The online MBA Program is presented on a trimester basis. Students
are generally enrolled in 12 units per trimester. Each trimester
consists of a minimum time period of 16 weeks from the date study
commences. Students not completing all trimester coursework in
the 16-week period will be granted an automatic 32 week extension
of time to complete the trimester. Students may take a leave-of-absence
between trimesters. However, except in special circumstances,
the entire degree program (3 trimesters) must be completed within
5 years.
Independent Study
The University's independent study modality recognizes that education
is an individual process where individuals with different learning
needs and study schedules can be accommodated. It emphasizes learning
that is meaningful, where individuals enjoy the learning process,
and acquire knowledge to better understand and manage their own
careers.
The Program’s Faculty Mentors support the student’s
independent-study learning role by guiding and stimulating the
learning process in one-on-one interaction. Our faculty mentors
recognize individual learning styles and needs, encourage one-on-one
contact, and emphasize the relevance of the material to the individual's
situation.
Each course in the Program contains a series of lesson
assignments generally consisting of reading requirements and research
projects. Students are evaluated through examinations and/or research
assignments which are submitted for faculty evaluation.
All assignments are submitted electronically. As set forth in
the University’s General Catalog, Internet access and minimum
computer requirements and skills are required as a condition of
admittance.
Curriculum
To earn the Master of Business Administration degree, a student
must complete the courses outlined below with a cumulative grade
point average of at least 3.00. The requirements may be completed
in as little as twelve months, and must be completed within five
years from the date of initial enrollment.
| First Trimester (12 units)
|
| MGT511 |
Managerial Perspectives |
4 units |
| MKT511 |
Marketing Management |
4 units |
| FIN515 |
Money and Capital Markets |
4 units |
| Second Trimester (12 units)
|
| BUS511 |
Entrepreneurship |
4 units |
| BLW513 |
The Legal and Regulatory Environment of Business
|
4 units |
| ACC513 |
Managerial Accounting** |
4 units |
| Third Trimester
(12 units) General Elective Course Options |
| Choose a minimum of 8 units from any
of the following: |
|
| BUS503 |
Valuing a Small Business or Professional Practice
|
4 units |
| BUS519 |
Business Research Methods |
4 units |
| BUS512 |
Franchising and Licensing |
4 units |
| BUS516 |
Commercial Leasing |
4 units |
| FIN502 |
Financing the Business Venture
|
4 units |
| FIN514 |
Financial Planning Principles |
4 units |
| MKT513 |
Public Relations |
4 units |
|
Elective Focus Area Options
Enhance the business foundation by majoring in
one or two management focus areas. Focus areas give you
the opportunity to gain specialized knowledge in the following
disciplines:
|
| Strategic Management |
|
| BUS559 |
Strategic Business Innovation |
2 units |
| BUS570 |
Product Design as Business Strategy |
2 units |
| BUS560 |
Strategic Staffing |
2 units |
| BUS550 |
Self Leadership |
2 units |
| Operations Management |
|
| BUS552 |
Business Operations Innovations |
2 units |
| BUS555 |
Product and Operations Quality |
2 units |
| BUS550 |
Self Leadership |
2 units |
| Information Management |
|
| BUS552 |
Business Operations Innovations |
2 units |
| BUS570 |
Product Design as Business Strategy |
2 units |
| BUS572 |
Data Visualization and Presentation |
2 units |
| Human Resources Management |
|
| BUS565 |
Human Resource Management Framework |
2 units |
| BUS562 |
Performance Management |
2 units |
| BUS560 |
Strategic Staffing |
2 units |
Choose one course from the 2 options below (BUS596 or
BUS597): |
| BUS596 |
Business Plan |
4 units |
| BUS597 |
Capstone |
4 units |
**Accounting graduates or CPA's may substitute an elective.
Total Semester Units Required for Graduation: 36
Financial Information
The tuition for the Program is $225.00 per unit.
Current information on financial aid is set forth on the University’s
website. Enrollment in the Program will generally qualify students
for payment deferrals on existing federally insured student loans.
Applicants seeking deferrals on existing student loans should
check with their lenders prior to enrollment. Additional information
on financial aid and tuition financing can be found under Tuition,
Financial Aid and Financing.
|
| Application Fee |
$100
|
| Transfer Credit Evaluation Fee |
$55 |
| Portfolio Credit Evaluation Fee |
$100 |
| Registration Fee (Per Trimester) |
$50 |
| Graduation Check/Diploma Fee |
$75 |
| Computer Library Fee (Per Trimester) |
$45 |
Administrative Accounting Fee (Per
Trimester)
(Installment Payment Option Only) |
$25 |
| Transcript Fee (Two Provided at No
Cost) |
$10 |
| Returned Check Fee |
$25 |
The cost of books and materials, other than each course syllabus,
is not included in the tuition. Most books and materials may be
purchased at local colleges, retail bookstores, directly from
publishers or over the Internet. The cost is estimated to average
approximately $125.00 per course.
