Business Administration, MBA (Part-Time Hybrid)
Program Description
La Salle University provides an innovative Master of Business Administration Program that enables students to develop and strengthen the leadership skills and functional knowledge necessary for the advancement of their current careers and life goals. It is a program where experienced people from diverse professional and academic backgrounds come together in contemporary classroom setting to engage in rich, practical learning experiences.
The part-time MBA program is structured in a Hybrid format which allows working professionals greater flexibility and convenience as they move through the program. Courses are delivered in mix of hybrid and fully online courses. The hybrid courses are 50% online and 50% in the classroom. By leveraging the latest teaching and learning technologies, the educational experience reflects the ways in which companies operate today. This new approach creates an effective educational experience for working professionals attending as part time students.
La Salle’s Part-Time Hybrid MBA program is:
- Innovative – Students learn and apply the latest business thinking in highly interactive courses. The combination of online and in-person learning and skill development parallels the ways in which professionals learn today.
- Flexible – The program provides students with face-to-face and meaningful interaction with their instructors and classmates and gives our students significant flexibility to balance the demands of their professional, personal, and educational lives.
- Invaluable – La Salle’s MBA program provides outstanding graduate business education in a unique learning environment. Throughout the program, students are continuously developing skills and acquiring knowledge that can be applied immediately in the workplace and serve as a foundation for long-term career success.
- Collaborative – The program facilitates students working together and networking with a diverse group of peers from a range of industries, including financial services, manufacturing, healthcare, telecommunications, supply chain, nonprofit, and government.
La Salle understands the lifestyles of its MBA students and is committed to making sure that it is as easy as possible to register for courses, meet with a professor before class, or take a semester off, if necessary.
La Salle’s MBA faculty challenge students to maximize their “natural” resources for success. The part-time hybrid nature of this program brings students in direct contact with other business professionals, creating a classroom experience that blends current business theory with practical, hands-on instruction. The faculty stress the interaction of theoretical knowledge with practical experience and shared ideas, which facilitates the application of their learning to the workplace. Professors are committed to the Lasallian tradition of teaching, which means being accessible, focusing on the individual, and contributing to a sense of community.
The School of Business and the MBA Program are accredited by one of higher education’s most prestigious accrediting bodies—AACSB International, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
School of Business' Mission
The School of Business (LSB) is committed to La Salle University’s principle that all knowledge is practical and empowering, filled with the ability to transform lives. By integrating liberal arts with professional studies, we strive to mold our students into future, results-driven business leaders. Our curriculum and faculty scholarship are predicated upon experiential and engaged learning with an emphasis on fostering curiosity, critical thinking, innovation, and social responsibility. LSB graduates will promote effective, accountable, and inclusive organizations that honor just and equitable practices with a global perspective.
Part-Time MBA Program Mission
Our Part-Time Hybrid Master of Business Administration Program enables students to develop and strengthen the leadership skills and functional knowledge necessary for the advancement of their careers and life goals. It is a program where experienced people from diverse professional backgrounds come together in a contemporary classroom setting to integrate their broad range of professional experience with theoretical knowledge.
Program Specific Information
Business education has been part of the La Salle curriculum since its founding in 1863. The School of Business, one of three schools in the University, was established in 1955, and its MBA program began in 1976. As a business school in a Catholic, Lasallian University, students are taught fundamental business knowledge and skills within an ethical framework which emphasizes the primacy and value of human dignity.
Accreditation
The Business School is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International,) which establishes standards designed to ensure excellence. Less than 5 percent of the world’s business schools are accredited by AACSB. As an AACSB-accredited business school, the Dean’s office and faculty use continuous quality-improvement processes to ensure that the many offerings of the School of Business are of the highest quality.
STEM Designation
The MBA program with Business Systems and Analytics (BSA) specialization meets the requirements of what the Department of Homeland Security considers to be a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) field of study. International students who graduate from these programs may be eligible to apply for a 24-month OPT extension.
Admission Deadlines
There are no set deadlines. However, we recommend that all application documents be received by August 15, December 15, and April 15 for the fall, spring, and summer terms, respectively. Under special circumstances, students may be admitted until the first day of the semester. Contact the MBA office if you have any questions at gradbusiness@lasalle.edu.
Admission Requirements
The Admission Committee of the MBA Program evaluates each applicant’s interest, aptitude, professional experience and prior academic success to assess his/her potential for achievement in graduate business studies. Note that an undergraduate business degree is not necessary for admission to the MBA Program. The structure of the La Salle MBA program lends itself to those students with or without an undergraduate degree in business.
