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Curriculum

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A curriculum designed to build your skills and your expertise.

The Full-Time MBA program at Michigan State University prepares you to become a leader in business by providing a holistic, team-based approach to learning. No matter which areas of expertise you wish to develop, Broad will give you a wide breadth of theoretical and practical business know-how so you can become a leader in any business.

MSU’s team of world-renowned faculty have developed a curriculum grounded in strategic business theory and a hands-on, experiential approach to learning that fosters the development of soft skills that are critical for effective management.

If you are interested in the STEM-Designated track of our Full-Time MBA program, you can view the STEM MBA curriculum here.

MBA Curriculum Structure

Within the flexible curriculum structure of the MBA program, students select a concentration and craft their own plan of study with elective courses to support areas of interest that complement their concentration area.

21 months, 3 components

The MBA curriculum’s three components ensure that all students develop both a strong foundation and subject matter expertise:

  • MBA Core Curriculum: 31 credits that provide foundational learning
  • MBA Concentration: 12 credits that build subject matter expertise in one of four fields
  • MBA Electives: 18 credits that deepen knowledge in areas of interest to drive relevant expertise to a desired career path

Core Courses

Full-Time MBA core courses create a solid practical foundation on which to build. Students benefit from extensive exposure to core areas of business, including international and ethical issues, from the first day of classes.

The 31 credits of core courses within the MBA curriculum provide instruction in the following areas:

MBA Students working together at a table

Concentrations

After completion of the core curriculum, the structure of the Broad Full-Time MBA program enables you to immerse yourself in a concentration of classes within the college. Developing depth in a concentration will add value to your MBA experience and assist you in preparing for a summer internship.

 

Students will select a primary concentration and then supplement their academic program from a robust elective course group.

Concentrations require completion of 12 credit hours in one of six disciplines

Business Analytics Concentration

As the digital economy continues to accelerate, large sources of data will continue to become more accessible to today’s business leaders to make highly informed, data-driven decisions. The Business Analytics concentration recognizes the need for future leaders to be well-versed in how to manage large sets of data and leverage them to both communicate and make decisions to drive business results.

Business Analytics is a great complementary concentration to inject data expertise into one of our four concentrations.

Explore the BA Concentration

Entrepreneurship Concentration

MBA students naturally model the skills/abilities of entrepreneurship, but to date, they consider that skillset’s utility limited to only startups and future business owners. We believe the entrepreneurial mindset is a foundational piece of the innovation and design thinking work that already exists in MBA. As entrepreneurship continues to grow in popularity across our university, the Broad College emerged as the leader in this space at MSU, and we are immensely proud to connect these new resources and curriculum to MBA students moving forward. This concentration will provide the academic frameworks needed to have a baseline understanding of entrepreneurship.

Explore the Entrepreneurship Concentration

Finance Concentration

Regardless of your industry or role, understanding valuation and risk is vital for making sound business decisions.

Broad’s world-class finance faculty bring real-world experience into the classroom, while producing research that garners top awards from leading journals. In this concentration, you will be immersed in a robust curriculum that pairs finance courses with electives in accounting, preparing you to successfully handle complex jobs from analyst to mergers and acquisitions specialist to venture capitalist.

Explore the Finance Concentration

Human Resources and Strategic Management Concentration

Human resources and strategic management (HRSM) has evolved into a strategic business function as corporations have recognized that motivated employees and a vibrant corporate culture create competitive advantages and increased profitability.

Broad’s human resources and strategic management concentration exposes students to areas of business such as marketing, finance, and supply chain management with HRSM-specific strategies and implementation of HRSM-specific programs. Broad’s focus on data analysis and financial analysis skills prepare you for success in the corporate world.

Explore the HRSM Concentration

Marketing Concentration

The Marketing Concentration in the Broad Full-Time MBA focuses on your success in becoming a sought-after prospective hire. From the start of your first year, you’ll work with professors and other students to prepare for internship interviewing.

You will have numerous opportunities throughout the program to apply marketing knowledge to the real world, and you will develop the ability to create and grow marketing equity as you plan a career in brand management, business development or marketing research.

Explore the Marketing Concentration

Supply Chain Management Concentration

To manage supply chains well means to develop expertise that crosses the areas of procurement, logistics and operations—because in the real world, there are no simple boundaries separating them. The Broad MBA at Michigan State is the only program in the country to integrate the study of these areas into a global framework. At Broad, world-renowned faculty teach the innovative curriculum in small-class settings where interaction is encouraged and expected.

