MBA Program Course Offerings: Fall 2024

For Summer 2024 courses, please click here.

2024 – 2025 Academic Calendar

Helpful Dates & Definitions:

Session 1: 09/03/2024 – 10/25/2024
Session 2: 10/28/2024 – 12/20/2024
Full Semester: 09/03/2024 – 12/20/2024

Online: asynchronous online class
Online-Live: synchronous online class
Live: synchronous in-person class

MBA Core Courses

BUA 601 – Strategic Data Analysis
To inform organizational decisions, students will learn to identify business problems, differentiate types of big data, propose a research question, and think critically about which statistical processes and applications will yield insights from the data. 

Offered: Session 1 Online, Session 2 Online

BUA 680 – Foundations of Business Intelligence and Analytics
This course presents the philosophical and technical foundations of business intelligence and analytics.  The philosophical principles of business intelligence and analytics are discussed.  Important fundamental concepts and tools in business intelligence and analytics are introduced using a structured and integrated approach that moves from initial data collection to final decision outcome assessment.  Throughout the course, conditional reasoning and logical thinking in terms of process and systems are emphasized.

Offered: Session 1 In-Person, Session 1 Online, Session 2 Online

MBA 609 – Financial Statement Analysis
This course builds on foundational accounting coursework by focusing on the understanding and interpretation of corporate financial statements. Topics typically include analysis of the primary statements via horizontal, vertical, and ratio analysis, DuPont analysis, and financial statement forecasting. 

Offered: Session 1 Online, Session 2 Online

MBA 626 – Management of Contemporary Organizations
Explores analytical perspectives to understand how individuals organize themselves in accomplishing organizational goals. Topics include organizational structure, culture, teamwork and diversity, the organization and the global environment. 

Offered: Session 1 Online, Session 2 Online

MBA 637 – Global Supply Chain Networks

An introduction to managing the flow of material, products, services, information, and cash via the processes, technologies, and facilities that link primary suppliers through to ultimate customers. Attention is given to the functions of forecasting, production planning, supply management, production, transportation, inventory, warehousing, packaging, materials handling, and customer service.

Offered: Session 1 Online, Session 2 Online

MBA 651 – Financial Management
Provides a foundation in financial management by integrating topics such as measurement of risk, portfolio theory, interest rate determination, valuation, capital budgeting and cost of capital. 

Offered: Session 1 Online, Session 2 Online

MBA 670 – Managerial Marketing
BUA 670 Managerial Marketing is designed to explore both the theory and application of marketing concepts from a managerial perspective. The course emphasizes marketing decision-making and marketing strategy development through case studies and marketing planning activities. 

Offered: Session 1 Online, Session 2 Online

MBA 649 – Strategic Decision Making 
This capstone course studies administrative practices at the strategic level of business management. Develops administrative competence in the formulation of business policy at the decision-making level through case study or practicums. 

Prerequisites & Notes: MBA students only. Completion of all MBA core courses or permission. Academic Advisor must submit your registration.
Offered: Session 1 Online, Session 2 Online

General Electives

MBA 545 – Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

Fostering innovation and entrepreneurship is a critical factor for regional community and economic development. Emerging scientific and practitioner-based literature focuses on investments in the social and economic environment that build “entrepreneurial ecosystems” – the set of networks and factors that support the creation and scaling of successful, innovative ventures. Students in this course will develop knowledge around assessing, building, coordinating, and enhancing entrepreneurial support infrastructure. They will examine how different actors, institutions, regulation, trends, and resources may impact innovation and entrepreneurship within a region. Using engaged scholarship and a community-based approach, students will apply learning from the classroom to conduct an assessment of one or more communities’ entrepreneurial ecosystems and present findings to stakeholders.
Graduate students will develop additional skills in leading and implementing participatory research practices through a mentorship model.

Offered: Full Semester, In Person, W 1:00 – 3:50PM

MBA 695 – Internship (1-3 credits)
Field experience in business relevant to the student’s educational development and career goals. (Neither past work experience or field experience courses taken at other campuses or universities will be permitted as substitutes.) Only open to MBA students. Course may be repeated, but student may not earn more than 3 internship credits.

Prerequisites & Notes: Permission of Business School Graduate Director or designated appointee.

MBA 698 – Independent Study
Provides an opportunity for well-qualified students to pursue a selected topic in great depth under the supervision of an individual faculty member. The topic is to be determined in consultation with the faculty instructor.

Prerequisites & Notes: Permission of Business School Graduate Director or designated appointee.

Concentration Electives

Accounting

ACC 507 – Advanced Accounting

This course will provide you with a fundamental understanding of advanced financial reporting topics, notably intercompany investments; mergers, business combinations, asset acquisitions, and stock acquisitions; equity method investments and consolidations; foreign currency transactions and hedging; futures, options and interest rate swaps; and partnership accounting and reporting. These topics are important for students interested in pursuing the CPA certification, and valuable for students involved in financial reporting for companies that own subsidiaries or that engage in intercompany investments.

