Business Administration, MBA

The curriculum blends foundational business knowledge with advanced analytical and leadership skills, equipping you to drive strategic impact in any organization. Through a combination of core coursework, specialized electives, and a hands-on capstone experience, you'll develop a well-rounded perspective on modern business challenges.

• Foundations courses build expertise across all key business functions.
• The program emphasizes transformational knowledge, covering global management, decision-making, and emerging strategies. Courses in business analytics, AI fundamentals for business, and stakeholder-centric management prepare you for the future of business.
• A personalized pathway lets you tailor electives to meet your unique goals.
• Our application-based capstone ties everything together, preparing you for strategic decision-making from a top-level perspective. 

Program Curriculum
12-16 courses (36-48 credit hours)

Foundation Knowledge
7 courses (21 credit hours). You may qualify to waive foundations courses if you meet certain criteria.  See "Course Waivers and Transfer Credit Below."

ACC 505 - Developing and Interpreting Financial Information
BE 530 - Economic Analysis: Firm and Consumer
FIN 531 - Finance Fundamentals and Value Creation
ISM 525 – Computer and Information Systems
MKT 515 – Marketing Management
OB 510 – Organization Behavior
OM 521 – Operations Management

Transformative Knowledge
Future-ready
3 courses (9 credit hours)

BA 510 - Introduction to Business Analytics
BA 520 – AI Fundamentals for Business
BPS 516 – Stakeholder-Centric Management

Global
1 course (3 credit hours) from:

BE 583 – Global Economics – Crisis and Growth
FIN 655 International Financial Management 
MKT 622 - Global Marketing
OB 610 – Global Management and Cross Cultural Strategies

Decision-Making
1 course (3 credit hours) from:

BA 605 – Managerial Decision Making
BA 607 – Business Disruption in the Digital Age
BA 611 – Organizational Dysfunction and Wealth Effects
BA 616 – Firm Value and Market Reactions

Personalized Pathway Electives
At least 3 College of Business graduate courses (9 credit hours)

Capstone
1 course (3 credit hours), to be taken in the last third of the program

BPS 535 – Advanced Strategy in Action

Our MBA program is deeply rooted in practice-based learning that gives you real-life business experience. From case studies, consulting-style projects, to your capstone course in business strategy, you'll be actively involved in practical assignments that bring classroom theories to life.

For more hands-on experiences, you can analyze a vast amount of real-time market data in the Bloomberg Finance Lab, get an internship with help from the Business Career Center, help conduct real-world research at our iLabs research institute, help your fellow students become more effective business communicators as a consultant at the Mitchell Business Communications Lab, and more.

Our online programs meet the same course requirements and admission standards as campus-based programs, and your diploma and transcript will be identical. Whether you complete your degree online, on campus, or in a hybrid format, it’s the same degree. Online students are welcome to enroll in campus-based courses and are encouraged to take advantage of campus resources and in-person events, like professional organizations and study-abroad opportunities.

Asynchronous Virtual Classroom

College of Business online courses follow the regular semester schedule and are mostly delivered asynchronously. This means your professors will set deadlines, but you’ll have flexibility in when you complete assignments, tests, and activities. Unless specified, there’s no need to log in at a specific time, allowing you to participate from anywhere with internet access! To keep you engaged, our online courses often include group discussions, videos, projects, and quizzes or exams.

Personalized Attention and Support

As an online graduate student, you’ll have direct access to your professors, just as if you were on campus. You’ll also receive priority registration for online courses each semester. For academic advising, call us at 313-593-4776 to schedule a phone appointment during daytime or early evening hours, or email quick questions to [email protected]. While not required, we encourage online students to take advantage of campus resources and events, including professional organizations and study-abroad opportunities. Additionally, you’ll have full access to digital resources like the UM-Dearborn library.

You may waive any or all of the foundation courses if you have equivalent courses in an AACSB-accredited business program completed within the previous 10 years and you have earned at least a 3.2 post-60 GPA (that is, your GPA in courses taken after your first 60 undergraduate credit hours). 

If you don't meet these criteria, you may request to have individual business courses evaluated for foundations waiver credit at the time of admission. You must have earned a B or better in an equivalent course as a part of a degree program completed within the previous 10 years.

Depending on how many foundations waivers you earn, you could reduce the length of the MBA program from 48 to as few as 36 credits.

In addition, up to 9 transfer credits for previous equivalent graduate coursework can be applied to the degree if those credits have not been counted toward a degree.

Waivers and transfer credit are granted at the discretion of the program faculty.

This program welcomes students from all undergraduate majors and levels of work experience. We conduct a holistic review of each application, focusing on strong academic performance, quantitative skills, and a clear statement of purpose. Admission is selective. View our Class Profile for details.

To be considered, you must have:

• A four-year U.S. bachelor's degree (or equivalent) from a regionally accredited institution.
• A grade of C or better in college algebra, trigonometry, pre-calculus, or higher. If you haven't met this requirement, we'll help you complete an appropriate course before or shortly after admission.