Curriculum

Planning Your Journey - Great journeys begin with a great plan. At Orientation, you'll begin mapping out your two-year experience, you'll meet your cohort, start working with your study team, and learn more about the resources and opportunities in the MBA program.  

Orientation and pre-term classes are mandatory for all new MBA students and begin the first or second week of August. 

Laying the Foundation - Fundamentals never go out of style. That's why your MBA journey begins with a core set of classes that empower you with the knowledge necessary to lead in the modern global economy. Taken with your cohort, your core curriculum will include studies in accounting, finance, marketing, and operations, along with economics, strategic career planning, and a Custom Core class that you choose. You'll also have opportunities to participate in research projects and business competitions.

Coursework:

• Financial Accounting
• Financial Management
• Statistics
• Microeconomics
• Marketing Management
• Operations Management
• Strategic Career Planning
• Custom Core #1 (first of four Custom Core* classes)
  
  

*Choose from a set of Core courses customized for your academic & career goals.

Customization - Spring is the season of growth. And at McCombs, spring is when your MBA journey becomes even more personal. You’ll take your final core classes (including three Custom Core selections), and then it’s nothing but electives until you graduate. Guided by your academic concentration, you’ll select your first two elective courses from the more than 100 offered. We'll also be helping you prepare for your summer internships.

Coursework:

• Strategic Management
• Custom Core #2 (second of four Custom Core* classes)
• Custom Core #3 (third of four Custom Core* classes)
• Custom Core #4 (fourth of four Custom Core* classes)
• Elective
• Elective 
  
  

*Choose from a set of Core courses customized for your academic & career goals.

Diving Deep - The second half of your MBA journey is all about you - pursuing your academic curiosities, expanding your professional network, and creating your ideal degree. As you begin your second year (and wrap up your summer internship), you'll find yourself doing even more outside of the classroom - leading student organizations, traveling around the world to see the global economy up close, and applying your knowledge to projects and Fellows programs. Also in Year Two, your career planning kicks into high gear. Assisted by our dedicated Career Management Team and supported by a global network of alumni, you will discover and pursue your ideal post-MBA position.

Coursework:

• All Electives 

Frequently listed as one of the premier accounting programs in the country, the McCombs Department of Accounting has offerings for everyone—from marketing students looking to broaden their understanding of accounting basics to seasoned finance gurus preparing for a career in investments. 

Accounting Department Concentrations:

• Accounting for Investment Banking*
• Corporate Accounting* 

*STEM Certified

The Business Government & Society Department (BGS) focuses research and teaching on the regulatory, political, legal, and ethical environment of business. Today’s global marketplace is more competitive, transparent, culturally and politically diverse, and more fluid than ever before. Understanding that complicated external environment is a core skill for tomorrow’s business leaders, and promoting that understanding is the BGS Department's mission. The concentrations in this department expose MBAs to courses in areas like public policy, regulation, ethics, law, business-government relations, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability.

BGS Department Concentrations:

• Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
• Public and Governmental Affairs

The top-ranked Finance Department at McCombs is large and varied in scope. Outside of the classroom, you can benefit from participation in the MBA Investment Fund, LLC, Real Estate Investment Trust, Venture Fellows, or the Graduate Finance Association. 

Finance Department Concentrations:

• Finance (General)*
• Corporate Finance*
• Energy Finance*
• Investment Management*
• Real Estate Finance* 
• Private Equity*

*STEM Certified

McCombs offers various interdisciplinary concentrations that focus on current business trends. You can enrich your academic experience in these areas outside the classroom as well with on-campus experiential opportunities like student organizations, academic challenges, and exclusive events.

Interdisciplinary Concentrations:

• CleanTech*
• Entrepreneurship
• Global Business
• Healthcare
• Social Enterprise

*STEM Certified 

Students who concentrate in Management at McCombs choose from an array of courses designed to increase their skills in developing and strategically managing people and processes. Graduates frequently take positions as management consultants, project managers, or human resource managers.

Management Department Concentrations:

• Management (General)
• Strategy & Innovation

The Marketing concentration is flexibly designed to appeal to a variety of career aspirations. Outside the classroom, the Center for Customer Insights and Marketing Solutions (CCIMS) Marketing Fellows program, and the Graduate Marketing Network enables strong industry interaction.

Marketing Department Concentrations:

• Brand and Product Management*
• High Tech Marketing*
• Marketing Analytics and Consulting*
  
  

*STEM Certified

The Information, Risk, and Operations Management (IROM) Department have several outstanding and nationally ranked programs, including the Information Systems program and the Productions/Operations Management program. Student organizations like the Graduate Operations Group create a forum for you to apply what you’ve learned.

