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The MBA Online Graduate Curriculum

The Online MBA program from Seattle University is designed to offer a hands-on learning experience—even while studying remotely—and to connect you with contemporary business leaders who understand the value of purposeful and sustainable innovation. Throughout the program, you’ll explore the impact of ethical, people-centric business practices, and you will be challenged to apply this approach as you develop cross-functional mastery of all critical areas of operation, including marketing, finance, risk management, international business, negotiations, and more.

Analytical Skills Development

Successful business leaders must have quantitative and analytical skills to make sound business decisions and Albers Online MBA curriculum includes several courses that will help you develop those skills.

To ensure that you get the most benefit from these courses, we require all students to complete three short online refresher courses from Harvard Business Publishing covering algebra, probability, and statistics.

At the end of each course, you may take the assessment as many times as you need. When you successfully complete the assessment, you’ll receive a certificate to show your achievement. Enrolled Online MBA students must complete the course series before registering for their second quarter.

  • Total time for the three online courses is 8.5 hours
  • Total cost is $30

Learn more here.

Leadership Challenges

Each course in the Online MBA program features a Leadership Challenge, an assignment designed to help students develop the problem-solving mindset required to lead effectively. Leadership Challenges are comprised of four elements, each of which represents a fundamental part of an ethical, empathetic, and effective decision-making process:

  • Listen and Learn: Communicate with all stakeholders to gather relevant information and develop the full context of the situation at hand
  • Empathize and Examine: Consider the viewpoints and goals of each stakeholder affected by the outcome of the situation
  • Assess and Analyze: Identify the key problems that must be addressed in developing a resolution to the situation, as well as their specific impact on stakeholders
  • Design and Deliver: Propose and present a course of action that addresses all problems to the satisfaction of stakeholders and in the best interest of the organization as a whole

While Leadership Challenges may not appear in the same place in every course—they may be individual assignments, structuring motifs, final capstone projects, etc.—each one represents an opportunity for our Online MBA students to learn to communicate cross-functionally and strategize successfully through consistent practice.

Man in backpack seated on cliff overlooking mountains

Study Abroad Opportunities

Experience a new country, while forging stronger connections with the Seattle University network: Online MBA students have the option of taking a study tour course in place of OMBA 5310. For two weeks, students will learn about international business topics alongside students in our on-campus programs. Each trip will have at least one 3-credit class associated with it. The course subjects and locations vary every year, but previous trips have included China, the European Union, Peru, and Italy. Learn more about upcoming trips on Seattle U Albers study abroad page.

I. Online MBA Core Courses (25 credits)

OMBA 5120 Business Ethics and Social Responsibility (3 credits)

Provides students with an understanding of the social and natural environments within which moral issues in business arise. Within this framework, it introduces students to both the ethical concepts and ethical principles, and the reasoning and analytical skills needed to resolve those moral dilemmas. MBA students may not receive credit for both MBA 5120 and BETH 5100.

OMBA 5005 Accounting for Business (3 credits)

This course presents an integrated examination of financial statements with an emphasis on analysis for decision-making and introduces managerial accounting concepts important for planning and controlling business operations.

OMBA 5006 Finance for Business (3 credits)

This course introduces tools and techniques used in corporate financial management. Emphasis on financing and investment decisions in the presence of risk and conflicting goals among stakeholders. Topics include financial statement analysis, capital structure, time value of money, valuation, risk/return tradeoff, and capital budgeting. Prerequisite Course(s): MBA 5005

OMBA 5007 Economics for Business (3 credits)

This course introduces economic principles and applies them to business and policy issues. Central themes include assessing resources, understanding competitive markets, understanding market power and how it changes optimal business strategies, appreciating the problems of market failures and inequities springing from market allocations, and important macroeconomic principles. We conclude with considerations of political economy, how political, economic, and societal forces interact. Prerequisite Course(s): MBA 5006

OMBA 5011 Teams, Leadership, and Decision-Making (4 credits)

This course fosters leadership skills and team development through a combination of traditional learning activities (readings, classroom experiences) and an experiential learning laboratory. In experiential activities, participants will be asked to practice various roles necessary to be an effective, high-performing manager and team member.

