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.