Business Administration (BUS)

BUS500. Excel Tutorial. 0 Credits.

Non-credit competency exam and tutorial demonstration ability to carry out required Excel functions.

BUS501. Financial Accounting. 3 Credits.

This course introduces MBA students to the accounting information system and to the financial statements prepared for external users. Topics include the accounting cycle, the preparation and evaluation of financial statements, concepts of revenue and expense recognition, and the valuation of asset, liability and equity accounts.

BUS502. Internship & Career Practicum. 1 Credit.

Coverage of topics that prepare students for internships and their career, including identifying prospective employers, writing an effective resume, networking, interviewing skills, ethics, and corporate culture.

BUS503. Management. 3 Credits.

This course is designed to provide graduate-level business students with exposure to (1) the evolution of management thought, (2) the four functions of management, (3) various theories and empirically derived principles, and (4) contemporary issues related to process and practice. Students will engage in problem-solving through individual and team-based business case analyses and research projects.

BUS505. Marketing. 3 Credits.

This course is an introduction to the principles and practice of marketing. A major part of the course involves a review of the four elements of the marketing mix: product, price, place, and promotion. The course provides the knowledge and skills that students need for taking the marketing management course.

BUS507. Managerial Finance. 3 Credits.

This course conveys major issues facing a financial manager: financial statement analysis, discounted cash flow analysis, time value of money, the risk-return tradeoff, and the valuation of financial assets. This course also examines capital budgeting, financial planning, asset management, cost of capital, long-term financing through debt and equity, and multinational financial management.

BUS508. Financial Statement Analysis. 3 Credits.

Students will learn about the principles and standards of financial accounting, and then prepare, interpret, analyze corporate financial statements.

BUS509. Statistics Analysis & Decision Theory. 3 Credits.

This course is an introduction to probability and statistics. Main goal is to teach students how to apply various statistical concepts to decision making under uncertainty. After this course, students should be able to analyze data and relationships among variables using both descriptive and inferential statistics, and to evaluate and update decision alternatives so that they can find solutions to real life business problems.

BUS511. Accounting for Management Decisions. 3 Credits.

Using accounting information to achieve management objectives. Topics include budgeting, cost behavior and costing systems, relevant information and decision-making, performance analysis, control systems and responsibility accounting. (This course is only for general MBA students, not CPA track MBA students.)

BUS515. Business Economics for Managers. 3 Credits.

The course is designed to provide a strong foundation in microeconomic theory for managerial and decision making. It emphasizes the "economic way of thinking" about real-world business/management curriculum such as finance, cost accounting, marketing, business strategy and quantitative analysis. The goal is to reinforce what students have learned in other courses and provide a foundation for future course work and beyond.

BUS516. Theory of Financial Accounting I. 3 Credits.

This course expands upon coverage of financial accounting and reporting for business entities after the introductory course Financial Accounting (or its equivalent). Topics include special financial statement disclosures as well as accounting for current assets, long-term investments, long-lived assets including intangibles.

BUS517. Cost Analysis. 3 Credits.

Development and use of quantitative information for management decision-making. Topics include cost accumulation and control, job order and process cost systems, standard costs and variance analysis, and performance evaluation.

BUS518. Concepts in Federal Income Taxation. 3 Credits.

Introduction to principles underlying the US federal income tax system. Emphasis on individual income taxation with some coverage of corporate and partnership taxation.

BUS520. Managing Operations and Information Technology. 3 Credits.

Focuses on the integration of information and operations strategies to enhance competitive advantage. Topics include global supply chain management, enterprise resource planning, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, information security, and their legal and social impacts.

BUS521. Arts and Entertainment Law. 3 Credits.

Evolving legal issues facing artists and entertainers, as well as the industry of managing artists and entertainers. Addresses key legal aspects of intellectual property rights, contracts, negotiation strategies, financing, torts, employment law, general business law, challenges of being a freelance artist, litigation, and the impact of digital distribution channels of creative works.

BUS522. Theory of Financial Accounting II. 3 Credits.

