Apr 16, 2024  
2020 - 2021 Graduate Catalog 
    
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2020 - 2021 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Course Descriptions

Explanation of Course Descriptions

Graduate courses may be taken by persons other than regular or provisional graduate students in Arts and Sciences only with the consent of the chairperson of the department/program committee concerned.

Pairs of numbers (501,502) indicate continuous courses. A hyphen between numbers (501-502) indicates that the courses must be taken in the succession stated.

Courses involving laboratory or studio activity are so labeled. All others are classroom courses.

Semester hour credit for each course is indicated by numbers in parentheses.

 
 

Graduate Center Programs
  

  • GRAD 512 - Computing for the Humanities

    Credits: (0 credit) Jim Deverick. Graded Pass/Fail. Note: Instructor permission required.

    Interested in digital humanities but find yourself needing deeper digital skills? This “bootcamp” style course offers humanists with little or no programming experience hands-on experience with the basics of useful tools, platforms, and programming languages common to digital humanities work. Specific course topics are individualized each semester based on the needs and interests of the class. Students may repeat this course as often as they like to learn new skills, continue old projects, or start new ones.

  

  • GRAD 514 - Tools for Engaged Humanists

    Credits: (0 credit) Graded Pass/Fail.

    This course explores platforms, tools, and questions humanities scholars need to consider when presenting their work to a public audience. Practical and conceptual challenges in the use of digital platforms including blogs, podcasts, and online exhibits to convey complex scholarly work will be considered, as will questions of how best to represent, serve, and engage audiences both inside and beyond the academy.

  

  • GRAD 520 - Academic Writing

    Fall Credits: (0 credit) Sarah Glosson. Graded Pass/Fail. Note: Instructor permission required.

    A course for domestic and international students to improve writing skills and gain confidence in their ability to write formal, academic English. The writing process will be emphasized, with special attention given to improving the students’ organizing, proofreading and revising skills. Students will learn how to identify their audience, define their purpose, and add cohesion and clarity to their writing. In addition, writing conventions concerning plagiarism and other writing norms will be examined.

  

  • GRAD 522 - Practicum in Mentoring Academic Writing

    Credits: (0 credit) Graded Pass/Fail.

    This course is designed to help graduate students learn and put into practice specialized strategies for effectively mentoring academic writing in arts and sciences. Specifically tailored for graduate consultants working at the Graduate Writing Resources Center (GWRC), this course will help students become better mentors and teachers through discussion and implementation of selected pedagogical methodologies.

  

  • GRAD 529 - Provost Dissertation Writing Workshop

    Summer Credits: (0 credit) Sarah Glosson. Graded Pass/Fail. Note: Course is required for all new Provost Dissertation Fellows who will have to be physically present on campus during the session the course is offered.

    Specifically for Provost Dissertation Fellows, this course will provide an environment for intense, focused writing within a structured environment, as well as time for group discussions on effective work habits and strategies. During the course a solid plan will be developed to help enable completion of students’ dissertations by the following spring graduation. 

  

  • GRAD 530 - Dissertation Writing

    Fall and Spring Credits: (0 credit) Sarah Glosson. Graded Pass/Fail. Note: Course restricted to Provost Dissertation Fellows only.

    This is a course for those students who are receiving a Provost Dissertation Fellowship. Fellows are actively writing their dissertations, including writing articles for publication as components of their dissertations. In collaboration with their academic advisor, graduate director and in consultation with the instructor, students will organize and write individual chapters, simultaneously reviewing and revising their writing. Mini-workshops throughout the 10-week class will address topics that are relevant to the dissertation writer, such as organization, effective research strategies and citations, advisor/advisee interaction, and time management.

  

  • GRAD 540 - Special Topics in Professional Development

    Credits: (0 credit) Graded Pass/Fail

    This topics course is intended to provide short-term, intensive exposure to specialized skills, knowledge, or training for A&S graduate students in a variety of areas. This professional development course may be offered during the semester, or as a one-week “boot camp” during the summer or winter breaks. Sample topics might include: “Basics of Programming for the Humanities,” “Proposal Writing Bootcamp,” or “Basics of Geospatial Analysis and GIS.”

  

  • GRAD 550 - College Teaching

    Credits: (0 credit) Sarah Glosson. Graded Pass/Fail. Note: Instructor permission required.

    Discussion and exploration of college teaching including general issues in college teaching; various teaching strategies including lectures, discussions, group work, writing assignments; course design, syllabus and test construction, and grading; integrating research and education; and job search and application strategies. Students will develop a portfolio to include sample assignments and a general teaching statement. Readings on teaching and learning and on university education.


Additional Graduate Programs
  

  • GIS 410 - Introduction to Remote Sensing

    Credits: (3) Rose.

    Introduction to Remote Sensed Imagery and Analysis Remote sensing is the art and science of obtaining information about an object without being in direct physical contact. Students will develop a robust understanding of the tools and techniques used to display, process, and analyze remotely sensed data, while studying the theory, principles, and methodology of remote sensing of the environment for geospatial applications. Emphasis will be placed on designing, implementing, and critically evaluating the processes of image acquisition and data collection in the electromagnetic spectrum from a variety of sensors (i.e. aerial, satellite, multispectral, hyperspectral, and LiDAR) and analysis through data set manipulations. Upon completion of this course students will be able to develop analytical workflows to derive products and extract information from remotely sensed data for a broad range of applications.

