Master of Business Administration (MBA) Overview

Are you a natural leader? South University's online Master of Business Administration (MBA) program is designed to enhance your management and leadership skills. Built for working professionals, the online MBA program covers the same business strategies as our on-campus programs.

This program is ideal for those individuals considering management school who wish to gain an understanding of the best practices for management. You will be taught effective planning, process, and production strategies and have an opportunity to develop the skills needed to work within cross-functional teams.

Students of the MBA program can choose from eleven specializations:

• Accounting
• Finance
• Healthcare Administration
• Human Resources Management
• International Business
• Management Information Systems
• Marketing
• Hospitality Management
• Sustainability
• Entrepreneurship and Small Business
• Project Management

Employment Opportunities

"Employment is expected to grow much faster than the average for all human resources, training, and labor relations managers and specialists occupations." Learn more.

Academic Requirements

The MBA online program is designed for prospective students who have:

• Completed an undergraduate degree with a GPA of 2.7 or better on a 4.0 scale, OR
• Completed an undergraduate degree with a minimum combined GMAT score within the 50th percentile.

Master of Business Administration (MBA) - 48 Total Hours

Students pursuing the Master of Business Administration are required to take a total of 12 courses as follows:

• 4 foundation courses - 16 Credits
• 3 core courses - 12 Credits
• 4 major courses - 16 Credits
• 1 capstone course - 4 Credits

Foundation Pre-Requisite Courses Required

Students must have successfully completed a Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.  The following foundation undergraduate courses must have been satisfactorily completed from an accredited institution or be satisfactorily completed (grade of C or better) within the first two quarters after acceptance into the MBA program.  If the courses are taken at South University the undergraduate tuition rates will apply to these courses.

• Accounting: two courses (or completion of MBA5000 at South University)
• Macroeconomics: one course
• Statistics: one course

Foundation Curriculum - 16 Credits
Students are required to take 4 foundation courses as follows:

MBA5001 - Organization Behavior and Communication

This course addresses the issues of motivation, leadership, and communications. Included are negotiation, conflict resolution, and team building.

Prerequisite(s):

Credits: 4

MBA5004 - Managerial Economics

This course provides an overview of microeconomic concepts and their application to common business problems. Topics include supply and demand analysis, cost analysis, economies of scale, basic market types and their characteristics, pricing, risk analysis, and the government's role in economic affairs.

Prerequisite(s): Program Prerequisites

Credits: 4

MBA5005 - Law and Ethics for Managers

This course provides a framework for managers to understand and assess the fundamental legal and ethical issues confronting managers in the contemporary business environment. Emphasis is placed on legal issues managers might encounter when engaged in various business activities. The course covers legal principles that affect businesses, ranging from employment law issues, contract disputes, regulatory compliance, negligence claims, violations of fiduciary duties, securities fraud, development of cyber law, and more. Course activities integrate a variety of legal topics with management of businesses to demonstrate how the law influences management decisions and business strategies. Students will acquire practical knowledge that empowers them to spot legal issues, develop solutions, handle disputes, minimize risk, and make informed and effective business decisions.

Prerequisite(s): Program Prerequisites

Credits: 4

MBA5008 - Quantitative Analysis and Decision Making

Quantitative Analysis and Decision Making

Prerequisite(s): None

Credits:

Core Curriculum - 12 Credits
Students are required to take 3 core courses as follows:

MBA6010 - Managerial Finance

Managerial Finance

Prerequisite(s): None

Credits:

MBA6011 - Strategic Marketing

Strategic Marketing

Prerequisite(s): None

Credits:

MBA6012 - Operations and Supply Chain Management

Operations and Supply Chain Management

Prerequisite(s): None

Credits:

Major Curriculum - 16 Credits
Students are required to take 4 major courses in their chosen area of specialization:

Marketing -

The Marketing area of specialization prepares students for a leadership role in the marketing industry. The foundation provides a firm grounding in economics, decision making, behavioral sciences, and strategic environment.

Students in the Marketing specialization take the following 4 courses:

MBA6201 - Consumer Behavior

This course examines the psychological, social, and managerial interactions that motivate buyers to purchase goods and services.

Prerequisite(s):

Credits: 4

MBA6202 - Market Research

This course deals with the research process, sources and collection of data, and the analysis and presentation of the results

Prerequisite(s):

Credits: 4

MBA6203 - Advertising and Promotion

This course examines the major marketing media alternatives and the means to integrate efforts to develop and maintain profitable customer relationships.

