Business Administration

Program Description

The Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) program provides training in business for students interested in understanding the working nature of business in a competitive environment. Courses in the M.B.A. program integrate information and theories from various disciplines, including accounting, economics, finance, marketing, production operations, and strategic management.

The objective of this program is to develop students into broadly educated business managers and executives who understand the nature of business as a whole, with the tools and techniques applicable to a wide variety of business situations.

The capstone for the M.B.A. program gives students the chance to bring together all of the theories, skills, and tools studied during the program and integrate them into a learning experience that highlights the nature of competition and the kind of strategic maneuvering that must be done in order to succeed. Additionally, the M.B.A. core curriculum is aligned with the content areas that are specified for the new Certified M.B.A. (CMBA) examination.

The degree requires satisfactory completion of 27 credit hours of the M.B.A. curriculum and 9 credit hours of graduate electives for a total of 36 credit hours, or if an area of emphasis is selected for a total of no less than 48 credit hours. Students who require prerequisite courses may have to complete more than 36 or 48 credit hours to receive the M.B.A.

The required courses in the M.B.A. program are

• MRKT 5000 Marketing
• MNGT 5590 Organizational Behavior
• FINC 5000 Finance
• FINC 5880 Advanced Corporate Finance
• BUSN 5760 Applied Business Statistics
• BUSN 6070 Management Accounting
• BUSN 6110 Operations and Project Management
• BUSN 6120 Managerial Economics
• BUSN 6140 Business Research Analysis
• BUSN 6200 Strategy and Competition

Prerequisites:

• BUSN 5000 Business
• BUSN 5600 Accounting Theory and Practice
• BUSN 5620 Current Economic Analysis

General Requirements

The M.B.A. degree-seeking student should consult the Admission, Enrollment, and Academic Policies sections under Academic Policies and Procedures for policies regarding application, admission, registration, and the academic policies of Webster University. Academic policies or exceptions to policies applicable to M.B.A. students are noted under their respective general academic policies.

Areas of Emphasis

Requirements for an area of emphasis in the M.B.A. program are identical to requirements for a major in the master of arts (M.A.) program and are outlined in the Graduate Degree Options section of the Webster Graduate Catalog.

Areas of emphasis for the M.B.A. degree are

• Finance
• Human Resources Management
• International Business
• International Relations
• Marketing

The student should consult the Locations and the M.A. and M.B.A. Majors/Emphasis and Course Descriptions sections of the Webster Graduate Catalog for the locations where areas of emphasis are offered. Not all areas of emphasis are offered at every Webster University location.

Degree Completion

The M.B.A. requires advancement to candidacy and satisfactory completion of a minimum of 36 credit hours of M.B.A. degree coursework, or 48 credit hours of M.B.A. degree and area of emphasis coursework.
Students who require prerequisite courses may have to complete more than 36 or 48 credit hours to receive the M.B.A.

Sequential M.B.A.

A student who holds an M.A., M.S., or an equivalent graduate degree from Webster University or from another regionally accredited college or university (or its international equivalent) may earn a sequential M.B.A. from Webster University.

Transfer credit may not be applied toward the sequential M.B.A., except as specified below.

These conditions apply to the student seeking the sequential M.B.A.:
The student must meet the core course requirements of the M.B.A. If the student enrolled in any of the M.B.A. core courses as electives in his or her M.A. program, 6 credit hours of those M.A. courses may be counted toward the 27 credit hours of M.B.A. core courses, thus reducing the M.B.A. core requirements to 21 credit hours. If more than 6 credit hours of the M.B.A. core courses were taken in the M.A. program, then substitutions will have to be made for those courses in order to fulfill the 21 remaining credit hours required for the M.B.A. degree.

Advancement to Candidacy for Sequential M.B.A.

Sequential M.B.A. degree-seeking students who received the M.A. or M.S. from Webster University will be advanced to candidacy with the initial registration.

A student who received the master's degree from another regionally accredited institution will be advanced to candidacy on approval of the master's degree transcript.

Course Descriptions

MRKT 5000 Marketing
Students examine the character and importance of the marketing process, its essential functions, and the institutions exercising these functions. Course content focuses on the major policies that underlie the activities of marketing institutions and the social, economic, and political implications of such policies.

