MBA Course Descriptions

 

The list is provided so that you can begin to imagine your MBA academic career at Millikin.

 

MB501. MBA Bootcamp

This foundation course refreshes and develops business knowledge and skills in business disciplines including accounting, finance, marketing, and economics. (1 credit)

 

 

MB510. Personal Values & Business Ethics

A fundamental building block of leadership is a strong code of ethics based on personal values. A leader's decisions require consistent judgments and a duty to follow the law of the land. This course examines the legal environment of business, the changing social context of business responsibility and the values and ethics of leaders. (3 credits)

 

 

MB520. Globalization & World Economics

The global context of business in an increasingly open market with diverse cultures and systems necessitates an understanding of how international markets and their cultures operate. You are challenged to expand your understanding of business to its international dimensions. (3 credits)

 

 

MB530. Financial Fundamentals

Financial decisions are at the heart of the long-term growth of a firm. This course covers the basics of finance including the issues of capital financing, the significance of financial ratios, financial markets and the ethical responsibility of the firm to its financial stakeholders. (3 credits)

 

 

MB535. Business Analytics

Business analytics is focused on taking insights derived from data and applying them “on the ground” by making data-driven business decisions, including collecting, managing, and analyzing datasets, forming inferences and predictions from data, and making optimal and robust decisions.  Business analytics makes extensive use of statistical analysis, and the applications of business analytics span all functional areas. (3 credits)   

 

 

MB536. Business Forecasting & Planning

Business forecasting is an estimate or prediction of future developments in business, such as sales, expenditures, and profits. Given the swings in economic activity and the drastic effects these fluctuations can have on profit margins, it is not surprising that business forecasting has emerged as one of the most important aspects of planning. Forecasting has become an invaluable tool for managers and business people to anticipate economic trends and plan accordingly. Good business forecasts can help business owners and managers plan and adapt to a changing economy. (3 credits)

 

 

MB537. Data Visualization for Business Application 

Data visualization is the graphic representation of data.  It involves stripping data down to its most important structures and then using the best techniques to convey the data for effective communication, decision-making, and persuasion. This course will develop a vocabulary and framework for discussing, critiquing, assessing, and designing visual displays of quantitative and qualitative data. This entails awareness of human perception and cognition, the use of best design practices in visualization of data, and storytelling with data.  (3 credits)

 

 

MB538. Data Mining

Data mining is a process used to extract usable data, or patterns, from a larger set of data for business application using statistical analysis. This course provides students with an appreciation of the uses of data mining in solving business decision problems. Students will gain knowledge of theoretical backgrounds to several of the commonly used data mining techniques and will learn about the application of data mining, as well as acquiring practical skills in the use of data mining. (3 credits)

 

 

MB540. Financial Accounting

This course develops an understanding of financial statements, accounting concepts and principles, and the financial accounting process of measuring and reporting business activity. In addition, this course develops the principles and techniques for measuring and evaluating financial performance. The course culminates with a project where student teams build a financial forecast and cash requirements report for a fictitious company seeking capital and will present the finance section of a business plan presentation.  (3 credits)

 

 

MB550. Strategic Marketing Analysis 

This course covers essential marketing topics of the marketing mix, creating sustainable competitive advantages, creating brand and customer equity, and the principles behind marketing strategy. There is a heavy emphasis on using data analysis through case examples and hands-on use of data analytics tools. Through a marketing simulation game and the creation of a marketing plan, the students will have the opportunity to exercise and solidify their marketing knowledge. (3 credits)

 

 

MB560. Cases in Financial Decision Making

The central theme of this course is the shareholders' wealth creation. It builds on all previous MBA courses and integrates strategy, marketing, economics, accounting and finance. This course combines finance theory with practical applications and uses case studies to develop a deeper understanding of the complex issues involved in strategic financial issues confronting corporate management. It focuses on the major wealth drivers - growth, free cash flows and the cost of capital - in the context of various decision-making situations, such as financial planning, capital budgeting, optimal capital structure, and mergers and acquisitions. (3 credits)

 

 

MB570. Leading & Changing Organizations

Leading organizations is a people-centered activity highly influenced by the ethical values of leaders. Managers get the work of the business done through people by setting goals and executing action plans; leaders help motivate people by setting the compass of a business, by creating a vision, setting values, and building bridges to the community, to ideas about the future and to internal stakeholders. This course examines leadership management and its ethical and value-based foundation. (3 credits)

 

 

MB571. Healthcare Finance

This course focuses on key financial management principles, concepts and decisions that help manage and create value for health care organizations. A broad range of topics will be covered, including: an overview of health care financial budgeting and pricing, reimbursement methodologies, health care accounting, managing cash/billing/collections, and an analysis of financing major capital investments. (3 credits)

 

 

