Core Courses

First Year Courses (see also Year One)

Fall A - First 7 weeks

• Financial Accounting (ACC 502): Introduces the basic concepts and methods used in financial statements. Readings, problems and cases are used. Major topics included are: The Accrual Model, Analysis of Transactions, Balance Sheet, Income Statement, and Cash Flow Statement. The course also emphasizes analysis of cases and actual financial reports and concerns the applications of the basic concepts and methods of financial accounting to issues such as: long-term assets, inventory, sales, receivables, debt securities, corporate ownership, international operations, and analysis of financial statements. (Fall A - 7 week course)
• Applied Microeconomics (BE 502): Applies microeconomic analysis to to a wide range of managerial decisions, as well as public policy issues. Topics include: costs and supply behavior of the firm; consumer behavior and market demand; market forces, price formation and resource allocation; international trade and trade restrictions; and, market power and price-setting behavior.  (Fall A - 7 week course)
• Corporate Strategy (CSIB 502): Focuses on the job, perspective, and skills of the general manager in diagnosing what is critical in complex business situations and finding realistic solutions to strategic and organizational problems. Provides a foundation on which to build expertise in various functional areas. (Fall A - 7 week course)
• Applied Business Statistics (OMS 502): Examines statistical tools for business. Topics include statistical quality control and quality management, correlation and regression analysis for interpretation of multivariate datasets, quantitative forecasting methods, and an emphasis on business applications through computer-based projects. (Fall A - 7 week course)

Fall B - Second 7 weeks

• Financial Management (FIN 503): Focuses on basic financial concepts: valuation techniques, the relation between risk and return, and the working of U.S. capital markets. Specific topics include net present value, the capital asset pricing model, option pricing theory, and the efficient market hypothesis. Students who waive Finance prerequisites may take Principles of Finance in the first segment of the Fall Term. (Fall B - 7 week course)
• Marketing Management (MKT 503): Provides an understanding of customers and competitors--both existing and potential--as a basis for developing, pricing, promoting and distributing goods and services that satisfy customer and organizational objectives. Efficiency and effectiveness in decision-making from this "marketing perspective" is an important foundation for creating, achieving and maintaining competitive advantage. The objectives of this course are to: 1) provide a systematic approach tot marketing decision-making; 2) familiarize students with the practice of marketing and the role of marketing in an organization; and 3) develop problem-solving skills in a market context. the course is primarily case-oriented, but also relies on lectures, readings, and a simulation exercise to provide an appropriate mix of theory and hands-on problem-solving that is intended to provide a variety of perspectives on marketing management issues. (Fall B - 7 week course)
• Human Behavior and Organization (MO 503): Provides the conceptual tools to analyze the behavioral and organizational influences on systemic outputs such as quality, profitability, and employee well-being. Focuses on macro-organizational issues including organizational design, culture, power and politics, strategic leadership and reward systems. Also covers individual level issues such as motivation, decision-making, socialization, and diversity. (Fall B - 7 week course)
• Business Elective: See Course Descriptions for possible electives

Winter A - First 7 weeks

• Management Accounting (ACC 552): Introduces basic concepts of managerial accounting for internal decision-making. Topics include product costing, relevant costs for decision analysis, variance analysis, divisional performance evaluation, and transfer pricing. (Winter A - 7 week course)
• Operations Management (OMS 552): Introduces basic concepts and issues in managing production systems. Major topics include quality assurance, line balancing, project management, production planning and scheduling, and inventory control. (Winter A - 7 week course)
• Business Elective (Optional): See Course Descriptions for possible electives

Winter B - Second 7 weeks

• Multi-Disciplinary Action Project (MAP) (BA 553): MAP is a 7.5-credit hour field study project in which teams of students analyze multidisciplinary business problems and recommend improvements. These projects take place at sponsoring company sites across the country and during the last seven weeks of the MBA student's first year.

Second Year Courses (see also Year Two)

• The World Economy (CSIB 503): Explores the theories and concepts that are crucial to understanding the global location and structure of industries, the politics of trade and investment, and the impact of globalization on firm strategy. Students may complete CSIB 503 at any time during their two years.
• Designated Elective: Students must elect either an Ethics or Business Law course at some time during the MBA program.
• Communication Requirement: To help develop communication skills, all students must fulfill a Communication Requirement. This requirement can be satisfied by passing a writing assessment or with course work. See this website for details and course options: http://webuser.bus.umich.edu/programs/bmc/writingprograms.html
• Business Electives: The full-time MBA degree program requires successful completion of 57 graduate credit hours. Of these, at least 25 may be taken as free electives. Students may focus on one functional area or may select a more broad-based general management curriculum.
• Electives in Other Units of the University: MBA students may broaden their training by electing up to ten hours of graduate study in other units of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.