May 11, 2024

Rensselaer Catalog 2023-2024

Master of Business Administration, M.B.A.

The MBA is the Lally School’s premier program and offers students both depth and breadth in management education with an emphasis on innovation and technology management. The focus on “innovation” is concerned with business model, product, process, organizational, financial, and technological innovation, in new start-ups and within larger organizations. The focus on technology management means the development and/or adoption of new technologies, processes, and methods for solving business problems, making decisions, and creating business opportunities.

The curriculum provides a strong grounding in managerial fundamentals while highlighting the strategic role that technology plays in enhancing business performance and creating sustainable competitive advantage.

In addition, it includes a non-pay consulting experience (Practicum) course in the final semester in which students apply their learning in technology and innovation to help solve a local organization’s problems. Individual faculty supervise teams of students who work with large companies, local agencies, and small business start-ups.

If they choose, students can complete the 45-credit hour MBA in one year from September to August. The MBA includes 11 required courses (33 credits) and four electives (12 credits) for a total of 45 credits. The four electives can be customized to complete one of the following tracks: business analytics, finance, information systems, marketing, supply chain management, or technological entrepreneurship.

Another pathway is the MBA with a life sciences entrepreneurship concentration, a 46-credit program. This coursework leads to a pathway of four advanced core courses. This framework will provide the student with in-depth knowledge and expertise to become a leader in the industry.

Throughout the MBA curriculum, students are exposed to the cutting-edge methods and strategies that corporations deploy to create and capture value in today’s global economy. The program also provides a professional development workshop series that focuses on skill building in business communication, negotiation, conflict resolution, team building, and self-awareness, following a framework of “leadership, followership, and membership in a professional community”.

Outcomes of the Graduate Curriculum

Students who successfully complete this program will be able to:

communicate effectively in written form.
communicate effectively in verbal form (e.g. presentations).
communicate effectively in teams.
demonstrate knowledge of the importance of behaving ethically in business.
demonstrate knowledge of how to manage in a global environment.
demonstrate ability to utilize strong analytical skills.
demonstrate knowledge managing innovation.
demonstrate knowledge of the functional area of Accounting.
demonstrate knowledge of the functional management area of Talent Management.
demonstrate knowledge of the functional area of Economics.
demonstrate knowledge of the functional area of Marketing.
demonstrate knowledge of the functional area of Operations.
demonstrate knowledge of the functional area of Finance.
demonstrate knowledge of the functional area of Strategy.
demonstrate knowledge of the functional area of Information Technology

Required Professional Development and Career Workshops

MGMT 7230 - Professional Development Workshop I Credit Hours: 0
MGMT 7240 - Professional Development Workshop II Credit Hours: 0

Required Core Courses

33 credits

MGMT 6040 - Talent Management Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 6020 - Financial Management I Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 6100 - Foundations of Data Science Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 6140 - Managing Digitization and Transformation Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 6490 - Competitive Advantage and Operations Strategy Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 6580 - Marketing High Technology Products Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 6840 - Practicum in Management Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 7030 - Strategy, Technology, and Competition Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 7730 - Economics and Institutions Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 7740 - Accounting for Reporting and Control Credit Hours: 3

Chose one of the following two classes

MGMT 6060 - Business Implications of Emerging Technologies Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 6620 - Principles of Technological Entrepreneurship Credit Hours: 3

MBA Life Sciences Entrepreneurship Concentration

Core Courses

BMED 6480 - Biomedical Data Science Credit Hours: 4
MGMT 6140 - Managing Digitization and Transformation Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 6190 - Introduction to Accounting and Financial Management Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 6260 - Entrepreneurial Finance Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 6490 - Competitive Advantage and Operations Strategy Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 6511 - Practicum for Life Science Entrepreneurship Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 6560 - Introduction to Machine Learning Applications Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 6580 - Marketing High Technology Products Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 6620 - Principles of Technological Entrepreneurship Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 7030 - Strategy, Technology, and Competition Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 7730 - Economics and Institutions Credit Hours: 3

Advanced Core Courses

MGMT 6560 - Introduction to Machine Learning Applications Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 696X - Commercialization of Biomedical Innovation Credit Hours: 2
MGMT 696X - Protecting and Commercializing Your Innovation Credit Hours: 3

Tracks

12 credits

Chose from the evolving list of the courses below. A track consists of a 12-credit group of related courses in the specified discipline. Tracks aid students in developing a depth of expertise and marketing themselves to employers. Students not wishing to pursue a track may choose 12 credits from any of the available elective offerings.

Business Analytics

Required course:

MGMT 6560 - Introduction to Machine Learning Applications Credit Hours: 3

Choose three from an evolving list of related electives

CSCI 6100 - Machine Learning from Data Credit Hours: 4
CSCI 6390 - Data Mining Credit Hours: 4
MGMT 6160 - Applied Analytics and Predictive Modeling Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 6460 - Modeling and Optimization Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 6180 - Marketing Analytics Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 6570 - Advanced Data Resource Management Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 6720 - Internet Marketing Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 6600 - Data Analytics Credit Hours: 3
COMM 6880 - Interactive Data Visualization Credit Hours: 3

Finance

Students can elect one of two options: Investments or Corporate Finance. All students must take MGMT 6430 and then elect three courses from one of the tracks below. Students may elect instead to draw from both tracks if that suits their academic and career objectives.

MGMT 6430 - Financial Statement Analysis Credit Hours: 3

Technological Entrepreneurship

Students following the technological entrepreneurship concentration may elect two paths: entrepreneurship for start ups or corporate entrepreneurship. The former focuses on founding a brand new business entity, whereas the latter focuses on creating new growth platforms based on technological innovation within established companies. Both require entrepreneurial behavior. Students may elect instead to draw from both tracks if that suits their academic and career objectives.

MGMT 6620 - Principles of Technological Entrepreneurship Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 6630 - Starting Up A New Venture Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 6640 - Invention, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 6690 - Negotiations Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 6260 - Entrepreneurial Finance Credit Hours: 3

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