Before an applicant will be evaluated, he/she must submit the following information:
- Application (Online)
- Official transcripts from the college/university from which a bachelor's degree was earned, and, if applicable, Master’s degree. Applicants will be notified additional transcripts must be submitted for advising purposes.
- Test scores from the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), or, with permission of the Director, the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Based on prior academic and/or professional success, the admission requirement to take the GMAT/GRE may be waived or deferred. Please see the section below "Waiver of GMAT or GRE".
- Professional resume
Waiver of GMAT or GRE Requirement
Applicants that have earned a master's degree or higher from a program accredited in its disciple will be waived from the GMAT or GRE exam requirement. Additionally, applicants with an undergraduate business degree from an AACSB-accredited program who have a minimum overall grade point average of 3.2 or above are not required to complete the GMAT or GRE exam for admission into the program.
The GMAT (or GRE) may be waived for additional applicants at the discretion of the Admission Committee upon reviewing an applicants overall profile.
The GMAT/GRE may be deferred and eventually waived if an applicant has graduated with a 3.0 GPA in any undergraduate discipline and has at least 2 years of business experience. These students are eligible to take up to 12 credits in the program. If the student achieves a B- or better in each course and an overall GPA of 3.3, the GMAT/GRE will be waived. Students that qualify for a GMAT waiver may not be eligible for financial aid loans until they are fully (regularly) accepted to the program.
Admission Process
Students can begin the admissions process by completing an application on our website here.
All documents should be sent to the following:
Office of Graduate Enrollment
La Salle University- Box 826
1900 W. Olney Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19141
215.951.1100/ Fax 215.951.1462
grad@lasalle.edu
Because each applicant’s background and profile is unique, the Admission Committee does not establish specific quantitative minimum requirements for admission; the admission committee’s decisions are based on evaluating many factors to determine a student’s potential for success in the MBA program.
Please refer to the University's Nondiscrimination Policy in the General Reference section of this catalog. Admission is based solely upon an applicant’s qualifications.
Transfer of Credit
Course transfers can only be granted prior to being admitted to the La Salle MBA program. For more information, please view the full transfer of credit policy under the policy tab.
Degree or Certificate Earned
M.B.A.
Required for Program Completion
- Courses
- Between 11 and 15 Courses
- Credits
- Between 33 and 42 Credit Hours
- GPA
- 3.0
Program Goals
The MBA program's goals are to deepen our student's business knowledge, develop their organizational and leadership skills, and sharpen their decision making.
- Strategic thinking through integrating discipline-specific business knowledge
- Leadership Skills
- Business-related oral and written communication skills
- Awareness of how the business environment influences decision-making
- Knowledge and skill concerning financial analysis, reporting, and markets
Student Learning Outcomes
The MBA program's learning goals are structured to advance our students skills and knowledge in the following areas:
Strategic thinking through integrating discipline-specific business knowledge
- Demonstrate the ability to integrate business disciplines to achieve strategic objectives.
- Demonstrate the ability to identify and evaluate the usefulness of various competitive strategies (e.g., adaptive, market entry, positioning) that firms use within domestic and global markets.
Leadership Skills
- Demonstrates the ability to identify and analyze current leadership style and the ability to develop and enhance leadership skills.
- Demonstrate the ability to work effectively and collaboratively in a team.
Business-related oral and written communication skills
- Demonstrate the ability to prepare and deliver a professional presentation on a business issue.
- Demonstrate the ability to write a clear, concise, and well-organized professional presentation of a business issue.
Awareness of how the business environment influences decision-making
- Demonstrate the ability to identify and analyze ethical and legal business dilemmas and the ability to recommend and defend appropriate solutions and strategies.
- Demonstrate an understanding of how cultural, economic, and political factors shape the management of global business.
Knowledge and skill concerning financial analysis, reporting, and markets
- Demonstrate the ability to evaluate the financial position of for-profit organizations through the examination of financial information contained in balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements, and footnotes, as well as information gathered from other sources (such as public filings, business news publications, and websites) in order to enable stakeholders (management, shareholders, creditors, etc.) to understand a firm’s progress in maximizing its value to stakeholders.
MBA Academic Standing and Graduation Requirements
All students in La Salle University’s MBA programs are required to maintain a cumulative scholastic average of 3.0, which translates to an overall G.P.A. equivalent to a B (a B- average is not sufficient). Students whose academic performance falls below this standard are subject to academic review by the Graduate Program Director, and may be required to withdraw from the program, revise their course of study or repeat specific classes.
