Curriculum | Course Selection | Course Descriptions | Waive and Transfer Courses

MBA courses meet one evening each week for three hours. Seattle Pacific University offers its courses on the quarter system (10 week sessions).

The curriculum consists of required core and advanced courses and a variety of electives. Students may select an emphasis in the MBA of: management of business processes, finance, human resource management, or information systems management.

A total of 72 credits are required to complete the program if you have no prior coursework in business. The following list outlines these courses.

MBA students may also select from courses in Information Systems Management, including such courses as:

     ISM 6212 Database Management & Warehousing
     ISM 6213 Enterprise Analysis and Integration
     ISM 6225 Information & Technology Ethics
     ISM 6245 Information Technology Infrastructure
     ISM 6255 Knowledge Management & Business Intelligence
     ISM 6313 IT as a Strategic Advantage
     ISM 6335 IT Engineering Management
     ISM 6345 Distributed Applications
    

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

BUS 6110
Macroeconomics for Managers (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Analyzes aggregate demand, national income, employment and price level, and describes fiscal and monetary policy. Particular emphasis is given to the application of macroeconomic theory to the analysis and forecasting of economic trends and cycles, business condition analysis and strategic planning in the firm. Examines current economic conditions. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6120
Managerial Finance (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisites: BUS 6132. Develops a working knowledge of basic corporate financial concepts and tools, organized around four key functional areas of the financial manager: valuation decisions, financial planning, asset structure decisions and ownership structure decisions. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6130
Financial Accounting (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Covers the principles, concepts and procedures underlying the preparation and interpretation of financial statements. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6132
Managerial Accounting (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisite: BUS 6130. Completes certain financial accounting topics not covered in BUS 6130 and introduces the principles of managerial accounting. Describes the development and use of accounting for management planning, control and decision making. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6140
Legal Environment of Business (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Studies the legal environment in which businesses operate. Includes topics such as corporate law, partnership law, agency law, federal regulation of business (e.g., anti-trust and consumer protection), and business torts and crimes. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6150
Managerial Marketing (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Explores the role of marketing in the economy and examines marketing concepts and their application in domestic, global marketing and e-business contexts. Students apply learning to cases and by preparing marketing plans. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6164
Operations Management (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Presents a systems-based orientation to production/operations processes and process improvement. Uses an application approach to developing understanding, analysis, and revision of operations activities. Applies project management and other analytical tools relevant to production/operations processes. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6170
Information Systems Management (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Introduces the basic framework and key concepts of information systems. Primary focus is on the strategies and programs needed to manage information as a strategic resource. Explores management and effects of information technology and the Internet on business in an environment of technological and organizational change. Reviews information technology skills needed by managers. Course equivalent: ISM 6211. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6171
Quantitative Methods (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Examines the basic tools and concepts of descriptive statistics and statistical inference including probability distributions, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, and analysis of variance. Students will work with microcomputers to solve applied problems. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6201
Christian Values, Ethics and the Marketplace (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Surveys basic biblical and Christian concepts of morality with application to issues of the business community. Analyzes the elements of moral development and ethical decision making and their application to representative moral dilemmas. Must be completed as one of the first five courses in the program. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6202
Business Ethics: Current Issues and Moral Leadership (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisite: BUS 6201. Covers ethical reasoning as it applies to business situations. Specific topics include corporate social responsibility, affirmative action, dispute resolution, consumer protection, employee rights, advertising ethics, and economic justice and issues arising from the use of information technology. Must be completed as one of the first five courses in the program. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6210
Managerial Economics (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisites: BUS 6110, 6171. Integrates and applies principles of economics and statistics that are important to managerial decision making and policy planning. Topics Include demand and cost analysis, profit maximization and production decisions, industry structures and competitive behavior, pricing strategies, and government intervention in the marketplace and the effects of information technology. Employs marginal analysis and regression analysis. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6220
Financial Analysis (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisite: BUS 6120. Provides experience in applying concepts and tools of financial analysis to evaluate financial performance and value investment opportunities. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6250
Marketing Analysis (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisites: BUS 6120, 6150, 6210, 6260. Provides experience in strategic marketing decision making and application of tools for evaluating market opportunities and marketing performance. Addresses various marketing contexts, including e-businesses and the use of information technology in marketing. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6260
Managerial Communication (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Considers the theoretical base from which to approach the effective structuring, transmission and reception of various forms of messages within the context of a complex organization. Applies basic communication theory, interpersonal dynamics, small group processes, communication networks, technology, and both oral and written forms of message transmission to various communication situations. Must be completed as one of the first six courses in the program. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6271
Enterprise Analysis and Integration (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisites: BUS 6130, 6164 and 6170.