Admission Policies and Requirements
Applicants who have earned a bachelor’s or first professional
degree from a college or university accredited by an accrediting
agency recognized by the United States Department of Education
may apply to the Program. The majority of applicants
to this Program are mature adults working in a variety
of professional settings. Many have not attended college for several
years. Consequently, prior class rank and grade point average
are not significant factors in the admission process.
To apply for admission to the Program, an applicant
must first complete the University’s Application
for Admission Form along with the required application
fee. It is not necessary to submit official transcripts at the
time of application. However, official transcripts will be required
within 60 days of enrollment.
If the applicant is accepted for admission to the Program,
enrollment materials will be prepared and sent to the applicant
for review and signature.
All payments submitted for tuition and fees must be payable in
U.S. dollars. Payments may be made by MasterCard®,Visa®,
American Express® or personal/business check.
Foreign Applicants and Applicants with International Credentials
Applicants whose native language is not English and who have
not earned a degree from an appropriately accredited institution
where English is the principal language of instruction must receive
a minimum score of 530 on the paper-based Test of English as a
Foreign Language (TOEFL), or 71 on the iBT, or its equivalent.
For more information on TOEFL visit the website: www.ets.org/toefl
Transfer Credit and Portfolio Credit
The acceptance of transfer credits between academic institutions
lies within the discretion of the receiving college or university.
Credits earned at William Howard Taft University may or may not
be accepted by another institution depending upon its own programs,
policies, and regulations.
The University is committed to providing students the greatest
opportunity to apply previously earned credit toward their chosen
degree program. Subject to the limitations of state and accreditation
regulations and academic comparability, students may apply to
have credit awarded through completion of:
BUS 512 Franchising and Licensing (4 Units)
This course explores concepts of franchising, benefits and problems
from both a franchisor and franchisee perspective, as well as
legal requirements. Students research actual franchise opportunities.
Prerequisites: Second Trimester courses.
BUS 503 Valuing a Small Business or Professional Practice
(4 Units)
This course explores the most commonly accepted valuation methods
for closely-held businesses and professional practices. It also
covers defining value for different purposes, the impact on value
of cash versus financing options, as well as how to work with
professional business appraisers and business brokers.
Prerequisites: Second Trimester courses.
BUS 519 Business Research Methods
(4 Units)
This course explores practical research theory and processes that managers
can use to assist in decision making. Students will study research methods,
information analysis, information evaluation, and strategy development based
on sound research.
Prerequisites: Second Trimester courses.
BUS 516 Commercial Leasing (4 Units)
Often the largest financial commitment of the small or developmental
stage business, this course covers lease negotiations, the lease
document, and tenant improvements for both office and retail leases.
Prerequisites: Second Trimester courses.
BUS 550 Self Leadership (2 Units)
This course is a comprehensive examination of Leadership grounded
in sound principles and research. It explores methods for achieving
personal goals using self-assessment, self-reward, self-talk,
mental imagery, team-think, and other cutting-edge concepts. The
emphasis of the course is on Self-Leadership and application,
with some review of theories related to leading others; however
the focus here is in self-leadership tools as a means to the successful
leadership of others.
BUS 552 Business Operations Innovations (2 Units)
This course is designed around the core principle that companies
can’t survive without innovating. The course and assignments
are a centered balance between how organizations manage the process
of generating new ideas against what it means to be able to execute
against those ideas operationally, turning ideas into actual breakthrough
products, services, and process improvements. The course reviews
building the right teams and managing operational processes while
testing new assumptions and forecasting & measuring change
results.
BUS 555 Product and Operations Quality (2 Units)
This course captures the fundamentals of Six Sigma methodology
and shows how to use its tools and techniques to improve customer
satisfaction and business performance through product and operations
quality. Offering a practitioner’s point of view, this course
covers key topics such as quality function deployment; DMAIC problem-solving;
measures and metrics; project management; statistical methods;
control charts; reliability; failure modes and effects analysis;
and lean manufacturing. The course is based in realistic industry
examples to support each topic.
BUS 559 Strategic Business Innovation (2 Units)
This course focuses on the topic of Strategic Planning and how
effective Strategic Planning is one of the most important steps
a company can take in order to build a competitive advantage in
the modern marketplace. The course presents a strategic model
that represents a comprehensive and effective approach to understanding
and executing the strategic planning process in any size organization.
The course describes the concepts of competition and competitive
advantage, explains the ins and outs of writing a strategic plan
and the importance of executing the plan, and provides simulation
cases for discussion.
