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Online MBA 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.

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.

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 beginning the program in Summer 2023 or later 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.

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 Albers study abroad page.

OMBA 5000 Professional Quantitative Analysis (3 credits)

This course introduces the quantitative disciplines required for success in the Professional MBA program. These disciplines include: accounting, algebra and statistics. Students will learn the basics of each of these disciplines and how to apply principles from these disciplines in real world business situations.

OMBA 5205 Teams and Decision-Making (4 credits)

Focus on tools for effective decision-making, and concepts of, and practice in, group dynamics. Draws on research from economics to inform decision-making skill development. Lays a foundation for ethical decision-making throughout the MBA program.

OMBA 5205 also incorporates the team-building residency retreat weekend, which occurs at the beginning of the Online MBA program. During this required residency weekend, students meet their classmates face to face for the first time and travel to an off-campus location to participate in activities and workshops designed to develop relationship building, leadership, and conflict management skills.

OMBA 5210 Building Internal and Community Stakeholder Relationships (3 credits)

Focus on tools for developing effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders including employees, customers, regulatory entities, etc. Covers organizational behavior topics (motivation, organizational justice, feedback, goal setting).

OMBA 5220 Enterprise Financial Performance Analysis (3 credits)

Concepts and principles underlying financial accounting, with emphasis on interpreting the content of published financial reports. Introduction and examination of the balance sheet, income statement, statement of cash flows, ratio analysis, and constructing financial statements.

OMBA 5215 Creating Value Through Marketing and Operations (3 credits)

This course focuses on how firms create value by paying attention to the critical interaction between marketing and operations decisions. Emphasis on business strategy, targeting, position, value proposition, and strategic operations decisions (cost, quality, sustainability, etc.).

OMBA 5225 Analytical Tools for Managerial Decision-Making (3 credits)

Emphasis on applying core economic and financial principles and models in various decision environments. Principles of scarcity, flexibility and commitment, risk and return, and uncertainty will find life in models of supply, demand, and markets. The objective is to provide the first elements of the information and decision-making tools used in rigorous analysis of business opportunities.

OMBA 5230 Managing Risk (3 credits)

The focus of this course is on managing known and unknown risks to a firm's 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 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)

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 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 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 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 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 5170 Marketing Strategy (3 credits)

Develops essential knowledge and skills for effectively planning, implementing, and controlling marketing activities of an organization. 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. Students who have taken MBA 5170 cannot take this class.

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.

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.

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)

Focus 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 current job to reflect values, skills, and interests.

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 last two quarters of enrollment.
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