  

  • GIS 501 - Fundamentals of GIS

    Credits: (3) White Prerequisite(s): Instructor Permission Required

    Fundamentals of Geographic Information Science & Analysis This course will provide an introduction to the fundamentals of Geographic Information Science, including using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), basics of cartography, remote sensing, spatial analysis, and modelling. Students will learn from lecture, hands-on labs, in-class exercises and independent research. Emphasis will be on hands-on application of these technologies to create maps, to organize and visualize spatial data, and to utilize spatial data to analyze and address social, economic, political and environmental issues. The GIS fundamentals course will use GIS-based research questions to introduce the fundamentals of vector data, raster data, database operations, and interpolative techniques within desktop and SAAS online GIS environments. Students will create their own individual spatial research questions, locate/create data for analysis, complete unique analysis addressing the research question(s), and deliver a presentation by the end of the course.

     

  

  • GIS 505 - Geovisualization & Cartographic Design Techniques

    Credits: (3) White. Prerequisite(s): Instructor Permission Required

    Communicating geographic concepts, problems and solutions are key to geovisualization and spatial design, the modern art and science of cartography. The foundational principles of the course will be grounded in the fundamentals of traditional cartography using GIS in combination with design and analytical software. This course will immerse students in color theory, symbology, typography, along with 2-D and 3-D design layout within web and print media. Hands-on learning experiences will emphasize and apply scientific visualization techniques alongside the art of data visualization, both in terms of how to use visualization to understand spatial data and to create strong visual communication.

  

  • GIS 510 - Introduction to Remote Sensed Imagery and Analysis

    Credits: (3) Rose Prerequisite(s): Instructor Permission Required

    Remote sensing is the art and science of obtaining information about an object without being in direct physical contact. Students will develop a robust understanding of the tools and techniques used to display, process, and analyze remotely sensed data, while studying the theory, principles, and methodology of remote sensing of the environment for geospatial applications. Emphasis will be placed on designing, implementing, and critically evaluating the processes of image acquisition and data collection in the electromagnetic spectrum from a variety of sensors (i.e. aerial, satellite, multispectral, hyperspectral, and LiDAR) and analysis through data set manipulations. Upon completion of this course students will be able to develop analytical workflows to derive products and extract information from remotely sensed data for a broad range of applications.

  

  • GIS 520 - Advanced GIS Analysis and Programming

    Spring Credits: (3) Staff Prerequisite(s): Instructor Permission Required

    This course extends the existing base of GIS knowledge and skills by amplifying programmatic approaches to spatial data and analysis. Lectures, labs, and projects emphasize GIS model development, develop spatial database architecture and design best practices, and extend knowledge of web GIS by authoring and consuming geographic web services. Students will become familiar with methods of leveraging programming languages (such as Python) to make GIS processing easier, faster, and more accurate by scripting and automating data management, production, manipulation, and analysis procedures. Activities develop GIS analysis skills with examples from government, social science, physical science, and the humanities. 

  

  • GIS 550 - Independent Research in GIS

    Fall and Spring and Summer Credits: (1-3) Staff Prerequisite(s): Instructor Permission Required

    This course is designed to permit students to engage in applied GIS research projects with mentorship from their instructor. Working closely with their mentor each student will be expected to conduct original research and prepare a substantial research report. It is expected that the project can be conducted in the context of the student’s current employment or place of work, and the project be spread over multiple semesters if necessary. The course can be repeated for credit up to a maximum of 3 credits of GIS 550.
  

  • GIS 590 - Topics: Geospatial Technologies GIS

    Credits: (1-4) Staff Prerequisite(s): Instructor Permission Required


Full-Time MBA
  

  • BUAD 598A - Business Analytics and Supply Chain CAM

    Credits: (6) Prerequisite(s): BUAD 6701  

    The Business Analytics and Supply Chain Career Acceleration Module combines two major themes: Machine Learning techniques and topics in Supply Chain Management. These themes are complimentary since many of the analytical techniques in Machine Learning that are discussed are readily applicable to the Supply Chain discussion topics. The Machine Learning topics include Cross Validation, Subset Selection, Smoothing Splines, Principal Component Analysis, and Support Vector Machines. The topics in Supply Chain Management include time series analysis, forecasting, inventory management, and the application of algorithms to supply chain problems. Students also visit local port and distribution facilities to gain insight into real-world supply chain management and the context for the applications in this course. 

  

  • BUAD 598B - CAM - Business to Business Marketing

    Credits: (6)

    The “Customer-Driven Decision Making” module focuses on preparing students for careers in marketing management, primarily in product and brand management for consumer goods (B2C marketing.) The module is organized around the structure and content of a basic marketing plan, with the goal that students will develop a rich understanding of the tools and frameworks of product or brand management as they are applied in the contemporary customer-driven organization.

  

  • BUAD 598C - CAM - Corporate Finance

    Credits: (6)

    The module in Corporate Finance is designed to prepare students for careers in corporate financial decision-making, consulting, and financial analysis. The module aims to develop students’ understanding of financial analytical tools and to improve students’ ability to interpret and analyze issues typically faced by corporate controllers, treasurers, CFOs, and their staffs.

  

  • BUAD 5011 - Communicating for Results

    Credits: (2)

    Being a successful leader in business or the professions requires effective communication skills.  The need to communicate well is critical.  This course covers topics relating to the personal awareness and development of communication abilities, as well as, an appreciation of audience analysis, message and content development, structure strategies, and style and tone impact.  Throughout the course, students have many opportunities to develop their communication skills by writing, speaking, and increasing their insight and knowledge of the communication process.

  

  • BUAD 5101 - Financial Accounting and Disclosure

    Credits: (2)

    This course develops students’ ability to measure, communicate and interpret financial information. Financial accounting provides the most comprehensive source of information used to assess an organization’s past performance and future prospects. Specifically, financial accounting focuses on the financial statements and related disclosures prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Rather than solely focusing on technical competencies, this course also emphasizes the underlying rationale for accounting practices and the effectiveness of these practices. As such, attention is given to contemporary issues in financial reporting, the use of judgment in financial accounting, and the economic consequences of reporting choices.