Treats the enterprise as an integrated system. Investigates problems with traditional approaches, identifies issues and potential solutions. Explores techniques for developing information architectures and integrating information strategic and tactical plans with business plans. Addresses managing information systems and organizational changes brought about by information systems.

BUS 6266
Leadership in Organizations (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Introduces theory and research directed at the problems of understanding, predicting and influencing individual and group behavior in the context of a diverse workforce. Covers effectiveness in leading and stewarding the human capital in organizations. Includes topics such as leadership, motivation and behavioral change, decision making, strategic vision, group dynamics, team building, communication processes, power, conflict and stress management. Integrates self-assessment of leadership skills. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6280
Global Political Economics (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisite: BUS 6110. Considers international economic relations, comparative national systems and global economy, with focus upon perspectives especially useful to management strategy in international business. Includes topics such as international trade and finance, major types of national political economies, multinational corporate structures and strategies, development processes and implications for business practices. Addresses the implications of the Internet on international business. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6299
Strategic Policy and Planning (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisites: BUS 6202, 6220, 6250, 6263, 6280. Develops students ability to think strategically. Gives experience in analyzing and solving complex strategic business issues, including the effects of information technology on business models and technology transfer. Blends functional and strategic management, and introduces students to the best new thinking in strategy. Integrates previous MBA learning, and instills a broadened perspective. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6263

Designing Organizations (3)

BUS 6300
Human Resource Management (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Introduces students to principles of effective management of human capital in organizations. Examines theory, research and practice in the areas of strategic human resource planning, job analysis, recruiting and selection, training and development, performance management, compensation and benefits, as well as government regulation relating to these practices. This course is taught from a general management perspective. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6301
Labor and Employee Relations (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisite: BUS 6300. Survey course designed to help students understand American Labor history, why employees join labor unions, the basics of collective bargaining, media relations, grievance handling, unfair labor practices, and negotiating techniques and strategies. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6302
Performance Management (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Addresses ways to improve employee performance through the development and implementation of strategic performance management systems. Covers the various kinds of systems used by organizations to evaluate and reward employee performance appraisal. Topics include goal setting, coaching, giving feedback and employee discipline. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6303
Compensation and Benefits (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisite: BUS 6300. Overview of employee compensation and benefit plans. Includes insurance and retirement plans, profit-sharing, pay administration, pay-base determination, market surveys, comparable worth and pay incentives. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6305
Managing Cultural Diversity (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Builds awareness and appreciation of cultural diversity in the workforce. Examines strategies for encouraging, accommodating and utilizing diversity as a competitive advantage domestically and globally. Introduces a model of change processes and applies it to diversity issues. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6320
Investments and Portfolio Management (3)
Registration approval: SBE coordinator. Prerequisite: BUS 6120. Studies securities markets and the processes of risk analysis, valuing securities, selecting investments, and portfolio construction and management. Class open to graduate.

