• Message from the Program Director
• Overview of the Fast-Track MBA Program
• Admissions Requirements
• Program Structure
• Course Descriptions
• Faculty

On Choosing an MBA Program

What do people look for when deciding on an MBA program?

According to our MBA students at the Rockland Graduate Campus of Long Island University, two of the most important factors in choosing an MBA program are a manageable schedule and quality instruction.

Manageable Schedule:
Given the pressures in today’s business workplace, a conventional schedule of courses can either take too long to complete or can mean an unrealistically heavy workload. That’s why we developed our 8-Week course format called “Fast-Track.” The 48-credit degree program can be completed in just 24 months.

Students complete three courses in each of the Fall, Spring or Summer semesters. Each course has eight class meetings. By coming to class one night per week, the first course is completed in two months, and the second one in the subsequent two months. The third course is completed by meeting every other week, throughout the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters.

Thus, by attending class one night a week and one night every other week, students who begin in September of a given year will complete their degree in 24 months.

Quality Instruction:
Rockland MBA graduates’ feedback of their instructors is consistently positive. When they talk about the quality of instruction, they cite the practical, concrete, real-world orientation of the faculty. That is because the MBA faculty are drawn from the business world, with many years of management experience. In addition to possessing advanced degrees, they also have extensive experience in business plus specialized knowledge in their areas of expertise.

Perhaps most importantly, classes average from 10 to 15 students, so that faculty and students get to know each other well. Students enrolled in the Fast-Track MBA Program move together as a student cohort and work on projects in teams. This close, personal contact deepens learning and at the same time enhances opportunities for career networking.

The Fast-Track MBA Program at the Rockland Graduate Campus incorporates both of these critical factors and has other important advantages described in more detail below.

For Further Information:
For more details about this program, contact:

Ken Reilly, MBA Program Outreach Coordinator
Ken.Reilly@liu.edu
Telephone: (845) 359-7200 ext. 5408

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OVERVIEW OF THE FAST-TRACK MBA PROGRAM

Mission: The MBA program offered by Long Island University in Rockland has provided graduate study in business to the future leaders of Rockland, Bergen, and Orange Counties for over twenty years.

The “Fast-Track MBA” – an accelerated cohort program is designed to help working students complete the MBA in 24 months and to do so with special tuition incentives. The goal of the Fast-Track MBA Program is to prepare students for career advancement and to help them become confident, competent business executives.

Cohort System: Each entering class moves through the program as a “cohort.” This permits intensive interaction between faculty and students and develops strong team-work and communications skills.

Innovative Scheduling: Students complete the MBA degree rapidly through our innovative eight-week semesters, taking three courses every semester (Fall, Spring, Summer).

Student-Friendly Schedule: The program is specifically designed for the part-time student / working business person. Classes meet one night per week and one night every other week, limiting the number of trips to campus.

Practical Orientation: Faculty members are practicing businessmen and businesswomen with advanced academic credentials and extensive experience in the corporate world. The MBA faculty’s business experience ensures a practical, real-world approach to classroom instruction. The faculty emphasize business competencies that are critical to students’ career success:

• The development of personal leadership qualities.
• The ability to communicate well and work effectively with people.
• Strategic thinking, financial analysis, and other problem-solving skills.
• Sensitivity to multi-cultural, diversity, and ethical issues.
• A broad knowledge of business subjects.

Special Tuition-Structure: Enrollees in the Fast-Track MBA Cohort benefit from a $75 per credit tuition reduction, and free textbooks for all MBA courses.

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MBA ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS

The admissions process is selective. Only applicants who are prepared to commit themselves to the demanding course of study required of the Fast-Track MBA should apply.

Admissions requirements include:

• A resume describing prior business or professional experience.
• An undergraduate degree from an accredited institution. Transcripts from all colleges and universities previously attended must be submitted. A G.P.A. of 3.0 is required for full-matriculation. In some cases, “limited matriculation” may be granted to otherwise strong candidates.
• Scores from the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT). The GMAT will be waived for applicants who already hold a master's or J.D. degree from an accredited institution or a Certified Public Accountant license. The GMAT may also be waived for applicants with significant business experience, which ordinarily includes at least seven years of professional employment after completing an undergraduate degree.
• Two letters of recommendation from professional references.
• A written statement outlining the applicant's objective for seeking admission.
• A completed Admissions application.

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MBA PROGRAM STRUCTURE

The M.B.A. curriculum has four levels:

General Business Core
Six courses (18 credits) at the 500 Level

Advanced Business Core
Five courses (15 credits) at the 600 level

Electives
Four advanced courses (12 credits) at the 700 level in either Management or Finance

Capstone Courses
One Business Policy course (3 credits), 800 level.

General Business Core courses are particularly important for students who have not had previous work in economics or business, or who lack comparable business experience. Students who completed business courses as an undergraduate may qualify for a reduction of some or all of the general business core courses, reducing the total requirements of the program.

Waivers
Students with undergraduate and/or graduate business administration training may petition the Program Director to waive courses in the general business core. Students shall have received grades of at least 3.0 (B) in two undergraduate courses for each general business core course to be waived. A maximum of six business core 500 level courses may be waived.