  

  • BUAD 5111 - Accounting for Managerial Decision Making

    Credits: (2)

    This course develops students’ ability to prepare accounting information that enhances decision-making within organizations.  The accounting information is non-financial as well as financial, primarily forward -looking, generally model-based, assembled in reference to the needs of managers within an organization  (as opposed to regulators, creditors ,  or shareholders), and often disaggregated to enable various analyses (on products, services, activities, divisions, tasks, operations, etc.) to be performed, which support the performance of management planning and control functions. The course emphasizes managerial decision-making and control of operations using accounting information systems. Included are basic accounting concepts, accounting for manufacturing and investment decisions, and designing management control systems to implement strategies (e.g., transfer pricing, balanced scorecard.)

  

  • BUAD 5211 - IT Infrastructure and Business Transformation

    Credits: (2)

    This course has two foci related to information technology, the first emphasizing information and the second emphasizing technology.  In the first focus, students will gain an understanding of how IT enables fundamental transformations in firms, markets, products and business processes through readings and case discussions. These transformations have important implications for the way companies organize (both internally and with customers and suppliers) and compete. Accordingly, this focus addresses the management issues surrounding the impact of information technology in organizations and is designed with the line and general managers in mind, rather than the managers of the IT function.  The objective in the technology focus is to provide students with advanced skills in the computer technologies of the modern workplace-namely spreadsheets and databases. When applied creatively, these technologies enable more efficient execution, enhance decision making and support the design of more effective business processes, all of which are essential for success in an increasingly competitive business environment.

  

  • BUAD 5301 - Financial Management

    Credits: (2)

    This course provides students an introduction to important financial concepts critical to both investing and running a successful business.  Students will gain an understanding of various financial markets, as well as different approaches to calculating risk and return. Valuable corporate finance skills will be developed to prepare students to become successful financial managers. Financial analysis and forecasting, project evaluation, and financial policy are some of the topics to be covered. The primary objectives of the course are to provide a framework for students to approach the financial decisions they will face in their future careers and to build a solid foundation for graduate students interested in pursuing more advanced coursework in the field.   

  

  • BUAD 5401 - Marketing Management

    Credits: (2)

    Focuses on developing integrated marketing programs that address customer needs, competitive activity, channel and supplier behavior, macro environmental factors, and market evolution. Emphasis is placed on assessing the market and developing a responsive marketing mix: product policy, pricing, channels of distribution, integrated marketing communications, and support structure.

  

  • BUAD 5501 - Organizational Behavior

    Credits: (2)

    Designed to provide you with the analytic frameworks and tools to diagnose events in and to take effective action in today’s changing organizations. The course draws on knowledge from the domains of Organization Behavior (OB), Organization Theory (OT), and Human Resource Management (HRM) to provide you with the understanding and skills that you need to be an effective manager of people in these changing organizations. OT, OB and HRM are concerned with developing understanding about how human beings act in organized settings and how organized systems affect human behavior through policies, structures and strategies. In addition to conceptual understanding, ongoing assessments and experiential exercises provide you opportunities to reflect on your own behavior in order to develop new and more effective ways of interacting with others to accomplish work.

  

  • BUAD 5601 - Operations and Supply Chain Management

    Credits: (2)

    This course introduces students to Operations Management, one of the major functional areas of business.  Operations Management is devoted to how an organization efficiently converts resources into products and services.  These resources include an organization’s facilities, workforce, equipment, information, and materials. The course will use two perspectives to explore Operations Management. The first is the “process” view - a set of activities and resources that transform inputs into outputs. We will explore how to design, analyze, and control business processes within a firm. The second half of this course will use the supply chain – a network of firms that source, make, and deliver the product or service to the customer – as the overarching model to explore the latest operations-related initiatives.

  

  • BUAD 5701 - Data Analysis

    Credits: (2)

    The aim of this course is to supply the student with the analytical tools needed to succeed in business. The material will be closely coordinated and integrated with the other course offerings in the first year core (economics, marketing, finance, etc.). The course covers the tools that are necessary to analyze and understand the implications of collected data.  These include probability distributions, hypothesis testing, correlation and covariance analysis, ANOVA, simple and multiple regression, and forecasting.  Emphasis will be placed on a student’s ability to apply the appropriate tool to collected data and to understand and interpret the results of their analyses.

  

  • BUAD 5721 - Economic Analysis & Insights

    Credits: (2)

    Decision-making is one of the most crucial roles of managers in public and private firms, large and small.  This course draws on microeconomics to develop concepts and techniques that help managers allocate resources efficiently and determine appropriate strategies across their organization including pricing, production, and marketing in the context of various competitive market conditions. This is an applied course where students are actively engaged in using the concepts being covered, culminating in a major team project/presentation.

  

  • BUAD 5801 - The Principled Professional

    Credits: (2)

    This course is intended to help students enhance their professional effectiveness by promoting personal development and the understanding and practice of key leadership skills.  Through a range of experiential activities students will cultivate an understanding of their unique strengths, learn how they show up behaviorally and develop skills to push their edge in acting on their values and promoting ethical conduct.  In this program, students will be paired with a Mason Executive Partner  who will provide personalized coaching to both support and challenge them as they engage in a range of assessments, exercises and simulations.

  

  • BUAD 5811 - Business, Government, and the Global Economy

    Credits: (2)

    This course introduces the basic macroeconomic concepts in the global economy for both industrialized and developing countries. Students are encouraged to analyze business and economic policies and money and capital markets.

  

  • BUAD 5881 - American Politics and National Defense

    Summer Credits: 3

    This course will survey key features of American national politics, including public opinion, Congress, the executive branch, the judiciary, and the policy-making process. There will be an emphasis on war and national defense, including public opinion on war and military conflict, political control of the defense department, national security decision-making, and the question of who has the power to commit the nation to war.

