MBA 500   Issues in Business   credit: 0 Hours.

MBA students are faced with a wide variety of issues in the work place. This course will introduce and encourage discussions related to careers transitions, leadership, ethics, and uses of technology in the work place. Guest lecturers and experts in their field will discuss different approaches to these issues and give students the opportunity to discuss strategies and practice skills that will prepare them for the business environment. 0 graduate hours. No professional credit. Approved for Letter and S/U grading. Prerequisite: Co-requisite MBA 501 and MBA 502.

MBA 501   Foundations of Business I   credit: 2 Hours.

Provides foundations in the form of principles, concepts, tools, and skills important both to the study of business and to the development of business acumen. Specific foundation topics include planning and measuring firm resources, economic theory of the firm, decision making under uncertainty, consumer behavior, financial management, business communication and computing. May be repeated in the same term. Credit is not given for MBA 501 and either ACCY 500, BADM 520, BADM 572, or ECON 567. Prerequisite: Admission to the Master of Business Administration program.

MBA 502   Foundations of Business II   credit: 2 Hours.

Provides additional foundations in the form of principles, concepts, tools, and skills important both to the study of business and to the development of business acumen. Specific foundation topics include organizational theory and design, financial accounting and reporting, manufacturing and services processes, marketing management, business communications and computing. May be repeated in the same term. Credit is not given for MBA 502 and either ACCY 500, BADM 509, BADM 520, or BADM 567. Prerequisite: Enrollment in good standing in the MBA program.

MBA 503   Prin & Proc of Management I   credit: 2 Hours.

Presents management topics important to the study of business organizations and the economic landscapes within which they exist. Specific topics include financial resources management, human resources management, strategic management and management of technology. May be repeated in the same term. Students who receive credit for MBA 503 may not receive credit for the following courses: FIN 520, BADM 508, and BADM 544. Prerequisite: Enrollment in good standing in the MBA program.

MBA 504   Prin & Proc of Management II   credit: 2 Hours.

Presents additional management topics important to the study of business organizations and the economic landscapes within which they exist. Specific topics include financial management, global strategy, decision and risk analysis, leadership, and ethics. May be repeated in the same term. Prerequisite: Enrollment in good standing in the MBA program.

MBA 505   Topics in Management   credit: 2 Hours.

Special topics important to the study of business and management. Examples of topics include international business, strategic thinking, operations analysis, project management, information technology, negotiations. May be repeated in the same term. Prerequisite: Enrollment in good standing in the MBA program.

MBA 520   Corporate and Global Strategy   credit: 4 Hours.

Focuses on key issues in formulating and implementing corporate strategies with an emphasis on the international operations of firms. Issues are approached from the orientation of the general manager, whose job is to diagnose what is critical in complex business situations and find realistic solutions to strategic and organizational problems. Designed to integrate various functional areas and provide a "total business" perspective on issues pertaining to corporate and international strategy. Builds on learning experiences in previous modules, and acts as an integrative capstone module. Prerequisite: Completion of the first year of the Master of Business Administration Program, including MBA 501, MBA 502, MBA 503, MBA 504, and MBA 505.

MBA 530   Internship   credit: 0 Hours.

Approved for S/U grading only. May not be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Completion of first year of Master of Business Administration program.

MBA 531   Special Projects   credit: 1 to 4 Hours.

Individual projects selected by the student in consultation with a faculty member and approved by the executive officer of the program. Approved for letter and S/U grading. May be repeated in the same or subsequent terms to a maximum of 12 hours. Prerequisite: Completion of first year of Master of Business Administration program.

MBA 542   Digital Marketing Analytics   credit: 4 Hours.

Introduces students to the science of web analytics while casting a keen eye toward the artful use of numbers found in the digital space. The goal is to provide the foundation needed to apply data analytics to real-world challenges marketers confront daily. Students will learn to identify the web analytic tool right for their specific needs; understand valid and reliable ways to collect, analyze, and visualize data from the web; and utilize data in decision making for agencies, organizations or clients. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. Credit is not given for both MBA 542 and BADM 590, Digital Marketing Analytics.