This course is a continued coverage of financial accounting and reporting for business entities after Theory of Financial Accounting II. Topics include accounting for liabilities and shareholders' equity, income taxes, financial instruments, accounting changes and error corrections, the statement of cash flows, and additional topics of current interest.

BUS525. Quantitative Methods for Business Research. 3 Credits.

Focuses on developing analytical skills mainly formulating problems, collecting data and interpreting the results using quantitative methods such as statistics and/or optimization tools.

BUS526. Managing in a Global Environment. 3 Credits.

Critical analysis of issues facing firms in a dynamic global environment. Discussion of external factors, such as country institutional differences, and internal factors, including strategic and managerial issues, faced by international businesses.

BUS528. Marketing Management. 3 Credits.

Application of applying key marketing concepts for making effective marketing decisions about products, pricing, promotion, and distribution, given a firm's goals, abilities, customers and competitors.

BUS529. Accounting - Financial Reporting and Control. 3 Credits.

Development and use of financial reports in a global economy. Topics include setting accounting standards, the content of financial statements, accounting for assets and liabilities, ethical issues in accounting, and current topics facing the profession.

BUS535. Financial Markets and Institutions. 3 Credits.

The role of financial markets and institutions in the capital formation process Topics covered include financial systems and the economy, debt and equity markets, depository institutions, non-depository financial institutions, financial derivative markets, and risk management.

BUS536. Corporate Financial Management. 3 Credits.

The role of financial management in business decisions, the relationship between finance and other corporate functions, and quantitative techniques used for analysis. Topics include cash flow analysis, valuation, risk and return, investing and financing decisions, costs of capital, and capital structure.

BUS537. Options and Futures. 3 Credits.

Futures and options, derivatives markets, and their role in risk management and portfolio strategy. Topics include types of futures, pricing models and hedging strategies.

BUS538. Investments. 3 Credits.

Theoretical and applied study of investment fundamentals and portfolio management. Topics include markets, trading, risk and return, valuation, portfolio theories, alternative investment instruments, global investing, and current developments.

BUS539. Personal Financial Planning Principles and Applications. 3 Credits.

Management of personal finances and investments. Topics include monitoring household wealth, personal financial planning, managing liquidity and credit, financing a home, using insurance, retirement and estate planning, and investing. Students prepare a personal financial plan.

BUS541. Music Artist Management. 3 Credits.

Artist management explores the music business through the lens of artist/talent management and focuses on the study of concepts and skills relating to entrepreneurship and entertainment trends in the contemporary music business industry.

BUS542. Auditing and Assurance. 3 Credits.

Introduction to the attest function and the independent auditor's role in society, with a focus on audit concepts and tools, including computerized auditing and use of Audit Data Analytics.

BUS544. Health Care Finance. 3 Credits.

Financial management concepts and techniques for the health care industry. Topics include the regulatory environment, costs and revenues, accounting reports and budgets, financial statement analysis, and capital planning.

BUS546. Multinational Finance. 3 Credits.

Analysis of key financial decisions within the global framework. Topics include international financial markets, exchange rate behavior and management of its risk, international banking, multinational financial management, and multinational strategic planning.

BUS547. International Marketing. 3 Credits.

Discussion of Marketing opportunities in a globally competitive environment. Topics include profiling international segments, international consumer behavior, and the role of cross-culturalism in the development of marketing strategies.

BUS548. International Accounting. 3 Credits.

This course examines accounting principles, and emphasizes accounting research, from an international perspective. Topics include comparative reporting practices, harmonization of accounting standards, accounting for international transactions and subsidiaries, management accounting issues, and accounting for changing prices with an emphasis on accounting research techniques.

BUS549. Global Virtual Teams. 3 Credits.

Students complete an international business-oriented consulting project for a company in global virtual teams. Culture, cross-cultural communication, and managing global virtual teams are topics covered in class. Discussion, reflection, and personalized feedback relate to working effectively in global virtual teams.

BUS555. Marketing Research. 3 Credits.

Examination of the research process used in marketing decision-making. Methodology for conducting marketing research for product development, pricing, and channel selection, and the analysis of results.

BUS557. Integrated Marketing Communications. 3 Credits.

