West Chester University's Master of Business Administration Program is a 10 course, 30 credit program. You are required to complete 7 core level courses, and 3 elective courses. You may choose from any MBA course elective in order to complete your degree, or you may complete your Project Management, Business Analytics, or Entreprenuership Certificate at the same time.

Core-level Courses (required of all students)

1. MBA 601 Strategic Cost Management (3 cr.)
2. MBA 602 Financial Analysis and Valuation (3 cr.)
3. MBA 603 Global Operations and Supply Chain Management (3 cr.)
4. MBA 604 Components of Effective Leadership (3 cr.)
5. MBA 605 Business, Society & Environment (3 cr.)
6. MBA 606 Innovation and Marketing Strategy (3 cr.)
7. MBA 699 Strategic Management and Planning (3 cr.)

Elective Courses (required of all students)

1. Elective (3 cr.)
2. Elective (3 cr.)
3. Elective (3 cr.)

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• MBA Program Advisement Sheet

• MBA 601 Strategic Cost Management
  This is a course in advanced managerial accounting, focusing on accounting methods and techniques useful in making business decisions. Included are measurements of divisional performance, revenue and pricing decisions, product performance, customer performance, and budgeting. Control systems and techniques are examined from a managerial perspective.
• MBA 602 Financial Analysis and Valuation
  The knowledge of financial principles is advantageous to managers in virtually every discipline in business. This course is designed as an in-depth financial analysis and valuation course to stimulate critical thinking of financial problems of businesses and focus on valuation. The basic aspects of financial analysis and valuation including use of ratios to assess corporate performance, projection of financial statements for both projects and whole companies, estimation of weighted average cost of capital, valuation of assets, projects and companies using discounted cash flow approach are covered. Also special topics, such as international aspect of financial management will be covered. Projects and cases will be used in the course to provide students with hands on experience in the use and application of financial tools and technology, especially Excel. Team building and written communication skills are also important for the group project.
• MBA 603 Global Operations and Supply Chain Management
  This course utilizes interactive learning methodologies to promote awareness of the operations and supply chain management techniques available for improving the organizational structures which create and deliver value to customers. Through the case approach, students will learn how an operation strategy that is cross-functional and global creates competitive advantage for both manufacturing and service companies. Topics covered include project management, product design, process analysis, electronic commerce, and enterprise resource planning systems. In particular, because of its emerging role in today's corporation, supply chain management will be emphasized.
• MBA 604 Components of Effective Leadership
  This course is an examination of management theory and its relationship to human resource functions. This course traces the development of management and organization principles and theories, with an emphasis on applying them to human resource issues. This course examines the relationship between the individual and the organization, and topics such as leadership and motivation, attitudes, selection, performance appraisal, and individual and group decision making will be explored.
• MBA 605 Business, Society & Environment
  This course provides an overview of how major trends in the world economy, social issues, and political, legal, and ethical systems affect business. The student will enhance his/her ability to understand the implications of major social, economic, political, legal, and ethical trends in the U.S. and the world; critically examine his/her own position on these issues; critically analyze popular writings on these issues; and appreciate the perspective of others whose circumstances differ from those of the student.
• MBA 606 Innovation and Marketing Strategy
  This course examines the strategic issues facing organizations as they develop solutions that satisfy customer needs and create customer value. Emphasis is placed on identifying and explaining approaches to creating a marketing environment that encourages creative thinking. Coverage includes the processes and strategies for developing and maintaining customer value, techniques and technologies used to gather and analyze market information, innovative approaches for developing marketing solutions, and other contemporary issues affecting today's marketing decision makers. Topics are investigated using a number of methods including case study, analytical and hands-on exercises, and real-world discussion.
• MBA 699 Strategic Management and Planning
  This course is an in-depth examination of the processes by which business strategies are conceived, formulated, executed, and changed. Specific topics include strategic planning, endogenous and exogenous influences affecting strategic feasibility, analyses, and choices. Comprehensive strategy-oriented cases from a variety of business contexts are used.

