Overview
The mission of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program is to prepare students for leadership positions in business, and to provide them with the knowledge and skills needed to successfully manage organizations in an ever-changing business environment. The MBA program imparts the conceptual understanding and application of problem-solving tools contained in basic business disciplines, including accounting, economics, data analysis, finance, management, leadership, and marketing. In addition, students are equipped with the skills needed for effective team-building, quantitative and qualitative decision-making, and creative problem-solving.
Self-paced Foundation Courses (optional)
The following non-credit, self-paced and self-study courses are offered online, free of charge to registered MBA students. Self-assessment tests are available for students to ascertain their level of competency.
BUS 500A Intermediate Algebra Foundation (recommended for ECO 607)
BUS 500C Macro and Microeconomics Foundation (recommended for ECO 607)
Two-Week Foundation Courses (required)
The following two Foundation Courses are required for all MBA students, but may be waived if a score of 75% or above is achieved on a challenge exam. Rather than being self-study and self-paced, these courses are scheduled in normal fashion with qualified instructors. Each is two weeks long: ACC 501 is offered in the first two weeks of an academic month, and FIN 501 is offered in the second two weeks.
The two courses are offered online and at certain onsite campus locations. Grading is "S" for Satisfactory, or "U" for Unsatisfactory. Although these courses do not provide academic credit, they have substantial content that is not covered in the related core courses, and they must be successfully completed in order to graduate from the MBA program.
ACC 501 Accounting Fundamentals
(Prerequisite for ACC 604)
FIN 501 Finance Fundamentals (Prerequisite for FIN 609A)
(Prerequisite: ACC 501)
MBA Transition Program
National University students who complete graduate courses as part of their undergraduate degree program and who satisfy MBA transition program requirements described in the catalog description of various undergraduate programs must complete at least 49.5 quarter units for their MBA degree.
Requirements
(14 courses, 63 quarter units)To receive an MBA degree, students must complete at least 63 quarter units of graduate credit. A total of 13.5 quarter units of graduate work completed at another regionally accredited institution may be applied to this degree, provided the units were not used in earning another advanced degree.
Refer to the section on graduate admission requirements for specific information regarding application and matriculation.
Core Requirements
(10 courses, 45 quarter units)
BKM 600 Knowledge Management for Business Strategies
LED 601 Theories, Practices, and Ethics of Leadership
ELB 620 Principles of Electronic Business
MKT 602 Marketing Management
MNS 601 Statistics for Business
ECO 607 Economics for Managerial Decision-Making
ACC 604 Managerial Accounting
(Prerequisite: ACC 501)
FIN 609A Financial Management
(Prerequisite: FIN 501)
MGT 602 Strategic Decision-Making
(Prerequisite : completion of 27 quarter units of MBA Core Requirements)
MGT 610C* MBA Project
(Prerequisite : completion of 31.5 quarter units of MBA Core Requirements)
* MBA project course MGT 610C is conducted in the manner described below (see "The MBA Project"). MGT 610C is two months in length.
General Electives
(4 courses, 18 quarter units)
Students can select any four electives from graduate courses offered by the School of Business and Management, including BUS 691 Internship Project. As an alternative, students may enroll in an Area of Specialization (see below).
MBA Project
The MBA Project is a comprehensive project that integrates prior course material. Therefore, students should schedule MGT 610C toward the end of their degree program, and after completing their Area of Specialization, if any. The minimum requirements are the completion of at least 31.5 quarter units of core requirements in the MBA program. To complete the project satisfactorily, students apply extensive effort in research and writing over a period of two months.
Due to the time and effort required for this project, it is recommended that students dedicate themselves to the completion of this project without distraction. For more information, refer to the MBA Project Handbook in the School of Business and Management section of the university's web site.
MBA Areas of Specialization
Requirements for Areas of Specialization
In lieu of general electives, student can choose an area of specialization. In order to qualify for graduation with an area of specialization, students must complete all courses specified in the desired area in addition to all of the MBA program requirements. Students must take at least three-fourths of the courses in the area of specialization while in residence at National University.
Specialization in Accountancy
(730-000-850)
Faculty Advisor: Connie Fajardo · (916) 855-4137 · cfajardo@nu.edu
Designed for those whose undergraduate degree is not in accounting, the goals of this program are to provide students with the accounting knowledge and skills needed to pursue a career in the financial management of a commercial or nonprofit organization and to help prepare students for national certification examinations. Relevant professional designations include Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Management Accounting (CMA) and Certified in Financial Management (CFM).