Students with a cumulative grade point average below 3.0 are automatically in academic jeopardy whether or not they receive written notification of this status, and regardless of the number of credits earned. Students with a G.P.A. below 3.0 should consult with the Graduate Program Director ascertain any potential actions to improve academic success within the program.
To graduate from the MBA Program at La Salle, students must:
- Have a minimum of a 3.0 G.P.A. overall within the MBA program,
- Maintain a “C” or better in all the required courses, and
- Receive no more than two grades of “below” a B- in the MBA program.
Should students:
- Fail a course; they may retake the course by paying the current pertinent tuition. No more than two course retakes are allowed in the MBA program.
- Complete all required courses, but fall below a 3.0 cumulative G.P.A. requirement, they will not be eligible to graduate. In this case, the students may retake up to two courses to improve their G.P.A. to a 3.0 or higher, as long as the total number of course retakes in the program does not exceed two courses.
In extraordinary circumstances, a student may be permitted to earn one additional "C" or retake one additional course at the Graduate Program Director's discretion, as long as all other graduation requirements are met.
Transfer of Credit
Students that are required to take between 33 and 36 credits to complete their degree, can transfer up to six credit hours of graduate level work. Students that are required to take more than 36 credits can transfer up to nine credit hours of graduate level work.
To be eligible for transfer credits, the following criteria must be met.
- Courses must be applicable to the program curriculum to be eligible for transfer.
- Course credit may be transferred only from graduate programs at accredited institutions.
- Courses must have been completed with a grade of B or better to be transferred.
Course transfers can only be granted prior to being admitted to the La Salle MBA program.
Course credit can only be transferred into the specialization area of the curriculum for students in the general business specialization track. All other specialization tracks require all course requirements to be completed at La Salle University.
Course credit may not be transferred into graduate certificate programs.
Tuition and Fees
Students may find the tuition and fee schedule on the Financial Aid website.
Tuition Assistance
There are loan programs available for graduate students. Information about financial aid and the application forms may be obtained from Student Financial Services, La Salle University, Philadelphia, PA 19141 or by calling 215.951.1070.
Academic Requirements
Students must complete between 33 and 42 credits to achieve the MBA degree in the online format at La Salle University. The total number of credits required depends upon the student’s academic and professional backgrounds.
Foundation
The purpose of the Foundation area is to provide students with a functional knowledge of business theory in the context of decision-making and management skills. There are three courses (2 credits each) required, but may be waived based on a student’s academic and professional background.
The Core
The core courses will provide students with the theoretical basis and practical applications of marketing, accounting, financial management, and business analytics. Through the use of a variety of analytical, problem-solving approaches to business situations, the core courses expose the students to both the needed depth of analyses and broad business perspectives required for operational, financial and strategic decision making.
Specialization
All students are required to select a specialization, which consists of three 700-level courses in the specialization track selected. Courses must be completed after the Core Courses and any other prerequisites for the courses. The specialization offerings have been determined by student interest and market need.
- Accounting
- Business Systems and Analytics
- Finance
- Health Systems Management
- Management
- Marketing
- General Business Administration
- Strategic Communication
To complete a General Business Administration specialization, students can take three courses from the courses listed below. This option provides the most flexibility in creating an MBA program tailored to a student's interests.
Students may elect to complete a dual-specialization as part of their MBA program. Since the variations are many, students meet with the Graduate Program Director to discuss what would be required for a dual-specialization.
Executive Perspectives
The executive perspective courses provide students with a greater understanding of leading people and organizations. Topics include: assessing and developing one’s leadership and managerial skills; learning how to use technology for managing the vast array of data and information sources; applying the appropriate analytical tools and business factors in making business decisions and evaluating their financial impact; and developing the business, human resource and organizational perspectives needed by executives as they make both strategic and operational decisions.
