MBA Courses
Module 1
MBA 8101 - Management & Organizational Behavior (3 credits)
Managing people requires a broad range of interdisciplinary knowledge and skills. To be effective, managers must have solid planning and organizational skills. They must also have solid understanding of human behavior, and how human behavioral tendencies affect and are affected by organizational systems, processes, and interactions. This component of Module 1 helps students develop the knowledge and skills needed to effectively manage people in organizations. Topics include fundamentals of social cognition, individual differences, judgment and decision making, motivation, organizational power and politics, managerial communication, human resource management, and conflict management.
MBA 8102 - Human Resource Management (2 credits)
This component of Module 1 provides an overview of human resource management in organizations and examines the role of the human resource (HR) function in developing strategy and creating sustainable competitive advantages. The techniques, policies, processes, strategies, and practices used by companies and managers to effectively utilize human resources will be discussed. Topics of discussion will include staffing, compensation, training, and development, performance management, and employment law.
MBA 8160 - Leadership Skills Development (3 credits)
The concepts of management and leadership are often compared. One way to define leadership in a managerial context is that leadership is the extent to which a manager has influence over others above and beyond their position-based power or authority. This component of Module 1 will help students develop two distinct sets of skills that will help them become leaders: self-leadership and team building. Topics will be introduced in regular class settings and then be developed through intensive full-day workshops and follow-up activities.
MBA 8191 - Project Management (2 credits)
The ability to manage projects from idea to implementation requires a broad set of knowledge and skills. According to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), a project is "a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result." Effective project management is by nature an integrative activity that requires interpersonal, technical, financial, and strategic skills. This component of Module 1 will serve two purposes. First, it will introduce students to the scope of knowledge and tools required to manage successful projects. Second, it will provide context for integration of many elements of the Hamline MBA program, including the transition from Module 1 to Module 2.
Module 2
MBA 8210 - Managerial Accounting (3 credits)
This course will build on financial accounting principles and examine the tools that support management measurement and control of costs and operations. Financial forecasting and budgeting will be introduced for establishing performance targets. Cost volume and differential pricing techniques will be examined as tools for making tactical decisions. Budgeting, job order, and activity-based costing will be examined as tools for measuring day-to-day operations. Alternative performance measures will be examined for measuring progress towards strategic goals.
MBA 8220 - Managerial Finance (3 credits)
Today, managers need to understand the fundamentals of financial management to make good decisions. This course covers the issues in finance that a manager is likely to encounter. It will be taught in two parts. The first portion of the course will discuss the financial statements, cash flows and the time value of money. Once we understand these basics, we will discuss issues surrounding corporate financing including equity and debt. We will discuss capital investment and how a company decides to allocate its resources in a value-maximizing manner. We will also discuss risk and return and how it ultimately affects the company's cost of capital. The second part of the course focuses on applying some of what we learned in the first course. We will also discuss special topics such as mergers and acquisitions and international finance in this part of the course.
MBA 8240 - Managerial Economics (2 credits)
This course examines supply and demand and the effect of elasticity on price, income, and total revenue. With this foundation, marginal analysis and opportunity cost concepts will be introduced. The course will then examine how economic principles are impacted by different market structures (perfect competition, monopoly, monopolistic competition and oligopoly). The course will conclude with analysis on how economics impacts strategy and business decision-making.
MBA 8290 - Business Process Management – Operations (2 credits)
Business operations are driven by business processes. This course will examine key operational business processes (sales/collection, acquisition/payment, conversion, finance) developing an understanding of workflow, inputs/outputs, and data needs. An internal integration perspective will established the foundation for dealing with external business partners. Technology tools and applications which enable business process efficiency and integration will also be introduced.
Module 3
MBA 8330—Managing the Global Marketplace (3 credits)
Managers need a background in global trade to function in the international marketplace. We will cover globalization, outsourcing, and international trade theory. The discussions of the organization of international business and import-export issues will help students understand the planning involved in effectively moving a business into the global marketplace. There will be coverage of ethical issues in international transactions. Materials on cross-cultural negotiations, human resource issues and strategies for entering a specific international market will aid the students in negotiating a license agreement in class covering a specific product or service to be distributed in an international market.