  

  • BUAD 5891 - Federal Budget and National Defense

    Credits: (3)

    This course will provide a detailed examination of the federal budget and the budget process, with special emphasis on funding the defense department. Topics will include appropriations, entitlements, the House and Senate Appropriations committees, deficits, public debt, continuing resolutions, supplemental appropriations, authorizations, reprogramming, rescissions, and the Defense Department Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution System (PPBES).

  

  • BUAD 5901 - Global Competitive Strategy

    Credits: (2)

    The objective of this course is for graduate business students to better develop the capacity to think strategically about a company, its business position, and how it gains sustainable competitive advantages in the global environment. In so doing, students will be exposed to the issues that influence the competitive behavior and performance of organizations. Skills will be developed and applied in conducting strategic analysis in a variety of industry and competitive situations by analyzing and crafting business strategies through case studies and class discussion. The primary outcome of this course is for students to be able to apply a manager’s strategic perspective to the resolution of major business problems at different levels within the organization, with the goal of improving organizational performance.

  

  • BUAD 5911 - MGJW Core Capstone

    Summer Credits: 4.5 Staff

    The MGJW Core Capstone course is a project based course where small teams of 3-4 officers work on a real-world Lean-Six Sigma project for the U.S. Army. Students work full-time on the projects over an approximately 6 week period. The course involves research, in-depth analysis using both Lean and Six Sigma tools, development of a solution to the problem as well as multiple presentations to different audiences including members of the Senior Executive Service and General Officers. Students are expected to coordinate, and successfully work with, numerous parties including staff at government agencies, contractors and vendors. Students also write a major technical report on the project as well as a shorter article suitable for publishing in one of the Army journals. Students who successfully complete the course requirements receive their Lean Six Sigma Green Belt from the Mason School of Business.

  

  • BUAD 5931 - Charting your MBA Career

    Credits: (.5)

    This course is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of planning and executing a successful career and job search strategy. Emphasis is placed on identification of individual career goals, assessment of skills and career motivations, exploration of career options, analysis of the job market, effective use of individual marketing tools (e.g., resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn), interviewing skills, effective networking, and evaluating/negotiating job offers. Learning will be through career management staff, guest speakers and experts in talent acquisition, recruiting and interviewing by providing frameworks, theories and real-world examples.

  

  • BUAD 5941 - Business, Government, & the Global Economy

    Credits: (2)

    This course introduces the basic macroeconomic concepts in the global economy for both industrialized and developing countries. Students are encouraged to analyze business and economic policies and money and capital markets.

  

  • BUAD 5951 - Sprint

    Credits: (1)

    Sprints are first-of-its-kind collaborative work sessions that put you in the middle of the action. You’ll partner with some of the world’s most dynamic leaders to find solutions for the issues that are affecting today’s businesses. During these comprehensive weeklong work sessions, you’ll merge theory with practice by collaborating with top business executives in authentic business settings - and gain resume-building experience in the field.

  

  • BUAD 6001 - Internship Issues

    Summer Credits: (1) Graded Pass/Fail.

    This course is for international students completing CPT or students needing educational credit for a summer internship. Two parts will include: a mandatory written paper evaluating the internship due in the fall, and two class sessions in the fall semester of your second year. The credit associated with this course does not count towards your degree requirements.

  

  • BUAD 6151 - Taxation and Business Strategy

    Credits: (3)

    This economics-based course provides a conceptual framework for understanding tax issues in the context of business decisions and business strategy. Students learn about the role of taxes throughout the firm’s life cycle: choice of organizational form, employee compensation, investment opportunities, capital structure and dividend policy, financial innovations, international operations, and business combinations. The key conceptual components include: (a) consideration of the tax implications for all parties to the transaction; (b) consideration of both explicit and implicit taxes, such as lower before-tax rates of return on tax-favored investments; and (c) consideration of both tax and non-tax costs. Ultimately, the course provides a useful framework for thinking about taxes in all tax regimes (i.e., across countries and over time).

  

  • BUAD 6181 - Tax Compliance, Research & Planning

    Credits: (3)

    The objective of this course is to broaden the ability of the student to engage in tax compliance, tax research, and tax planning in a team-oriented environment. Group communication opportunities, both oral and written, are emphasized.

  

  • BUAD 6271 - Database Management

    Credits: (3)

    This course considers the application, logical structure and physical implementation of databases to aid in developing business intelligence. Primary topics include data modeling, relational databases, structured query language, data analytics and visualization, amongst other contemporary data management topics. Multiple database management systems and analytical platforms may be introduced.

  

  • BUAD 6311 - Forecasting

    Credits: (1.5-3)

    The course deals with methods and processes for evaluating the future. About two-thirds of the time will be devoted to short-term forecasting, praparing monthly and quarterly forecasts for the next one-two years.  The remaning one-third of the course will focus on the long-term, the strategic foresight perspective using futuring methods such as scenarios to explore plausible futures for a 5-15 year time horizon.

  

  • BUAD 6321 - Corporate Financial Policy

    Credits: (3)

    This course is intended to give the students a forum to investigate both the theory and practice of finance in a corporate setting. It covers a broad spectrum of issues facing a financial manager including: planning and financial control; working capital policy; analysis of financing alternatives; capital structure and equity management policy; investment analysis; resource allocation policy; and corporate restructure and merger analysis.

  

  • BUAD 6331 - Advanced Financial Management

    Credits: (2)

    Building on the core finance class, this class will further develop a theoretical and applied understanding of corporate finance. The goal is to develop insights into the methods by which financial managers can create value for their shareholders. 