Prerequisite(s): Completion of the MBA Core Courses

Credits: 4

MBA6204 - Global Marketing

This course examines the means by which products are developed to address the needs of differing local markets and determine markets for existing markets. An emphasis is placed on the legal, regulatory, political, and cultural issues that must be considered.

Prerequisite(s): Completion of the MBA Core Courses

Credits: 4

Finance -

The Finance area of specialization prepares students for a leadership role in the financial industry. The foundation provides a firm grounding in economics, decision making, behavioral sciences, and strategic environment.

Students in the Finance specialization take the following 4 courses:

MBA6101 - Global Financial Management

This course introduces the students to the issues facing financial managers of multinational firms. Major topics include an overview of global capital markets, exchange rate determination, foreign exchange risk and hedging, international tax and legal considerations, and cross border valuation.

Prerequisite(s): Completion of the MBA Core Courses

Credits: 4

MBA6102 - Entrepreneurial Finance, Venture Capital, and IPOs

This course focuses on the major issues confronting the financial manager in an emerging/developing firm. The issues include raising capital through private sources to structuring an initial public offering. Topics include valuation, short term capital management, risk management, private equity financing, when and how to go public, and financial strategies for selling/dissolution.

Prerequisite(s): Completion of the MBA Core Courses

Credits: 4

MBA6103 - Financial Instruments and Markets

This course introduces the students to the workings of the major types of securities markets including debt, equity, and derivatives markets. Emphasis is placed on the workings of and risks associated with each.

Prerequisite(s): Completion of the MBA Core Courses

Credits: 4

MBA6105 - Investment and portfolio Management

This course introduces the major issues associated with developing and managing a portfolio of debt, equity, and derivative securities. Topics include portfolio and efficient markets theory, financial markets, and investment and selection management.

Prerequisite(s): Completion of the MBA Core Courses

Credits: 4

Accounting -

The Accounting area of specialization prepares students for a leadership role in the Accounting industry. The foundation provides a firm grounding in economics, decision making, behavioral sciences, and strategic environment. Graduates from this program may be eligible to sit for the CPA examination.

Students in the Accounting specialization take the following 4 courses:

MBA6302 - Advanced Financial Accounting

This course explores Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) associated with a corporation's merger, acquisition, and foreign transactions and operations. Topics may include partnership transactions, International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), and advanced tools and techniques for governmental and not-for-profit entities.

Prerequisite(s): Completion of the MBA Core Courses and ACC3028 Intermediate Financial Accounting III and ACC4035 Governmental and Not-for-profit Accounting (or equivalent graduate coursework.

Credits: 4

MBA6303 - Advanced Financial Reporting

Completion of the MBA Core Courses and ACC3028 (or equivalent graduate coursework) and MBA6302

Prerequisite(s): None

Credits: 4

MBA6304 - Advanced Taxation

This course explores the U.S. Internal Revenue Code applicable to estates, trusts, gifts, partnerships, and other corporate entities. Topics include advanced tax planning, tax research, and tax implications of management decisions.

Prerequisite(s): Completion of the MBA Core Courses and ACC4020 (or equivalent graduate coursework).

Credits: 4

MBA6308 - Accounting Services Consulting

Accounting Services Consulting

Prerequisite(s):

Credits: 4

Human Resources Management - students in this specialization take the following 4 courses:

MBA6501 - Strategic Human Resources Management

This course explores human resources from a strategic perspective to help an organization achieve its goals. Topics may include investments in human resources, workforce demographic trends, theories of human resource management, workforce training and development, workforce utilization and assessment, and performance management systems.

Prerequisite(s): Completion of the MBA Core Courses

Credits: 4

MBA6502 - Legal Environment of Employment Relations

This course explores the legal environment of modern employment relationships. Topics may include the theory and practices surrounding public policy applicable to employment, compensation and wages, privacy, medical leave, termination and occupational and safety regulations.

Prerequisite(s): Completion of the MBA Core Courses and MBA6501

Credits: 4

MBA6503 - Organizational Staffing and Development

This course explores the theory and practices involved in acquiring and developing an organization's workforce. Topics may include HR planning and analysis, execution and evaluation of recruitment methodologies, adult learning theories, development of training content, and execution and evaluation of development activities.

