What Is the Curriculum of a MBA Program?
The curricula for most MBA programs are relatively uniform during the first year, when students are expected to learn basic business skills and principles. Students get to choose most of their classes during their second year in the program. This article describes the curriculum of a typical MBA program. Schools offering Business degrees can also be found in these popular choices.
MBA Program Overview
Students who complete a 2-year graduate program in business administration are awarded a Master of Business Administration (MBA). The curricula for most MBA programs include mandatory business classes for the first year. Second-year curricula provide students with more leeway in the courses they take, allowing them to specialize in a particular area.
First-Year MBA Curriculum
During the first year of most MBA programs, students must primarily take introductory courses covering business topics. Some classes usually included in the first year of an MBA curriculum include finance and marketing.
MBA Finance Courses
The finance classes required of most first-year MBA students teach principles that determine how corporations raise and spend money. Students learn how to analyze and create budgets, manage cash flow and understand the functions of banks and stock markets.
MBA Marketing Classes
An MBA program includes marketing courses in its first-year curriculum to ensure that students are aware of how to manage product branding. The classes teach students how to understand marketing principles as applied to overall corporate strategy and how to analyze consumer trends.
Second-Year MBA Curriculum
Classes taken by second-year MBA students often focus on a particular area of specialization. Corporate finance and strategic management are among such areas of emphasis.
MBA Specialties: Corporate Finance
MBA students who focus on corporate finance gain in-depth knowledge of corporate money management. A curriculum includes classes on investment strategies, money markets and international finance.
MBA Specialties: Strategic Management
An emphasis in strategic management prepares MBA grads for careers as consultants, corporate executives or entrepreneurs. Most classes in a strategic management curriculum teach about the competitive aspects of running a business.
To continue researching, browse degree options below for course curriculum, prerequisites and financial aid information. Or, learn more about the subject by reading the related articles below:
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