  

  • BUAD 6341 - Investment Management: Equity Markets

    Credits: (1.5) Prerequisite(s): BUAD 5301

    This course will examine the structure and operation of equity markets, the theory and practice of portfolio management, equity valuation, investor behavior, performance measurement, and equity options. 

  

  • BUAD 6351 - Investment Management: Fixed Income Markets

    Credits: (1.5) Prerequisite(s): BUAD 5301

    This course will examine the structure and operation of fixed income markets, the characteristics and pricing of bonds, interest rates and interest risk management, credit risk, and fixed income portfolio management.

  

  • BUAD 6361 - Portfolio Management

    Credits: (3)

    This course is designed to give students an understanding of the principles of portfolio management in a global capital market. Emphasis is placed on mutual fund management. Topics include individual and institutional investor behaviors, international diversification, latest developments in trading, fundamental analysis and technical analysis, performance measurement, mutual fund structures and management, risk management and hedging. Students will emerge from this course with an understanding of the portfolio management process, and with the ability to evaluate the performance of portfolios with respect to different investor objectives and to articulate recommendations for changes.

  

  • BUAD 6371 - International Financial Foundations

    Credits: (1.5)

    This course extends students’ understanding of foundational concepts, tools, and techniques necessary to work in an international finance function.  Using an applied approach, students develop deeper appreciation for the nature of global connectedness, including both trade and financial flows, and country risk assessment.  The live case method engages students in currency markets and exchange rate determination.  Management of global outsourcing arrangements, and compliance with the FCPA (Foreign Corrupt Practices Act) complete the course.  This course is appropriate for all second year MBA students and for MACC and Public Policy students with some macroeconomic background. 

  

  • BUAD 6381 - International Financial Management

    Credits: (1.5)

    This module covers important concepts in international economic and financial analysis, and stresses their use in the financial management of multi-national corporations, in international portfolio management, and foreign direct investment decisions.

  

  • BUAD 6391 - Real Estate Finance

    Spring Credits: (3) Staff

    The real estate market collapse which led to a global financial crisis has changed the way we view and evaluate commercial real estate. This Real Estate Finance CAM will provide students with an essential understanding of the key forces underlying various real estate related financing decisions from unsecuritized local commercial properties to real estate-based financial derivatives traded on Wall Street.

  

  • BUAD 6411 - Marketing Research

    Credits: (2)

    This course is designed to examine marketing research as a systematic process that delivers actionable insights.Special emphasis will be given to digital tools that can be used for data collection and analysis.Topics will include research design and methods, with a focus on how to utilize marketing research for effective management decisions.

  

  • BUAD 6421 - Marketing Strategy

    Credits: (3)

    Focuses on analyzing market threats and opportunities, assessing competitive advantages, forecasting patterns of market evolution and developing marketing strategies that are consistent with these assessments.

  

  • BUAD 6431 - Digital and Integrated Marketing Communications

    Credits: (3) Prerequisite(s): BUAD 5401

    This course explores the evolving world of integrated marketing communications, with special emphasis on digital media.  Students will create an integrated marketing communications plan to effectively promote a selected product to a target market through various media channels.  In addition, students will examine how digital media tools can be applied to advance professional products and services as well as their personal brands.

  

  • BUAD 6441 - Customer Experience Management

    Credits: (3)

    To be competitive in today’s marketplace, service organizations must provide a quality experience for their customers. Customer experience management (CEM) is the process of strategically managing a customer’s entire experience with a company. Specifically, this course identifies the key dimensions on which customer perceptions of service excellence are based, and describes strategies for offering superior customer service. Key course concepts include: (1) identifying the key drivers of service excellence, (2) reducing problems (i.e., failures) in service performance, (3) measuring customer and employee satisfaction, (4) developing a service recovery system, (5) understanding the role of employees in the service process, (6) managing and measuring financial customer outcomes, (7) developing social media marketing strategy, and (8) managing customer rewards/loyalty programs. Students who complete this course will not only have a better understanding of how customers evaluate service firms; they will also have a “tool kit” of ideas, measures and techniques to help improve service excellence.

  

  • BUAD 6451 - Creative Problems Solving

    Spring Credits: (3) Staff

    A study of the processes of creativity and innovation in complex problem-solving, informed by both business and inter-disciplinary approaches. Throughout the course, students engage in a mix of experiential, experimental, and reflective exercises designed to promote integrative and creative problem-solving, with an emphasis on the techniques, frameworks and mindsets that drive innovation in organizations.

  

  • BUAD 6461 - Product Management

    Credits: (3) Prerequisite(s): BUAD 5401

    Product Management is an advanced course that focuses on operational-level marketing analysis, with an emphasis on translating marketing strategies into coherent operating plans.  While all marketing functions, there is a strong focus on product decisions and the new product development process in marketing programs.  The course also develops quantitative and qualitative analysis of market data as part of the planning and control functions.

  

  • BUAD 6471 - Design as Marketing Strategy

    Credits: (3) Prerequisite(s): BUAD 5401

    This course considers the relationship between theories and practice in the two very different realms of strategy and design.  The course focuses on analyzing complex information, developing and exploring alternative solutions, and prototyping future innovations and scenarios.  Visual and other design techniques and tools are added to the traditional strategic toolbox to bring new insights into new venture strategy, competitive strategy, marketing strategy and tactics, decision sciences, entrepreneurship, business plan writing, and innovation.  Personal insights are also a possibility.  This course is both a survey of design tools and techniques appropriate to strategy along with an opportunity to apply those appropriate for the project.

  

  • BUAD 6501 - Managing Project Teams I

    Credits: (1.5) Prerequisite(s): BUAD 5501

    Working in teams has become the norm in most organizations, yet most people have many misconceptions about what makes groups effective.  Groups can be exhilarating or maddening.  This course is designed to develop the knowledge that enables you to improve the performance of most teams.