Integrative Capstone
The integrative capstone course is one of the final courses taken in the program. This course provides the opportunity to integrate what has been learned in the Core, Specialization, and Executive Perspective courses while adding global perspectives and reinforcing the ethical dimensions of decision making needed for success in business today.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | ||
| MBA 601 | Financial Accounting | 2 |
| MBA 602 | Financial Markets | 2 |
| MBA 603 | Business Economics for Managers | 2 |
| The Core | ||
| MBA 690 | Creating Customers Through Effective Marketing Management | 3 |
| MBA 691 | Managerial Accounting for Decision Making, Planning, and Control | 3 |
| MBA 692 | Financial Performance: Control and Measurement | 3 |
| MBA 693 | Business Analytics for Informed and Effective Decision Making | 3 |
| Specialization | ||
| Select one of the following Specializations: | 9 | |
| Accounting | ||
| Financial Accounting Theory and Current Practices | ||
| Accounting Analytics | ||
| AIS, ERP, and Accounting Analytics | ||
| Decision-Making Mgt Acct | ||
| Business Systems and Analytics | ||
| Business Applications Programming | ||
| Systems Analysis and Database Design | ||
| Data Warehousing and Data Mining | ||
| Healthcare Analytics | ||
| Optimization and Simulation | ||
| Data Visualization | ||
| Strategic Communication | ||
| Leadership Communication | ||
| Conflict Resolution, Negotiation, and Mediation | ||
| Social Media | ||
| Finance | ||
| Financing Health Systems | ||
| Financial Analytics | ||
| Financial Instruments and Markets | ||
| Portfolio Management | ||
| Global Financial Management | ||
| Health Systems Management | ||
| Healthcare Analytics | ||
| Financing Health Systems | ||
| Health Systems Management | ||
| Management | ||
| Health Systems Management | ||
| Managing Cultural Diversity in the Workplace | ||
| Human Resource Management | ||
| Special Topics in Management and Leadership | ||
| Marketing | ||
| Strategic Marketing Analytics | ||
| Consumer Behavior | ||
| International Marketing | ||
| General Business Administration | ||
| To complete a General Business Administration specialization, students can take three courses from the courses listed above. | ||
| Executive Perspectives | ||
| MBA 810 | Developing Your Leadership Skills | 3 |
| MBA 820 | Information Technology for Decision-Making | 3 |
| MBA 830 | Financial Statement Analysis | 3 |
| MBA 840 | Frameworks for Socially Responsible Decision Making | 3 |
| Integrative Capstone | ||
| MBA 902 | Competitive Strategy | 3 |
| Total Credits | 42 | |
Course Sequence
A student's course sequence and timing will be based upon prior academic achievement, professional experience and the student's program completion plans. (The sequencing is also dependent upon the university's course schedules for each academic year). Upon acceptance to the program, students will receive a Model Roster with the course requirements and a recommended course sequence to complete their degree.
- Students must complete the Foundation Courses, before progressing in the program.
- Most of our specialization courses are offered in a fully online, 8-week term. The BSA courses, and a few others, are offered in a hybrid 8-week format. Some courses may only be offered one time per year. It is important for students to determine which specialization courses they wish to complete early on in the program to properly build them into the course sequence.
MBA courses are offered in a 16-week hybrid format, as well as a select few courses in an 8-week, fully on-line and hybrid format.
New students can enroll at the start of the Fall (August), Spring (January) or Summer (May) semesters.
Course Descriptions
Accounting
This course emphasizes the perspective of preparers of financial statements covering financial statement preparation with an emphasis on the areas of financial accounting that are problematic, including revenue recognition, expense allocation, inventories, post-employment benefits, leases, and stock options.
This course is built from the premise that technology has changed the role of the accountant. A heightened awareness of systems, technology, and data analysis is becoming increasingly required of individuals in the different accounting fields. Data has proliferated in business, and managers and accountants need to understand the implications for decision-making and tap into the data to provide better insights into a firm/client/customer/supplier, etc. This course is intended to provide students with an understanding of data analytic thinking and terminology as well as hands-on experience with data analytics tools and techniques. Students should leave this course with the skills necessary to translate accounting and business problems into actionable proposals that they can competently present to managers and data scientists. While there will be some use of tools in this course, the focus of this class is on concepts, not algorithms or statistical math.
This course develops skills in identifying and researching issues in taxation, and explores advanced topics in federal taxation of individuals, property transactions and business entities including C corporations, partnerships, S corporations, trusts and estates and tax-exempt organizations. Additional topics include coverage of ethics and responsibilities in tax practice and differences between tax and financial accounting. This course entails the hands-on use of the tax research service 'CCH IntelliConnect' and prepares students interested in sitting for the REG section of the CPA exam.
This course assesses special topics in accounting including international accounting, estate and trust, bankruptcy and fund accounting, including governmental, nor-for-profit, and hospital accounting. This course prepares students interested in sitting for the FAR section of the CPA exam.
This customized course provides students with a unique opportunity to integrate their academic work with a wide range of professional studies including but not limited to independent studies, research projects, or internships.