Prerequisite(s): Completion of the MBA Core Courses and MBA6501

Credits: 4

MBA6505 - Organizational Development And Change Management

This course explores the theoretical grounding and practical approaches necessary to effectively diagnose organizational problems, develop intervention approaches, and implement organizational solutions. Topics include entering and contracting, organizational diagnostic models, organizational surveys, change impediments, managing the change process, organizational, interpersonal, or group interventions, and evaluation approaches.

Prerequisite(s): Completion of the MBA Core Courses (and MBA6501)

Credits: 4

International Business - students in this specialization take the following 4 courses:

MBA6101 - Global Financial Management

This course introduces the students to the issues facing financial managers of multinational firms. Major topics include an overview of global capital markets, exchange rate determination, foreign exchange risk and hedging, international tax and legal considerations, and cross border valuation.

Prerequisite(s): Completion of the MBA Core Courses

Credits: 4

MBA6204 - Global Marketing

This course examines the means by which products are developed to address the needs of differing local markets and determine markets for existing markets. An emphasis is placed on the legal, regulatory, political, and cultural issues that must be considered.

Prerequisite(s): Completion of the MBA Core Courses

Credits: 4

MBA6401 - Global Importing and Exporting

Global Importing and Exporting

Prerequisite(s): None

Credits:

MBA6405 - Global Human Resources

This course explores how human resources management within a national or international organization is affected by the global business environment. Topics may include recruitment, staffing, training, compensation, supervision, employment law, and performance within an international context.

Prerequisite(s): Core Courses

Credits: 4

Management Information Systems - students in this specialization take the following 4 courses:

IST5010 - Information Technology Infrastructure

Concepts, systems development and effective use of up-to-date tools and application software, focusing on IT infrastructure, systematic approach to management, processes involved in managing IT infrastructures, best practices to IT service support and service delivery, the place of IT infrastructure and IT service in an organization, IT management frameworks, and concepts of the work processes used to manage an IT infrastructure.

Prerequisite(s): None

Credits: 4

IST5020 - Information Systems Fundamentals

This course explores the real-world projects dealing with issues related to development, management, and maintenance of medium-sized and a large-scaled information system (IS) with emphasis on business IS for a distributed environment. The identification of vulnerabilities and risks inherent in the operation of IS are also explored.

Prerequisite(s): None

Credits: 4

IST6000 - Principles of Systems Development

This course summarizes system development and design and software engineering methodologies, with emphasis on structured and object-oriented analysis, design and implementation of information systems, distributed information systems, information systems life cycle models, and platforms with discussions of requirements definition and management, modeling quality assurance and development environments.

Prerequisite(s): IST5010 IST5020

Credits: 4

IST6101 - Web Technologies

Design and implementation of distributed information systems involving the technologies developed for the World Wide Web. Client/server architectures, graphical user interfaces, concurrent and distributed programming, distributed information systems server architectures, database connectivity, and standard enterprise development packages.

Prerequisite(s):
Foundation

Credits: 4

Hospitality Management - students in this specialization take the following 4 courses:

MBA5710 - Contemporary Issues in Global Hospitality Management

This course provides an in-depth understanding of international business practices as they relate to the hospitality industry. Globalization represents an important business practice within the hospitality and tourism industry and is a sustainable economic function for the majority of countries around the world. Critical analysis of the current global business practices will be undertaken during this course. Each student will be expected to study a selected region targeted for global development and report on the challenges and opportunities associated with global expansion as it relates to a selected organization within the hospitality and tourism industry. Special readings from current literature, case studies, and research work will form an integral part of this course.

Prerequisite(s):

Credits: 4

MBA6120 - Hospitality Finance and Revenue Management

This course provides students with an applied understanding of the fundamental investment and financing decisions within the hospitality industry, including theories and tools related to each of these activities. Special emphasis is placed on the practice and application of revenue management as it relates to the hospitality industry.

Prerequisite(s): None

Credits:

MBA6225 - Consumer Behavior and Marketing within the Hospitality Industry

This course focuses on the purchasing and selection behavior of the hospitality consumer. Special emphasis will be placed on the principles of customer relationship management (CRM) as it relates to strengthening the prepurchase and postpurchase decisions of the consumer as they pertain to the hospitality brand. This course will also concentrate on how to market to current and future consumers utilizing contemporary marketing strategies.