  

  • BUAD 6511 - Managing Project Teams II

    Credits: (1.5) Prerequisite(s): BUAD 5501

    Building on the foundation of Managing Project Teams I, this course focuses on developing the skills to design, manage and facilitate project teams.  Specific tools for improving team performance will be introduced and applied.

  

  • BUAD 6521 - Management Consulting

    Credits: (2)

    This course examines the management consulting process and prepares students for a role as either an internal or external consultant. The course is designed to provide a framework for understanding the art and science of providing management counsel to client organizations in the public and private sectors. The course follows the process of a typical consulting engagement in identifying key project requirements, feasibility and design alternatives. 

  

  • BUAD 6541 - Human Resources Management I

    Credits: (1.5)

    This course will provide an overview of human resource management (HRM) and the connection HRM principles and how those play out in organizations.  This course focuses on the everyday decision made by all managers (e.g. selection, evaluation, compensation, termination).

  

  • BUAD 6551 - Teams: Design, Selection, & Development

    Credits: (3)

    Working in teams has become the norm in most organizations yet most people have many misconceptions about what makes groups effective. We will cover work in a variety of teams including: project teams, self-directed teams, research teams, consulting teams, and multinational teams. Groups can be exhilarating or maddening. This course is designed to develop the knowledge and skills to enable you to improve the performance of most teams. The course includes a refresher on practical theories of group effectiveness, application of human resource management techniques to teams; selecting team members; developing the team and its members; applying appropriate rewards, and coverage of skills and tools designed to diagnose and improve team functioning.

  

  • BUAD 6561 - Human Resource Management

    Spring Credits: (3) Staff

    This course will provide an overview of human resource management (HRM) and the connection between HRM principles and how those play out in organizations.  The course focuses on a) HRM professionals and their role in working with other organizational managers and leaders to develop and implement effective and efficient HRM practices that support the strategic objectives of their organizations, b) the everyday HRM decisions made by all managers (e.g., selection, evaluation, compensation, termination), and c) puts students in the role of an HRM Director for a growing organization and offers students valuable experience with decisions that affect selection, evaluation, compensation, turnover, productivity, diversity, morale, quality, accident rate, grievances, fringe benefits, absenteeism, termination, and budget utilization.

  

  • BUAD 6571 - Leadership and Planned Change

    Credits: (3)

    Examines current issues in leadership and managerial strategies for successfully implementing, institutionalizing and evaluating change initiatives.

  

  • BUAD 6581 - Human Resources Management II

    Credits: (1.5) Prerequisite(s): BUAD 6541

    This course will provide an overview of human resource management (HRM) and the connection between HRM principles and how those play out in organizations.  The course focuses on a) HRM professionals and their role in working with other organizational managers and leaders to develop and implement effective and efficient HRM practices that support the strategic objectives of their organizations, b) the everyday HRM decisions made by all managers (e.g., selection, evaluation, compensation, termination), and c) puts students in the role of an HRM Director for a growing organization and offers students valuable experience with decisions that affect selection, evaluation, compensation, turnover, productivity, diversity, morale, quality, accident rate, grievances, fringe benefits, absenteeism, termination, and budget utilization.

  

  • BUAD 6591 - Predictive Analytics

    Credits: (3)

    This course is designed to provide students with a deep understanding of the theory and practice fo Classification techniques, which constitutes perhaps the most commonly used techniques in the Data Scientists’s toolkit.  These Predictive Analytics techniques are important members of a family of analytics often referred to as Machine Learning techniques. An important part of this course is an introduction to a powerful and ubiquitous software package called R, which is used extensively in labs and assignments in this class.

  

  • BUAD 6601 - Management of Emerging Technologies

    Credits: (3)

    This course focuses on the state-of-the-art techniques for developing and managing the development of new products and software, especially those technologies for identifying competitive product and software configurations, rapid prototyping, and discovering what users want and need in a quick, cost-effective manner.  Topics include 3D printing, prototyping, voice of the customer, agile development, maturity models, collaborative design, and Scrum.

  

  • BUAD 6611 - Supply Chain Management

    Credits: (3)

    This course deals primarily with the design and operation of logistics networks or supply chains, and the flow of materials and information on them.  Students in this course will be exposed to both the strategic and operational aspects of managing today’s complex supply chains.  Specific topics include vendor-managed inventory; efficient customer response; collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment; planning distribution and supply; managing product variety, transportation, supply chain planning, distribution and supply; managed product variety; transportation; supply chain planning software; eMarketplaces; inter- and meta-mediaries and design and optimization of supply networks.

  

  • BUAD 6621 - Project Management

    Credits: (1.5-3)

    This course focuses on the management of complex projects and the rules and techniques, which have been developed in the past 25 years to assist managers with such projects. All three phases of project management - Planning, Scheduling, and Control are explored in detail. In addition to studying various scheduling techniques for projects, this course explores issues dealing with project selection methods, project risk assessment, project team dynamics, new product development projects, runaway projects, and monitoring and control of projects.

  

  • BUAD 6631 - Advanced Project Management

    Credits: (1.5)

    This course picks up where Project Management Part I ends. The objectives of this course are to:

    •  extend the student’s knowledge of project management, particularly in the areas of project cost management (cost estimating and application of earned value management) and project risk management. We will use a (30 day trial version) of an add-on software package to MS Project for quantitative risk management.

    •  expand the student’s capabilities with MS Project

    •  extend the student’s knowledge in other areas of project management including (1) project selection, (2) value engineering as well as (3) program management and (4) project portfolio management.