MBA 8350—Marketing Management (3 credits)
Marketing expertise has emerged as a key requisite in determining the success of organizations. This course will prepare students to lead organizations through complex challenges in the local and global marketplace. State-of-the-art marketing practices, theories, case studies, and trends are blended into results-oriented actions that equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary to make sound marketing decisions.
MBA 8380 - Business Law and Regulatory Environment (2 credits)
Business Law and Regulatory Environment provides a clear understanding of the basic principles of business law. Among the topics covered are contracts, sales, intellectual property, business organizations, agency, securities regulation, negotiable instruments, e-commerce and antitrust law. When the students complete the course they should be able to identify and work through common legal problems and ethical issues they will face in the workplace.
MBA 8381 - Social Responsibility and Sustainability (2 credits)
Students in the two-credit Social Responsibility and Sustainability course will examine viewpoints on what responsibility businesses have to their stakeholder groups. We will also explore the evolving role of sustainability in the business community and opportunities to incorporate social responsibility issues in business strategy and daily business practices. Our exploration of sustainability will include a diverse range of industries.
Module 4
MBA 8420 – Strategic Financial Analysis (2 credits)
Viewing strategy through the lens of financial performance sharpens (or enhances) management (or management capabilities). Whether evaluating alternative strategies, setting strategy-assessing metrics, or judging strategy implementation, financials play a paramount role. Strategic Financial Analysis is designed to provide students with both theory and hands-on analytical practice to analyze and support strategic decisions.
MBA 8460—Strategic Management (3 credits)
This component provides a broad understanding of business strategy. Strategy literature is evaluated to assess applicability of classic frameworks in the 21st century. Business cases are discussed and analyzed with a focus on competitive strategy, the economics of information, resource allocation, industry analysis, and the importance of mission and goals. This component integrates knowledge and skills of previous coursework (in Modules 1-4) as well as electives.
MBA 8461 – Mergers & Acquisitions (2 credits)
This course draws on financial, economic, and legal concepts from previous modules to examine mergers and acquisitions as a growth strategy for a firm. Topics include: strategic motives for mergers and acquisitions; methods of valuation of acquisition targets; financing sources; due diligence (legal and regulatory issues and best practices); and post merger integration.
MBA 8491 – Capstone/Field Study (3 credits)
The Capstone/Field Study Competency provides several benefits. First, it serves an integrative role, allowing you to apply skills developed throughout your Hamline MBA education to issues being faced by an actual business organization with real issues and opportunities involving multiple functions. Second, it requires you to formulate a business plan for an organization contemplating significant change. Finally, it will provide opportunities for dialogue with industry leaders, again allowing you to blend theory and practice in understanding the complicated world of business today.
Electives
MANAGEMENT
MBA 8051 Electronic Marketing (4 credits)
This course explores the important concepts of electronic marketing, which will be considered within the framework of the marketing function and its influence on total business function. This course is designed to provide you with an introduction into the world of the digital channel and Internet based marketing communications such as the use of social media marketing (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and etc.) to influence our customers in decision making. This course will examine electronic marketing issues from a balanced perspective of theory and practice. On the theory side, we will draw on recent developments in research on internet marketing. On the practical side, real-world cases and practices will be used to systematically supplement the principles and theories introduced.
MBA 8052 Market Research (4 credits)
Marketing strategy and decision making relies on accurate, useful information developed through marketing research activities. This course introduces you to the fundamentals of marketing research in order to prepare you to conduct basic research on your own or be a more informed consumer of sophisticated and specialized marketing research services. This course has an applied, skill-building focus, undergirded with thorough understanding of marketing research principles. You will learn the typical research methods used to generate and analyze primary data in marketing research. You will also be exposed to and use standard sources of secondary data. Finally, you will undertake typical data analysis tasks used in marketing research.
MBA 8053 International Marketing Management (4 credits)
This course focuses on practical issues of participating in international markets. We discuss foreign direct investment, joint ventures, licensing and distribution agreements. Topics covered include exporting, supply chains, global human resource management, global marketing, and financial management in international business. We also examine entry strategies for doing business in global markets. The course includes both conceptual frameworks and contemporary applications. Students apply the topics covered by working in groups to develop an international marketing plan to enter a foreign market with a specific product or service
FINANCE
MBA 8020 Corporate Finance (4 credits)
This course presents the theory and practice of corporate finance with case studies. Topics include concepts of corporate valuation, financial statement analysis and forecasting; the evaluation of capital investments under differing assumptions about risks and the state of the world; the financing choice for capital projects; the effects of debt, equity and derivative financial instruments on the value of the firm; dividend policy and other stakeholder forms of payment; corporate restructuring, bankruptcy, and merger; and issues in corporate control and compensation.