IROM Department Concentrations:

• Business Analytics*
• Information Management*
• Supply Chain & Operations Management*
  
  

*STEM Certified

The MBA/Master of Arts in Asian Studies dual degree combines advanced business studies with interdisciplinary area studies and language, responding to an increased need in both public and private sectors for business specialists with a thorough understanding of Asian politics and cultures.

Students spend their first year in the program taking Asian Studies courses and the second year taking graduate business courses. The third year is a combination of both disciplines.

Learn more about the MA in Asian Studies/MBA

The MBA/Master of Arts in Communication dual degree exposes its students to both the abstract principles and issues involved in modern communication and business, and to the practical skills and techniques necessary for efficient and effective management. Graduates of the program earn a degree in the areas of Advertising, Communication Studies, Journalism, or Radio-Television-Film.

Students spend their first year in the program taking communications courses and the second year taking graduate business courses. The third year is a combination of both disciplines.

Learn more about the MA in Communication/MBA

As the legal environment of business becomes ever more important and intense, those individuals with skills in both general management and its surrounding legal context have become extremely valuable. The MBA/Doctor of Jurisprudence dual degree trains qualified business and law students for careers in the private or public business sectors and the legal profession.

Students spend their first year in the program taking law courses and the second year taking graduate business courses. The final 2 years combine both disciplines. The two degrees are awarded at the same time upon completion of the requirements mandated by both degrees.

Learn more about the JD/MBA

The MBA/Master of Arts in Energy and Earth Resources dual degree combines advanced studies of management with the studies of geosciences and natural resources. It teaches students to apply business policy and science knowledge to energy issues in the private industry, government, and nonprofit sectors.

Students can earn both degrees simultaneously in approximately three academic years. Degrees are awarded when the required coursework in both areas is completed.

Learn more about the MA in Energy and Earth Resources/MBA

The MBA/Master of Global Policy Studies dual degree responds to an increased need in both the public and private sectors for specialists with an advanced understanding of the global environment, governance within and among countries and companies, and cross-cultural challenges and opportunities. The program emphasizes practical knowledge, including hands-on connections to industry and government, and offers graduates the opportunity to earn a clear competitive advantage over other applicants for jobs in the global economy who have only a traditional business or policy degree.

Students spend their first year in the program taking Global Policy Studies core courses and the second year taking MBA core courses. The third year is a combination of both disciplines.

Learn more about the MGPS/MBA

The MBA/Master of Arts in Latin American Studies dual degree combines advanced business studies with interdisciplinary area studies and language, responding to an increased need in both public and private sectors for business specialists with a thorough understanding of Latin American politics and cultures.

Students spend their first year in the program taking Latin American Studies courses. The second year is dedicated to graduate business core courses and approved electives. The final year of coursework is a combination from both departments.

Learn more about the MA in Latin American Studies/MBA

The MBA/Master of Mechanical Engineering dual degree represents an opportunity for a well-rounded professional education in management of engineering organizations. For the mechanical engineer, this program offers the opportunity to understand the labor and management issues in engineering operations. For the engineering manager, it develops deeper insights into mechanical engineering principles.

Students spend their first year in the dual degree program taking Engineering courses. The second year is dedicated to MBA core courses and approved business electives. The final year is a combination of courses from both departments.

Learn more about the MSE/MBA

The MBA/Master of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies dual degree combines advanced business studies with interdisciplinary studies and language, responding to an increased need in both public and private sectors for business specialists with a thorough understanding of Middle Eastern politics and cultures.

Students spend their first year in the program taking Middle Eastern Studies courses and the second year taking graduate business courses. The third year is a combination of both disciplines.

Learn more about the MA in Middle Eastern Studies/MBA

The MBA/Master of Public Affairs dual degree prepares students to respond to the growing interrelationships between the public and private sectors by providing a combination of policy-related skills and one or more business administration specializations. The dual degree program trains qualified students in a coordinated program of coursework in public affairs and an advanced business field.

Students spend their first year in the program taking public affairs courses and the second year taking graduate business courses. The third year is a combination of both disciplines.

Learn more about the MPAff/MBA

The MSSW/MBA dual degree combines social work training with advanced business studies, responding to an increased need in the public and private sector for social work professionals with the management and financial skills required for careers in human services.

Learn more about the MSSW/MBA

The MBA/Master of Arts in Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies dual degree combines advanced business studies with interdisciplinary area studies and language, responding to an increased need in both the public and private sectors for business specialists with a thorough understanding of the culture, economics, geography, history, and politics of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.

Students spend their first year in the program taking Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies courses and the second year taking graduate business courses. The third year is a combination of both disciplines.

Learn more about the MA in Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies/MBA