Development and implementation of integrated marketing communications programs. Topics include the communication process, budget determination, strategic brand management, internet marketing and issues of monitoring, evaluation, and control.

BUS558. Consumer Behavior for Marketing Strategy. 3 Credits.

Study of consumer behavior using social science concepts. Topics include buyer decision making, product and service choice, consumer attitudes and motivation, and shopping behavior.

BUS561. Healthcare Policy. 3 Credits.

Explores US heath care policy, economics and reform. Compares US healthcare policy to policies in other countries. Focuses on major health policy institutions and issues, including private insurance and state/ federal programs. Attention is given to cost and quality or healthcare programs.

BUS562. Healthcare Management and Leadership. 3 Credits.

Managerial and analytical competencies to assess regulatory, legal, organizational, and financial issues and to ensure quality healthcare services delivered to patients and other stakeholders. Emphasizes healthcare executive's role in setting strategy, building a strong management team, and empowering the workforce.

BUS563. Strategic Sustainability Management. 3 Credits.

Analysis of environmental and social sustainability in a business context through case studies and a semester-long project.

BUS564. Staffing Organizations. 3 Credits.

Coverage of the staffing process. Topics include human resource planning, recruitment, selection, measurement in selection, legal issues in staffing, job analysis, decision making, and retention management.

BUS565. Training and Development. 3 Credits.

Coverage of the process of training and development. Topics include needs analysis of organizational objectives, strategies for designing training and development programs, and the evaluation of training programs.

BUS566. Organizational Change and Development. 3 Credits.

Understanding and managing organizational change in a turbulent environment. Topics include action learning, the collaborative inquiry process, methodologies for implementing change interventions, and models of change and development.

BUS567. Managing Human Capital. 3 Credits.

Theory, research, and applications in major areas of human resource management. Topics include human resource strategy, recruitment, selection, development, training, compensation, performance appraisal, retention, leadership, and legal issues in human resources.

BUS568. Individual and Group Behavior Analysis. 3 Credits.

Study of classic and contemporary theories in micro organizational behavior. Topics include perception, personality, attitudes, motivation, leadership, communication, group dynamics, decision making, power, influence, and organizational change.

BUS569. Leadership and Management in a Changing World. 3 Credits.

Study of theory and applications in the field of leadership as it relates to business. Topics include leadership traits and behaviors, power and influence, situational and contingency leadership, ethics and values in leadership, motivation, and team leadership.

BUS570. Entrepreneurship in Music/Art. 3 Credits.

Provides students with the core knowledge and foundation to plan, finance, develop, launch and grow a music or arts organization. Focus is on entrepreneurial approaches to building a music business and long-term career.

BUS571. Management Information Systems (MIS). 3 Credits.

This course is intended to provide students in the MBA program with a firm grasp of the function of computer-based information systems in modern business organizations. Students should come away with a working knowledge of which information systems are best suited to a given company. Emphasis is placed on technical concepts fundamental to business applications and management of information systems.

BUS572. Electronic Commerce and Management. 3 Credits.

This course is designed to help students understand the impact electronic commerce can have and is having on different aspects of business. The course will first examine and define trends in electronic commerce. Next, the impact electronic commerce has on several business functions, from marketing to operations, will be discussed. Once this foundation has been established, it will be possible to involve the students in applied projects, and look at where electronic commerce can still produce larger changes and improvements.

BUS573. Management Science. 3 Credits.

Covers mathematical programming, graphs and networks, stochastic processes, queuing theory and simulations. In addition to introducing basic theories, emphases will be put on formulations of business problems and interpretations of the output generated by computer software.

BUS575. Linear Models. 3 Credits.

Topics include simple linear regression, multiple regression, generalized linear models, graphical analysis of model adequacy, violations of assumptions, and alternative to least squares.

BUS576. Design of Experiments and Quality Control. 3 Credits.

Experiments are designed to identify key sources of variability in manufacturing, consumer behavior, organizational behavior, and other variables of interest to managers. Once identified, this variability can be monitored and controlled thereby improving output and reducing risk. Topics include hypothesis testing, Shewhart Charts, Cumsum Charts, randomized block designs, factorial experiments, and fractional designs.

