The Curriculum

The Elon MBA program is designed to help students identify their career goals, provide the knowledge and capabilities they will need to achieve these goals, and help them develop leadership skills they can apply in their work and in their communities. An introductory workshop, MBA 501, is designed to introduce students to the campus, one another, and, at the same time, provide skills that can help them be successful in the program. Students in MBA 501 participate in a number of activities. First they work on development goals they hope to achieve in their MBA education. Next they participate in a leadership development exercise that is designed to identify their preferred leadership style and provide guidance about how to develop and improve these skills. Students also go through advanced Excel training to ensure they have skills they will call upon throughout their coursework.

The second workshop, MBA 502, taken as students near completion of the program revisits topics addressed in MBA 501. The course combines a look back with a look forward. Students will evaluate progress they made in reaching the goals set as they began the program and articulate new goals focused on the next phase in their careers. The most exciting element of MBA 502 is the annual Graduating Class Case Competition. Working in groups and applying the skills acquired in their MBA studies, students are challenged to provide solutions to a complex, current business case. Professional managers evaluate the group presentations, provide feedback regarding the solutions suggested, and then select each year’s winning team.

Accounting and Finance Preparation

The MBA program requires that all students demonstrate adequate preparation in accounting and finance prior to enrolling in the core MBA accounting and finance courses. Satisfaction of this requirement can be demonstrated in one of two ways:

One example could be evidence of prior undergraduate coursework in accounting and/or finance. To be acceptable, such coursework should have been completed within five years of entering the MBA program. Students with prior coursework must also pass qualifying exams in accounting or finance.

Students also can successfully complete foundation classes, usually taken at the undergraduate level, in accounting and/or finance. Such foundation classes can be taken at Elon as ACC 500 or FIN 500 or at some other approved institution. Approval must be granted by the MBA program.

Graduate Courses

Two Required Non-Credit Workshops:

Core Courses: 27 sh

Select one course from the following: 3 sh

Choose three elective courses: 9 sh

Students can choose any three elective courses from the group below OR three elective courses from a specific concentration.

Concentrations:

Entrepreneurship

Marketing

Human Resources

Organizational/Analytics

Corporate Communications

Other classes that can be taken as electives:

Any of the two Organizational Systems classes, MBA 641 or MBA 645 can be taken as electives; the first class a student takes counts toward the core requirement, but the other may be taken for elective credit.

The study abroad, MBA 713-IS can be taken as an elective if it has been taken as the in-class International Business class, MBA 713. A student may also take two study abroad courses, with the first counting as the core requirement and the second for elective credit. Note: A student cannot, however, take the study abroad for the core requirement and then take the in-class option for an elective.

Class Schedule and Course Load

The Martha and Spencer Love School of Business schedules classes to allow MBA students who are working full-time to attend graduate school part-time. All courses are taught year round in the evenings at both Elon and RTP.

During the fall, winter and spring semesters, classes are scheduled Monday – Thursday from 6 – 9 p.m. Each class meets one evening per week for 10 weeks (fall, winter and spring). Each class will include approximately 45 minutes of additional instruction outside of class time (for example, an online component). Many students enroll in two courses each semester and attend classes two nights a week.

Two 5-week semesters are also offered each summer. During these summer semesters, classes are taught two nights per week, Monday and Thursday. Both core and elective classes are offered in the summer.