Master of Arts in Management

This general concentration allows you to select from other concentration courses offered in this program.

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Develop a strategic business plan applying the theories and practices of management and planning for a particular organizational setting.
• Examine complex organizations from a level of analysis perspective, including the individual, interpersonal, group, and organizational level perspectives.
• Evaluate management issues in the context of ethical, technological, structural, cultural, human and environmental factors.

The concentration in Business Project Management enhances the student’s understanding of how businesses evolve, adapt, and maintain an enterprise through project management. Through this concentration, students will be introduced to the theories, concepts, and practices that align with project management. Students will develop a skill set to track and monitor projects.

Companies depend on project management to stay competitive in developing new offerings, determining the technology needed within the enterprise, updating processes and procedures, and implementing projects for customers.

The concentration is designed for business professionals and military personnel interested in project management within the business environment.

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Evaluate how to properly monitor a project.
• Articulate why a project needs to align with the organization’s strategic plan.
• Analyze the project costs and actuals.
• Create a risk management plan.
• Build a project schedule that integrates the various parts of the project to define the critical path
• Integrate the various parts of the project to determine the health of the project through cost/schedule metrics.
• Articulate the ethical and legal aspects of project management.
• Analyze the various business tools used to define quality control and quality assurance.

Focuses on key concepts and principles of being a successful entrepreneur/intrapreneur or small business owner. You will examine leadership practices, feasibility of ideas, funding, and customer service specific to a small business.

Upon completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Develop an idea for a new business venture.
• Use various methods to critically evaluate specific operational functions.
• Determine your target market and market segmentation.
• Create a marketing plan for your venture.

Compares various managerial approaches to employment law. Discusses rewards systems, measurement of employee performance, and other compensation packages. Probes policies and procedures involving legislative, regulatory, and organizational issues affecting human resource management in a global workforce. Topics include workplace safety and the recruitment, development, and training of human capital.

Upon completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Compare and contrast various managerial approaches to employment law.
• Evaluate the strategic factors influencing the various levels of rewards systems in the marketplace.
• Assess methods used to measure performance and determine pay level and associated compensation packages.
• Analyze the role and function of the Senior Human Resource Professional in the development and implementation of policies and procedures encompassing legislative, regulatory, and organizational issues affecting the management of human resources in today’s global workforce.

This concentration focuses on meeting industry needs for IT managers in order to manage cost, time, scope, quality, risk, and people to ensure that projects come in on time and under budget. It also addresses strategic planning and business systems analysis.

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Evaluate the principles and practices for organizing, allocating, and managing project resources.
• Analyze the project management framework, including the stakeholders, domains, phases, processes, integration, and lifecycle.
• Examine the potential complexities and pitfalls in initiating and closing projects, and assess methods to mitigate this risk.
• Evaluate the unique challenges in managing the scope, time, and cost of Information Technology projects.
• Examine various project cost models and analyze the principles of earned value management (EVM).
• Assess the principles, strategies, challenges, and measures for managing quality and risk on IT projects.
• Analyze the phases, procedures, deliverables, and best practices for business systems analysis.

The concentration in Organizational Crisis Management covers crisis management concepts and activities from the organizational leader’s perspective. The courses in the concentration cover organizational change, risk management, organizational processes related to crisis management, and leadership roles in crisis management.

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Establish protocols for crisis management communication as it relates to the organization.
• Recommend organizational crisis planning strategies.
• Evaluate processes for continuity planning.
• Explain the impact on the organization of poor crisis planning.
• Describe the role of leadership in organizational crisis management.

Examines various leadership theories and models used by contemporary leaders in management. Looks at the effective leader’s role in the workplace as it relates to decision making, conflict resolution, motivation, and risk taking. Addresses contemporary leadership theories and models to develop and nurture followership, workplace diversity, ethics, motivation, and knowledge management.

Upon completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Evaluate various leadership theories and models used by contemporary leaders in the field of management to develop and nurture followership.
• Assess leadership approaches to diversity in the workplace, ethics, motivation, and knowledge management.
• Examine the roles and functions of an effective leader in today’s workplace as it relates to the areas of decision making, conflict resolution, motivation, and risk taking.

Addresses the management of public organizations and interpersonal relationships at the federal, state, and local levels. Various positions and issues involving politics, policy, economics, administration, and management in the public sector are covered. Topics include human resource strategy and the role of federal, state, and local public health agencies.

Upon completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Apply theories and approaches to managing public organizations and administering federal, state, and local levels and evaluate the interpersonal relationships among these levels of government.
• Evaluate positions and issues that intersect the dynamics of politics, policy, economics, administration and management in the public sector.
• Analyze public policy initiatives from political and administrative aspects as to their intentions, achievable aims and outcomes.

This concentration focuses on developing a business plan for a strategic consulting practice, assessing organization and business consulting models, and presenting recommendations on improving an organization’s practices and processes. Topics include interpersonal relations, group behavior, and managing individuals and groups in a virtual environment.

Upon completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Implement a change management program in an organization.
• Assess the systems and processes in an organization when addressing strategic, organizational and managerial challenges.
• Present senior management with recommendations on how to improve an organization’s practices and processes.
• Lead a project on innovation.