Note that the specialization courses listed below provide content in accounting subjects other than managerial accounting, since the latter is contained in the required MBA core course, ACC 604 Managerial Accounting. In order to sit for the CPA Exam in California, candidates are required to have a baccalaureate degree in any discipline and to have completed 24 semester units (8 courses, 36 quarter units) in accounting, plus 24 semester units (8 courses, 36 quarter units) in business which includes business law, mathematics, statistics, computer science and information systems.
Before taking any of the courses in the Area of Specialization, students are advised to contact a full-time faculty person in the department for a brief interview by phone or personal visit. The purpose of this visit is to review the student's career objectives and educational requirements.
Prerequisite for Specialization
(1 course, 4.5 quarter units)
ACC 201 Financial Accounting Fundamentals
Program Requirements
(4 courses, 18 quarter units)
ACC 650A Financial Accounting Theory I
ACC 650B Financial Accounting Theory II
ACC 652 Taxation for Investors and Managers
ACC 655 Auditing and Internal Control
Optional Elective
ACC 657 Accounting Information Systems
Specialization in Alternative Dispute Resolution
(730-000-898)
Faculty Advisor: Jack Hamlin · (858) 642-8405 · jhamlin@nu.edu
This area of specialization is designed for students who wish to complete an MBA program while focusing their graduate studies in Alternative Dispute Resolution, which is one of the fastest growing fields in the U.S. and the world at large. The program provides students with a broad knowledge of Alternative Dispute Resolution subjects and will enable students to not only become effective mediators and negotiators but to also use these skills to resolve conflict in the workplace.
Expertise in Alternative Dispute Resolution is in high demand in the business community, local, state and federal governments, and neighborhood communities.
Program Requirements
(4 courses, 18 quarter units)
ADR 600 Alternative Dispute Resolution
ADR 605 Negotiation
ADR 610 Facilitation
ADR 615 Mediation
Specialization in Electronic Business
(730-000-874)
Faculty Advisor: Mohammed Nadeem · (408) 236-1150 · mnadeem@nu.edu
This specialization enables MBA students to become familiar with the principles and theories of electronic business, defined as business conducted on the Internet and/or the World Wide Web. Online marketing, websites and programming languages are some of the topics covered in the curriculum.
Program Requirements
(4 courses, 18 quarter units)
ELB 621 E-Strategies and Business Models
(Prerequisite: ELB 620)
ELB 624 Internet Marketing
ELB 625 Electronic Payment Systems and Internet Security
(Prerequisite: ELB 620)
ELB 638 E-Business Information and Knowledge Systems
(Prerequisite: ELB 620)
Specialization in Financial Management
(730-000-851)
Faculty Advisor: Farhang Mossavar-Rahmani · (858) 642-8409 · fmossava@nu.edu
The field of finance has undergone great changes in the last decade and now represents one of the most dynamic activities within companies of all sizes, as well as within nonprofit and governmental organizations. Executives with a background in finance head about one out of three corporations today.
The financial management program is designed to provide both a sound theoretical and a conceptual framework for financial managers. Special emphasis is placed on growth and diversification policies, evaluation and management of securities portfolios, investment banking and merger strategies, analysis of foreign exchange rate movements, formulation of plans to reduce foreign exchange risk exposure and case and/or research projects dealing with contemporary financial issues.
Program Requirements
(4 courses, 18 quarter units)
FIN 631 Security Analysis and Portfolio Management
(Prerequisite: FIN 609A)
FIN 632 Managing Financial Resource
(Prerequisite: FIN 609A)
FIN 633 Financing Capital Requirements
(Prerequisite: FIN 609A)
FIN 635 International Finance
(Prerequisite: FIN 609A)
Specialization in Health Care Administration
(730-000-858)
Faculty Advisor: Bart Chapman · (858) 642-8391 · bchapman@nu.edu
This area of specialization is designed for students who want to complete an MBA program while focusing their graduate studies in health care, one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the U.S. The program teaches students how to apply general business and management skills in the specialized field of health care.
The required and elective courses provide students with a broad knowledge of health care and the unique management and organizational issues inherent to health care. Students must take the capstone course in the general MBA program, but they can take the capstone in health care administration as well. The residency portion of the health care administration program is not required, but is suggested by the health care faculty, health care leaders and recruiters.
