courses. Both of the foundation courses may be waived if students have previously completed comparable undergraduate courses at regionally accredited colleges or universities with grades of “C” or better. Students may enroll in core program courses before completion of the entire foundation program, but they must complete the foundation program by the time they have earned twelve units in the core program.

The core program courses are taken by all MBA students. This ensures that all MBA graduates have an understanding of the important skills for effective management and an integrative knowledge of the core area of business, regardless of their area of concentration. Although they are required to choose either a concentration or a general concentration when they apply for admission, the common core allows students to rethink their concentration (or general concentration) decision, and to change it with minimum course penalty.

The concentration courses allow students to develop expertise in specialized areas of business. Courses listed carry three semester units of academic credit unless otherwise noted.

Students may select from the following concentrations:

• Applied AI
• Business Analytics
• Entrepreneur
• Finance
• Healthcare Management (Offered through Samuel Merritt University)
• Industrial-Organizational Psychology
• Information Technology Management
• Marketing
• Public Administration

The Applied AI concentration within the MBA program equips future business leaders with the strategic, technical, and ethical foundations to harness artificial intelligence for real-world impact. Students explore how AI technologies-such as machine learning, natural language processing, and predictive analytics-can drive innovation across industries, optimize decision-making, and create competitive advantage.

A targeted graduate concentration designed for MBA students to work within the business analytics field.

Business analytics has exploded in the last few years, offering many new opportunities for managers who understand business operations and are able to evaluate massive amounts of data. The Business Analytics Concentration is designed for the MBA student who must be able to apply data analytics tools and techniques to both structured and unstructured data, extracting information that the organization can use for strategic decision-making. Students taking this concentration will be introduced to specialized analytics tools and technologies.

Note: MSBA 300 is an MBA program Directed Elective course that must be completed first.

The Entrepreneur Concentration is for students who want to start and grow their own business, and/or manage innovation within a larger enterprise. This concentration offers the opportunity to learn how to design, finance and manage a new venture, whether a startup, small business, or within an organization in transition. Real world practical skills combined with the most current theory will provide a solid foundation. All students in this concentration will construct a business plan for their venture, and will also have the flexibility to choose additional courses to support their particular interests.

An analytical graduate concentration designed to prepare MBA students for a finance specialty.

Whatever goal students have in the world of business, from corporate management to consulting and entrepreneurship, the study of finance gives them the grounding in decision-making techniques that will help ensure the financial health of their enterprise in the competitive global market. Students learn capital budgeting, capital structure, investment management, and short-term capital management.

Our unique method; combining a theoretical knowledge of finance with extensive hands-on learning, using real-life case studies and our state-of-the art computer labs, gives students the abilities to be an effective and competent manager in any organization.

An Industrial-Organizational Psychology graduate concentration is designed to help MBA students combine increased business acumen and the applied skills of the business world with in-depth knowledge of and capacity to critically analyze the psychological dynamics of people in organizations. With this concentration, you will understand the psychological research and practices that support organizational life, from executive coaching, consulting skills and conflict resolution to understanding the emotional complexities of human difference in organizations and using tests and measurements to understand and improve organizational dynamics.

The information technology management track introduces students to the capabilities made possible by IT, as well as the challenges associated with being an IT manager. Students learn about selecting and planning IT initiatives, applying data analytics to business problems, and addressing issues of security and privacy within the business environment. Upon completion, students will also understand how to align IT with business needs and how IT enables business value.

Often considered the central discipline of business, the challenges and practices of marketing are evolving along with the changes in the contemporary business environment. This concentration prepares students to succeed in the marketing function inside a wide variety of organizations. Fundamental and advanced marketing principles, strategies, and tactics in an increasingly digital world are covered.

Government regulation, compliance, taxation, and outsourcing public services to business and nonprofit organizations have increased the need for private sector managers to understand how the government bureaucracy works. This concentration provides students with the necessary skills and knowledge to be successful at public policy, government affairs, and community relations applying what they learned to approach the public sector with the mindset of a private sector manager. Also, be able to liaise and lobby effectively on behalf of business interests. Furthermore, students will learn how public sector finances, labor negotiations, ethics, programming, and policies are administered and influenced by citizens, activists, and advocates.