• MBA 610 Law and Ethics in the Business Environment
  This course is designed to meet the professional needs of managers who have minimal exposure to the law and to enhance their knowledge of the legal and ethical environment of business operations. It examines the framework of the American legal system. The course focuses from a managerial and entrepreneurial perspective on sources of law: including the constitutional, statutory, administrative, and common law principles that define the relationships between government and business; buyers and sellers of goods and services; and employers and employees.
• MBA 611 Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation
  This course introduces students to the concept of entrepreneurship and the process of new venture creation. Topics addressed in the course include idea generation, feasibility assessment, industry analysis, market research, funding, financial planning, and marketing, as well as writing and presenting a business plan. Theories and techniques learned in this course will be used to develop a comprehensive entrepreneurship project.
• MBA 612 Entrepreneurship Strategy
  This course is designed to address managing new and emerging growth companies. It provides students with the tools to identify opportunities, formulate strategy, and implement strategy for new and emerging growth companies. The course examines management challenges commonly encountered at different stages in the life-cycle of new and emerging growth companies including start-up, growth, change of direction, and harvest.
• MBA 613 Globalization and Management
  Examination of the problems of management, marketing, and finance when developing and engaging in international business. Attention to the formulation of alternative strategies for developing international business enterprises, the impact and consequences of implementing various alternative strategies for traditional business functions, problems of the multinational firm, and the special challenges of doing business with or in underdeveloped countries.
• MBA 614 International Trade and Finance
  This course is designed to expose students to the international business environment and enable them to increase their business presence abroad whether it is in manufacturing, finance, or other services. Topics include diversity and cultural differences, foreign exchange markets and exchange rate determination, export/import strategies, foreign direct investment, and multinational accounting and finance.
• MBA 615 The Economics of Health Care and Analytics
  This course will apply the tools of economic analysis to the various components of the health care system. Relying on microeconomic principles, this course addresses the behavior of participants (consumers, providers, insurers) in the health care industry. This course addresses some key policy issues that surround the provision of health care, as well as considering different health systems.
• MBA 616 Applications of Project Management
  This course is a reappraisal and reinforcement of core knowledge areas of project management: project selection, project organization, defining projects, project networks, risk management, resource scheduling, accelerating projects, leadership, team building, outsourcing, and monitoring progress.
• MBA 617 Business Information Systems
  This course is a blending of theory, case studies, and personal computer applications to the solution of business information problems. Students will gain insight into functional and strategic implications of information resources, technology, and systems.
• MBA 618 Project Quality Management
  This course examines basic quality concepts and explores the three sub-processes of quality management: quality planning, quality assurance, and quality control as they relate to project management. This course also explains key quality tools relevant to the framework and presents them in a logical order of application. Finally, this course offers practical exercises in a management environment that will allow students to experience an application. This course is designed to help students to prepare PMI (Project Management Institute) certifications exams, like CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management) certification and Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
• MBA 619 Business Analytics
  Organizations are using analytics strategically to make better decisions and improve customer and shareholder value. Business analytics is the use of data, information technology, statistical analysis, quantitative methods, and mathematical or computer-based models to help managers gain improved insights about their business operations and make better, fact-based decisions. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the fundamental tools and concepts of business analytics. Students will learn the essential elements of descriptive analytics, predictive analytics, and prescriptive analytics. This basis will allow students to communicate with analytics professionals to effectively use and interpret analytics models and results for making better business decisions.
• MBA 620 Business Forecasting
  This course is designed to prepare business professionals to utilize advanced forecasting tools that are commonly used in industry and in the process deepen their understanding of the role that such forecasting can play in business decision making. Firms continually need to make predictions about future events, including costs, sales, price movements, cash flows, asset values, and even general macroeconomic outcomes that can affect the business environment. Such predictions are regularly used to plan production, allocate resources, set budgets, determine staffing needs, and address many other things of concern to the firm. Making use of a variety of statistical modeling techniques, this course will enable the proper examination of relationships among various pieces of information that a firm has access to and make use of those relationships to project future outcomes for variables of interest. This will include developing the ability to evaluate forecast accuracy through the use of confidence ranges and a variety of statistical tests, as well as learning additional procedures to help increase that accuracy.
• MBA 621 Business Research and Analysis
  The purpose of this course is to prepare students for the quantitative and research requirements found within the graduate business program.  The course reinforces essential business math knowledge while introducing advanced quantitative analysis used in different business disciplines.  Additionally, the material covered allows students to conduct, analyze and interpret business research.

This certificate addresses key areas of entrepreneurship including: Finance; Leadership; Marketing; Intellectual Property; Business Contract Law; Opportunity Recognition; Industry Analysis, and Target Market Analysis. The Entrepreneurship Certificate is multi-disciplinary in content and the courses incorporate both the theory and practice of entrepreneurship.Entrepreneurship Certificate students have the opportunity to develop an idea for a new venture and to assist emerging growth businesses in addressing entrepreneurship related issues. The students have the opportunity to participate in the Cottrell Entrepreneurial Leadership Center programs including Global Entrepreneurship Week, a private equity due diligence fellowship, and a business idea competition.

More information coming soon! The Project Management Certificate program is intended to address trends in the business profession with particular emphasis on the skills of project management.

The rise of data availability in organizations coupled with increasing computing capacity is feeding demand for workers skilled in business analytics. This certificate is designed to address this need by exposing students to various analytical tools that are readily available and that can be applied to a multitude of business areas.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of 2012 the median pay for such positions ($75,000) is double the median wage for all workers, which will further fuel demand for the certificate. The regional environment has high demand for people with business analytics skills. Major regional industries such as healthcare, finance, government, and telecommunications are all avenues of employment for students holding certificates in Business Analytics.