MB572. Healthcare Leadership

This course serves as an introduction to the basics principles of leadership and direction for those who are interested in supervision and management of health programs. Management theories describing human behavior applied in health care settings are covered. Emphasis on professionalism, medical/staff relations, governance, stress, job attitudes, motivation, leadership, decision-making, communication and teamwork. In addition, a personal assessment of personality type will be conducted. Discussion will cover how this self-knowledge can help in developing leadership capabilities. (3 credits)

 

MB573. Healthcare Process Management

Making sure that all patients in a healthcare system are receiving the highest quality of care and services is the responsibility of every healthcare provider, manager and leader. Simultaneously in recent decades there has been an increasing awareness of significant risks associated with healthcare. As a result, it is incumbent upon healthcare systems to develop increasingly effective methods of assuring quality healthcare, a positive experience for the patient and his/her family, and the detection and mitigation of the risks associated with modern healthcare. Beyond the moral and ethical obligation to do so, continuous quality improvement and focus on positive patient experiences is necessary for healthcare organizations to remain viable in an increasingly competitive market. The aim of this course is to familiarize the student to the context and history of continuous quality improvement, the ways that that quality is assessed quantitatively and qualitatively, knowledge of performance improvement methodology development over time, with an emphasis on state-of-the-art and evolving methods, development of management-level critical thinking in healthcare problem solving, from day to day situations to organizational strategic priorities. (3 credits)

 

MB574. Healthcare Policy & Economics

This course presents an overview of major issues related to the design, function, management, regulation, and evaluation of health insurance and managed care plans. Provides a firm foundation in basic concepts pertaining to private and public sector health insurance/benefit plans, both as provided by employers and government agencies such as Medicaid and Medicare. Although the emphasis is placed on the US, the material is applicable to international students who are interested in financing and organization of highly developed medical care delivery systems in other nations. (3 credits)

 

 

MB580. Strategic Resources Management

This course focuses on the strategic management of the intangible assets of an organization: human capital, information capital, and organizational capital. Human motivation, workforce utilization, performance measurement, leadership, organizational culture and change, management information systems, knowledge management, and contingency planning are discussed in detail during this course. Students learn to translate strategy into operational terms, to align the organization to its strategy, and to apply course content in an individual or group project. (3 credits)

 

 

MB587. Seminar in Business Topics

Provides either an in-depth study of a particular topic, problem or issue in today’s business world, or a broad view of several topics of current interest in today’s business world.  The course may incorporate relevant experiential learning activities where appropriate. (3 credits) 

 

 

MB590. Business Strategy

Raising capital, planning growth, targeting/assessing acquisitions, setting quality levels, and a host of other business policy choices affect the ultimate success of a business. This course seeks to tie together decisions and consequences through case studies and/or simulations. (3 credits)

 

 

MB600. Capstone

As MBA students, participants have essentially set a personal goal of improving their business skills and acumen. This final project is designed to add one more integrating experience to business knowledge. By designing a business plan, or completing a consulting project for a current business, each team of associates will bring together the elements of finance, marketing, management, leadership and ethics into a well thought-out plan. (3 credits)

 

 

MB610. International Immersion

The International Immersion is an intensive experience at a leading foreign graduate school. Students will take approximately 40 hours of instruction on issues of international business designed to raise the understanding of business practices outside the US. This on-location experience will expose students directly to the culture, business practices and leadership attitudes outside the United States; help prepare students for overseas assignments with their company; and expose students to the thinking and beliefs of internationally known professors and international business executives. (3 credits)

 

 

MG567. Process Improvement

The lifeblood of any organization is its ability to keep up with what our customers want and demand from our organization. In order to keep up with the continually changing customer needs and the environment in which we must provide them it is important to identify and improve our processes. These processes extend beyond the manufacturing processes but include the processes of how we interface with our customers both before and after delivery. To be effective every member of the organization must understand what they provide and who they provide this product or service to, whether inside or outside the company. The student will gather current data and receive feedback from the process owner as to thoroughness and feasibility of the solution. (3 credits)

 

 

MG570. Operations Management

A practical study of the decisions required to design, operate and control a manufacturing or service operations. This course explores the various relationships between these organizational decisions, operations and other disciplines within the organization. The relationships are discussed and documented through the use of business process management and Visio. The organizational decisions explored include forecasting, planning of personnel and equipment, inventory planning and control, scheduling, project management, theory of constraints, and quality assurance. The MBA student will demonstrate mastery of the course through the application of one or more topics in a detailed workplace analysis. The student will gather current data and receive feedback from the process owner as to thoroughness and feasibility of solution. (3 credits)

 

 

MG575. Project Management

The objective of this course is to master the principles of efficient project planning and control - needs analysis, work breakdown, scheduling, resource allocation, risk management, and performance tracking and evaluation - within the timeframe and cost projection stated in the overview section. Concepts and techniques will be developed by navigating through a recent textbook in project management and through a popular project management software package. The MBA student will demonstrate mastery of the course through the application of one or more topics in a detailed workplace analysis. The student will gather current data and receive feedback from the process owner as to thoroughness and feasibility of solution. Pre-requisite: MG570. (3 credits)