Business Administration (MBA)
In the Master of Business Administration (MBA) at St. Edward’s, you’ll achieve an education in business management that meets the demands of a constantly changing economy — and earn a degree that adapts easily to your current career field or almost any other.
The expertise you acquire in the MBA program can be applied in any workplace — in Austin and beyond. You’ll learn how to improve business practices, market products and services, and address financial challenges while cultivating managerial and analytical savvy. In the process, you’ll develop the knowledge, skills and leadership ability to advance toward top-level management responsibilities.
Master of Business Administration
Overview:
The first phase of the MBA program is designed for students with few or no previous business school credits. Students gain an understanding of accounting, finance, quantitative methods and economic and marketing principles. In advanced phases, you’ll expand on the basics for a more complete picture of organizational systems to include topics like business law and ethics, marketing management, and organizational behavior and communications — and delve into your chosen area of concentration.
The MBA degree is general enough to prepare graduates to serve as individual contributors, business owners or executives in any type of business. Career paths for graduates include working as financial analysts for investment firms, managing in multi-national enterprises, directing sales for software development companies, overseeing media buys for marketing agencies — or creating and managing their own businesses.
Course Preview:
Master of Business Administration students take courses from these groups:
FOUNDATION COURSES
MBA students with no prior business school credits complete foundation courses, including Accounting Principles and Management, Quantitative Methods for Managers, and Financial Concepts and Policies.
CORE COURSES
MBA students take a common set of core courses such as Accounting, Finance and Marketing Management.
CONCENTRATIONS
You’ll choose one of five concentrations, designed to zero in on your area of greatest interest.
- Accounting: Pursue a high-level career as an auditor or tax professional in a government, nonprofit, corporate or public setting.
- Business Management: Move up to the next level in your company and be responsible for long-term business strategies.
- Finance: Guide a large company in managing its finances, equity research, sales or trading.
- Global Entrepreneurship: Meet the demand for global business expertise by researching and preparing a viable business plan for a new enterprise in a global environment, or engineering the growth of an existing organization.
- Marketing: Become a savvy marketing director or product development manager by learning the best approaches to selling products and services.
ELECTIVE COURSES
Students complete elective courses determined by their area of concentration.
CAPSTONE COURSE
Your final course, a Capstone, combines knowledge and skills learned throughout the program. You’ll team up with fellow MBA students on a strategic management project for a business, nonprofit or government agency. You’ll consult with your client to determine the nature of the project, conduct research to help the organization and present your results to the client at the end of the semester.
Past Capstone projects have included developing an expansion plan for an after-school program for low-income children in Texas, producing a feasibility study for a new medical device and proposing new product ideas for a major corporation. You will also create an individual business plan of your own.
View the Degree Plan (PDF) for sample course information for the Master of Business Administration.
Opportunities
St. Edward’s University offers opportunities for professional-level research and sophisticated learning experiences that parallel the real workplace — above and beyond those required for your degree. You might choose to join a faculty-led consulting project abroad, contribute to the Sorin Oak Review (the university’s award-winning creative journal), or present your academic research at a national or international conference. These activities, and more, expand your expertise and build your credentials, preparing you to advance your career or move into a new one.