The Marquette University Board of Graduate Studies has approved three new specializations for the College of Business Administration’s highly-ranked MBA program, a new specialization for the Master in Management program, and updated the Leadership Certificate to offer a core and elective structure.
Starting in the 2024-25 academic year, MBA students will be able to specialize in leadership, business and managerial analytics and supply chain management. This will bring the total number of specializations in the MBA program to nine. Students in the Master in Management program will have the option to add a leadership specialization.
“Within the Graduate School of Management, we are excited to offer new specialization opportunities to MBA, MBA Online, and Master in Management students,” said Karen Rinehart, assistant dean of Graduate Programs. “The new specializations in business and managerial analytics, leadership and supply chain align with student interests, labor market demand, and areas of academic strength for the college.”
More information on the MBA program can be found here. Read more about each specialization below and find curricula for each on the MBA website.
Leadership:
The leadership specialization answers widespread interest from MBA and Master in Management students in improving management skills and readiness for organizational leadership positions. Offering the leadership specialization within these programs provides opportunities for students to formalize their leadership knowledge, skills and application.
“We believe that excellent leadership is embodied in exemplary service to others, especially customers, employees and communities,” said Dr. Jay Caulfield, associate professor of management. “To become an excellent business leader requires a balance between technical, and ethical interpersonal skills, with the latter becoming increasingly important as one achieves more leadership responsibility within an organization. The focus of the leadership specialization is to teach these skills reinforced through multiple applications to complex business situations.”
Within the MBA, students may complete the specialization by aligning 12 of their 15 elective credits with the specialization courses.
Within the Master in Management, six of the specialization credits are Master in Management program requirements, so students may complete the specialization by aligning six of their nine Master in Management elective credits with specialization courses.
Business and Managerial Analytics:
Adding the business and managerial analytics specialization (BMAN) to the MBA provides opportunities for students to build quantitative skills that are in high demand across organizations and industries.
“Analytics and data-driven decisions are now part of every department and discipline in companies of all sizes,” said Scott Rex, instructor of practice in marketing and head of the Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute. “Analytics and data science-related positions are still tops on recruiters’ lists, and demand is still outpacing supply. There’s no better time to integrate additional data analytics skills into our MBA program through the Business and Managerial Analytics specialization.”
The MBA-BMAN specialization is available to students pursuing the MBA and MBA Online. The BMAN specialization enables an MBA pathway that is STEM-designated. International students who pursue the MBA-BMAN will be able to apply for up to three years of Optional Practical Training (OPT) following graduation, increasing opportunities for U.S. work experiences.
The MBA-BMAN specialization requires no additional courses: the full curriculum fits within strategic use of MBA required and elective courses. Electives within the MBA-BMAN include courses within and beyond the Graduate School of Management.
Current MBA students may opt into the MBA-BMAN pathway and are encouraged to contact their academic advisor promptly to discuss next steps.
Supply Chain Management:
This specialization offers graduate supply chain courses from Marquette’s top ranked MS in Supply Chain Management program within a specialization available to students pursuing the MBA and MBA Online.
“Industry demand for supply chain professionals continues to grow,” Rinehart said. “The new supply chain specialization available within the MBA and MBA Online enables students to focus their electives with courses offered through Marquette’s nationally ranked MS in Supply Chain Management program.”
There is a high demand for supply chain talent within our labor market. Adding a supply chain specialization to the MBA and MBA Online enables MBA students to pursue and market this area of in-demand learning within their studies and careers.
Revised Leadership Certificate:
The Leadership Certificate has been revised to require 12 credits and to offer a structure of core and elective requirements.
“The two core courses — Character Driven Leadership and Contemporary Leadership —build the foundations of a principled leadership mindset. The full range of elective options provide the leadership capabilities needed to successfully meet the most challenging issues of the day,” said Dr. Gary Adams, director of graduate students for the Master in Management program.
These added specializations and updated leadership certificate structure will allow the Graduate School of Management to better serve its students and prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow.
If you’re interested in learning more about Graduate School of Management programs, please use this form to request information.