MNGT 5590 Organizational Behavior
This course introduces students to many of the basic principles of human behavior that effective managers use when managing individuals and groups in organizations. These include theories relating to individual differences in abilities and attitudes, attribution, motivation, group dynamics, power and politics, leadership, conflict resolution, organizational culture, and organizational structure and design.

FINC 5000 Finance
The student examines the general nature of financial management, the American financial system, taxes, and the major financial decisions of corporations. Specific attention is given to present value and capital budgeting; risk and asset pricing; financial analysis and forecasting; financial decisions and market efficiency; and capital structure. Problem-solving methodology is used to illustrate the theories and tools in financial decision-making. Prerequisites: BUSN 5600 and BUSN 5760.

FINC 5880 Advanced Corporate Finance
This advanced study of corporate financial analysis and planning includes capital budgeting, cost of funds, and capital structure and valuation. Selected topics that may be covered are leasing, mergers, takeovers, business failure, reorganization, and liquidation. A combination of problem-solving and case study methodologies is used to illustrate theories and techniques helpful in financial analysis and planning. Prerequisite: FINC 5000.

BUSN 5760 Applied Business Statistics
The student examines the application of statistical analysis, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis in business decision making. The course should focus on the utilization of statistical methods as applied to business problems and operations.

BUSN 6070 Management Accounting
The student examines advanced topics in management accounting as these relate to management information needs for planning, control, and decision making. Topics include interpretation of standard cost variances; application of quantitative techniques; evaluation of divisional performance; activity-based costing; and the behavioral impact of accounting systems. Prerequisites: BUSN 5600 and BUSN 5760.

BUSN 6110 Operations and Project Management
This is a course that focuses on the major managerial issues in manufacturing management and the tools that can be used to manage them. Special attention will be given to project management, including PERT, critical path scheduling, and time-cost models, in operations management and other business settings. The major operations management issues are quality management and control, capacity management, plant location, layout and design, production planning and scheduling, supply chain management, and inventory management. The analytical tools covered include queuing theory, statistical quality control, linear programming, and learning curves. Where appropriate, the use of operations management techniques in service and distribution organizations will be demonstrated.
Prerequisite: BUSN 5760.

BUSN 6120 Managerial Economics
The student examines the application of microeconomic theory as applied to the managers' responsibilities within the organization. This course should emphasize the quantitative and qualitative application of economic principles to business analysis. Prerequisites: BUSN 5620 and BUSN 5760.

BUSN 6140 Business Research Analyses

The student examines the application of the tools and methods of research to management problems. The course focuses on the nature of research; the use of research in decision making; decision making; research concepts and methods for the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data fron surveys, experiments, and observational studies; and the evaluation, use and presentation of research findings. The completion of a substantial research paper will also be required.

Prerequisites

BUSN 5000 Business

This course is designed to provide a foundation in such general business concepts as economics, finance, accounting, business law, marketing, and other business systems.

BUSN 5600 Accounting Theory and Practice

This course examines the accounting function and its role in modern business. Basic accounting theory and principles are examined and a number of important contemporary accounting developments are reviewed. The course is designed for consumers as opposed to producers of accounting data.

BUSN 5620 Current Economic Analysis

Implications of current economic events are examined through the applications of economic theory. Emphasis is placed on acquainting the student with methods of economic analysis in the context of current economic issues.

Capstone Course

BUSN 6200 Strategy and Competition

The student examines the conceptual and practical aspects of business policies and policy decision making by utilizing all the concepts, theories, and tools that were presented in the previous courses. The student should be able to analyze and recommend a comprehensive and workable approach to the situation. The course should cover current business issues and developments. Prerequisites: completion of all other required courses in the M.B.A.

Duration

Full-time students can complete the MBA without emphasis (12 courses) in 15 to 18 months. An MBA with in an emphasis will take 18 to 24 months (16 to 18 courses). Part-time students can pace their programs to meet the demands of their personal and professional lives. Students who have no academic background in business, economics and accounting may be required to take up to 3 prerequisite courses.