Program Requirements
(4 courses, 18 quarter units)
Students can select any four of the following courses:
HCA 620A Health Care Management
HCA 636 Ambulatory Care Continuum
HCA 640 Biostatistics and Research
HCA 641 Eldercare – Issues into Practice
HCA 634 Program Planning, Strategic Planning and Evaluation
HCA 629 Health Care Finance, Budget and Managed Care
HCA 609A Health Care Law, Policy and Politics
Specialization in Human Resource Management
(730-000-852)
Faculty Advisor: Bernadette Baum · (858) 642-8404 · bbaum@nu.edu
This area of specialization focuses on managing people, the human resource of the organization. Moving beyond common sense and good interpersonal skills, these courses provide students with the knowledge to recruit, select, train, evaluate and compensate employees.
Students learn how changes in the workplace, such as governmental regulations, global competition, developing technologies and organizational transformations, influence the performance and productivity of workers. Technical knowledge and practical skills for dealing with a multicultural workforce offer students new ideas on leadership and effective tools for managing human resource.
Program Requirements
(4 courses, 18 quarter units)
Students electing to specialize in human resource management must select four of the following courses.
HRM 630 Legal, Ethical, and Safety Issues in Human Resource Management
HRM 633A Seminar in Employee Relations, Labor Relations and Union Management
ODV 600 Theory and Practice of Organizational Development
ODV 601 Integrating Performance Management, Technology, and Organizational Communication
ODV 606 Seminar in Training and Development
ODV 610 Advanced Studies in Organizational Behavior in a Diverse Society
HRM 637 Workforce Planning, Development, and Outsourcing
HRM 667 Compensation and Benefits
MGT 651 Managing Safety Issues and Regulations
Specialization in International Business
(730-000-853)
Faculty Advisor: Juan España · (858) 642-8448 · jespana@nu.edu
Business activities have an increasingly global reach. To succeed today, business professionals must have a thorough knowledge of the international business environment as well as the ability to operate within individual foreign markets.
In this specialization, students learn how to analyze global trends and national settings so as to identify the optimal approach to foreign market penetration and/or the initiation of international business activities. Specific issues covered include cultural, economic, and legal issues, as well as exporting, franchising, licensing, foreign direct investment, outsourcing, etc. Students develop skills in various areas such as international risk analysis, international human capital development and motivation, international communication, site selection, matching markets and products/services, etc.
Program Requirements
(4 course, 18 quarter units)
MGT 630 Global Business Environment
MGT 637 Comparative International Management
MGT 680 Topics in International Business
IBU 653 Global Business and Strategic Planning
Specialization in Marketing
(730-000-855)
Faculty Advisor: Ramon Corona · (858) 642-8427 · rcorona@nu.edu
This area of specialization prepares students with the knowledge and tools they need to perform as a marketing department director or officer. The program emphasizes the global aspects of marketing, the preparation of various specialized plans for marketing, sales and advertising and the relationship between the marketing department and other departments of the firm.
Program Requirements
(4 required courses, 18 quarter units)
MKT 620 Consumer Behavior
(Prerequisite: MKT 602)
MKT 631 Global Marketing
(Prerequisites: MKT 602, MKT 620)
MKT 634 Market Research
(Prerequisites: MKT 602 , MKT 620, MKT 631)
MKT 660 Strategic Operational Marketing
(Prerequisites: MKT 602, MKT 620, MKT 631, MKT 634)
Specialization in Organizational Leadership
(730-000-888)
Faculty Advisor: Julia Buchanan · (858) 642-8453 · jbuchanan@nu.edu
The purpose of the area of specialization in organizational leadership is to provide students with the skills and theoretical concepts that will assist them when seeking promotions or positions in management and supervision. This area of specialization is designed to prepare diverse adult learners to become effective, change-oriented leaders in an international society by adding distinctive and challenging curricula.
The area of specialization in organizational leadership is ideal for individuals who desire to understand the technical and reflective processes that often accompany opportunities to exercise leadership in profit and not-for-profit organizations.
Program Requirements
(4 courses, 18 quarter units)
LED 602 Developing and Implementing Groups and Teams
LED 603 Organizational Leadership
LED 604 Change and Adaptation within Organizations
LED 605 Negotiation, Bargaining, Conflict Resolution
Specialization in Technology Management
(730-000-857)
Faculty Advisor: John Bugado · (858) 642-8407 · jbugado@nu.edu
The field of technology management provides students with the essential management skills and understanding to take a proactive role in developing strategies to fully employ technology within their organization.
Program Requirements
(4 courses, 18 quarter units)
TMG 620 Principles of Technology Management
TMG 635 Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation
TMG 640 Managing Technology Change
TMG 625 Systems Analysis and Design
For more information, contact the faculty advisor or the Chair of the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems.