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Master of Business Administration


The Bloch School MBA graduate will develop a professional perspective for a career in business, and will be able to:

  • Define, analyze, and evaluate business decisions in a global setting through an integrated analysis using tools found in the major business disciplines.
  • Effectively demonstrate critical thinking skills in inference, analysis, and evaluation.
  • Demonstrate the ability to work in teams.
  • Conceptualize a complex issue into a coherent written statement and/or oral presentation.
  • Demonstrate mastery of fundamental quantitative tools by successfully using those tools to interpret and evaluate quantitative information and synthesize that information with relevant non-quantitative information in order to arrive at a business decision. 

The Bloch School offers a master of business administration (MBA) and an executive master of business administration (EMBA). Students enrolling in the MBA program have the option of choosing among eight emphasis areas, and their programs will consist of 42 credit hours. Most MBA students attend evening courses on a part-time basis and admission is available in the fall and spring semesters. EMBA students enter a cohort-based, lockstep program that offers an integrated curriculum with the themes of leadership, strategic thinking, and innovation woven throughout the program. This full-time program meets three times per month, (one Friday/Saturday and one additional Saturday) over a 21-month period, with admission taking place in the fall.

MBA core courses stress the knowledge and skills needed to deal with an organization and its personnel. The functional courses (accounting, finance, operations, economics and marketing) develop specialized knowledge and skills. In addition, the MBA program stresses leadership, innovation and the related social and public responsibilities for those in business.

The MBA Curriculum

The MBA degree is a 42 credit hour program.  The curriculum is comprised of two distinct stages: core classes and classes taken beyond the core.  Previous college work in business is not required, though students with no preparation in mathematics and computer applications must complete MATH 110 and MIS 202

All coursework is offered in the evening to accommodate students working while enrolled.  Students may be admitted to the program in the fall or spring semesters.  There is no admission during the summer semester.

The program has the following unique features that are combined to develop graduates that are broadly educated, socially responsible, and knowledgeable managers.

  1. A 24 credit hour core curriculum that provides an integrative business foundation for decision-making.
  2. An ecosystem integrated learning environment; this component is not for credit.
  3. A fifteen credit hour emphasis/elective component that allows the student the flexibility to design a program that uniquely fits their needs including the option to complete 12 hours toward a specific emphasis area.
  4. A three credit hour capstone experience.

The MBA Core (24 credit hours)

The MBA degree consists of a 24 credit hour core.  The core must be taken by all students enrolled in the program and is designed to provide graduates with a unique educational experience.  Each course in the core is 1.5 credit hours.  As part of the core, each of the first two years begins with an immersion course that requires the students to meet each evening Monday-Friday and all day Saturday.  The immersion course is held the week before normal classes begin.  These courses allow students to work in teams and immerse themselves into an integrative business environment.  Other than the two immersion courses, each core course is taught as an eight-week class.  The core is designed to provide all students with a critical business foundation.  Core courses should be taken in sequence and include the following:

Management in Context (Immersion)
Leadership in Organizations
Financial Performance and Assessment
Corporate Financial Management
Introduction to Entrepreneurship
Management Information Systems
Managerial Economics
Global Macroeconomics
International Business
Legal and Ethical Management (Immersion)
Marketing Management
Strategic Financial Management
Human Capital Management
Decision Sciences
Operations and Supply Chain Management
Strategic Management

Ecosystem Integrated Learning Program (noncredit)

A critical part of being a successful leader is ecosystem awareness. In addition to ecosystem integration throughout the MBA coursework, the MBA degree program has a specific ecosystem-integrated learning component.  Strong technical skills are not sufficient to be an effective manager.  The success of our graduates also depends on their personal and professional growth while in our program.  As part of the MBA program, students are provided with a number of weekend seminars, workshops, and professional experiences designed to offer opportunities that enhance their professional and personal capabilities.

Students may attend as many of the programs as they want; however, they are required to earn a minimum of 12 contact hours spread over at least 3 events during the program.  Examples of programs include:

  • Business Plan Competition
  • Business Writing Do's and Don'ts
  • Excel Tips and Tricks
  • Independent Movie Making
  • Job Search Strategies
  • Personal Financial Planning
  • Personal and Professional Selling
  • Principles of Business Innovation
  • Social Media Opportunities
  • Resume Workshoip 

Students can earn hours toward the Ecosystem Integrated Learning Program through employer-sponsored training as well.  Students should contact the MBA Program Director upon attending such training in order to receive credit.

Students can also earn up to 4 hours through leadership involvement in community service activities.  To receive credit for such involvement, contact the MBA Program Director. 

Electives (15 credit hours)

To complete for-credit course requirements for the degree, students take 15 credit hours of electives.  Normally, these electives are selected from among graduate-level courses offered by the Bloch School.  These courses should be selected according to the student's needs and interests.  Students have the option of taking 12 credit hours in a single area to complete an emphasis area.  Available emphasis areas are described below. 

Capstone Course (3 credit hours)

After finishing the core, students are required to take a real-world problem solving capstone course.  This requirement is designed to challenge the student to resolve an integrative issue.  Students are allowed to select from specific classes providing different types of faculty/business leader supervised experiences.  Students may take more than one capstone course, using the additional course as an elective.

Actual capstone course offerings will vary from semester to semester, but will be announced in advance to facilitate students' planning.  Capstone courses may be taken no earlier than the final core course (Strategic Management).  Students must take one of the 3 credit hour courses listed blow.

  • Business Plan for a Startup Company
  • Global Management Consultancy
  • Leading and Managing Change
  • The Capstone Consulting Project
  • Developing and Maintaining a Customer Centric Organization Culture

Emphasis Areas

The MBA program allows students the flexibility of using 15 credit hours to meet their unique needs.  Electives may be used to obtain a business emphasis or specialization.  An emphasis requires 12 credit hours.  To focus your education and develop your expertise in specific areas for your career, the Bloch School offers the following eight emphasis areas (all are 12 credit hours):

  • Entrepreneurship
  • Finance
  • General Management
  • Global Business
  • Leading and Managing People
  • Management Information Systems
  • Marketing
  • Supply Chain & Operations Management

Please note that only 12 credit hours from any one emphasis area can be counted toward the degree program.  Students are not required to complete an emphasis area.  Each emphasis area is comprised of 12 hours.  No more than 12 hours from any one area (beyond the core) can be used toward the MBA.

Students can, with the consent of appropriate faculty, select any other Bloch courses that might fit within the emphasis areas listed below (courses outside the Bloch School require special approval).  Students are strongly encouraged to work closely with an adviser in planning their programs so that the courses they choose will be of interest and benefit to them while fulfilling the requirements of the degree.  Not all classes are offered each semester.  Emphasis areas follow. 

Entrepreneurship  

Four courses selected from the following:

  • ENT 5515 Entrepreneurship & Innovation Boot Camp
  • ENT 5525 Entrepreneurship: Managing Creativity and Innovation
  • ENT 5535 Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship
  • ENT 5541 Personal Entrepreneurial Strategy
  • ENT 5542 Technology & New Ventures I
  • ENT 5543 Technology & New Ventures II
  • ENT 5545 Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation
  • ENT 5571 *Advanced Real Estate Planning
  • ENT 5573 *Real Estate Market Analysis Feasibility Study
  • ENT 5576 *Real Estate Property Management
  • ENT 5578 *Legal Context of Real Estate Decision Making
  • ENT 5585 Venture Capital Finance and Investment
  • ENT 5587 Seminar in Entrepreneurship
  • ENT 5591 Small Business Management Practicum
  • ENT 5597 Independent Research in Entrepreneurship
  • Or any other course approved by Entrepreneurship faculty.

*Only two of these courses can count in the Entrepreneurship emphasis area.

*Entrepreneurship with a Real Estate Concentration

Required

  • ENT 5515 Entrepreneurship & Innovation Boot Camp
  • ENT 5545 Entrepreneurship & New Venture Creation

Plus any two classes (6 hours) selected from the following:

  • ENT 5571 Advanced Real Estate Finance
  • ENT 5573 Real Estate Market Analysis Feasibility Study
  • ENT 5576 Real Estate Property Management
  • ENT 5578 Legal Context of Real Estate Decision Making

*Note: The Real Estate Concentration does not appear on the diploma or transcript.