BUS 560 Strategic Staffing (2 Units)
The Strategic Staffing course prepares managers to take a strategic
and modern approach to the identification, attraction, selection,
deployment, and retention of talent. Grounded in research but
full of real-world examples, this course describes how organizations
can develop a staffing strategy that reinforces business strategy,
leverages staffing technology, and evaluates and improves staffing
systems. The focus is on the Staffing Context; Planning, Sourcing,
and Recruiting; Selecting; and Managing the Staffing System.
BUS 562 Performance Management (2 Units)
This course emphasizes that the key competitive advantage in today’s
globalized world lies, not in technology and products, but in
its PEOPLE. In today’s globalized world it is easy to gain
access to the competition’s technology and products. Given
this, what is it that makes some businesses more successful than
others? What is today’s key competitive advantage? In this
course you will discover that the answer is people. Organizations
with motivated and talented employees offering outstanding service
to customers are likely to pull ahead of the competition, even
if the products offered are similar to those offered by the competitors.
This course is about the design and implementation of successful
performance management methods.
BUS 565 Human Resource Management (2 Units)
This course is a concise yet thorough review of essential HR management
concepts and strategies focusing on providing students and practicing
managers with essential HR management concepts including fundamental
practices, methods, topics, and relevant legal findings. The core
design is to make the information relevant to managers both within
the field of Human Resources, and also managers from other fields
that need to be familiar with the Human Resources framework. Each
part of the course focuses on how managers strategically use HR
practices and technology in today’s business environment
striking a balance between theory and real-world application.
BUS 570 Product Design as Business Strategy (2
Units)
This course explores product design and explains how to use design
to transform a business, a brand, and the way a company operates.
The core context of the course is that design drives innovation
and should be at the core of a good business strategy. We explore
the skills to identify possible futures, invent exciting products,
build bridges to customers, solve tough problems, and more. The
course reviews the theory, and requires critical thinking from
the students as they apply design to different phases of business.
BUS 572 Data Visualization and Presentation (2
Units)
This course is a broad survey of modern and cutting edge information
visualization techniques, the graphic presentation of data, which
fosters simplified usages of technology through the representation
of complex information at a glance. In modern Information Management,
this field is emerging as the quintessential technological competitive
advantage. This course examines the methods of two dozen visualization
experts who approach their projects from a variety of perspectives
-- as artists, designers, commentators, scientists, analysts,
statisticians, and more. Together they demonstrate how visualization
can help us make sense of the world. Firms that can understand
their data, and create new data intense products, will be the
market leaders well into the 21st century.
BUS 596 Business Plan (4 Units)
In this capstone project, the candidate develops a comprehensive
business plan.
Prerequisites: All Core and Elective courses.
BUS 597 Capstone(4 Units)
The capstone course allows students to apply the knowledge gained
throughout the program to a work-related project. Students work
with a faculty member to select an appropriate project and outline
the course scope and deliverables. It is expected that the completed
project will deliver some business process improvement or other
benefit to the student's work environment if possible.
Prerequisites: All Core and Elective courses.
FIN 502 Financing the Business Venture (4 Units)
This course focuses on setting out the basic principles of financial
management and applying them to the decisions faced by the financial
managers. It shows how managers value investments that may pay
off at different points in time or have different degrees of risk.
The course also explores financing alternatives available to the
small or developmental stage enterprise.
Prerequisites: Second Trimester courses.
FIN 514 Financial Planning Principles (4 Units)
This course is intended to provide an in-depth understanding of
the basic principles underlying financial planning. Theoretical
concepts needed to understand and practice financial planning
are discussed in detail. The understanding of the theoretical
principles is then strengthened through real world examples.
Prerequisites: Second Trimester courses.
FIN 515 Money and Capital Markets (4 Units)
The principal objective of this course is to give students a clearer
picture of how the money and capital markets, which now completely
circle the globe, function to provide the many services and fulfill
the many roles they are expected to perform in today’s world.
Prerequisites: Second Trimester courses.
MGT 511 Managerial Perspectives (4 Units)
This course focuses on managerial careers, development of critical
executive and managerial abilities, and the dynamics of organizational
environment and systems as they impact managerial progression
and work.
Prerequisites: None.
MKT 511 Marketing Management (4 Units)
This course emphasizes the importance of teamwork between marketing
and all the other functions of the business, strategic market
planning, and presents company examples of creative, market-focused,
and customer-driven action.
Prerequisites: None.
MKT 513 Public Relations (4 Units)
This course presents information about public relations practice,
a brief summary of its development, and addresses trends that
might predict the future.
Prerequisites: Second Trimester courses.
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