2020-2021 Academic Catalog

Nov 23, 2024

2020-2021 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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 requires 12 units of coursework - nine required core courses and three elective courses.

Students may waive up to two foundational courses (accounting, finance, marketing) based on (1) a minimum of five years professional work experience in the disciplinary area or (2) a recent undergraduate business degree with a major in the disciplinary area. The SOM dean or his/her designee will determine whether waiver proposals are approved.

Students are required to complete an Economics prerequisite course prior to their start in the MBA program. An undergraduate economics course with a grade of B or higher will meet the prerequisite. If students are missing the prerequisite, they will be required to enroll in the prerequisite, ECON 4004 , through Clark University prior to starting in the MBA program.

Note: Students who have questions about their program requirements should contact their academic advisor.

Required Courses

Experiential Learning/Internship Requirement

Completion of a graduate internship fulfills the Experiential Learning Requirement. An internship is required for all full time students enrolled in an on campus program 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.

Concentration and Free Electives

In addition to the courses listed above, students must take three elective units. All 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 overlap. 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 accounting electives. Electives will be determined by the Program Director based on prior undergraduate coursework.

, and ACCT 5104 OR

(please consult program director on appropriate elective selection).

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 BAN 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 and Sustainability

The unique Social Change and Sustainability concentration in our M.B.A. program was created for leaders who face environmental, social and economic challenges. We help you utilize your business management and leadership skills to innovatively solve problems and effect positive change.

Program Faculty

Yue Gue, Ph.D.

Mary-Ellen Boyle, Ph.D.

Keith Coulter, Ph.D.

John Dobson, Ph.D.

Priscilla Elsass, Ph.D.

Donna Gallo, Ph.D.

Laura Graves, Ph.D.

Thomas Murphy, M.B.A.

Steve Ng, M.B.A.

Will O’Brien, J.D., M.B.A.

Sitikantha Parida, Ph.D.

Inshik Seol, Ph.D.

Richard Spurgin, Ph.D.

Zhenyang Tang, Ph.D.

Zhihong Wang, Ph.D.

Da Wu, Ph.D.

Atefeh Yazdanparast, Ph.D.

Jing Zhang, Ph.D.

Emeriti Faculty

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

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

Courses

All courses are worth one unit, unless otherwise specified.