MBA PROGRAM COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Core Courses

Any or all courses in this group may be waived if the MBA Studies Director determines that the student has equivalent background in prior course work.

ACCT 5010. Basic Accounting. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

The accounting cycle; special problems of accounting for inventories, fixed assets, income recognition, funds flow, and manufacturing costs.

FIN 5020. Basic Finance. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Introduction to the concepts and tools needed for basic financial decision-making in a corporate environment.

ECON 5030. Fundamentals of Economics. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Production and distribution of wealth and income; basic principles of the American capitalistic economy.

DS 5050. Quantitative Techniques for Business. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Classical and modern optimization techniques and concepts. Basic review and introduction to business application of probability, statistics, and management science methods.

LAW 5100. Business Law and the Legal Environment. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Basic legal instruments and legal principles comprising the legal environment of business, integrated with contemporary ethical, social, and political issues.

BMGT 5150. Management and Organization. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Fundamentals of management that permeate organizations, including studies of organizational environment, administrative structure, and organizational behavior.

MKT 5200. Basic Marketing. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

The structure of markets, techniques, and tools available to the marketing manager; motivations of buyers.

Required Common Courses

Each course in this group will be required of all MBA candidates. As many as 9 semester hours may be transferred from other AACSB accredited schools. Credit will not be allowed for courses taken more than 5 years prior to application to Tennessee Tech. Enrollment in required common courses requires the permission of the MBA Director. All core courses should be complete prior to any 6000-level work. With permission of the Director of MBA Studies and the appropriate academic department chair, a student with 18 hours in the appropriate academic area may omit the common course from that area and substitute another approved course.

ACCT 6010. Accounting Information for Management Decisions. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Analysis, interpretation, and use of accounting information by managers in directing the operations of organizations.

FIN 6020. Financial Management. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

A case study course surveying tools, techniques, and applications of business financial management.

ECON/DS 6050. Analytical Decision Making. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

MKT 6100. Strategic Marketing. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Strategic marketing issues and opportunities that inpact both the marketing process and marking program. Decisions will also consider environmental variables as well as the internal elements of an organization.

BMGT 6200. Organizational Leadership. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

An examination of behavioral concepts required for effective leadership within business organizations.

DS 6220. Management of Information Technology. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Concepts of current components of information technology and their management as it relates to the support of the strategic business plan.

BMGT 6950. Business Strategy. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Prerequisite: ACCT 6010, FIN 6020, ECON/DS 6050, MKT 6100, BMGT 6200. An integrative capstone course dealing with the formulation and implementation of corporate strategy.

Elective Courses

Nine (9) semester hours must be selected based on the student's chosen curriculum, from the following courses:

ACCT 6110. Financial Accounting Reporting Standards. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Prerequisite: ACCT 3170 and 3180, or equivalent. A case study course covering compliance with relevant authoritative pronouncements used in the preparation of general purpose financial statements.

ACCT 6250. Accounting Entities and the Regulatory Environment. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Prerequisite: Admission to MBA program. A case study course in accounting and reporting for governmental and not-for-profit entities; managerial accounting issues in contemporary organizations; business legal and ethical practices.

ACCT 6310. Tax Compliance and Strategy. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Prerequisite: ACCT 3330 or equivalent. A case study course concerned with the income tax implications of corporations, S corporations and partnerships, and the wealth tax implications of gifts and testamentary transfers.

ACCT 6620. Auditing and Attestation. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Prerequisite: ACCT 3620 or equivalent. Emphasizes traditional case studies, comprehensive auditing simulations, and modern authoritative pronouncements in the context of contemporary accounting practice.

ACCT 6300. Financial Accounting and Reporting. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Prerequisite: MBA 6010. A case study course for nonaccounting managers exploring the development and use of financial accounting information in reporting to management and external parties.

ACCT 6320. Management Control Systems. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Prerequisite: MBA 6020. Case course on control systems aimed at encouraging managers to use resources effectively and efficiently in achieving the organization's objectives.

ACCT 6360. Tax Consequences of Business Decisions. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Prerequisite: MBA 6010. A case study course for nonaccounting managers developing an awareness of tax implications involved in common business decisions.

ACCT 6900. Special Topics. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

A case course dealing with current topics in business.

BMGT 6400. Employee Relations. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

A case course focusing on employee-employer relations issues faced by line managers.

BMGT 6510. International Business. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

A case course designed to acquaint students with the economic, political, and cultural aspects of international business.

BMGT 6710. Concepts in Management of Technology. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

A case course in the concepts and implementation of management of technology.

BMGT 6800. Strategic Human Resource Staffing. Cr. 3.

This course will focus on the recruitment, selection, and retention of human resources within organizations. Specific topics will include workforce planning, recruiting, selection, and organizational entry. The strategic importance of these topics will be addressed by considering the legal, social, organizational, and technological environments in which staffing decisions are made.