  

  • BUAD 6641 - Lean Toolkit

    Credits: (1.5)

    In this course, you will learn the Lean methodology, which uses a particular type of business process mapping in order to document and understand business processes (values stream mapping). This course would not qualify a student for Green Belt Certification.

  

  • BUAD 6651 - Six Sigma Toolkit

    Credits: (1.5)

    In this course, you will learn the Lean methodology, which uses a particular type of business process mapping in order to document and understand business processes (values stream mapping). This course would not qualify a student for Green Belt Certification.

  

  • BUAD 6671 - Lean Six Sigma Project

    Credits: (1.5)

    Students learn Lean and Six Sigma tools in the Lean Toolkit and Six Sigma Toolkit courses for improving the quality and efficiency of business processes.  These courses also offer a first exposure to the application of those tools.  This course offers additional experience in applying Lean and Six Sigma tools to a project.  Analogous with industry standards, a student who completes this course earns a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification.

  

  • BUAD 6691 - Engineering Economic Analysis

    Credits: (3)

    Organizations that do engineering and/or technology development must address the economic aspects of their projects.  Early portions of the course assume that benefits, costs, and quantities have a high degree of certainty. The latter portion of the course explores risk (uncertainty) with regard to benefits, costs, and quantities.

  

  • BUAD 6701 - Tools for Business Analytics

    Credits: (2)

    This course introduces the main tools and ideas in the business analytics professional’s toolbox. The course gives an overview of the data, questions, and tools that data analysts work with. Two themes are emphasized in the course. First, students will be introduced to the ideas behind turning data into actionable knowledge. The second theme is a practical and hands-on introduction to commonly used programming tools in the field of business analytics.

  

  • BUAD 6711 - Advanced Modeling Techniques

    Spring Credits: (3) Staff

    This course is designed to provide students with the skills necessary to develop advanced decision models using a variety of programming and database tools. This semester, we will focus on VBA and Access.

  

  • BUAD 6731 - Healthcare Informatics

    Spring Credits: (3) Staff

    Health Informatics involves the management and use of resources – technology, capital, governance and people – and methods such as process management and innovation to promote efficient and effective delivery of healthcare. The objective of this course is to provide an understanding of how to use information, and information systems to support clinical, administrative and patient services in conducting the business of healthcare. Through hands-on experience, students will learn from analysis of operational or strategic problems in a health care setting and explore challenges and opportunities in various segments of the healthcare industry such as consulting and policy making, supply chain, pharmaceuticals and insurance.

  

  • BUAD 6741 - Principles of Negotiation

    Credits: (3)

    This course uses Game Theory to provide a theoretical foundation for understanding negotiation, and it provides first hand experience in different bargaining situations. A number of tools are developed that are useful in planning and preparing for a negotiation.

  

  • BUAD 6811 - Global Business Immersion

    Credits: (1.5-3)

    The objectives of this course are: 1) to introduce students to the interactive concepts of marketing and culture, 2) to enable students to understand the cultural issues at the corporate, national and transnational levels, 3) to provide insights on effective marketing and management decision making in unfamiliar or cross-cultural settings, particularly with respect to various international contexts, and 4) most importantly to give students unique experiences with cultural immersion.

  

  • BUAD 6831 - Non-Profit Organization

    Credits: (3)

    The objective of this course is to analyze the role of non-profit organizations as economic entities in a market economy (for example, methods of financing these organizations.) The course will also explore liability, application of strategic planning to identify potentially useful market niches of these organizations, the legal obligations of management, and portfolio management appropriate for these organizations.

  

  • BUAD 6851 - Design Thinking

    Credits: (3)

    Design Thinking is a systematic, iterative, human-centered approach to solving tough, real-world problems that are often ill-defined and stubbornly immune to traditional problem solving approaches.  Design Thinking is a methodology for generating innovative solutions that are at the intersection of people’s needs, technological feasibility, and business viability.  This course provides a hands-on introduction to Design Thinking methodologies and mindsets and encourages students to immediately put them into practice.

  

  • BUAD 6861 - Entrepreneurial Ventures

    Credits: (3)

    This hands-on course provides real world, experiential learning about how scalable startups are built.  The focus of this course is not how to write a business plan.  Rather, it is designed to be more of a practicval course - essentially a startup lab.  You will work in teams learning how to turn a great idea into a great company.  In fact, you won’t just learn about doing it, you’ll really do it.  This course provides students with a live opportunity to build a venture.  You’ll learn how to use a business model to brainstorm each part of a company and customer development to validate your model and to see whether anyone other than you would want/use your product.  You will get your hands dirty talking to customers, partners, cometitors, as you encounter the chaos and uncertainty of theearly stages of a startup.  The goal, within the contraints of a classroom and a limited amount of time, is to create an entrepreneurial experience with all of the pressures and demands of a startup.  Finally, based on the customer and market feedback you gathered, you will rapidly iterate your product to build something customers would actually use and buy.  Each week you will test each part of your business modell outside of the classroom and share your knowledge/insight gained with the rest of the class. 

  

  • BUAD 6871 - Mng & Fin Small Bus Enterprise

    Credits: (3)

    Designed for those who wish to undertake a career journey in the direction of running a smaller business enterprise or a family business. It is structured to allow the students to develop an alternative to a large company or professional service firm. Every aspect of a business is covered, from the legal entity utilized through the management and financing of the enterprise. The creation and review of individual Business Plans will be required.

  

  • BUAD 6881 - Financing Entrepreneurial Ventures

    Credits: (3)

    Covers the essential principles of the risks and rewards associated with Private Equity and Venture Capital. Financial analysis of a business and risk/return characteristics, business valuation methods, and the financing sources are covered to better understand the required returns to risk investors. Other topics include: fundraising, early stage, middle stage, and ultimately late stage investments; buyouts and exit strategies; the structuring of the “deal”; the creation of term sheets, negotiation strategies, and human capital and resources.