This course offers an enhanced understanding of accounting information systems (AIS) through hands-on exercises and internal control analyses. This course provides experience in a comprehensive enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, namely SAP. Using traditional business transactions, students will experience the complexities of an ERP system, become familiar with the internal control problems specific to ERP systems, and understand the similarities to, and differences from, traditional accounting systems. It includes hands-on experience creating and analyzing transactions in SAP modules; assessing the modules' internal controls; and synthesizing current AIS/ERP issues, such as security and privacy, disaster recovery, block chain, cryptocurrencies, anti-fraud, and audit resources, control and audit systems, and XBRL. It also includes hands-on exercises in Lumira, a data visualization and accounting analytics application.
This is an advanced course that assumes students have a strong background in auditing with either an undergraduate course in auditing or work experience as an auditor. The course utilizes CPA Examination Review materials, quizzes, and testing to prepare students for the CPA Examination while expanding their knowledge in professional ethics. risk assessment, internal control, audit evidence, auditor's reports and forensic services. Financial forensic methodology is examined as an example of other services performed by Certified Public Accountants focusing on the Rules of Evidence, preparing an expert witness report, and ethical considerations.
This course will explore a topic of contemporary interest related to accounting. Topics will vary and may include Decision-Making Using Management Accounting, Applying Research Skills to Contemporary Accounting Issues; and Fraud and Forensic Accounting. Because the topic of this course will change, it can be repeated for additional credit when taken as a different topic.
This course in advanced managerial accounting focuses on commonly used accounting methods and techniques used in making business decisions. Topics covered are measurements of divisional performance, revenue and pricing decisions, production decisions, decisions concerning resource levels, and capital budgeting decisions. Students work with complex problems and cases on both an individual and group basis.
Business Systems and Analytics
This course is designed to introduce students to the principles of business application programming for business analytics using selected high-level languages such as R, Python, and Hadoop. Emphasis is placed on identifying the capabilities and limitations of statistical computing languages for big data. Students will learn skills and techniques to solve big data problems through a series of steps that involve identification of problems, design of the solution logic, formal representation of program specifications, and implementation. The focus is on accessing data from multiple sources, manipulating different types of programming objects, performing character manipulation, and generating reports. Students will design and develop several computer programs throughout the term.
This course is designed to introduce students to one of several areas of emerging trends and technologies in Business Systems and Analytics. Students will learn the fundamental principles and concepts of analytics in a specific business domain and implement descriptive, predictive and prescriptive analytics tools and technologies that support data, information, and knowledge management in the area of study. Course titles include, but are not limited to, Accounting Analytics, Financial Analytics, Healthcare Analytics, Human Resources (HR) Analytics, Marketing Analytics, Sports Analytics, and Supply Chain Analytics among others. This course is offered under different topics and can be repeated for additional credit when taken as a different topic.
This course is about structured analysis and design methodology for complex business systems. Students become familiar and use Entity Relationship Diagrams, Data Structure Diagrams, Data Flow Diagrams, Data Dictionaries, and Process Specifications to develop Systems Specifications. These specifications are utilized as the blueprint to develop and implement relational databases, and explore the Structured Query Language (SQL) used to manipulate and operate the database.
This course focuses on data warehousing and data mining in organizations. Topics covered in the course include: data warehousing and mediation techniques aimed at integrating distributed, heterogeneous data sources; data mining techniques such as rule-based learning, decision trees, association rule mining, and statistical analysis for discovery of patterns in the integrated data; and evaluation and interpretation of the mined patterns using visualization techniques.
Today's healthcare organizations are under intense regulatory and financial pressures to improve quality, efficiency, patient safety, patient satisfaction, and positive outcomes. This course is concerned with the study of how descriptive, diagnostics, predictive, and prescriptive analytics tools and techniques can impact the overall performance of healthcare organizations. Students learn to extract, collect, analyze, visualize, and interpret data from patient health records, insurance claims, financial records, and tell a compelling and actionable story. Class exercises enable students to understand ways to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of healthcare organizations.
This course introduces students to decision making and problem solving with simulation and optimization tools and techniques. Students learn to formulate and construct a decision model with spreadsheets and use the optimization tools, Monte Carlo simulation, and sensitivity analysis to generate and interpret solutions. The course covers different types of optimization and simulation models, including linear programming, sensitivity analysis, integer linear programming, goal programming, multiple objective optimization, simulation modeling, and queuing theory.
One of the skills that characterize great business data analysts is the ability to communicate practical implications of quantitative analyses to any kind of audience member. In this course, students will learn how to visualize data, tell a story, and explore data by reviewing the core principles of data visualizing and dashboarding. The course aims to focus on effective and high impact visualizations of common data analyses to help them convey conclusions directly and clearly. Students will be able to get practiced in designing and persuasively presenting business "data stories" that use these visualizations, helping stakeholders make decisions and take action based on their business data capitalizing on design principles.