MBA 543   Digital Media & Marketing   credit: 4 Hours.

Aims to give students ample understanding of the critical role of digital media as the delivery channels of marketing communication and the impacts of digital revolution in marketing and the rise of marketing technology industry, through interaction with the instructor, the content, and other students in the course. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. Credit is not given for both MBA 543 and BADM 590, Digital Media & Marketing.

MBA 545   Marketing in Our New Digital World   credit: 4 Hours.

Offers a strategic perspective and examination on how the digital revolution is changing the marketing landscape. We will explore this new digital realm and discuss its revolutionary impact upon both firms and consumers. This exploration comes in two parts. In the first part (the first four weeks), we will explore how the digital revolution has affected our analog (or physical) world. Specifically, we will examine four ways in which the Analog World has been affected by the Digital Revolution: Domination, Resistance, Synergy, and Transformation. In the second part (the second four weeks), we will review the foundations of marketing (i.e., product, promotion, placement, and price) and examine how these foundations are being shifted by the rise of the digital revolution. In this portion of the course, we will explore a variety of new digital concepts and tools, including, customer co-creation, user-generated content, and 3D printing. This course will contain several examples of each of these concepts and explore their implications for both marketers and consumers. This course will also employ a variety of learning techniques, including video lectures, case studies, hands-on exercises, and interviews with leading marketing scholars. The learning approach will be highly interactive; you will have the opportunity to engage in a variety of hands-on activities and be a member of a rich learning community. I hope you will join us in this educational adventure. Please note that this is not an e-commerce class. We will not examine social media analytics, search engine optimization, or other digital marketing tactics. The other courses in our Digital Marketing Specialization will cover these topics in considerable detail. Instead, this course is broader in focus and more strategic in orientation. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit.

MBA 546   Global Business Horizons   credit: 4 Hours.

This course provokes an appreciation for the global challenges as well as opportunities that lie ahead and the important role that businesses can play in addressing these challenges. This course will consist of two immersive and interactive experiences organized around understanding global challenges and designing business solutions on the topics of poverty and environmental sustainability. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. Credit is not given for both MBA 546 and BADM 590, Global Business Horizons.

MBA 547   Global Marketing   credit: 4 Hours.

Enables students to understand how globalization changes consumers and employees at a psychological level, and provides tools for infusing brands with cultural meanings—creating iconic brands—that can resonate with global consumers. The focus is on understanding that culture exists in the mind (e.g., values and beliefs) as well as in the environment (e.g., objects, brands, and institutions), and that globalization creates multi-cultural spaces in contemporary societies. The course provides cultural frameworks for better understanding cross-cultural consumer behavior and for more effectively managing organizations across cultural boundaries. In addition, the course introduces the key functions of a global marketer attempting an entry in a new market: sizing the market, understanding the cultural background of consumers in the new market (and how they differ from those of the home market), anticipating cultural differences in consumer behavior, evaluating whether to standardize or adapt the marketing mix, and developing a marketing plan that can resonate at the cultural level. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. Credit is not given towards graduation for both MBA 547 and BADM 590, Global Impact: Cultural Psychology & Business Ethics.

MBA 548   Global Strategy   credit: 4 Hours.

This course seeks to understand how firms adapt to, react towards, and shape the global economy. Students should be able to evaluate markets and the best strategies firms should follow when operating globally. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. Credit is not given for both MBA 548 and BADM 590, Global Strategy.

MBA 549   Multiculturalism in Management and the Marketplace   credit: 4 Hours.

With globalization, multiculturalism is on the rise. This cultural diversity impacts organizations, both in terms of management and in the marketplace. This course introduces the fundamentals of cross-cultural management by describing the impact of culture on interpersonal processes in organizations, discussing how culture shapes communication, decision-making, negotiation, leadership, and teamwork. Additionally, this course introduces the foundations for dealing with multiculturalism in the marketplace, discussing how culture impacts consumer behavior and how marketers can leverage these insights. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit.