  

  • BUAD 6891 - Entrepreneurship Launch Pad

    Credits: (3)

    This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to apply problem solving, analytical and communications skills and introduce them to the complexities of working in a team to solve a current business problem.  The problem will be defined by a corporation or organization that will be paying the Mason School of Business for the students to conduct the consultancy project.  The client will expect the student team to work 500/700 hours during the project and produce actionable results.


    This course will provide the students with actual experience in conducting a real world management consulting project.  The learning process will consist of project definition, project planning and management, client interface and communication, data collection and analysis, making specific recommendations, report writing, and formal and informal presentations.

  

  • BUAD 6951 - Business Research Seminar

    Credits: (0-6)

    Special topics courses allows the faculty to teach cutting edge material.

  

  • BUAD 6971 - Independent Study

    Credits: (0-6)

  

  • BUAD 6981 - Batten Fund

    Credits: (4.5)

    The Batten Fund project tasks 16 - 17 selected second year MBA students to research stocks in depth, develop an investment thesis, complete valuation analysis, sell the idea to fellow Batten analysts and track the performance of stocks within the Fund if their stock is selected by the group.  The funds used are real dollars, donated 17 years ago by Frank Batten. 

  

  • BUAD 6991 - Field Consultancy

    Credits: (3)

    Each year, the Mason School’s Corporate Field Consultancy Program contracts with major companies across the mid-Atlantic region. Teams of second-year MBA students work as consultants charged with identifying, researching and proposing a solution for a real business problem faced by their client organization. Each project focuses on different issues, based on the needs of our clients.  Each project team works under the guidance of a Faculty member and Executive Partners to address management issues, develop a deeper understanding of the interdependence of functional areas, and polish teamwork and communication skills.             


Flex MBA
  

  • BUAD 5013 - Communication for Managers

    Credits: (3)

    The need to communicate well is a critical part of a manager’s professional development. This course helps prospective and practicing managers assess and develop their communication abilities to be a successful managerial communicator. Through course activities, students will understand the importance of effective communication in managerial and leadership roles, appreciate the value of strategic organizational communication, and enhance their speaking, writing, and other communication abilities. Special topics in the course include: presentation graphics, ethics, intercultural communication, and media relations.

  

  • BUAD 5103 - Financial Accounting

    Credits: (3)

    Concepts and principles of financial and administrative accounting essential to the interpretation and analysis of accounting information, including financial reports, bankruptcy analysis, budgeting, control, production and costing, stock options, and board governance.

  

  • BUAD 5113 - Managerial Accounting

    Credits: (3)

    This course deals with the use of accounting information for decision-making, planning, and control. The goal is to acquaint the student of management with the fundamentals of internal accounting, better known as management accounting. The emphasis is on using accounting information in managing an organization, rather than product costing and income determination.

  

  • BUAD 5223 - Management Information Systems

    Credits: (3)

    The focus of Management of Information Systems is on the technology that enables its use in the business and organizational setting. Issues such as hardware, software, databases, telecommunications, and the Internet will be discussed. Students will experience hands-on applications in some areas. An understanding of how Information Technology enables fundamental transformations in firms, markets, products, and business processes will be gained. This course addresses the management issues surrounding the impact of information technology in organizations. It is designed with the line and general managers in mind, rather than the managers of the IS function.

  

  • BUAD 5303 - Finance

    Credits: (3)

    The course covers basic principles and theories of financial valuation, risk pricing and risk management. These principles are applied to corporate finance topics such as: how a firm decides to invest its resources in long term assets and growth opportunities; how a firm will manage its sources of capital and raise funds to finance chosen investments; and how the firm will plan and control funds flow.

  

  • BUAD 5403 - Marketing

    Credits: (3)

    Examination of marketing from a managerial viewpoint; emphasis on evaluating marketing alternatives and in choosing from these alternatives.

  

  • BUAD 5503 - Organizational Behavior

    Credits: (3)

    Designed to provide you with the analytic frameworks and tools to diagnose events in and to take effective action in today’s changing organizations. The course draws on knowledge from the domains of Organization Behavior (OB), Organization Theory (OT), and Human Resource Management (HRM) to provide you with the understanding and skills that you need to be an effective manager of people in these changing organizations. OT, OB and HRM are concerned with developing understanding about how human beings act in organized settings and how organized systems affect human behavior through policies, structures and strategies. In addition to conceptual understanding, ongoing assessments and experiential exercises provide you opportunities to reflect on your own behavior in order to develop new and more effective ways of interacting with others to accomplish work.

  

  • BUAD 5603 - Operations Management

    Credits: (3)

    Study of the design, operation, and control of production and operating systems from a managerial standpoint, with emphasis on quantitative methods of analysis.

  

  • BUAD 5703 - Quantitative Methods

    Credits: (3)

    Role and application of statistics in the analysis of business problems including estimation, statistical measures, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, simple and multiple linear regression and time series analysis.

  

  • BUAD 5713 - Modeling & Simulation

    Credits: (1.5)

    This course is designed to introduce students to basic modeling, analysis, and simulation techniques. Emphasis will be placed on problem identification and formulation, sensitivity analysis, and model construction. Tools such as MS Excel, Solver, Crystal Ball, and @Risk will be used to solve business problems across all business functional areas: Finance, Accounting, Operations, Marketing, Information Systems, Policy, and Human Resource Management.

  

  • BUAD 5723 - Managerial Economics

    Credits: (3)

    This course studies economic analysis applied to managerial decision making. Besides basic topics of demand, cost and production, and market structures, this course also covers demand forecasting, pricing strategies, game theory, and information economics.

 

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