Course Descriptions
Core Courses
The graduation requirement for any Ashland University Online MBA program is 30 credits. Depending on how many credits you choose to take per semester, you may either finish the program in 1 year, 18 months, 2 years, or 3 years. Below is a list of required courses offered throughout the program.
MBA 501 – Organizational Design & Change Management
The course focuses on large-scale OD interventions as well as strategies and tactics managers can employ to plan, enact and monitor change within their spheres of influence. Topics covered in this course include: understanding the fundamentals of organizational design; systems thinking and its impact on the change process; defining OD and the dynamics of change in relationship to organizational culture; exploring core OD values in the context of globalization; various OD interventions used at the individual, group and organizational levels; and key issues managers should weigh to initiate and successfully manage change processes within their organizations.
MBA 503 – Operations Management
Prerequisites: MBA 500H Quantitative and Statistical Methods or equivalent. The study of concepts relating to the operations functions in both manufacturing and service organizations which is responsible for planning, organizing and controlling resources in order to efficiently and effectively produce goods and provide services and meet the goals of the organization. Quantitative tools of analysis used to support decision making in the various operations management activities will be surveyed, and case analysis will be employed to relate theory to practice.
MBA 505 – Financial Management
Prerequisites: MBA 500B Accounting and MBA 500F Finance or equivalent. Financial planning and control for the financial and the non-financial executive, including decisions of investment, growth and expansion strategies, dividend policy and capital structure. Analysis of principles leading to decisions in the management of current assets, fixed assets, debt, equity, and capital. Emphasis is on decision making based on quantitative analysis.
MBA 507 – Marketing Management
Prerequisite: MBA 500E Marketing or equivalent. This course deals with proactive marketing topics, strategic market planning, interactive marketing, innovation and creativity, customer satisfaction and research, as well as the more traditional “4Ps” of marketing: product, place, price, and promotion. Attention is given to the development of conceptual and analytical thinking, oral and written communications, and interpersonal and team management skills.
MBA 511 – Managerial Accounting
Prerequisite: MBA 500B Accounting or equivalent. The study and evaluation of accounting information relevant to internal management decisions. Topics include cost behavior concepts, product costing, cost-volume-profit analysis, budgeting, variance analysis and performance measurement
MBA 517 – Strategic Planning & Policy Analysis
The capstone course must be taken by all students and may be taken at any time upon completion of 24 hours of Phase II and Phase III course work. The capstone course provides a semester-long integrated experience requiring the student to synthesize knowledge and skills acquired earlier in the MBA program.In addition to the above courses, a minimum of 3 additional courses must be completed as part of your specialization.