This customized course provides students with a unique opportunity to integrate their academic work with a wide range of professional studies including but not limited to independent studies, research projects, or internships.
Finance
This course looks at the various financing mechanisms which impact the structure and delivery of health care in the United States with particular emphasis upon governmental financing, managed care, employer sponsored health plans, and emerging insurance models. The course examines the impact of these financing mechanisms upon diverse health delivery systems including acute care, medical practice organizations, long term care, and the pharmaceutical and medical devices sector.
This course covers a broad overview of finance topics from a data analytics perspective. Students will learn the ins and outs of applied data analysis and a conceptual framework for thinking about data from both a statistical and machine-learning perspective with applications in finance. Students will learn to understand and apply concepts like capturing and analyzing new sources of financial data, building predictive models, and running simulations of market events, using concepts of data analysis and probability in investment science, risk management, valuations, rates of return and profitability analysis. The course aims to provide a theoretical and practical framework in which students will be challenged to solve real-world problems in the finance field and gain familiarity with commonly used stochastic models.
The course examines the risk management process as applied to the whole range of risks to which a corporation is exposed: financial, insurable, operational, and business. It focuses on risk in general and how multiple sources of risk can be addressed with strategies that integrate risk management and capital management. Specific topics include hedging, insurance, post-loss investment, contingent capital, finite risk reinsurance, and insurance-linked securities. Emphasized throughout the course is that managing risk effectively is essential to corporate value, success, and survival.
This course provides an examination of modern financial markets. Specifically, we discuss the largest financial intermediaries including commercial banks, finance companies, securities firms, investment banks, mutual funds and hedge funds with a focus on balance sheet structures, regulation, and current issues and trends. We also examine various financial instruments, derivatives, and off-balance sheet activities that are useful from a risk-management perspective within the industry.
The course focuses on current practice and recent theoretical developments. It deals with the characteristics of individual securities and portfolios, criteria and models for alternative portfolio composition, criteria for evaluation and measurement of performance, and the impact of government regulation. The evaluation of current theory, its significance for the financial management decision-making, and the consideration of relevant empirical evidence are covered.
Current developments in global financial markets and instruments from the perspective of firm management. Topics include an overview of foreign security markets, trends in foreign exchange risk management, and the impact of international debt on multinational firms.
The course provides an analysis of the acquisition by one firm of all or some of the assets of another firm, and its impact on both the companies involved and on society. Topics include a discussion of the types of combinations, the motivations of the participants, the financial analysis required to carry out merger or acquisition activities, negotiation strategies, and the tax and accounting options that are available to the parties involved.
This customized course provides students with a unique opportunity to integrate their academic work with a wide range of professional studies including but not limited to independent studies, research projects, or internships.
These courses will explore topics of contemporary interest. Course titles include, but are not limited to Trends in Employee Benefit Planning, and Speculative Market Analysis, among others. Because the topic of this course will change, it can be repeated for additional credit when taken as a different topic.
Masters of Business Administration
This course focuses on career development and building a "Professional Skills Portfolio." The initial orientation toward building a resume and developing strategies to obtain a job provides the basis of continued career planning and professional growth. This course is offered in conjunction with MBA 811.
Students will learn to plan, draft, revise, and edit documents (such as letters, memos, e-mails, executive summaries, proposals, and reports) required of them as professionals in a business environment.
This course is an introductory study of financial accounting. It includes the study of basic accounting language and concepts, recording financial transactions, preparation and interpretation of financial statements, accounting methods, business decisions, inventory valuations, and methods of obtaining capital.
This course serves as an introduction to the financial system and its relationship to the financing of domestic and international business activity. Financial market components and phenomena such as financial instruments, institutions, flow of funds, market efficiency, interest rate determination and term structure, exchange rates, and the balance of payments are analyzed. The governmental impact on financial markets, manifested through monetary and fiscal policy and regulation, is also covered. An introduction is given to the concept of financial asset valuation and the time value of money. The emphasis is on the significance of these elements for conducting the financial affairs of businesses.
This course is designed to teach the principles of both micro and macro economics and to help the students understand the economic events that shape the world, markets and businesses. The course develops students' abilities to interpret how businesses form and operate under various market situations. Topics such as supply and demand, elasticity, relevant cost definition and relationships, profit optimization, market characteristics and long-run profitability implications, resource costing, and global market competitive responses are studied. The course further examines the role and activities of the various economic sectors consisting of households, businesses, and governments, and how those actions impact the state of the economy. The roles of government and the Federal Reserve are evaluated and their impact examined. Topics such as Gross Domestic Product, economic growth, inflation, unemployment, fiscal policy, monetary policy, banking, international trade, and exchange rates are studied.