BMGT 6810. Strategic Human Resource Performance Management. Cr. 3.

This course will focus on the development, protection, and compensation of human resources within organizations. Specific topics will include performance appraisal and feedback, compensation, benefits, training, and health and safety. The strategic importance of these topics will be addressed by considering the legal, social, organization, and technological environments in which labor relations decisions are made.

BMGT 6820. Professional issues in Human Resource Management. Cr. 3.

Prerequisites: BMGT 6800, BMGT 6810. This course will prepare students to function as competent human resource professionals and strategic business partners. Specific topics will include current issues in human resource management, interaction with organizational stakeholders, and human resource inventions.

BMGT6900. Special Topics. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

A case course dealing with current topics in business.

BMGT 6940. International Management. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Theory and practice of managing across borders. This course is about global management. It demonstrates how cultural factors influence behavior in the workplace and examines the skills needed to manage across national borders.

DS 6120. Operations and Supply Chain Management. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

A case study course about management decisions on topics relating to design, control, and improvement of operations management systems and processes within the enterprise and in the supply chain.

DS 6430. Managing Quality. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

A case course on the total quality approach to management, examining theories and tools for measuring, developing, maintaining, and improving organizational quality.

DS 6530. Decision Support Systems. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

An introduction to expert systems, decision support systems, and executive information systems as they are employed in business organizations.

DS 6540. Business Telecommunications Systems. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Introduces students to the concepts of telecommunications, wide and local area networks, and other state-of-the-art communications technologies.

DS 6550. Data Resources Management. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Introduces students to the concepts, terminology, tools, and techniques comprising the general area of data resources management.

DS 6560. Information Systems Development. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Prerequisite: DS 6540, 6550. Introduces students to state-of-the-art concepts, tools, and techniques necessary for successful analysis, design, and development of business systems.

DS 6900. Special Topics. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

A case course dealing with current topics in business.

ECON 6900. Special Topics. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

A case course dealing with current topics in business.

ECON 6920 . International Economics. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

FIN 6350. Small and Micro-Cap Portfolio Management. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Prerequisite: MBA 6020. A case course rigorously applying investment theory to the management of a real portfolio of small and micro-capitalization common stocks.

FIN 6470-80. Investment Challenge I-II. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.
Prerequisites: MBA 6020 and permission of instructor. Advanced portfolio theory through actual management of a real investment portfolio.

FIN 6710. Perspectives of Rick and Insurance. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

FIN 6710 examines the economic principles underpinning risk and insurance and introduces key risk and insurance concepts and practices. The causes of change in risk management and insurance are examined through exploration of relevant physical, technological, cultural, regulatory, and other environmental perspectives.

FIN 6720. Corporate Risk Management. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Application of the risk management process, including risk control and risk financing techniques, to risk management problems in business. Emphasizes risk identification and evaluation, together with alternative methods of risk control and risk financing techniques.

FIN 6730. Risk Management Modeling. Cr. 3.

This course will introduce students to mathematical and simulation modeling of risk. The first part of the course reviews the basic mathematics of optimization, and then develops conceptual models of preference and choice. These models are then used to model uncertainty, risk aversion, and theories of information. The second part of the course reviews statistics, introduces students to simulation, and then provides hands-on experience with simulation modeling.

FIN 6740. Current Issues in Risk Management and Insurance . Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

This course is an in-depth study of current topics in risk management and insurance. Topics will include, but are not limited to, insuring against and managing risks associated with natural and anthropogenic catastrophic events.

FIN 6900. Special Topics. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

A case course dealing with current topics in business.

FIN 6910. Multinational Finance. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

International markets and instruments, global financing strategies, global capital budgeting, global working capital management, international tax planning.

LAW 6450. Organizational Ethics. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

A case course examining ethical issues and systems for solving complex ethical problems in domestic and multinational organization.

MBA 6800. Strategic Human Resource Staffing . Cr. 3.

This course will focus on the recruitment, selection, and retention of human resources within organizations. Specific topics will include workforce planning, recruiting, selection, and organizational entry. The strategic importance of these topics will be addressed by considering the legal, social, organizational, and technological environments in which staffing decisions are made.

MBA 6830. Business Consulting and Research. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Focus on business research methods, effective report construction with emphasis on expository strategy, case analysis, and oral presentation.

MBA 6840. Field Research Project. Lec. 1-3. Cr. 1-3.

Research and writing of a business case or research problem. Requires approval of MBA Studies Committee.

MBA 6980. International Experience. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

MBA 6980 develops graduate students' understanding and knowledge of international business in a foreign nation. This course is based on the assumption that immersion in an alternative national setting is an extremely powerful method of learning. The aim of the course is to introduce a global business approach to students. Topics covered will include cultural differences, international strategy, regional politics, the internal economic situation, marketing, international finance, quality in services, organizational development and change, international negotiations, and international operations. Course may be taken for credit two times.