Prerequisites & notes: ACC 301 and ACC 302; MBA student or permission from GSB

Offered: Session 2, Online

Blue Economy

SMS 500 – Marine Biology (4 credits)

Examines the biology of marine organisms including their diversity, distribution, form and function within a broader context of evolutionary adaptation to the marine environment. Emphasizes scaling of physiological and ecological processes and the biology of acclimation and adaptation in representative marine taxa including microbes, primary producers, invertebrates, fishes, and marine mammals. Includes one weekend field trip to Darling Marine Center. Required for Marine Biology graduate students.

Prerequisites & Notes: Only open to students in the Blue Economy Concentration

Offered: Online Live, T/Th 9:30AM – 10:45AM

Business Analytics

BUA 681 – Data Management & Analytics

This course introduces students to different types of data commonly collected in business settings. Students will learn basic skills of managing and wrangling the business data. Students will be introduced to data management and relevant analytical techniques, including relational design with structured query language (SQL), and data security with an introduction to information security governance, risk management, and information security incident management.

Prerequisites & Notes: BUA 601 or equivalent, or permission from Graduate School of Business.

Offered: Session 1 Online

BUA 685 – Problem Solving & Decision Analysis

This course is dual focused on business problem formulation and decision analysis. First, the course introduces students to a variety of ways to formulate a business problem and identify its decision alternatives using systems thinking and process thinking. Second, the course presents core concepts and techniques for conducting data-driven decision analysis (e.g. utility/objective function, linear/nonlinear optimization, and simulation optimization) with purpose of recommending optimal decision options by taking advantage of the results of predictive analytics.

Prerequisites & Notes: BUA 601 or equivalent, or permission from Graduate School of Business.

Offered: Session 2 Online

Engineering Management

ENM 586 – Advanced Project Management

Course covers a wide range of project management topics including project planning, controlling, scheduling, and risk analysis. Through lecture and case studies, students will be prepared to become project management professionals and will learn to bring projects to successful completion. The course also emphasizes the human relations aspects of project management such as team theory and personnel conflict.

Offered: Full semester, Online

Finance

MBA 650 – International Finance

This course provides students with a solid introduction to the very important field of international finance. It offers a rigorous examination of and the financial management of the multinational corporation and of international financial markets. Intensive coverage of foreign exchange markets and methods of managing exchange rate risk are emphasized. Topics include currency derivative markets and risk management, arbitrage and international parity conditions, market efficiency, short- and long-term asset management, and capital budgeting.

Prerequisites & Notes: MBA student and successful completion of MBA 651.

Offered: Session 2 Online

Food Technology Industry Management: courses only open to MBA students in this concentration

FSN 502 – Food Preservation

Chemicals and processes (freezing, dehydration, canning, irradiation, extrusion) used to extend food quality and safety.

Offered: Full Semester, Online

Geospatial Technologies

SIE 509 – Principles of Geographic Information Systems

Covers foundation principles of geographic information systems, including traditional representations of spatial data and techniques for analyzing spatial data in digital form. Combines an overview of general principles associated with implementation of geographic information systems and practical experience in the analysis of geographic information. Not open to those who have taken ISE 201.

Offered: Full Semester, Online

Global Policy (Orono Only)

SPI 503 – Contemporary International Relations

The international system and its ability to respond to contemporary challenges: States, and sovereignty, globalization, international organizations, ideologies and perceptions, violence and war, human rights development, and sustainability.

Offered: Full Semester, In Person, M 2:00 – 4:50PM

SPI 573 – Global Politics

Reviews conceptual/thematic issues of global politics, including globalization and technology, climate change, international organizations and NGOs, democracy and development, multinational corporations, demographics and resource competition and organized crime. Examines the interests, strategies, challenges and prospects of selected key states or regions. Students will analyze and evaluate trends and changes in global politics and develop an understanding of how and why leaders of key and emerging powers perceive their interests, threats and opportunities.

Offered: Full Semester, In Person, Tu 12:30 – 3:20PM

Healthcare Systems

MPHP 525 – American Healthcare Systems

Health-related activities represent more than one-sixth of the U.S. economy and include substantial investment of public and private resources. The goal of this course is for students to develop a critical understanding of the organization and financing of the American healthcare and public health systems. The course examines the factors that influence the health of individuals and populations; how health care services and health/public health systems are organized, financed, and governed; how these systems function; the relationships among consumers, public and private purchasers/payers, and providers; the market and policy environments affecting systems’ performance; and the outcomes of these activities including the health and well-being of citizens.

Offered: Full Semester, Online

MPHP 580 – Health Literacy

This online course provides students with knowledge, skills, and attitudes to recognize and improve health communications in public health, healthcare, and social service settings. Topics covered in the course include: patient-centered environments, health numeracy, oral health literacy, medical interpretation, informed consent, culture of safety and quality, adaptation of written health education materials and other written communication, cultural competence, effective communication, and the use of social media and web sites to advance health literacy. Students participate in field-based learning exercises and a workshop session with community partners in order to build and practice health literacy skills.