Prerequisite(s): None

Credits:

MBA6230 - Hospitality Systems and Policy Formulation

This course focuses on the decision making and policy formulation related to internal and external factors in the hospitality and tourism industries, including the evaluation of strategic competitive methods. Discussions will include an analysis of journal readings, case studies, and established theories within the discipline.

Prerequisite(s): None

Credits:

Sustainability - students in this specialization take the following 4 courses:

MBA6810 - Introduction to Sustainability for Business

This course is an introduction to business sustainability. Sustainability is defined in terms of business objectives to create win-win propositions for companies, society, and the environment. The topics include an overview of the triple bottom line, eco-efficiency and environmental strategies, corporate social responsibility, base-of-the-pyramid economies, product stewardship, supply chain management (SCM), stakeholder engagement, disruptive innovation, climate change, and management systems.

Prerequisite(s):

Credits: 4

MBA6820 - Climate Change Strategies for Business Sustainability

This course surveys the public debate and range of potential climate-related impacts and explores several scenarios that examine health, economic, and security issues as well as those that address mitigating actions. Students explore the regulatory landscape and political history of greenhouse gas emissions. Recent developments and the status of the cap and trade programs, both regulatory and voluntary, will be part of the discussion on the costs of implementation. Topics include a review of carbon credits and mitigating factors, potential resource constraints that parallel climate change implications, and influencing factors on current and future business strategies.

Prerequisite(s):

Credits: 4

MBA6825 - Sustainability Strategies in Developing Economies

This course explores how businesses can use a "triple bottom line" approach in developing economies by addressing issues of economic prosperity, social equality, and environmental health. Such an approach is imperative for developing and newly developed economies, which often lack the infrastructure and capacity for self-protection. Topics include economic analysis, debt analysis and forgiveness, small-scale lending, government organization and regulatory structure, natural resource exploration and exploitation, environmental justice, land tenure, third-party monitoring, market identification, appropriate technology, and technology transfer.

Prerequisite(s): MBA6810

Credits: 4

MBA6830 - Innovation and Sustainability

This course examines business innovation for sustainability. Innovation is of vital importance as businesses around the world work to find solutions to humanity’s most pressing environmental, social, and economic issues. Topics might include the need to innovate business products and processes, incentives and disincentives to business innovation, funding sources, opportunities to share innovative ideas, and best practices, such as biomimicry, eco-efficiency, business ecology, and design for disassembly.

Prerequisite(s): MBA6810

Credits: 3

Entrepreneurship and Small Business - students in this specialization take the following 4 courses:

MBA6210 - Marketing in Entrepreneurial Organizations and Small Businesses

This course focuses on fundamental marketing concepts and applications in entrepreneurial organizations and small businesses, with emphasis on the marketing needs of both new and existing entities. Topics may include market research and assessment, creation of products and/or services, distribution relationships, advertising, segmentation, and pricing.

Prerequisite(s): MBA6710

Credits: 4

MBA6720 - New Venture Creation

This course focuses on creating and presenting a successful, comprehensive business and implementation plan for a new venture, with a special emphasis on evaluating business opportunities. Topics include developing and writing a coherent and effective business plan, persuasively describing the venture's innovative products and/or services, examining the necessary production or creation process, creating a financing model and budget for the new venture, managing the risks to new venture creation, and establishing a project plan for implementing the new venture.

Prerequisite(s): MBA6710

Credits: 4

MBA6730 - Legal Environment of Entrepreneurship and Small Business

This course focuses on the legal issues commonly faced by entrepreneurial organizations and small businesses and how to reduce the risks created by such issues. Topics include the choice of business forms, employment laws (including confidentiality and restrictive covenants in employment agreements), applicable security laws, legal aspects of financing, letters of intent, and intellectual property laws.

Prerequisite(s): MBA6710

Credits: 4

MBA6740 - Growing Entrepreneurial Organizations and Small Businesses

Growing Entrepreneurial Organizations and Small Businesses

Prerequisite(s): None

Credits:

Project Management

The Master of Business Administration with a specialization in Project Management is designed to prepare students for success in the complex and challenging arena of managing projects across a variety of businesses and industries. The program explores topics such as project scope, schedule, cost, and quality management within an arena of limited resources, global competition, and diverse work environments. Students enrolled in the program examine leadership styles required of project managers in the local organization and in a geographically dispersed team environment.

