MBA Curriculum

The MBA curriculum has been developed around the four pillars of the Huntsman School of Business and with two strategic goals in mind:

Provide students with expert, cutting-edge business knowledge, ethical values, and the ability to execute.
Provide focused and applied educational experiences in the following areas of business to improve professional promotability: ethical leadership, entrepreneurial spirit, analytical rigor, and strategic and global vision.

The curriculum used by both the Executive MBA and the Online MBA programs is the same.

Ethical Leadership

MSLE 6200 Executive Influence (3 cr.)

This course is designed to improve students’ understanding and skills in all phases of negotiation, the development of negotiation strategy and the management of integrative and distributive aspects of the negotiation process. The course is based on a series of simulated negotiations in a variety of contexts including dyadic, buyer-seller transactions, dispute resolution, cross-cultural and third-party.

MSLE 6645 Innovative and Inclusive Leadership (3 cr.)

This leadership course focuses on developing innovative and inclusive leaders who can effectively navigate complex, changing environments and engage tomorrow's dynamic workforce. Students will learn effective leadership strategies for leveraging innovation, inclusion, and diversity in teams and organizations.

MSLE 6741 Leadership Development (3 cr.)

This course bridges the practice of leadership with the moral philosophy of leadership. Students learn the long history of leadership theory and the latest research, but they also experience both a hypothetical (case-based) application and real-world application of those ideas.

Entrepreneurial Spirit

MSLE 6410 Enterprise Creation (3 cr.)

Focuses on development of new ventures, including entrepreneurial competencies, venture teams, recognizing business opportunities, gathering resources, new venture finance, entry strategies, legal structure, licensing and regulatory requirements, patents, copyrights, and product liability.

MSLE 6520 Enterprise Branding and Marketing (3 cr.)

Advanced case approach to current marketing management problems. Emphasizes concepts, research, techniques, decision making, and marketing strategy development.

MSLE 6650 Strategic Sales Management (3 cr.)

Students learn to build a sales foundation around plays, process, and system; to create new value through sales architecture and sales coaching; and to lead innovation with sales blueprinting and technology tools.

Analytical Rigor

ACCT 6350 Accounting for Management Decision Making (3 cr.)

Action-oriented case studies to demonstrate management accounting techniques to achieve profit goals and business strategies in a variety of organizations. International accounting and ethical issues are addressed.

DATA 6060 Analytics in the Enterprise (3 cr.)

Provides foundational knowledge and important skills for business professionals regarding the role and use of analytics in today's enterprises.

FIN 6010 Solving Financial Problems (3 cr.)

Corporate finance case course, dealing with problems in working capital management, capital budgeting, cost of capital problems, and corporate restructuring.

Strategic and Global Vision

MGT 6720 Strategic Supply Chain Management (3 cr.)

Study of basic process functions in managing a production or service organization, such as inventory control, production control, procurement, quality control, production planning, forecasting, etc.

MSLE 6890 Advanced Strategy (3 cr.)

Taking a CEO’s perspective, this course addresses global competitiveness, strategic assessment, policy development, and strategy execution.

MSLE 6870 Global Strategic Thinking (3 cr.)

This course exposes students to organizations throughout the world in various cultural, economic, political, and legal environments. Students will learn how the quest for excellence influences business strategy and enhances agility in responding to dynamic conditions.

Global Excursion (Optional)

The Utah State MBA understands that in order for students to become tomorrow’s business leaders, they must gain knowledge, experience, and technical skills that allow them to operate successfully within the context of a global business environment. The Huntsman School is committed to providing its students with experiences that prepare them to be effective and influential business professionals as well as leaders. A graduate study tour is one of the best experiences any student can have that will set them on a course of success.

Shingo Specialization

Courses offered in an online format only. Learn More about the Shingo Specialization

MSLE 6855: Shingo Workshops (3 credits)

In this course, students will complete the following Shingo Workshops: DISCOVER EXCELLENCE, SYSTEMS DESIGN, CULTURAL ENABLERS, CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT, and ENTERPRISE ALIGNMENT. All workshops will be completed in a real-time virtual environment alongside working professionals. For more information regarding each workshop, please visit https://shingo.org/education. This course is a pre-requisite to the MSLE 6860: Shingo Project course.

MSLE 6860: Shingo Project (3 credits)

In this course, students will work directly with a mentor to design or create a system guided by the Shingo Model™ as they complete the capstone BUILD EXCELLENCE workshop. The workshop helps to develop a structured approach to execute a cultural transformation. It builds upon a foundation of principles, using tools that already exist within many organizations. It teaches you how to build systems that drive behavior which will consistently deliver desired results. The project is designed to be implemented at your current place of employment. If this is not an option, special arrangements may be accommodated.

MSLE 6850: Shingo Global Strategic Thinking (3 credits)