Mar 29, 2024  
Rensselaer Catalog 2014-2015 
    
Rensselaer Catalog 2014-2015 [Archived Catalog]

Master of Business Administration


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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 community service (Practicum) course in the final semester in which students use training in service and process innovation to help solve local community problems.  Individual faculty supervise teams of students who work with local agencies and small business start-ups.  Projects come from faculty in conjunction with local organizations, agencies, and businesses.

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.  Students who would like more depth in a concentration have the option to stay for a fourth semester (60 credits).

The infusion of innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit begins prior to the start of official classes with an orientation program called, “Heroes, Leaders, and Innovators.” This session exposes new students to the key characteristics, experience, and behaviors of successful business leaders.

Throughout the remainder of 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.  The Professional Development workshop series culminates in a spring break trip to a region of the United States known as a hotbed of technological innovation.

Summer


  • Elective

Concentrations


Below are concentrations and relevant courses. A concentration consists of four elective courses. The concentrations and courses are suggested for students who are interested in these areas:

Business Analytics


Required Course:

  • MGMT 69XX - Technology Fundamentals for Business Analytics Credit Hours: 3

Choose three (3) from the following:

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 options below.

Investments Option


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.

All students in the Technological Entrepreneurship concentration should take:

Corporate Entrepreneurship Option


Students wishing to pursue the corporate entrepreneurship option can elect 2 courses from the following list:

Start-Up Option


Then, students wishing to pursue the start up path can elect 2 courses from the following list:

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