Bluffton graduate programs in business

Program overview
The MAOM & MBA program includes 12 core courses:
MGT 505 The Theory and Practice of Management (3)
MGT 510 Organizations, Management and American Culture (3)
MGT 515 Data Analysis and Decision-Making (3)
MGT 520 Professional Ethics and the Common Good (3)
MGT 525 Financial Decision Making (3)
MGT 610 Marketing for the Non-Marketing Manager (3)
MGT 615 Organizations and Information Technology (3)
MGT 620 Organizations and the Global Economy (3)
MGT 625 Strategic Issues in Contemporary Management (3)
and
three of the following courses
MGT 531 Managing Across Cultures (1)
MGT 532 Project Development & Implementation (1)
MGT 533 Conflict Resolution in the Workplace (1)
MGT 534 Leadership Skills Self Assessment (1)

Organizations today seek leaders who offer creative approaches to problems, respect diversity, and embrace change. The MAOM program prepares graduate students for enhanced roles in their organizations and the larger society. MAOM students examine carefully the roles organizations play in an era of rapid and global change. In the process, students increase their capacity for imaginative, productive and strategic managing. Grounded in the historic peace church tradition of Bluffton University, the MAOM program assists students to develop and nurture healthy organizations and a just society.

The MAOM program enjoys these unique characteristics:

   •    Admission to the MAOM program does not require an undergraduate business degree. Employed in the for-profit, not-for-profit and public sectors, students exhibit various educational backgrounds.

   •    Students enhance their managerial skills through extensive investigations of management issues. Class presentations, materials and assignments relate closely to the managerial challenges which students confront.

   •    Classes are interactive in nature with substantial opportunities for experiential learning. Student evaluations are based on class participation, multimedia presentations and papers.

   •    Students enjoy support from a creative, interactive community of advanced learners. They also receive personalized attention from faculty members who hold appropriate advanced degrees in relevant fields of study.

   •    Evening classes permit students to continue full-time employment.

In addition to the core courses, the MAOM program includes three courses:

   MGT 530  Managing People in Organizations (3)      

   MGT 605  Contemporary Consumers and Global Culture (3)

   MGT 690  Integrative Seminar  (3)

Organizations today seek leaders who offer creative approaches to problems, respect diversity, and embrace change. The MBA program prepares graduate students for enhanced roles in their organizations and the larger society. MBA students examine carefully the roles organizations play in an era of rapid and global change. In the process, students increase their capacity for used of quantative concepts and tools in, productive and strategic managing. Grounded in the historic peace church tradition of Bluffton University, the MBA program assists students to develop and nurture healthy organizations and a just society.

The MBA program enjoys these unique characteristics:

   •    Admission to the MBA program does not require an undergraduate business degree. However students must meet one of the following requirements: A) Received a “B” grade or better in an upper level finance class, B) Received an undergraduate major in Business Administration or C) Earned a GPA of 3.5 or better in the two quantitatively oriented courses taken during the first year of the MAOM/MBA program.

       Employed in the for-profit, not-for-profit and public sectors, students exhibit various educational backgrounds.

   •    Students enhance their managerial skills through extensive investigations of management issues. Class presentations, materials and assignments relate closely to the managerial challenges which students confront.

   •    Classes are interactive in nature with substantial opportunities for experiential learning. Student evaluations are based on class participation, multimedia presentations and papers.

   •    Students enjoy support from a creative, interactive community of advanced learners. They also receive personalized attention from faculty members who hold appropriate advanced degrees in relevant fields of study.

   •    Evening and weekend classes permit students to continue full-time employment.

In addition to the core courses, the MBA includes three courses:

MGT 630     Organizational Financial Management (3)

MGT 635     Managerial Economics (3)

MGT 640     Productions and Operations Management (3)

Courses
MGT 505 The Theory and Practice of Management (3)
Examines the theory and practice of management from early times through the era of scientific management. “Learning organization” theory also is investigated.

MGT 510 Organizations, Management, and American Culture (3)
Provides students with an understanding of models for organizations and management based in historical and cultural realities. Organizations of the industrial revolution to those of our post-modern, multicultural society are examined.

MGT 515 Data Analysis and Decision-Making (3)
Explores the use of formal tools and processes (PERT charts, decision trees, “what if” spreadsheets) to enhance the quality of management decision-making.

MGT 520 Professional Ethics and the Common Good (3)
Aristotelian virtue ethics and the concept of the common good are used to provide a framework for understanding ethical issues in management. Case studies are used to illustrate course concepts.

MGT 525 Financial Decision Making (3)
Emphasizes the use of analytical and critical thinking skills in financial decision-making. Topics include opportunity costs, breakeven analysis, operational and capital budgeting. Spreadsheets are used for decision-making purposes throughout the course.

MGT 530 Managing People in Organizations (3)
Surveys selected topics related to the management of people in organizations, including personnel selection and training, motivation, leadership, team building, the organization of work hours and space.

MGT 531 Managing Across Cultures (1)
Examines current issues associated with managing in a multicultural workplace. Students will identify and develop some of the understandings and skills needed to work effectively across cultures.

MGT 532 Project Development & Implementation (1)
This class explores the application of Microsoft Project software in the workplace. Primary focus will be on the use of Microsoft Project software. Students will also examine management-related issues associated with the use of this or similar software resources.

MGT 533 Conflict Resolution in the Workplace (1)
This course examines skills useful for resolving conflicts in the workplace. Theory relevant to conflict resolution, management and conflict transformation will be discussed.

MGT 534 Leadership Skills Self Assessment (1)

Uses the conceptual framework of emotional intelligence to offer students a chance to assess their own skills and approach to leadership. Students will complete various self-assessment tools including the 63-item university version of the Emotional Competence Inventory.

MGT 605 Contemporary Consumers and Global Culture (3)
Explores relationships among our global economy, communication technologies, politics, advertising and contemporary consumers. Paradoxical problems are explored, including the over-consumption of resources versus the role consumption plays in fostering economic stability and consumers’ identity as those who shape society versus their identity as those shaped by society.

MGT 610 Marketing for the Non-Marketing Manager (3)
Introduces students to the field of marketing through a structured process of developing marketing plans specific to their organizations’ goals.

MGT 615 Organizations and Information Technology (3)
Explores the impact of rapid change in information technology and the opportunities such change creates. Students receive an overview of information systems technology, including the management of computer, telecommunications and office systems. They also identify potential applications of such technology for their organizations. Students actively use technology as an integral part of the course structure.

MGT 620 Organizations and the Global Economy (3)
Provides students with an understanding of the increased interdependence of national economies and the spread of common political and economic ideologies. Students use economic tools to research the effects of increased globalization on individual organizations and countries.

MGT 625 Strategic Issues in Contemporary Management (3)
Combines theory with case analysis to investigate the development and implementation of strategy in the public and private sectors. Key topics include strategy formulation in various environmental contexts, strategy analysis and organizational and managerial impacts on strategy formation.

MGT 690 Integrative Seminar II (3)
Involves independent study and a student presentation related to the broad topic of “understanding effective management.” A final paper demonstrates the use of primary as well as applied sources related to the topic. This paper includes a reflective synthesis by the student of a coherent management philosophy.

Admissions process
Applicants should submit the following materials to the director of the MAOM program:

Graduation requirements
Students must complete coursework within four years of their admission to the MAOM or MBA program. Graduation requirements include completion of 39 semester hours of coursework (with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0). Students must earn a grade of C- or above in all courses. They may repeat courses to earn satisfactory grades. Students must pay for courses each time they are taken.