MKT 6500. Advanced Marketing Analysis. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Prerequisite: ACCT 6100. A case course including an intensive study of analysis of marketing information for marketing decisions.

MKT 6510. Services Marketing. Cr. 3.

This course will focus on service organizations and services marketing issues to make students aware of the unique challenges involved in marketing and managing organizations in sectors such as finance, health care, entertainment, hospitality, professional services, retailing, education and transportation. Specific topics will include learning and developing strategies for real life business cases to close potential service gaps such as customer, knowledge, service development/design, performance, and communication gaps that have negative impact on service performance and quality perceptions of customers about the service offering.

MKT 6630. Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

A case course concentrating on the salient issues and management decisions covering entrepreneurship, the formation and management of new business ventures, and the complex managerial process of small business ownership.

MKT 6900. Special Topics. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

A case course dealing with current topics in business.

MKT 6930. International Marketing. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.

Dually Numbered Courses

The College of Business Administration offers the following dually numbered courses that may be selected for elective graduate credit by graduate majors other than MBA students.

Management (BMGT)

BMGT 4120 (5120). Compensation Administration. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.
Prerequisite: BMGT 4020. Theory and practice of determining wages, salaries, and employee benefits. Students enrolled in the 5000-level course will be required to complete additional work as stated in the syllabus.

BMGT 4410 (5410). Conflict Management and Negotiation. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.
Prerequisite: BMGT 3630. Development of interpersonal skills for managing conflict and negotiations in business. Students enrolled in the 5000-level course will be required to complete additional work as stated in the syllabus.

BMGT 4520 (5520). Applied Management Skills. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.
Prerequisite: BMGT 3510. Integration of behavioral theory and management practice with a focus on the application of theory as a means of developing the skill and competencies needed for managerial success.

BMGT 4930 (5930). Business Strategy. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.
Prerequisite: FIN 3210, MKT 3400, senior standing. A capstone course stressing management problem analysis, problem solving, and decision making. Students enrolled in the 5000-level course will be required to complete additional work as stated in the syllabus.

Decision Sciences (DS)

DS 4330 (5330). Management Systems Analysis. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.
Prerequisite: DS 3840. An applications oriented study of the business systems development life cycle; current systems analysis and design methods are emphasized. Students enrolled in the 5000-level course will be required to complete additional work as stated in the syllabus.

DS 4630 (5630). Advanced Quantitative Analysis. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.
Prerequisite: DS 3620. Advanced applications of quantitative methods including forecasting and management science concepts. Students enrolled in the 5000-level course will be required to complete additional work as stated in the syllabus.

DS 4900 (5900). Special Topics in Decision Sciences. Lec. 1-3. Cr. 1-3.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Current Topics in Decision Sciences. Students enrolled in the 5000-level course will be required to complete additional work as stated in the syllabus.

Economics (ECON)

ECON 4310 (5310). Labor Economics. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.
Prerequisite: ECON 2020. Labor problems including economics of the labor market, wages, demand and supply of labor, unemployment. Students enrolled in the 5000-level course will be required to complete additional work as stated in the syllabus.

ECON 4510 (5510). International Trade and Finance. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.
Prerequisite: ECON 2020. International trade, monetary exchange, balance of payments, and foreign investments. Students enrolled in the 5000-level course will be required to complete additional work as stated in the syllabus.

ECON 4520 (5520). Comparative Economic Systems. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.
Prerequisite: ECON 2020. Analysis of essential economic features of the economic systems. Students enrolled in the 5000-level course will be required to complete additional work as stated in the syllabus.

ECON 4530 (5530). History of Economic Thought. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.
Prerequisite: ECON 2020. Development of economic doctrines and schools and economic thought from the mercantilist period to the present.

ECON 4600 (5600). Economic Growth & Development. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.
Prerequisite: ECON 2020. A critical survey of growth and strategies of economic development, including regional growth and development; historical evidence of development. Students enrolled in the 5000-level course will be required to complete additional work as stated in the syllabus.

ECON 4640 (5640). Econometrics. Lec. 3. Cr. 3.
Prerequisite: ECON 3630, 3810, 3820, or consent of instructor. An advanced treatment of statistical models applied to economics, including the general linear model, heteroscedasticity, autocorrelation, multi-collinearity, simultaneous equations, and other violations of OLS assumptions. Students enrolled in the 5000-level course will be required to complete additional work as stated in the syllabus.

ECON 4900 (5900). Contemporary Economics Workshop. Cr. 1-6.
Thorough and intensive training of public school teachers in fundamental economic principles and current issues. Students enrolled in the 5000-level course will be required to complete additional work as stated in the syllabus.

Page last updated: 5/3/08

Graduate Studies
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