Curriculum for this two-year program is comprised of 50 credits of core courses and 12 credits of Hybrid MBA electives. Due to the unique online and in-person format, Hybrid MBA electives are exclusive to the Hybrid MBA program.
Core Curriculum
Analysis of Global Economic Conditions
4 credits
This course covers both the domestic and global aspects of macroeconomics, and provides tools to understand the key elements of economic growth, inflation, unemployment, business cycles, fiscal policy, monetary policy, trade policy, and current economic developments.
Building Effective Teams
1 credit each (2 total, both required)
This core requirement is delivered in two separate courses, each for 1 credit, offered at different points in the program with different content. The courses cover tools you will need to build a highly effective Hybrid MBA Team. While the main focus is on Hybrid MBA Teams, the tools are crucial whenever and wherever you must assemble a team to accomplish an objective.
Capstone
4 credits
This class is cross-functional and integrated in approach (including strategy, marketing, leadership, finance, accounting, operations, decision modeling and economics). You will “learn by doing” through two major projects, including a case competition presented to a company client.
Competitive Business Strategy
4 credits
Provides students with frameworks to think about business strategies that outperform the competition. Leverages learning from other courses in marketing, microeconomics, and finance.
Corporate Finance
4 credits
Covers the foundations of finance with applications vital for corporate managers and investors. Topics include investment decisions, valuation, risk and return, market efficiency, and capital structure.
Decision Modeling
2 credits
Introduces management science concepts, applying mathematical modeling and analysis to management problems. Teaches skills to build and evaluate models and understand model-based reasoning.
Ethical Leadership
2 credits
Explores ethical aspects of business. Provides frameworks to recognize and address ethical issues in management, provide ethical leadership, and conduct business responsibly.
Financial Reporting & Analysis
4 credits
Provides an understanding of the numbers side of business. Students learn to use financial information in management situations to impact business decisions.
Global Strategy
2 credits
Prepares managers to develop organizations that operate and compete effectively worldwide, appreciating differences and similarities among markets and business practices.
Leading Teams & Organizations
4 credits
Takes a strategic view of how organizational behavior can enhance effectiveness, providing fundamental principles of leading teams and organizations.
Managerial Accounting
4 credits
Covers costing, transfer pricing, profit planning, and performance measurement in varied contexts. Cases emphasize universal principles rather than calculations, with focus on real-world applications.
Microeconomics for Managers
4 credits
Explores cost-benefit frameworks to make production, pricing, and resource allocation decisions under different market conditions. Reinforces an “economic way of thinking.”
Operations Management
4 credits
Examines how goods and services move through inter-related operations to match supply with demand. Focuses on designing, investing in, and controlling operations for strategic advantage.
Probability & Statistics
2 credits
Covers descriptive statistics, probability, and methods for dealing with uncertainty in decision-making. Students learn to analyze and interpret data in business contexts.
Strategic Marketing Management
4 credits
Develops marketing strategies using evidence-based theories and tools to analyze market forces, design strategy, and align the marketing mix across the customer journey.
Electives
Analytics Consulting Lab
4 credits
Hands-on consulting experience applying analytics to real-world business problems.
Behavioral Finance
2 credits
Examines investor and executive behavior, focusing on (seemingly) irrational decisions in finance and economics.
Business Analytics Tools for Big Data
2 credits
Introduces analytics techniques and software (Tableau, R) to generate insight and value from large datasets, with applications across business functions.
Digital Marketing Strategies & Systems
2 credits
Provides a framework for understanding how digital marketing systems interconnect and how to build programs aligned to business objectives.
Leading Organizational Change
2 credits
Focuses on evidence-based models and methods for enhancing leadership and guiding organizational change. Includes a personal leadership development plan.
Marketing Analytics
2 credits
Teaches advanced methods (regression, segmentation, logistic regression, RFM analysis) to drive marketing strategies, with case studies from major companies.
Mergers & Acquisitions
2 credits
Advanced finance course covering valuation, negotiation, structuring, closing deals, and integration in the M&A process.
Product Management
2 credits
Covers frameworks, tools, and techniques for effective product management across the lifecycle, including planning, forecasting, production, and marketing.
Real Estate Finance & Investments
2 credits
Focuses on income-based valuation methods for property, including capitalization and discounted cash flow techniques.
Small Business Consulting
3 credits
Students will gain real-world experience assisting small- to mid-size businesses to improve organizational effectiveness, competitiveness, and identify opportunities for growth. Through hands-on consulting projects with under-resourced organizations, students will apply concepts from Foster coursework and prior experience to deliver meaningful impact for businesses, their employees, and the communities they serve.
Successful Negotiations
2 credits
Provides strategies and psychological frameworks for negotiation in professional and personal contexts. Emphasizes experiential learning.
Sustainable Design of Global Supply Chains
2 credits
Teaches strategic and operational decisions in supply chain design, including sustainability, risk management, legal/tax considerations, and global coordination.
Foundations of Entrepreneurship
2 credits
Examines and evaluates entrepreneurial opportunities by distinguishing ideas from viable ventures, analyzing market and technical uncertainties, adapting business models based on feedback, and crafting compelling pitches for potential investors.
Foster Elective Opportunities for Hybrid MBA students
Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship
- Dempsey Start-up Competition
- Health Innovation Challenge / Practicum
- Environmental Innovation Challenge / Practicum
Consulting and Business Development Center – Board Fellows Program
Hybrid MBA students may also be invited to participate in Foster Graduate electives/practicums on campus as space is available (and do not conflict with HMBA Tuesday core curriculum classes) including Women in Entrepreneurial Leadership.