Students develop policies and organizational governance to successfully implement and direct project management methodologies while reducing organizational risk. Such efforts prepare students to move forward with their careers in the project management discipline and to function successfully at higher levels in the organizational hierarchy.

The courses taken in the Project Management specialization support students as they seek certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP®). The PMP certification is available through the Project Management Institute (PMI) and is acknowledged as a valuable certification in the business and information technology environment. The management knowledge areas commonly covered through such certification include integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communications, risks, and procurement.

Acceptance into the South University Master of Business Administration program with a specialization in Project Management or its completion does not imply or guarantee that a student will be able to obtain PMP certification. The student should contact the appropriate organization/institution for specific requirements and the application process.

Students in the Project Management specialization take the following 4 courses:

PMC6601 - Foundations of Project Management

This course introduces the student to the challenges associated with projects in the business arena. The course introduces the terms and conceptual framework for Project Management as detailed in the ANSI Standard Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide®). The course focuses on the processes of project integration management including initiating projects, project planning, executing project plans, controlling and monitoring project work, and closing the project. The course reviews the nine knowledge areas in the PMBOK Guide as foundation for subsequent courses in the specialization. Students also analyze how project management relates to other management disciplines such as leadership, ethics, strategic management, operations management, and human resources management. The student is introduced to project management software that will be used throughout the specialization.

Prerequisite(s):
Core coursework

Credits: 4

PMC6605 - Managing Project Scope, Requirements, and Quality

This course focuses on project scope planning, definition, control, and verification in a project requirements and quality context. The emphasis is on developing methods for identifying and prioritizing customer requirements and product specifications, and translating those to define the project scope. The course examines concepts and techniques associated with breaking down project work into component activities to create the work breakdown structure (WBS) for the project. Various types of WBS are examined. The concepts of project scope control and project issues management are explored. Quality philosophy, definitions, and principles are applied to develop a quality model to measure project processes and results. The student will continue to use project management software to translate the WBS into a document that communicates project activities.

Prerequisite(s): PMC6601

Credits: 4

PMC6610 - Project Time and Cost Management

The course concentrates on defining and estimating project activities, sequencing activities, and developing schedules based upon resource availability. The student is exposed to complex network management techniques designed to illustrate and manage the project schedule. Critical Path Method (CPM) techniques for managing the project schedule are emphasized. Project cost models are developed and approaches to activity estimating and budgeting are explored. The course introduces project time and cost control concepts, emphasizing the concepts of Earned Value Management, a critical approach to controlling the project. The course expands on the student’s earlier use of project management software to create cost estimates and manageable schedules.

Prerequisite(s): PMC6601 PMC6605

Credits: 4

PMC6620 - Strategic Management Across Projects

This course emphasizes project and program management techniques in the implementation of organizational strategic initiatives. The strategic level of project management is concerned with managing programs which are portfolios of multiple, interrelated projects. The course focuses on implementation and execution of plans, linking programs and projects to the organization’s strategic goal of sustainable competitive advantage. Managing strategic programs across functions and business units requires the student to analyze and apply coordination strategies to manage expectations for a variety of stakeholders. The student will explore strategic management concepts and evaluate methods to align project and program objectives with business unit and enterprise goals to respond to an environment of changing priorities. This course also covers project risk management to include identifying potential risks, applying both quantitative and qualitative techniques to analyze the risks, planning responses to the risks, and monitoring and controlling the risk plan to assure success. The course examines innovation in business from the project management perspective, evaluating project organizational structure and team composition in moving innovation from concept to implementation. The student will continue to develop project management software skills that relate to managing limited resources in the multi-project environment.

Prerequisite(s): PMC6601

Credits: 4

Capstone Course - 4 Credits

MBA6999 - Strategic Development and Implementation

This course explores the methods of directing a firm, or a significant division thereof in an internationally competitive environment. Students will develop an understanding of the way in which general managers formulate and implement business-level strategy and corporate level strategy in today's market economy. These techniques will incorporate tools and perspectives for international and cooperative strategy. In this course students will also develop skills and perspectives in corporate leadership, corporate parenting, and corporate entrepreneurship.

Prerequisite(s):

Credits: 4

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