Supply chain management at MSU is the #1 top-ranked program by U.S. News & World Report for a reason. Using leading-edge academics and real-world learning, Broad pioneered the development of the field years ago and is still working to redefine the future of global supply chain management. If you concentrate in supply chain management, you will be required to think analytically and strategically about real-world business cases and situations, learn about supplier relations and network design, and practice with tools used in the field.

Explore the SCM Concentration

Corporate Social Responsibility & Sustainability Concentration

Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability involves balancing economic, social, and environmental considerations to ensure long-term organizational health and viability. Sustainable business practices aim to minimize negative impacts on the environment, promote social responsibility, and maintain economic profitability. Course topics cover areas such as sustainable business models, green supply chain management, and strategies for achieving the triple bottom line – economic, social, and environmental sustainability. This curriculum will also include Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, such as philanthropy, ethical business practices, employee well-being, and environmental sustainability. Embracing CSR fosters a corporate culture that goes beyond profit-making, emphasizing a commitment to societal welfare and ethical conduct.

Explore the CSR Concentration

MBA Students presenting with slideshow in background

Preferred Elective Tracks

Broad offers different immersive skill-based tracks meant to help students gain competencies in areas that are relevant in today’s ever-changing workforce.

Leadership and Strategy icon

Leadership and Strategy

The process of developing a common vision and motivating others to collaborate in a series of actions to achieve the vision
Insights and Analytics icon

Insights and Analytics

The process of uncovering undiscovered meaning through qualitative and quantitative methods of reasoning and data analysis
Global Business icon

Global Business

The process of managing and integrating business transactions among people, societies, economies and governments of different nations
Consulting icon

Consulting

The process of problem solving and determining a winning set of actions to achieve goals
Entrepreneurship icon

Entrepreneurship

The process of discovering new ways to solve problems and/or uncover previously unseen problems, and to use these discoveries to create new markets
The Broad MBA program is very collaborative. When solving corporate problems, you need to be able to work between departments and disciplines. Having the experience of working in a group with someone from marketing, finance and supply chain all coming at the same problem from different perspectives sets you up for the real world.
Robin Hannum
MBA '14

Semester Structure

Building Business Foundations

Creating Your Personal Brand

Module 1

  • Foundations in MBA Tactical Disciplines
  • Team Dynamics
  • Professional Skills Inventory

Module 2

  • Executive Communications
  • Completing MBA Foundation Courses
  • Foundations in Analytics

Developing Leadership Skills

Infusing IT into Business

Enhancing Career Pathways

MBA Education Abroad Experience (spring break)

Module 3

  • Communications Capstones
  • Beginning Concentration Path
  • Applied Economics

Module 4

  • Workforce Management
  • Business IT Strategy
  • Strategic Management

Extreme Green I

  • Executive Presence + Crisis Communications

Summer Corporate Internship Experience

Refining Industry Skill Sets

Enhancing Scope and Influence within Organizations

Extreme Green II

  • Corporate Innovation

Module 5

  • Deep-Dive Concentration Courses
  • Preferred Elective Tracks

Module 6

  • Exploring Multiple Disciplines

Becoming a Change Agent

Developing Leadership and Service Potential

Module 7

  • Business Ethics
  • Enhancing Leadership Skills

Module 8

  • Capstone Business Courses
  • Social Impact Consulting Projects

Faculty member teaching in front of a project screen displaying slides

MBA Faculty

The Broad faculty conducts research on the latest critical business issues, trends and outcomes. They are experts in their fields: many serve as consultants to top corporations and government agencies, and publish frequently in peer-reviewed journals. In addition, nearly every department within Broad has an industry advisory board to ensure that curriculum and research reflect breaking developments and current trends.

Michigan State University’s team of renowned faculty brings to the classroom leading-edge research and a keen understanding of the changing global marketplace. They engage directly with students, pushing them to analyze critical business issues from all angles.

Committed to Your Success

Small class sizes allow for direct and frequent interactions with faculty, who often tailor their instruction specifically to their students’ backgrounds and stated goals. Our educators are involved in all aspects of the MBA experience—from theory-driven and applied research to MBA education abroad and case competitions.

Academic Departments

Faculty that serve in the Full-Time MBA program at MSU have appointments across five different academic departments within the Broad College of Business:

Accounting and Information Systems

Finance

Marketing

Management

Supply Chain Management

MBA Student looking at presentation board and brainstorming

Experiential Learning

As a Full-Time MBA student at Broad, you’ll learn by doing. Creativity and innovation are at the heart of our curricular design. Experiential learning opportunities help students maximize their knowledge, develop skills and clarify values by continuously applying what they learn in the classroom to real-world contexts.