Finance

Required

  • FIN 5550 Advanced Financial Management Theory and Policies

Plus nine hours selected from the following:

*Students may use only one real estate course for credit in the Finance emphasis.

General Management

At least one course from four of the five areas:

  • Entrepreneurship: see emphasis area listing
  • Global Business: see emphasis area listing
  • Law & Society: MGT 5506, MGT 5508
  • Leading and Managing People: see emphasis area listing
  • Strategy & Planning: MGT 5513

Global Business

Required:

Four courses selected from the following:

  • DSOM 5544 Global Supply Chain and Logistics Management
  • FIN 5551 International Financial Management
  • FIN 5552 Global Financial Markets and Institutions
  • MGT 5546 Seminar in International Management
  • MGT 5552 International Study in Business
  • MKT 5555 International Marketing

Leading and Managing People

Twelve hours selected from the following:

  • MGT 5516 Leading Teams
  • MGT 5517 Leading Through Influence and Persuasion
  • MGT 5518 Leadership and Motivation
  • MGT 5519 Conflict Management and Negotiation Strategies
  • MGT 5520 Strategic Benefits Management (1.5 credit hours)
  • MGT 5521 Building Human Capital (1.5 credit hours)
  • MGT 5533 Leadership and Change in Organizations
  • MGT 5560 Strategic Human Resources
  • MGT 5566 Strategic Staffing (1.5 credit hours)
  • MGT 5567 Total Rewards Management (1.5 credit hours)
  • PUB-ADM 5548 Leadership for Public Service

Management of Information Systems

Four courses selected from the following:

  • ACCTNG 5565 Advanced Accounting Systems
  • ACCTNG 5567 Information Systems Control and Audit
  • MIS 5529 Decision Support & Expert Systems
  • MIS 5552 Data Base Management
  • MIS 5554 Systems Analysis, Design and Engineering
  • MIS 5558 Management and Economics of Computing
  • MIS 5580 Seminar in Information Systems

Additional elective courses may be selected from the following:

Marketing

Required

Plus nine hours selected from the following:

Additional elective courses may be selected from the following:

Supply Chain and Operations Management

Required: 

Note: Students should ensure that prerequisites are taken in the proper sequence.

Executive MBA Program

http://www.bloch.umkc.edu/graduate/emba/index.aspx

The Bloch Executive MBA (EMBA) is a highly-selective degree program for experienced professionals. The program offers a comprehensive integrated curriculum, field experiences, and four residencies. It is distinguished by an emphasis on cohort-learning, teamwork, hands-on projects, leadership coaching and development, and learning activities that contribute substantial value to participants, employers, and the larger community.  

Students are admitted each year to a new EMBA cohort through a special application process. Students begin coursework in mid-August, and program completion requires 21 months.

The program is composed of 16 semester-long, graduate-level courses and of four week-long immersion residencies that are focused on leadership, innovation, public policy, and the global marketplace. A variety of teaching formats are employed, including case studies, group projects, simulations and role playing, fieldwork, interactive discussions, and renowned guest lecturers. Daylong classes meet three days per month (one Friday/ Saturday and one additional Saturday). Classes do not meet in June and July. To ensure that all students are up to speed on academic and business basics, the program starts with required self-paced tutorials in key subject areas, such as finance, accounting, and statistics.

Student Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the Bloch School’s EMBA program will gain the business knowledge skills needed to excel as executives, entrepreneurs, and leaders. The EMBA graduate will:

  • Define, analyze and evaluate decisions through an integrated analysis by using tools from the major business disciplines.
  • Devise solutions for a variety of business problems and issues by using cohesive and logical reasoning patterns.
  • Conceptualize a complex issue into a coherent written statement and oral presentation.
  • Develop capacities to participate effectively in teams and exert effective team leadership.
  • Have exposure to public sector leaders and processes and learn to work effectively in public policy teams to understand the forces and personalities that shape and impact American business policy.
  • Integrate leadership theories and insights from coursework and apply these to complex leadership scenarios.
  • Show greater awareness of their own leadership strengths and areas for development and commitment to engage in the lifelong process of taking action to strengthen their leadership competencies.

