Mar 29, 2024  
Loyola Marymount University Bulletin 2014-2015 
    
Loyola Marymount University Bulletin 2014-2015 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Master of Business Administration


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MBA Degree Program

To qualify for the Master of Business Administration degree, the admitted student must satisfy the requirements of at least 18-20 courses, waivers, double emphasis/specialization, and choice of integrative option may alter the required amount. 

MBA course descriptions and prerequisites are listed in the University Bulletin, depending on which integrative option a student chooses. Course syllabi are available on the MBA Student Intranet page.

MBA Course Categories


Two broad divisions of courses exist in the MBA Program: the core and the advanced curriculum.

Core Curriculum


The core curriculum consists of 9 specific courses that comprise the common body of knowledge of business administration as defined by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).

Core courses are prefixed MBAA and numbered in the 60X series (MBAA 601-609).
Core courses are described in the next section. They include the following:

Note:


Several topics which are vital to the common body of knowledge in business are not directly referenced in the titles of the nine core courses. These topics include the following: business ethics, social influences, political influences, computer applications, organizational theory, interpersonal communications, integrating analysis, and the international dimension of business.

Because of their critical nature for emerging business leaders, many of these topics are included as major elements within each core course. For example, MBAA 605 Management and Organizational Behavior , includes modules on organizational theory, interpersonal communication, business ethics and the international dimension of business. Similar matrixed break-downs occur in the other core courses. Viewed from a topical standpoint, the international dimension of business is addressed in MBAA 604 , MBAA 605 , MBAA 606 , MBAA 608 , and MBAA 609 .

The Advanced Curriculum


The advanced curriculum consists of 9-12 courses depending on the Integrative  double emphasis/specialization option. All courses in the advanced curriculum are electives, but certain constraints exist to ensure that each graduate has an acceptable and intelligently constructed program of study. Within the advanced curriculum, the student is given an opportunity to obtain both specialized knowledge in an Area of Emphasis and generalized knowledge in supporting areas. The curriculum also provides ample opportunity to integrate the knowledge obtained through the below specializations and generalization studies below.

Area of Emphasis/Specialization


Depth in a specialized field of knowledge is obtained by the selection of three courses within one of eight designated areas of emphasis. For example, a student who plans on selecting MBAB: Management and Organizational Behavior as their area of emphasis/specialization, must take 3 MBAB advanced courses to fulfill the area of emphasis/specialization requirement. These specializations and their course designator prefixes are listed below:

MBAB:
MBAC:
MBAD:
MBAE:
MBAF:
MBAG:
MBAH:
MBAJ:
MBAI:

Management and Organizational Behavior
Marketing Management
Information and Decision Sciences
Human Resource Management
Financial Decision Systems
International Business Systems
Entrepreneurial Organizations
Accounting Decision Systems
Integrative Experience Courses

Generalization “Breadth” Requirement


By nature, MBA programs that are similar to LMU follow the classic AACSB International model mandate that candidates for graduation have a broad academic background rather than one of extensive specialization.

Generalization in the Advanced Curriculum is obtained in the following way:

Students must take 5 advanced course “breadth” electives from at least 3 fields in addition to the Area of Emphasis/specialization. Additionally, no more than 2 courses may be taken within a single specialization. For example, a student who declared their area of emphasis/specialization in MBAB, would opt to take 2 MBAC advanced courses, 2 MBAD advanced courses, and 1 MBAE advanced course to satisfy the generalization requirement. Another student having the same area of emphasis/specialization, may prefer to obtain even greater generalization by taking 1 MBAC, 1 MBAD, 1 MBAE, 1 MBAF, and 1 MBAG advanced course.

Double Emphasis/Specialization


A student may earn a second area of emphasis/specialization by taking one additional advanced course in the MBA Program. The advanced course selected must specialize in the area of the 2 existing advanced courses within the generalization requirement. For example, if a student advanced courses in the generalization requirement are MBAC, MBAC, MBAD, MBAE, MBAF then the additional advanced course needed to create a double emphasis/specialization would be from the area of MBAC. A second specialized field of knowledge is obtained by the selection of three courses within the remaining designated specializations.

Final Integrative Options


The integrative experience is designed to draw together the knowledge gained in the MBA program into a combined focus.  Two integrative options are available:

Option One, Comparative Management Systems (CMS), MBAI 691 . This integrative course requires prep activities in the Fall and Spring semesters prior to the three week travel taken in the first Summer Session. Prior to departure, students participate in a co-requisite advanced elective course, MBAI 690 International Regional Strategies: Cultural and Industrial , during which they preform area studies of the nations to be visited and participate in seminars conducted by area and industry specialists. The industries visited are held constant for each annual CMS Program. Students are grouped by business functional areas and meet with executives from those areas in each firm visited. Group papers and presentations comprise final outputs for the course.

Option Two, Strategy Option: This option allows the student to take 3 designated Strategy electives. Strategy electives are advanced courses with the word “strategy” or “strategic” in the course title. All students who elect this option must take

 , plus 2 additional strategy courses. Each designated Strategy elective provides the student with a general management and functional area perspective on the development and implementation of high level corporate strategy. Taken together, the 3 selected electives give the student an integrative view of the total strategic planning and implementing processes.

Students who follow this option observe how firms determine and implement corporate strategy from the standpoint of several functional areas. The strategy courses provide an overall integrative focus as a capstone to the student’s MBA studies.

MBA Advantage Certificate Program for Alumni


Areas of Emphasis


Accounting Decision Systems

Competitive Strategy

Entrepreneurial Organizations

Financial Decision Systems

Human Resource Management

Information and Decision Sciences

International Business Systems

Management and Organizational Behavior

Marketing Management

Program Description


The MBA Advantage is a certificate program for alumni of LMU and other AACSB International-accredited MBA programs, which provides MBA alumni with the opportunity to complete 3 advanced courses and earn a certificate.

Tuition rates will vary. Inquire with the MBA Office.

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