BUS577. Knowledge Management Yearly. 3 Credits.

This course is designed to address the importance of knowledge management in today's knowledge economy where knowledge is considered as the most important resource. At strategic levels, the course examines the competitive advantages an organization obtained from its knowledge processing capability and capacity. At operational levels, it introduces various knowledge systems. Design and implementation issues of those systems are addressed using hand-on projects.

BUS579. Business Intelligence. 3 Credits.

This course examines the recent development in Business Intelligent Systems, including On-Line Analytical Processing, Data Mining, and Customer Relationship Management. It introduces the need of a data warehouse as the foundation for an intelligent system followed by discussions of the unique goal and design of each intelligent system. The course also addresses the role and impact of business intelligence in an organization's decision-making processes. Practical projects and computer software are used to enhance students' experience in business intelligence systems.

BUS580. Project Management for MBAs. 3 Credits.

This course will introduce the operational, design, personnel, budget, and communication issues involved in managing projects. course objectives will be met through lectures, in-class exercises, team projects, and homework. Students' experience will enrich discussions.

BUS581. Accounting Information Systems. 3 Credits.

Study of the main ideas and fundamental technology underlying the development, implementation, and use of modern Accounting Information Systems (AIS), and the relationship of AIS to business processes and internal controls. The use of software packages for processing accounting information.

BUS583. Advanced Auditing. 3 Credits.

Detailed coverage of legal liability and professional responsibilities. Topics include statistical sampling, analytical review procedures, fraud detection, and computer auditing.

BUS585. Accounting Theory. 3 Credits.

Financial accounting concepts, theory, and practice. Topics include recognition and measurement of assets and liabilities, accounting for leases, postretirement benefits, income taxes, and recent changes in accounting standards.

BUS586. Advanced Concepts in Federal Income Taxation. 3 Credits.

Tax issues related to various taxable entities, including corporations and partnerships. Emphasis on tax planning and tax research.

BUS587. Entrepreneurship and Business Planning. 3 Credits.

This course will focus on the skills needed to start a business. Topics include identifying markets, developing business plans, and financing operations. working in teams, students create business plans and may present them to a team of judges.

BUS588. Applied Research Project in Business. 3 Credits.

Preparation and writing of an applied research project in the concentration area under the guidance of the major professor. Required form available in the Records and Registration Office and the Office of the Department of Business Administration. Contact faculty advisor for further details.

BUS589. Cases in Strategy and Business Policy. 3 Credits.

Case studies and readings are used to build expertise in strategy formulation and implementation. This capstone experience integrates knowledge and concepts introduced throughout the program. Emphasis on application of conceptual, analytical, communication, and team-work skills.

BUS590. Thesis or Current Topic Seminar. 3-6 Credits.

Preparation and writing of a thesis in the concentration area under the guidance of the major professor. Two additional readers are required to approve the final thesis. Required form available in the Records and Registration Office and the Office of the Department of Business Administration. Contact faculty advisor for further details.

BUS593. Business Selected Topic. 3-12 Credits.

Selected topics courses are regularly scheduled courses that focus on a particular topic of interest. Descriptions are printed in the Schedule of Classes each semester. Selected topics courses may be used as elective credit and may be repeated for credit, provided that the topic of the course changes.

BUS594. Fieldwork in Business. 1-12 Credits.

Supervised experience in a business environment.

BUS595. Indep Study Business. 1-12 Credits.

Supervised study and research.

BUS601. Python Programming for Analytics. 3 Credits.

This course introduces Python as a primary programming language for analytics. It includes the basic Python syntax of data and type definition, selection statements, loops, function, and collections. It also introduces the important Python packages for data analytics, such as NumPy and Pandas, and the Python data analytics platform.

BUS611. Advanced Statistics for Business Analytics. 3 Credits.

This course covers advanced topics in statistics that are related to business analytics. The topics include linear regressions, polynomial regression, rigid regression, logistic regression, probit models, evaluation of classification models, ordinal & multinomial logit regression.

BUS612. Data Wrangling and Visualization. 3 Credits.