OMBA 5012 Law & Technology (3 credits)

Formerly MBA 5230, the focus of this course is on managing known and unknown risks to a firms’ value creation. The course examines intellectual property, litigation, IT investments, contracts (and risk sharing), information architecture as a risk management strategy, privacy risks, etc.

OMBA 5013 Marketing Fundamentals (3 credits)

This course helps develop essential knowledge and skills for effectively planning, implementing, and controlling marketing activities, including the psychological and quantitative aspects. The focus is on the application of basic marketing concepts and principles as well as strategic decision-making for achieving and sustaining competitive advantages in the marketplace. Key principles include: marketplace, customer value, marketing metrics, marketing strategy, consumer and buyer psychology, marketing mix, digital marketing, sustainable marketing, and marketing ethics.

OMBA 5300 Supply Chain Management (3 credits)

The strategic importance of supply chain management to manufacturing and services. Activities will include case discussions, guest speakers, and simulated negotiations. An overview of the supply chain, supplier selection and development, supplier partnerships, ethics, negotiation, just-in-time methods, legal concerns, international issues, inventory management, new product development, hazardous material procurement and disposal, and transportation/logistics.

II. Online MBA Advanced Business Courses (24 credits)

OMBA 5010 Managerial Accounting for Organizational Leadership (3 credits)

Introduces principles and concepts of management accounting for strategic decision-making and focuses on the use of internal data and information and their impact on business efficiency and effectiveness. The course will describe how organizations articulate their “value proposition strategy” through their structure and operating leverage. Also, we will examine how cost structure informs and affects: outsourcing, production, capital budgeting, make or buy, and expansion decisions. We will use advanced data analytics and statistics to evaluate cost functions for planning, budgeting, and performance evaluation.

OMBA 5050 Corporate Financial Management (3 credits)

This course presents basic principles of corporate finance and develops tools for financial decisions and valuation in the presence of uncertainty, imperfect information, and conflicting incentives among stakeholders. A series of spreadsheet-based valuation exercises are used to develop firm values using basic financial data for local companies.

OMBA 5110 The Domestic and Global Economies (3 credits)

A study of the domestic and global economic environment of business and its impact on management planning and decision-making. The determinants of business cycles, inflation, unemployment, interest rates, and exchange rates. The effect of economic events and policies on industries and firms.

OMBA 5160 Management of People (3 credits)

The course provides broad perspectives on management and people. Covers tools and leadership skills to manage activities and processes, organization design, managing diversity, technology management, and managing work/personal life.

OMBA 5355 Marketing Analytics (3 credits)

In this course, you will learn tools and techniques to analyze large databases. Specifically, you will develop skills to employ various software toolkits to instill analytical intuitions and critical thinking skills that enable you to comprehend contemporary marketing issues.

OMBA 5305 Data Management in Business (3 credits)

This course introduces the management and analysis of corporate data. Topics include conceptual data modeling, relational database systems, data warehousing, and data administration, as well as SQL. Students are expected to understand the managerial challenges and solutions of corporate data management.

OMBA 5310 International Management (3 credits)

Investigates the role of management in developing and executing international and global business strategy. Emphasis is on theories of organizational roles in society, how culture shapes both organizational and individual behaviors, and how firm-specific and country-specific elements relate to competitive advantages.

OMBA 5380 Negotiation Skills (3 credits)

This course introduces a range of approaches to bargaining and conflict resolution. Through interactive exercises, students develop negotiation skills for use in a professional context or any interpersonal activity.

III. Professional and Personal Development (2 credits)

OMBA 5235 Professional and Interpersonal Communications (1 credit)

Focus on developing outstanding writing and speaking skills through consultations and real world practice. Emphasis on assessment of and feedback on interaction and influence skills in group contexts.

OMBA 5240 Career Planning and Development (1 credit)

The focus is on providing assessments and experiences that allow for reflection on career choices. Provides tools to enable more effective job search or self­-leadership in crafting your current job to reflect values, skills, and interests.

IV. Capstone: Applications in Strategy (3 credits)

OMBA 5500 Competitive Strategy (3 credits)

This course addresses general management and the tasks of strategy formulation and implementation. It builds on and integrates material from all functional areas. Course to be taken during the last two quarters of enrollment.
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