MBA with a School Leadership Concentration
12 MBA equivalent courses/36 credits:
6 ACT 45 courses - 1.5 credits each (equivalent to 3 MBA courses)
8 core courses - 3 credits each
1 elective course - 3 credits
Students who complete the 6 ACT 45 program courses, designed to meet PDE's Act 45 requirements for public school administrators, can earn the MBA degree with a School Leadership Concentration by completing an additional 9 courses (27 credits). Past graduate level coursework will be evaluated for transfer credit of up to 3 additional courses (9 credits), possibly reducing the number of MBA courses needed, in addition to the 6 ACT 45 courses, to as few as 6 (18 credits). An individualized plan will be created for students transferring in credit.
ACT 45 courses:
MBA 819 Strat Leadership for Schools| This course is designed to equip school leaders with the knowledge and skills needed to strategically create an organizational system that is built around the vision of personalized student success. It will present a systemic perspective to organizational dynamics and how it impacts a school leader's capacity to build a high performance culture focused on student success. Participants will look at a total school system within the context of the social, economic and political environment. 1 credits. |
| The focus of the course is to equip school leaders with the skills to lead innovative change initiatives in order to increase student achievement and build a culture of adaptability and change. The course will focus on an understanding of standards-based systems theory and design, behavioral styles, and principles of organizational change management. By learning the following skills and theories: team building, motivation theory, group dynamics and communication, the participants will have the skill to engage, collaborate, communicate and empower internal and external stakeholders to work towards the common goal of increasing student learning. 1 credits. |
| This course is designed to incorporate an examination of school law and ethical leadership as it pertains to operating in a fair and equitable manner with personal and professional integrity including the role of the educational leader as student advocate in order to increase student achievement. The course will challenge participants to apply 1) knowledge of key legal issues and liabilities, 2) ethical frameworks and theories, and 3) a personal ethical philosophy to shape decision making processes related to teaching and learning, 4) skills to increase effectiveness as an advocate for children and public education. 1 credits. |
| Resources spent ineffectively reduce the resources available to provide high quality teaching and learning in the classroom. This course is designed to assist school leaders in managing school resources to create positive results by investigating systemic causes and implementing strategies for innovative change within the financial constraints of the school system. This will include cost analysis and a review of how the dynamics of a business cycle relate to school resource management. 1 credits. |
| The purpose of this course is to examine how organizations determine, execute, and manage successful strategy and explore how these concepts can be applied to school systems in order to create sustainable, high performing, student-centered institutions. This will include the use of the Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence, a strategic management framework, to will assist school leaders in the development of a student centered strategy focused on creating an organizational vision around personalized student success. 1 credits. |
| Students will be introduced to the Balanced Scorecard and Plan-Do-Study-Act tools to provide a systems approach to measure and analyze performance objectives within a school or school system, and how to make decisions that are aligned with the student centered strategy of the organization. Students will learn how financial measures and business processes are integrated into the vision and strategy of the organization and how performance measures in all areas are part of a systems approach to assist the school in becoming and sustaining itself as a high performing, student centered organization. Areas covered include, measurement and analysis, a workforce focus, an operations focus, and using outcome data for continuous improvement. 1 credits. |
| A quantitative and qualitative approach to managerial problems of short and long term financing, asset management, and divided policies, to advance the understanding of financial concepts, policies, theories and tools to make investment and financing decisions. Emphasis placed on the application of experience to class discussion based on the use of "The Wall Street Journal." The primary objective of this course is to be able to evaluate investment opportunities, understand the various sources of financing and its impact on the firm's structure. 3 credits. |
| A focus on issues in the interplay between marketing and society including the ethics of selling, advertising, marketing research, and the social responsibility of marketers. An understanding of the role of marketing in businesses and not-for-profit organizations and its importance for individuals within a society. Discover how marketing interfaces with domestic and global environments. Understand consumer and organizational buyer behavior for identifying market opportunities, segmenting and targeting markets, and developing positioning strategies. 3 credits. |
| This course addresses key issues associated with the management of enterprise-level technology and information systems. Topics includes creating business intelligence, using technology for competitive advantage, building and using relational databases, creating and using decision support systems, exploring strategies for e-commerce, understanding systems development, designing and managing networks, protecting information systems, and examining and evaluating emerging technologies. 3 credits. |
| This course studies the role of economic theory in management analysis and decisions. The study of demand, cost, and supply theories from a business viewpoint are also covered. This course is about economic principles and their relevance to business decision-making. It will explore the interaction of information, economic incentives and market competition and how these interact to determine prices, products available, profits, and patterns of trade and organization. At the end of this course students should be able to understand how basic economic reasoning can improve managerial decisions. 3 credits. |
| Surveys mathematical foundations and fundamental principles and theories of models used in management science, quantitative techniques of management science/operations research (MS/OR), related MS/OR tools and applications, the priority/capacity organizational concepts, and the strategy underlying operations. This course includes a review of probability and statistical concepts that will be necessary to understand quantitative techniques and systems approaches to the management of production, service, and retail organizations. A philosophy of problem solving will be introduced as well as system thinking and the use of models in problem solving. Emphasis is placed on analyzing and critically evaluating ideas, arguments, and points of view to make "real life" business decisions. Decisions are made with consideration of the resources available, costs (both internal and external) and the impact on all interested parties. Topics include supply chain management and control of inventory, forecasting, and quality management. Emphasis is on mathematical foundations and introduces appropriate computer software. 3 credits. |
| Provides students previously exposed to managerial accounting principles with the essential tools and strategies managers need to develop data for making decisions related to pricing strategy; product expansion, discontinuance or redesign; performance measurement; resource allocation and management; merger and acquisition planning; and other types of managerial decisions. Stresses ways to avoid mistakes that result when internal decision-making is based on data developed for external financial reporting. Business topics covered include financial statement analysis, responsibility accounting, Economic Value Added (EVA), and Activity Based Costing (ABC). 3 credits. |
| Strategic Management is a capstone course to be taken near or at the completion of the MBA program. Strategic Management is designed to tie together and integrate all the business courses taken by challenging students to look at a total organization and what it must do to compete successfully in its environment. This course includes an examination of the many principles and techniques used today in strategy formation and implementation. Case studies will be used extensively throughout the course to enhance understanding of strategy concepts and practices. Also included is the strategic management of large and small business entities, including the formulation and evaluation of missions, strategies, objectives, and policies. Historical and current situations are discussed. Cases are widely used and outside research is required. Prerequisite: 24 hours of graduate credit. 3 credits. |
One course from:
MBA 810 Organizational Behavior| Utilizing an experiential case study method, this course surveys the evolution of theory and research in the areas of organization behavior. Learning topics include motivation theory, group dynamics, leadership, decision-making, conflict transformation, emotional intelligence and communication. The course affirms a systemic perspective and approach to organizational behavior, a systematic presentation of theory and research in areas of organizational behavior; including motivation, group dynamics, leadership, decision-making, organization change, career planning, and communication. 3 credits. |
| A focus on the examination of leadership theories and concepts and how to recognize, analyze, and resolve ethical dilemmas in our leadership roles. Through the use of case studies and self analysis, students will assess: corporate social responsibility; the public and private morality of leaders; the moral obligations of leaders and followers; the ways in which leaders shape the moral environment of institutions; the temptations of power; and leader-follower interaction. 3 credits. |
Plus one additional MBA elective course