Extreme Green

Extreme Green (EG) is an immersive, experiential series of three-day workshops held 2 times during the MBA program. Students have the opportunity to learn creative, innovative and entrepreneurial thinking competencies. EG draws out and channels individual natural creativity to solve real-world, challenging business problems, and create new business models.

Case Competitions

Case competitions give MBA students the opportunity to hone their skills and showcase their talent in real-world business situations.

External case competitions, including some of the most highly regarded national competitions, provide students with the chance to demonstrate their skills to potential employers. Some also offer start-up funding and mentorship for winners.

Broad vs. Broad Case Competition

First-year MBA students compete in five-person teams in the annual Broad vs. Broad Case Competition. Teams have 24 hours to complete an analysis of a case and to prepare a presentation to deliver to a panel of industry, alumni and faculty judges. The event is a highlight of the MBA program and receives financial support from corporate sponsors.

Fisher Invitational Case Competition

First-year MBA students are eligible to participate in the Fisher Invitational Case Competition at Ohio State University. Teams of students have 24 hours to analyze a complex business case for a middle-market company and recommend a strategic response. Teams present their recommendations to a panel of judges comprised of leaders from the company being analyzed and other industry executives. The winning team’s recommendations are often implemented, giving students the opportunity to influence actual corporate decision-making.

Labs

Lab settings help our students address real-world business challenges and gain the tools, knowledge and experience needed to make valuable contributions from their first day on the job.

Team Effectiveness Laboratory

First-semester MBA students develop collaborative skills in the state-of-the-art Team Effectiveness Laboratory. Students are assigned to a team based on behavioral tests and background; the team setting teaches students how to influence without power while receiving real-time feedback. Through the combination of traditional lecture-based classes and the team simulation, students are able to gain greater insight into both leadership and team processes.

Financial Analysis Laboratory

The Financial Analysis Laboratory provides training in financial modeling and valuation. The lab simulates a real trading room, with trading desks, real-time data feeds and other trading room technology, and enables a dynamic instructional setting. All students taking the introductory finance class complete a project in the lab. Students taking a financial modeling course or the security analysis course may also complete assignments in the lab.

IBM On-Demand Supply Chain Laboratory

Broad MBA students and faculty use the IBM Supply Chain Laboratory to study, simulate and test the key relationships in an end-to-end supply chain, focusing on the dynamic flow of information and the resulting interdependencies between them. Their work is expected to help companies build dynamic supply chains that can sense and rapidly respond to changing customer demands and market conditions.

Gast Business Library

This state-of-the-art research center for business students houses thousands of volumes of research material, online research services and subscriptions, and breakout rooms for team meetings or private study.

A Global Mindset

Approximately one-third of Broad MBA students are international in a given class, creating a cultural exchange that serves as a microcosm of the global marketplace. The Broad MBA is a global MBA that leverages this strength and prepares students for domestic and foreign business challenges through hands-on experiences and courses in cultural business awareness.

Education Abroad

The Broad education abroad program takes students to the most relevant countries shaping the business world today.

Students have the opportunity to:

  • Explore business practices in emerging and mature markets
  • Participate in company visits, cultural tours and meetings with prominent MSU alumni
  • Go on treks to both multinational and local companies in the host country to compare divergent business models
  • Gain exposure to a variety of customs, laws and regulations
  • Learn about human resource issues affecting other countries

International Course Requirement

All MBA students take one course in international business. Students fulfill the international course requirement in their core curriculum and can opt to take advantage of the education abroad experience as well.

International Knowledge

MSU is home to the nation’s top-rated International Business Center (IBC), one of 28 such federally funded initiatives that help businesses compete in the global marketplace.

Broad College and the IBC support development of faculty expertise on international topics. The IBC enhances research to assist businesses as they address the challenge of competing in the global marketplace.

Craig Menear speaking at the 2017 Warrington Lecture

Dual Degrees and Certifications

Broad prepares students to be leaders in the changing global marketplace.

As part of that commitment, we provide MBA students with multidisciplinary opportunities. The Broad College partners with other colleges at Michigan State University that are interested in earning dual degrees such as an M.D.-MBA, D.O.-MBA, or J.D.-MBA, as well as industry certifications, such as the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

See Our Dual Degree and Certification Options

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