BUS 6321
Futures, Options and Risk Management (3)
Registration approval: SBE coordinator. Prerequisite: BUS 6320. Studies futures and options markets, pricing, and their use in asset allocation, hedging and risk management. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6322
Advanced Problems in Finance (3)
Registration approval: SBE coordinator. Prerequisite: BUS 6220. Studies various corporate finance problems through projects and case studies. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6323
International Finance (3)
Registration approval: SBE coordinator. Prerequisites: BUS 6120 and 6280. Studies the principles of finance in the international context, including the monetary system, financing of international trade, balance of payments, exchange rates and exchange risk, foreign security markets, international sources of capital, and analysis of foreign investments. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6360
Organizational Development (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisite: BUS 6263. Examines principles and methods in organization development. Encourages a systems-based approach to organizational change and problem solving. Uses an action research model emphasizing a collaborative process of diagnosis, action planning, intervention and evaluation. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6361
Advanced Negotiations (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Study of principled negotiating skills with the goal of preparing managers to participate constructively in organizational politics, to develop personal values and to influence others in ways consistent with Christian ethics. SBE Mgt/IB Dept. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6365
The High Technology Enterprise (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Addresses the administrative and strategic issues specific to high-tech companies. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6367
Project Management (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisite: BUS 6164. Management (evaluating, planning and scheduling) of complex projects. Topics include leadership of project teams, work breakdowns, planning models (PERT/CPM) and project management software, resource management, time-cost trade-offs, and managing project crises. Students will work in teams to develop a complete project plan. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6381
Pacific Rim Enterprise (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisites: BUS 6280. Study of trading relations among Pacific Rim countries. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6382
European Enterprise (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisite: BUS 6280. Study of trading relations among European nations. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6390
Entrepreneurial Management (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisites: BUS 6120, 6150. Examines the characteristics of the entrepreneurial personality and the processes for the development of new ventures including e-business and technology-based ventures. Students prepare business plans and interact with entrepreneurs. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6900
Independent Study (1-6)
Registration approval: Independent Study Agreement. Provides the opportunity to study a topic of special interest under faculty supervision. May be repeated for credit up to 15 credits. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6916
Managerial Issues Seminar (1-6)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Discusses variable topics related to the effective management of organizations. May be repeated for credit up to 6 credits. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6939
Management Consulting Practicum (1-6)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Presents an application of academic scholarship to a "real life" enterprise case. May be repeated for credit up to 6 credits. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6969
Practice of Business (1-6)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisites: BUS 6220, 6250, 6263. Allows students to apply the tools and concepts learned in other disciplines to a major strategic project of his or her own design such as a new business venture, an acquisition, a corporate reorganization or similar undertaking. A proposal/learning contract, signed by the student and sponsoring faculty member, must be approved by the graduate program director. May be repeated for credit up to 6 credits. Class open to graduate students.

Need to know when a course is being offered? Click here for the 2008-2009 Time Schedule and Graduate Catalog .

WAIVE AND TRANSFER COURSES

The nine pre-M.B.A. foundations core courses account for 27 of the 72 quarter credit hours in the complete program. They generally are prerequisite to other core or advanced courses and cover what is generally referred to as the "common body of knowledge" relating to business education. Many students have covered some or all of this subject matter in an undergraduate program. If so, it is possible to waive core courses on the following basis:

Waivers are granted for prior coursework if the content is equivalent, the bachelor's degree was earned within seven years (or ongoing work experience assures currency), and the course grade was at least B. (Note: The information systems management course should have been taken within three years of admission. If it is more than three years old, a competency test must be taken to waive the course.) If the bachelor's degree is more than seven years old (and work experience does not assure ongoing currency), or the grade was less than B but not less than C+, then students may take a competency test to waive the course. Students presenting evidence of professional certification/licensure (e.g., CLU, CPA, CMA, CFP) by a recognized accrediting body may be granted waivers for M.B.A. core courses where the content of the professional certification examination corresponds to course content and adequate continuing education activity to maintain currency is demonstrated. Such waivers may be granted without requiring past academic coursework. Competency tests may be required if currency or content equivalency is not readily obvious.

Waivers are not granted for continuing professional education courses per se, or for certificates of completion offered through corporate, industry, trade, or other continuing education providers (including colleges and universities). Waivers based on such professional development activity depend on adequate verification of content and upon demonstrated mastery and currency through competency testing. Competency tests must be completed within the year following the student's date of admission to the program. If the competency examination is successfully completed, the applicable M.B.A. course will be waived. If not, the student must take the M.B.A. course or successfully complete a credit-by-examination test for which a fee is charged.

TRANSFERRING ADVANCED OR ELECTIVE COURSES
The 12 advanced and three elective courses total 45 quarter credit hours, (36 advanced and 9 elective). These courses may not be waived and transfer credit from other institutions will be given only for graduate level courses covering the same body of knowledge. Students may transfer a maximum of three courses (9 credits) from other institutions with the approval of the School of Business and Economics director of graduate studies.