MBA 551   Strategic Innovation   credit: 4 Hours.

This course will cover the strategic perspective on innovation and the management side of innovation efforts – leadership and design of innovation initiatives such that employees are able to effectively execute them. It also covers how to successfully implement innovation efforts while working alongside established businesses at the same firm, the challenges of leading product development teams, the analysis of planning and evaluation systems for innovation initiatives, and how to manage innovation when the initiative spans organizational boundaries. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. Credit is not given for both MBA 551 and BADM 590, Strategic Innovation.

MBA 552   Fostering Creative Thinking   credit: 4 Hours.

This course will examine what prompts us to be creative, how to navigate the process of generating creative ideas, how to help our teams be creative, how to evaluate the ideas we generate, and how to pitch ideas so that others appreciate them. The end result is that you will be able to think more flexible, make wiser decisions, generate more effective solutions, get more out of your teams, reject fewer good ideas, and communicate more effectively. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. Credit is not given for both MBA 552 and BADM 590, Fostering Creative Thinking.

MBA 553   Entrepreneurship: From Startup to Growth   credit: 4 Hours.

Will explore the earlier stages of the entrepreneurial venture process. The course modules will be focused on practical ideas and techniques that entrepreneurs can use to evaluate the potential of market opportunities and make decisions about whether to pursue them in a startup company. This course will also build on concepts, outline strategies, and tactics for forming, financing, and launching the new venture. Topics to be addressed will include developing a go-to market strategy, selecting appropriate revenue and pricing strategies, preparing financial models, raising startup and initial growth financing, and preparing for and managing growth. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. Credit is not given for both MBA 553 and BADM 590, Entrepreneurship: From Startup to Growth.

MBA 561   Introduction to Business Analytics with R   credit: 2 Hours.

For businesses to capitalize on data analytics, they need leaders who understand the data analytic process. Even more valuable are leaders who know how to analyze big data. This course addresses the human skills gap by providing a foundational set of data analytic skills that can be applied to many business settings. You will gain first-hand experience with key steps of the data assembly process, as well as with tools for communicating data analytic results. Specifically, you will have the opportunity to install R, a popular data analytic language. You will also install and gain familiarity with RStudio, and integrated development environment (IDE), that makes it easier to code with R. You will also be introduced to notebooks and dashboards—powerful tools for communicating code and analytic results. Finally, you will get some practice executing some data manipulation tasks that are required before data can be analyzed with machine learning algorithms. 2 graduate hours. No professional credit. Credit is not given for both MBA 561 and BADM 590, section title "Introduction to Business Analytics: Data and the Firm".

MBA 562   Introduction to Business Analytics: Communicating with Data   credit: 2 Hours.

Introduces students to the science of business analytics while casting a keen eye toward the artful use of numbers found in the digital space. The goal is to provide businesses and managers with the foundation needed to apply data analytics to real-world challenges they confront daily in their professional lives. Students will learn to identify the ideal analytic tool for their specific needs; understand valid and reliable ways to collect, analyze, and visualize data; and utilize data in decision making for their agencies, organizations or clients. 2 graduate hours. No professional credit. Credit is not given for both MBA 562 and BADM 590, Introduction to Business Analytics: Communicating with Data.

MBA 563   Data Toolkit: Business Data Modeling & Predictive Analytics   credit: 4 Hours.

The ultimate goal for data analytics in business is to obtain actionable insight. In this course, you will learn to use several tools—including the most important tool, your mind--for processing business data to gain that insight. You will perform tasks including extracting, transforming and loading (ETL) data to conducting exploratory data analytics (EDA). You will also gain experience in finding patterns in the data by using machine learning (ML) algorithms. You will develop a conceptual foundation for why ML algorithms are useful and how the resulting models from those algorithms are used to find actionable insight related to business problems. In the end, you will be equipped with the skillset to evaluate when an algorithm should be used and the ability to run these algorithms with R and RStudio and communicate the results using notebooks. Completion of this course requires downloading and using certain software on specific operation systems; details can be found in the course syllabus. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. Credit is not given for both MBA 563 and BADM 590, Data Toolkit: Business Data Modeling & Predictive Analytics.