The course shows how the techniques of marketing management can be used to attract and satisfy customers while building long-term business profitability. Topics include (1) market, consumer, and competitive analysis; (2) segmentation, targeting, and positioning; (3) product development, pricing, promotion, and distribution; and (4) marketing strategy and planning.
This course focuses on the firm's management accounting system as its primary information system. It examines the problems of cost measurement, planning, coordination, control, and performance evaluation. It explores how accounting systems address business problems and evolve in response to the changing economic environment. The course will relate ethical and global issues to managerial accounting topics. The students will explore and analyze "real world" data and apply their gained knowledge to contemporary managerial accounting problems and cases.
This is a survey course focusing on how managers can construct a decision-making process focusing on maximizing the value of the firm. Because the majority of financial decisions require an estimate of future events, considerable time will be spent investigating how to achieve the above objectives, subject to the constraints of an uncertain future. Outside readings, case studies, and text material will be used to integrate current financial theory with pragmatic financial decision making. A working knowledge of the basic concepts in finance, accounting, and statistics is assumed. The use of an electronic spreadsheet is needed for homework assignments and case analysis.
This course introduces students to the growing field of business analytics. Business analytics is the use of data, information technology, statistical analysis, and quantitative methods and models to support effective organizational problem solving and informed decision making. The course includes methods, tools, and techniques for summarizing and visualizing historical data, which is relevant to descriptive analytics -- the use of data to find out what has happened in the past or is currently happening; methods, tools, and techniques for extracting information from existing data in order to determine patterns, which is relevant to predictive analytics -- the use of data to find out what will happen in the future; and methods, tools, and techniques for optimization, which is relevant to prescriptive analytics - the use of data to determine the best course of action in the future.
This experiential course emphasizes the importance of feedback and self- assessment for leadership development. It includes extensive assessment of each participant's management style and skills based on self-evaluations (using structured questionnaires, decision making exercises, and role plays) and feedback from coworkers, faculty, and other participants. It includes a full day assessment workshop. Leadership development experiences emphasize time and stress management, individual and group problem-solving, communication, power and influence, motivation, conflict management, empowerment, and team leadership. Each participant identifies skills he or she needs to develop and reports on efforts to develop those skills.
This course reviews major leadership theories including trait theory, behavioral theories, contingency models, expectancy theory, path goal theory, transformational leadership, and servant leadership. The course also covers a series of in-depth exercises that address leadership skills including individual decision making, team decision making, nominal group technique, problem framing, negotiation, and managing organizational change. Students are expected to complete a written exam and a series of five short analytical papers.
This course is about the manager's responsibilities for problem solving and decision making, and those areas in which information technology can be used to gain the insight needed to support selection of decision alternatives. Students learn about the role of data, information, and knowledge in managerial problem solving and decision making. Transactional processing and database management systems (DBMS) are used to store, manage, and retrieve data in organizations. Decision support system (DSS) tools and technologies (such as natural language programming and influence diagramming) are used to organize data into information for decision analytics. Expert systems (ES) are used to synthesize information into knowledge for knowledge management. Students are required to use DBMS, DSS and ES software packages in a hands-on environment.
This course integrates the areas of finance and accounting and is designed to provide students with the ability to analyze financial statements, understand the incentives of companies to "manage" earnings through their choices of accounting methods, understand the limitations to the usefulness of financial statements, and understand the value of financial statements in decision-making from the perspective of investors, creditors and management.
This course is designed to explore the complex ethical, legal, cultural, political, social, and economic issues confronting individuals, groups, and organizations. We will use various models and theories to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills to address the issues of a diverse set of organizational stakeholders.
This integrative capstone course is designed to expose students to strategies that companies use to build and sustain competitive advantage in the global market. The course provides students with industry, competitor, and business level analytic tools that help students to assess factors that influence strategy formulation and strategy implementation in both domestic and global markets.
Management
This course provides students with a comprehensive macro approach to health delivery systems and the competencies required to manage this transforming industry. Students will examine current and future health utilization trends from the perspective of the provider, consumer, insurer and regulator. Particular attention will be given to how these stakeholders impact the role of the manager in a health systems organization. The course will examine the relative strengths and weaknesses of our current system compared to other nations. We will explore the delivery of health services associated with population and public health and how behavior influences the provision of these services. The course will highlight the logistics of the health care system, its organization, workforce makeup, finances, its cost and related value, and how technology and information systems impact the industry. The course will also provide an overview of the future of health care delivery in the United States and health care policy.
