2016-2017 Academic Catalog

Nov 23, 2024

2016-2017 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Master of Business Administration, MBA

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Overview

Graduate Program

The Clark University M.B.A. program develops competence in basic management functions, skill in managing organizations and an understanding of the global environment. Each graduate of Clark’s M.B.A. program is able to demonstrate:

competence in the functional areas of management;
in-depth understanding of one of the functional areas of management or global business;
skill in integrating the management functions into an effective organization, and understanding the legal, political, ethical, social and environmental responsibilities of management;
appreciation of the global context in which most organizations function; and
the leadership and communication skills needed to formulate and implement management decisions.

Graduate Program Requirements

The M.B.A curriculum consists of a combination of seven-week course modules and full-semester, 14-week courses. Module courses count as 1/2 unit each, while a full semester course counts as one unit. The total unit requirement for the M.B.A. program starting Summer 2016 is 15.5 units.

Note: Students who are completing the previous version of the M.B.A. program should contact their academic advisor about their program requirements and refer to the 2015-2016 archived version of the academic catalog.

All courses are worth one unit, unless otherwise specified.

Required Courses

Experiential Learning Requirement I

Completion of a graduate internship fulfills Experiential Learning Requirement I. It is required for all students except: those who have 3+ years of professional business work experience; those with full-time employment during the length of the program; and those who are participating in an exchange program (ex. Sorbonne, Trier, etc.). It may be possible to waive this requirement. Visit a member of the Stevenish Career Management Center for more information.

Experiential Learning Requirement II

Students choose from several one unit course options to fulfill the Experiential Learning Requirement II. The courses are designed to allow students to combine the skills that they have acquired from other core courses and use those skills to solve real world challenges.

Concentration and Free Electives

In addition to the courses listed above, students must take four elective units. At least three of the elective units must be taken in one area of concentration, or the student will automatically default to a Management concentration. Students completing a dual concentration must complete three units in each of the concentration areas, with no overlaop. The list of electives that can be taken for each concentration can be found on the M.B.A. advising page of the GSOM website. Students may choose from the following areas of concentration:

Accounting

The accounting concentration gives you a foundation in business with a deep knowledge-base and skill set that are in high demand in today’s highly competitive public accounting firms, as well as in corporate, non-profit and governmental organizations. By tailoring your management studies, you learn accounting skills that are especially valuable because of their staying power and broad applicability-accounting is a crucial part of each and every organization.

Expanded Accounting

The expanded accounting concentration examines complex topics in financial accounting. It satisfies the 150-hour, postsecondary-education requirement for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam. You also have the opportunity to prepare for the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) examination. Students pursuing this option must complete the foundation, functional and general management courses, along with the following six required electives:

, and

Please note: to be in line with the CPA requirements, this concentration requires students to take additional units above and beyond the usual total units for the MBA program.

Finance

With the finance concentration, you master a broad range of both managerial and financial analysis skills essential in companies of all sizes around the world. This concentration is designed to prepare you to take on any number of leadership roles in the global financial services industry.

Information Management and Business Analytics

The Information Management and Business Analytics concentration trains emerging business professionals to gain a competitive advantage through the sound use of data resources. Students are taught not only data management processes such as data collection, validation, organization, and warehousing, but also analytical techniques such as statistics, optimization, predictive modeling, forecasting, and visualization that allow for the improvement of decision-making in a business environment. Courses offer solid grounding in applied statistical methods and emphasize the use of appropriate software tools. Skills and techniques are applied to both general business problems as well as discipline-specific issues. Students are required to take MIS 5501 as part of the Information Management and Business Analytics concentration.

Management

The management concentration gives you an in-depth understanding of the fundamental management, leadership, and economic principles that you can immediately apply in your career. You learn the latest theories and best practices in business and study how to apply them in established business environments, entrepreneurial settings and non-profits.

Marketing

The marketing concentration gives you an in-depth understanding of branding, advertising, product management, buyer behavior and market research. You learn analytical and leadership techniques that you can immediately apply in your career.

Social Change

The concentration in social change helps business students gain specialized knowledge to effect positive environmental, social and economic change. Through this unique concentration, you learn the tools to work effectively in the context of formal institutions, civil society, markets and technology. Through management consulting projects, you gain the necessary management skills to be successful in enacting the kinds of change you want to see. Some IDCE courses may also count toward the Social Change concentration. Please contact Laura Burgess, (508) 793-7744, Program Director, Academic & Student Services, to determine which courses qualify.

Sustainability

The unique M.B.A. sustainability concentration is for business leaders who want to take on environmental sustainability challenges. The United Nations has recognized that approaches to sustainability need to integrate across sectors. We help you integrate business management, leadership and societal concerns, preparing you to develop cross-disciplinary solutions to complex challenges. Some IDCE courses may also count toward the Sustainability concentration. Please contact Laura Burgess, (508) 793-7744, Program Director, Academic & Student Services, to determine which courses qualify.

Professional Track

Students who have worked for three or more years in a professional position with managerial experience have the option to pursue the Professional Track M.B.A. When a student applies for the M.B.A. program, their application is reviewed to see if they qualify for it.

The Professional Track differs in the following ways:

Students may be waived of, at most, one unit in MIS, MKT, FIN, ACCT, or OM if they have 3+ years of experience in that area. Waivers are granted by the Graduate Admissions Review Committee.
Instead of taking MGMT 4302 Organizational Leadership, students take MGMT 4200 Advanced Organizational Leadership.
Students are waived of completing Experiential Learning Requirement I and II.
The total unit requirement for the program is 13.5 to 14.5 units, depending on waivers.

Program Faculty

Barbara Bigelow, Ph.D.
Lin Boldt, Ph.D.
Mary-Ellen Boyle, Ph.D.
Gary Chaison, Ph.D.
David Correll, Ph.D.
Keith Coulter, Ph.D.
Dileep Dhavale, Ph.D., C.P.A.
Priscilla Elsass, Ph.D.
Donna Gallo, Ph.D.
Laura Graves, Ph.D.
Inshik Seol, Ph.D.
Richard Spurgin, Ph.D.
Zhenyang Tang, Ph.D.
Zhihong Wang, Ph.D.
Kyunghee Yoon, Ph.D. candidate
Jing Zhang, Ph.D.

Emeriti Faculty

Margarete Arndt, D.B.A.
Robert Bradbury, Ph.D.
Harold T. Moody, Ph.D.
Edward J. Ottensmeyer, Ph.D.
Maurry Tamarkin, Ph.D.

For a full list of faculty, including visiting and adjunct professors, please see the Faculty page on GSOM’s website.

Courses

All courses are worth one unit, unless otherwise specified.