Offered: Full Semester, Online

MPHP 575 – Health Leadership, Planning and Management

This course provides opportunities to develop skills in program planning, implementation, and management. Students will examine and develop interpersonal and leadership skills, including leadership styles, strengths-based collaboration, negotiation and conflict management, supervision, and performance assessment. Students will apply traditional and emerging planning and management concepts and frameworks to public health leadership scenarios. Students will gain experience developing proposals, budgets, and staffing plans applying management strategies to advance the achievement of desired outcomes.

Offered: Full Semester, Online Live, Tu 5:00 – 7:30PM

Human Nutrition: courses only open to MBA students in this concentration

Please check back later for updates.

Outdoor Industry Management

Please check back later for updates.

Public and Non-Profit Management

PPMP 640 – Public Finance & Budgeting

Equips students with the knowledge, vocabulary, skills, and practical tools needed to participate skillfully and ethically in public finance policy development and decision-making and to assume a leadership role in guiding dialogue about resource acquisition and allocation choices. Teaches participants to assess context, to identify and analyze budgetary opportunities and constraints facing state and local decision-makers, to generate and evaluate alternatives using frameworks from public finance, and to project impact of choices, including identifying the potential for unintended consequences. State and local governments are the focus of the course, with the federal budget considered from the perspective of its impacts on the economies and fiscal options of lower governmental levels. Students entering the course should be familiar with Excel.

Offered: Full Semester, Online Live, W 7:00 – 9:30PM

PPMP 515 – Organizational Leadership

This foundational course considers contemporary perspectives, issues and strategies regarding the management of public sector organizations, the importance of public service and provides a basic understanding of public management theory and the application of theory to governmental and other public and nonprofit sector institutions. Topics covered include a wide range of public management concerns, leadership styles, emotional intelligence, persuasive communication, team building, decision making, organizational culture and change. The course prepares students to become managers and leaders of public and not-for-profit institutions who can enhance the capability of these institutions. The course presents a realistic view of effective management and leadership in government and nonprofit organizations and the ways in which these organizations work and interact and focuses on the creation of social and public value, keeping in mind that economic and private value creation is often a part of public and non-profit management.

Offered: Session 1, Online Live, M 7:00 – 9:30PM

PPMP 630 – Leading Resiliency in Times of Change

This course offers students a conceptual framework for understanding the role of public and nonprofit organizations in a market economy and democratic society and the challenges in times of change. Public and nonprofit leaders make decisions in increasingly net worked environments that are characterized by uncertainty, resource constraints, competition for human resources, barriers to coordination as well as political, policy and community challenges. Recent world events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, economic and social unrest, and threats from climate change have all brought into focus the need for greater resiliency at many different levels. Students will consider the unique social, economic and policy environment in which public and nonprofit organizations reside in Maine and nationally, and identify innovative strategic, governance, and management approaches in supporting resiliency, preparedness, mitigation measures, response capabilities and recovery mechanisms.

Offered: Full Semester, Online Live, Tu 7:00 – 9:30PM

PPMP 510 – Democracy, Governance & Public Policy

This foundational course explores democracy as not only a form of governance but as a way of living that touches every aspect of society. Students consider the constitutional foundations, institutions, and the formal and informal processes through which states protect and serve their people, and advance their interests as well as contemporary perspectives regarding the nature of democracy, the concept of governance, and the application of governing in an increasingly complex society. The course offers students the opportunity to explore current policy issues that present challenges for democratic governance in American society such as populism and the rise of authoritarian leaders, money in politics, equality, voting issues, and social media. Through readings, class exercises and case studies students consider how the modern state fulfills traditional core functions (such as security, basic welfare, opportunity for enrichment) when the range of issues and problems requiring action has increased, competition for resources has accelerated and as confidence in government is declining.

Offered: Online Live, T/Th 4:10 – 6:40PM

Sustainability

MBA 645-0991 – Launching Sustainable Ventures

This course will introduce you to process of creating, evaluating, launching, and managing a new venture that follows the principles of sustainability and the triple bottom line. The course is about starting a business and the benefits and costs, both personal and professional, of an entrepreneurial career. Students learn how to establish start-up teams, identify opportunities, and obtain resources. The course involves written self-reflections, team work, business modeling, and the presentation of a comprehensive business plan. The course also examines the role of social entrepreneurship, multicultural marketing, and global expansion as ways to develop and explore sustainable venture opportunities.

Offered: Session 2, Online

PPMP 512 – Sustainable Communities

The course is to introduce the student to one current approach to community planning, known as sustainable communities, which embraces a holistic approach to community development as a goal to be pursued in the complex interplay among natural, economic, and social systems. The course aims to establish command of the basic concepts, principles, policies, and obstacles associated with sustainable development, sustainable communities, and, as a practical example, smart growth.

Offered: Full Semester, Online

PPMP 507 – Intro to Community Planning

This course focuses on the foundations of planning primarily at the regional, local, and neighborhood levels. It covers the legal and political foundations of plan making, including an introduction to planning and zoning law; the architecture of plans; and themes around the integration of planning elements, such as transportation/land use and urban form/classical zoning.

Offered: Full Semester, Online Live, Th 7:00 – 9:30PM