MBA 564   Data Analytics Applications in Business   credit: 2 Hours.

Develops students' knowledge regarding the role, methods, and implications of business and data analytics in business. Application opportunities span multiple areas of business. Special topics may include marketing, finance, supply chain, and accounting. Topics covered may include forecasting using time series models, modern portfolio theory, measurement and scaling, A/B testing, ANOVA, and conjoint analysis. 2 graduate hours. No professional credit. May be repeated in the same or separate semesters, if topics vary. Credit is not given for both MBA 564 and MBA 592.

MBA 565   Infonomics   credit: 4 Hours.

This course provides a non-technical perspective on and methods for monetizing, managing and measuring information as if it were any other kind of corporate asset. Topics also will include information’s unique economic characteristics and legal status, the importance of alternative data sources, new and emerging information-related roles, and concerns surrounding information ownership, sovereignty, privacy, and ethics. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. Credit is not given for both MBA 565 and ACCY 593, Infonomics.

MBA 581   Business Ethics   credit: 2 Hours.

This course in business ethics and corporate responsibility seeks to bridge the gap between the moral behavior of the individual as a private citizen and the challenges afforded by organized business activity in the marketplace. Business ethics is the study of how ethics and business are connected and the analysis of ethical decision-making in commerce. In this course, students will learn about a set of conceptual frameworks, theories, and ideas in which ethical concepts are embedded in the very basic processes of business. Further, students will experience and practice ethical decision making in the context of a range of stakeholder relationships exploring the challenges and responsibilities and the issues they generate. 2 graduate hours. No professional credit. Credit is not given towards graduation for both MBA 581and MBA 547 if MBA 547 was taken prior to FA23.

MBA 590   Specialization Capstone   credit: 0 Hours.

This course covers various topics from each iMBA Specialization. Group projects and individual assignments will be required. Students are required to take 2 Specialization Capstones for their iMBA degree. Additional fees may apply. See Class Schedule. 0 graduate hours. No professional credit. Approved for S/U grading only. May be repeated if topics vary; student cannot take the same section more than once.

MBA 592   Current Topics in Business   credit: 0 to 4 Hours.

Subject offerings of new and developing areas of knowledge in Business. See Class Schedule or departmental course information for topics. 0 to 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. Approved for Letter and S/U grading. May be repeated up if topics vary to a maximum of 20 hours in the same semester and a maximum of 30 hours in separate semesters.

MBA 597   Program Foundations   credit: 0 Hours.

This is the first course of the University of Illinois iMBA degree and is taken concurrently with a student’s first course(s) during their iMBA program. Students will develop connections to the program and have a firm understanding of program and academic expectations upon course completion. These skills will then be applied to the iMBA coursework in order for students to be successful. 0 graduate hours. No professional credit. Approved for S/U grading only. Prerequisite: iMBA students are expected to enroll in this course during their first term in the program. Concurrent enrollment with other courses is expected. Limited to iMBA students in their first enrollment term.

MBA 598   Program Capstone   credit: 0 Hours.

This course is the final course of the University of Illinois iMBA degree and is designed to bridge the 'knowing – doing' gap, challenging students to apply their iMBA courses, work experience, industry acumen, business knowledge and skills. Students will work through a case study in which the deliverables for each module will build upon one another. The course culminates with the final case presentation. 0 graduate hours. No professional credit. Approved for S/U grading only. Prerequisite: iMBA students are expected to enroll in this course during their final term in the program. Concurrent enrollment with other courses is expected. Limited to iMBA students in their final enrollment term.