 

Admissions Requirements

The EMBA is designed for experienced professionals who typically possess a minimum of 8 years of work experience with growing responsibilities for managing people, projects, and/or budgets. Admissions decisions are based on a combination of a solid academic record, demonstrated professional achievement, and evidence of a strong commitment to learning and to career and professional development. Further information on the Bloch EMBA program is available at (816) 235-2370 or at the program's web site http://www.bloch.umkc.edu/graduate/emba/index.aspx.

The Curriculum

Leadership Residency introduces students to fundamentals of business, organizational behavior, leadership, and teamwork.

Semester 1

  • Leadership and Organizations focuses on how organizations work and how leaders can set direction, marshal resources, and build support to move initiatives forward.
  • Managerial Economics studies the relationship between the economic theory and system as a whole and the ways in which both are affected by the behavior of the interdependent sectors of which they are composed.
  • Marketing Management examines the role of marketing in driving profitable revenue growth in companies.
  • Financial Reporting Systems introduces generally accepted accounting principles and concepts along with the preparation and analysis of financial statements.

Semester 2

  • Organizational Finance gives students a thorough introduction to financial management that blends appropriate amounts of relevant theory with practical application.
  • Influence, Persuasion and Change presents ideas, strategies and tools for leading change in complex organizations and for defining an ethical approach to leading, influencing, and persuading others.
  • Public Policy Context for Business Decisions provides intensive exposure to the forces, practices, and personalities in Washington that shape America's business policy. The course includes the required 5 day Washington, D.C. Residency to expand student understandings of the role of social leadership in the development of business policies, practices and processes.
  • Applied Statistical Methods investigates the use of detailed sample data for purposes of estimating, predicting, forecasting, and explaining correlations among varied observations.

Innovation Residency

  • Entrepreneurship and Innovation Immersion is a 5-day, required, off-campus residency that gives students grounded understanding of how to identify and evaluate business opportunities. An engaging, true-to-life business simulation serves as an evolving "case" where students experience the opportunities and challenges in the day-to-day decisions and competitive worlds of the entrepreneur and of the general manager.

Semester 3

  • Leadership Accountability and the Legal Implications highlights the full meaning of leadership accountability and of the legal challenges leaders face in a rapidly changing global world.
  • Strategic Management examines the principles essential for the formulation and evaluation of strategy including industry analysis, strategic positioning, and the boundaries of the firm. The course also addresses the capacity of executive leadership to innovate and to create new or added values, as well as their responsibility for developing and communicating a clear vision and direction for a company's future.
  • Operations Management for World Class Competitiveness explores the basic principles and strategic use of managing the production and distribution of goods and services.
  • Information Technology as a Strategic Tool examines the critical linkage among an organization's business, culture, and information technology strategies and provides essential knowledge and frameworks for enhancing the IT role in innovation, change, and continuous organizational learning.

Semester 4

  • Leadership, Strategy and Human Resources focuses on the leader as a catalyst in developing high-performance, market-based cultures and as a human resources strategist in marshalling the workforce toward productive ends.
  • Global Initiatives in Management explores key, contemporary international business issues for leaders and for organizations in today's global economy and includes a required, 11 day, international residency experience in a major business center abroad.
  • Integrated Business Strategies - Capstone Course explores critical factors involved in effective decision making, in organizational governance, and in developing the broad enterprise leadership perspective needed for effective executive planning and action.

The fourth course in the final semester is a student’s choice from among two electives:

  • Innovation and Entrepreneurship explores the creative, entrepreneurial, and managerial processes involved in moving from a concept to the development of a new business and provides students hands-on opportunities to convert a dream into a high-growth business.    -or-
  • Advanced Topics in Finance builds on the previous finance course in the program and delves deeper into topics such as valuation, enterprise risk management, securities and investments, regulatory frameworks, and corporate governance.

Combined J.D./MBA Program

The Bloch School and UMKC School of Law offer the combined J.D. and MBA program. Students must satisfy the admission and degree requirements for each school. For further information, contact the School of Law or consult the Bloch School Web site at http://www.bloch.umkc.edu/graduate/mba/jd-mba-joint-program/index.aspx.

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