Academics
The College of Business and Economics offers the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA), Master of Arts in Economics (MA), and Master of Science in Industrial Relations (MSIR) as well as a doctoral program in economics and a joint degree in business and law (MBA/JD). Other programs include optional semester-long or summer internships. The strongest areas of study are leadership, entrepreneurship, human resource management, accounting, and information systems. Regular programs bring distinguished speakers and visiting professors to campus, including an Executive-in-Residence program and the Sun Alliance lecture series.
Forty-eight total credits are required to complete the MBA, including 6 elective credits. Required courses include:
- Information Technology/Information Systems
- Managerial and Team Skills
- Economic and Business Environment
- Business Research
- Financial Statement Analysis
- Business Markets Simulation
- Managerial Economics
- Corporate Finance and Regulation
- Leadership
- Management Science/Operations
- Managerial/Cost Accounting
- Working Capital Management
- Law and Ethics
- Financial Planning
- Marketing Strategy
- Global Planning and Strategy
- Conflict Resolution
Required courses for the MSIR include:
- Survey of Accounting, Economics, and Finance
- Collective Bargaining and Labor Relations
- Critical Thinking and HR Research Methods
- Industrial Relations Theory and Strategy
- Employment Law
- Performance Management and Training
- Conflict Management Processes
- Organizational Change and Renewal
- Staffing and Selection
- Benefits
- Compensation Issues
- Survey of Management and Marketing
Required courses for the MPA include:
- Financial Accounting Theory and Practice
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Income Taxes and Business Decisions
- Information Technology Auditing
- E-commerce and Internet Security
- Economics for Decision Makers
- Governmental/Not-for-Profit Accounting
- Fraud Detection and Deterrance
- Accounting/Business Consulting
- Assurance Services and Professional Standards
- Personal Financial Planning
Business students may take relevant nonbusiness courses in other departments. The minimum time permitted to complete the master’s degree program attending full time is 13<1/2> months; maximum, 8 years. For students attending part time, the minimum is 2<1/2> years; maximum, 8 years.
In a recent year, there were 61 total full-time graduate business faculty, all of whom held a doctorate; there were 3 part-time faculty, of whom 33% held a doctorate. Faculty salaries are rated below average for Category I institutions, based on the AAUP rating system. Average number of courses faculty teach is 5; average business class size is 36.