This course is designed to teach students how to manage the growing multicultural workforce in the United States. Students will be exposed to the basic concepts and issues of intercultural communication and cross-cultural relations; explore the challenges that managing cultural diversity presents to organizations and individuals associated with them; gain awareness of the issues related to ethnocentrism, racism, sexism, and ageism; develop an understanding and appreciation for people from Hispanic and Asian cultures; discuss current techniques used in cultural analysis; and read and evaluate research in the field of cultural diversity.
This survey course provides an overview of the major areas of human resource management, including HR strategy and planning, EEO laws, job analysis and competency models, recruiting, selection, training, performance appraisal and management, job design, compensation, benefits, and labor relations. The focus is on both the line manager's and the human resource professional's role in creating a culture that attracts, rewards, and retains the talent necessary to ensure a business' success.
This customized course provides students with a unique opportunity to integrate their academic work with a wide range of professional studies including but not limited to independent studies, research projects, or internships.
This course will explore a topic of contemporary interest related to management and leadership. Topics will vary and may include Performance Management: Challenges, Trends, and Controversies; Conflict and Negotiations; What Every Business Student Should Know about Workplace Rights and Responsibilities; and Managing by Design. Because the topic of this course will change, it can be repeated for additional credit when taken as a different topic.
Marketing
Marketing analytics is an important component of managerial decision-making. A wide range of strategic and tactical decisions requires valid and reliable information if the firm's efforts are to be successful. The tools and techniques of marketing analytics allow managers to obtain valuable information about customers, competitors, and the market environment. It is imperative that managers understand research methods and data analysis so they can judge the appropriate use of market analytical information and understand its decision value. The objective of this course is to convey the effective application of rigorous marketing analytics to relevant managerial decisions. This course introduces today's most valuable marketing research and analytics methods and tools and offers a best-practice methodology for successful implementation. Hands-on exercises, assignments, and case studies provide students an opportunity to apply the marketing research and analytics techniques for solving key problems ranging from product development, segmentation, pricing, promotion, distribution, campaign management, brand valuation, and digital marketing strategy.
The course examines the social, cultural, psychological, and economic influences on consumer behavior. It looks at the applications of behavioral science principles to the development of marketing strategies.
This course offers a managerial view of the marketing function as it applies to the international field, describing and exploring the complexities, problems, and opportunities of worldwide marketing.
Services dominate the U.S. economy and play a critical role in setting businesses apart from competition across the globe and in the industry sectors. The course focuses on the unique challenges of managing services and delivering quality service to customers. The attraction, retention, and building of strong customer relationships through quality service are central to the course.
The course is equally applicable to organizations whose core product is service (e.g., banks, hotels, hospitals, educational institutions, and professional service, etc.) and to organizations that depend on service excellence for a competitive advantage (e.g., high tech manufactures, automotive, and industrial products, etc.).
The underlying theme of the course is that management issues in services are often different from those in manufacturing, and this has important implications for marketing strategy and implementation. This theme will be developed through a series of lectures, videos, class discussions, and both individual and group exercises.
This customized course provides students with a unique opportunity to integrate their academic work with a wide range of professional studies including but not limited to independent studies, research projects, or internships.
This course will explore a topic of contemporary interest related to Marketing. Topics will vary and may include Product Innovation and Design Thinking, Services Marketing, Sales Management and Leadership, and Travel Study. Because the topic of this course will change, it can be repeated for additional credit when taken as a different topic.
Faculty
Interim Dean: Michael Moll, M.B.A.
Program Director: Nicole Blair, M.B.A., M.S.
Professors: Ambrose, Borkowski, Cooper, Fornaciari, Jiang, Tavana, Wentzel
Associate Professors: Chia, Kennedy, Lafond, Leauby, Pierce, Reardon, Szabat, Ugras
Assistant Professors: Adams, Bruce, Coyle, DiPietro, Dynan, Otto, Radetskiy, Varzgani
Program Contact Information
Part-Time Hybrid MBA Program
Founders' Hall Room 233
gradbusiness@lasalle.edu
(215) 438-6676
Staff Contact Information
Nicole Blair, Director of Graduate Business Programs
(215) 438-6676
blairn@lasalle.edu
If you have any questions regarding the Part-Time Hybrid MBA program, please contact: gradbusiness@lasalle.edu or visit our website www.lasalle.edu/mba.