MBA 8021 Financial Institutions and Markets (4 credits)
This course begins with a discussion of the financial system and financial institutions and the relationship between interest rates and security prices, the money market where interest rates are determined, and the role of the consumer and business and government in the financial markets. The course 1) examines how markets are organized and how trading occurs; and 2) establishes a framework for understanding how existing markets are set up, how trading occurs in them and how these markets evolve over time. The concentration is on securities markets and trading practices, but most of the principles developed are also applicable to other kinds of markets--markets for products, service, and information.
MBA 8022 Finance Theory and Applications (4 credits)
This course covers the major decision-making areas of corporate finance and selected areas of financial history. Focusing on financial analysis and planning, corporate policies, valuation, and risk management. Topics will include firm capital structure and payout policy, short-term and long-term financial planning, options, risk management and derivates, and corporate restructuring. The course builds upon the topics covered in MBA 8220: Managerial Finance.
INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT
MBA 8030 Global Business (4 credits)
This course focuses on practical issues of global business. We discuss foreign direct investment, joint ventures, licensing and distribution agreements. Topics covered include exporting, counter trade, supply chains, global human resource management, global marketing, and financial management in international business. We also examine entry strategies for doing business in global markets. Students apply the topics covered by working in groups to develop an international marketing plan to enter a foreign market with a specific product or service.
MBA 8031 International Business Transactions (4 credits)
This course provides students with an understanding of selected types and forms of international business transactions. It examines the role of business organizations in these transactions and focuses on international dispute mechanisms and how business disputes are resolved using these mechanisms. Attention is given to regional trade agreements such as NAFTA, ASEAN, and MERCOSUR. The WTO, the United Nations ICSID, UNCITRAL, and non-governmental options such as the International Chamber of Commerce will also be examined. Some time is devoted to public and private international organizations and how they influence the resolution of business disputes. Specific international dispute centers, such New York, London, and Stockholm are examined in light of their practices and procedures. International business transactions are an essential part of today’s business and dispute resolution methods utilized in resolving conflicts are essential for business graduates.
MBA 8097 International Seminars (4 credits)MBA students can attend an international seminar as part of their degree. Recent seminars include ten-day trips to China, Germany, Dubai, and India. Each seminar earns four credits and includes both pre- and post-travel class meetings and written assignments. Foreign language ability is not required. Students are strongly encouraged to take at least one International Seminar.
Current international seminar offerings >
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
MBA 8010 Negotiation Theory and Practice (4 credits)
Through lecture and simulation, this course explores major themes in negotiation theory and practice, including distributive versus integrative bargaining, personality styles, multi-party negotiation, and ethical issues. Students are encouraged to reflect on the theoretical foundations that underlie our actions and on the many considerations that influence effective and ethical negotiation practice.
MBA 8011 People and Systems Design (4 credits)
This course helps improve decisions, increase creativity, and enhance others’ performances as well as capacity to build a healthy, productive workplace. The classroom is a metaphor for “organization”. Students experience how conflict is managed individually and systemically. The class discerns patterns, roles, concerns, power differentials and differing workplace assumptions. Participants work in teams within the organization to design customized conflict responses. The course merges theory and practice, challenging students on best practices, conflict prevention tools, and alternative dispute resolution options. With a greater in-depth appreciation for workplace culture, systems and people, class team members will gain familiarity with the necessity of assessments, buy-in, design teams, development, implementation, roll-out and feedback loops. Participants build their capacity to manage conflict more effectively on a systemic basis using principles of organizational systems design.
MBA 8012 Theories of Conflict (4 credits)
This interdisciplinary course introduces students to important theoretical perspectives on our understanding of conflict, which has a profound impact on how each of us responds to conflict. The class provides the necessary foundation and context for understanding and evaluating the nature, sources, and dynamics of conflict and conflict interactions from a range of disciplinary perspectives, including biological, psycho-social, communication, symbolic, and structural theories, helping students better understand the assumptions underlying specific approaches to intervention.