Data wrangling is to transform data from one or multiple "raw" formats/sources into the appropriate and valuable one for a variety of downstream purposes, such as data analytics or data modeling. This course helps students to use analytics tools, such as Python, to clean data, explore data, and visualize data.

BUS615. Data Warehousing and Big Data. 3 Credits.

This course provides students with an in-depth understanding of the design and implementation of database warehousing for big data. It includes data warehouse modeling, manipulation, storage, and analysis; large-scale distributed data processing, such as Hadoop/Spark; large-scale NoSQL databases.

BUS616. Forensic Accounting. 3 Credits.

This course is designed to apply financial accounting and auditing knowledge to build skills in detecting, investigating, and preventing fraud. Students will learn fundamental concepts, principles, procedures, and methods in forensic and investigative accounting.

BUS617. Accounting Data Analytics. 3 Credits.

The course covers the analysis and preparation of data as it pertains to accounting professionals. The focuses include analytic techniques for business intelligence and the examination of “big data” involving accounting information. 

BUS618. Spreadsheet for Business Analytics. 3 Credits.

This course provides the introduction to descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics through the spreadsheet modeling approach. The main topics cover the basic and advanced skills working with Excel/VBA, regression analysis, forecasting, and optimizations with spreadsheet modeling.

BUS621. Text Analytics. 3 Credits.

Text analytics is the automated process of extracting meaning from unstructured text data (including the Web) to uncover insights, trends, and patterns for supporting decisions in business. This course will introduce the basic text analytics topics, including text representation, document representation, topic classification, topic clustering, sentiment analytics, and so on.

BUS622. Sport Analytics. 3 Credits.

BUS626. Advanced Healthcare Analytics. 3 Credits.

This course teaches the use of healthcare data to make decisions and transform healthcare delivery to improve the health of individuals and populations through research in healthcare outcome and experimental designs. This course covers topics include statistical approaches, data mining, data visualization, modeling, and forecasting. Software, applications, and methodologies for health data analytics will be introduced.

BUS631. Machine Learning. 3 Credits.

This course prepares students to effectively analyze data and improve prediction performance using machine learning approaches, and distillate useful information from a large amount of data to support managerial decision-making processes.  This course covers machine learning tasks, models, algorithms, and applications.

BUS632. Data Mining. 3 Credits.

This course will introduce basic concepts and tasks of data mining. It focuses on how to formally represent real world information as basic data types (item sets, matrices, and sequences) that facilitate downstream analytics tasks. Students will learn how to characterize each type of data through pattern extraction and similarity measures.

BUS638. Deep Learning. 3 Credits.

Deep learning is a branch of machine learning concerned with the development and application of modern neural networks. Deep learning algorithms extract layered high-level representations of data in a way that maximizes performance on a given task. It covers a range of topics from basic neural networks, convolutional and recurrent network structures, deep unsupervised and reinforcement learning, and applications to problem domains like speech recognition and computer vision.

BUS641. Social Network and Web Analytics. 3 Credits.

Students will investigate how digital analytics can take a greater role in business decision-making. Specifically, students will gain an understanding of the strategic and operational aspects of social network and Web analytics tools and technologies, of how these tools can influence and create new marketing levers, and of how new marketing levers impact customer relationships, brand response, and sales.

BUS642. Time Series and Forecasting. 3 Credits.

This class offers an introduction to time series methods from both a theoretical and applied perspective. Students will learn the theory of stationary and non-stationary processes and how this theory applies to techniques for estimation and forecasting based using time series data.

BUS643. Customer Analytics. 3 Credits.

This course introduces the analytical process of learning, transforming, and analyzing customer behavior related data to understand the current pattern, predict future behavior, and prescribe actions for improving services and expanding business opportunities. Topics covered include descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics based on browsing history, shopping cart, customer review, and transaction records to help making informed business decisions.

BUS648. Natural Language Processing. 3 Credits.

Natural language processing (NLP) is a subfield of artificial intelligence, which is focused on programing computers to “understand” human languages. The goal of this course is to build students’ knowledge and skills in using state-of-the-art NLP technologies to analyze large amounts of natural language data.

BUS795. Independent Study Business. 1-12 Credits.

BUS799. Continued Registration. 1 Credit.