The Cohort Framework

Courses at each level of the M.B.A. are offered within a framework provided to each entering cohort of students. The curriculum for the M.B.A. program consists of the following courses:

General Business Core
GBA 510 Financial Accounting for Managers- 3Cr.
GBA 511 Corporate Financial Management- 3 Cr.
GBA 512 Principles of Management and Leadership-3 Cr.
GBA 515 Managerial Communications- 3 Cr.
GBA 516 Business Statistics-3 Cr.
GBA 517 Fundamentals of Management Information Systems- 3 Cr.

Advanced Business Core
MBA 611 Global Economic Environment-3 Cr.
MBA 614 Operations Management-3 Cr.
MBA 630 Financial Services and Capital Markets- 3 Cr.
MBA 632 Marketing Management & Strategy-3 Cr.
MBA 633 Organizational Behavior in Global Society

Special Competencies
Four 700-Level Courses in Management – 12 Cr.
-OR -
Four 700-Level Courses in Finance- 12 Cr.

Capstone
MBA 821 Business Policy and Strategy -3 Cr.

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MBA COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

General Business Core: 18 Credits

GBA 510 Financial Accounting
Study of basic accounting concepts and methods and their significance to management and to the financial analyst. Topics include an introduction to financial statement analysis, the measurement of income and capital, accounting for fixed assets, inventory costing and price-level changes, measuring and accounting for corporate debt, corporate investment in securities, and computer applications in accounting. This course does not require previous training in accounting. Three credits.

GBA 511 Corporate Financial Management
Prerequisite: GBA 510
In a risky global environment, methods are studied by which firms and individuals 1) evaluate stocks, bonds and investment projects, 2) combine them in optimal portfolios, and 3) determine the best level of debt versus equity. The basic tools are risk versus return, and the evaluation of future cash flows. Three credits.

GBA 512 Principles of Management and Leadership
Analysis of current management theory and practice. Discussion of its historical foundations and investigation of various approaches to the management discipline. Primary emphasis on administrative functions of planning, decision-making, organizing, staffing and controlling. Three credits.

GBA 515 Managerial Communications
This course is concerned with improving the way people within organizations communicate. It includes the interpretation and application of organizational communication theory for the working or aspiring manager. Topics include: personal communication styles, media and tools for the manager/communicator, organizational communications climate, one-to-one communications, meetings and conferences, speaking before groups, written managerial communications, planning and producing business reports, advertising managerial communications. Three credits.

GBA 516 Business Statistics
This course is designed to give fundamental knowledge of principles, concepts and techniques involved in application of probability and statistics to business research and managerial decisions. The range of applications covers various functional areas such as Finance, Marketing, Accounting, Management, Economics and Production. Topics include descriptive statistics, probability concepts, risk assessment techniques, decision theory, and statistical inference (estimation and hypothesis testing). Three credits.

GBA 517 Fundamentals of Management Information Systems
This is a survey course analyzing the role of information systems in business strategy. Information systems are shown to be facilitators of market penetration, competitive advantage and organizational change. The material is presented within an integrated framework of organization, management and technology. Topics include: organizational and technical foundations of information systems; applications of information systems to operational, tactical and strategic decision making; management of information as an organizational resource; information architectures; emerging technologies; various approaches to building and management of information systems. Three credits.

Advanced Business Core: 18 Credits

MBA 611 Global Economic Environment
Prerequisites: GBA 510,GBA 511
The main goal of this course is to analyze and understand the global economy in which business operates. Attention centers on the key policy issues and major economic forces that affect business activity and on the tools necessary to evaluate these issues and forces. The former include unemployment, inflation, fiscal policy, budget deficits, monetary policy, the changing financial environment, the roles of the U.S. dollar, productivity, and international trade. The tools of analysis include the portfolio approach, post-Keynesian and modern monetarist approaches, rational expectations and state-of-the-art analysis of saving and investment. The course also explores the role played by U.S. and world financial markets in influencing the domestic and global economic environment. Three credits.

MBA 614 Operations Management
Prerequisites: GBA 512, GBA 516
Analysis and synthesis of important problems encountered in the management operations of a business organization. Analytical methods employed in solving problems such as inventory, queuing, network models, linear programming and PERT are explored. Emphasis is on problem-solving and decision-making in such areas as investment in operations, production planning, scheduling and control, reliability and maintenance. Three credits.

MBA 630 Financial Services and Capital Markets
Prerequisites: GBA 510, GBA 511
This course is a survey of money markets, the banking function, investments, and new corporate financing techniques in relation to global macroeconomic activity. Emphasis will be given to understanding the principle forces that shape U.S. and global money and capital markets. Money creation, the demand for money, and the relation of money to inflation and financial flows will be reviewed in a national and international context. Interest rates and their behavior will be examined carefully within the context of offering a broad based introduction to the financial world, the changing role of competitive financial institutions and the effects of these changes on fiscal and monetary policy. Three credits.

MBA 632 Marketing Management and Strategy
This course focuses on strategic planning, problem-solving, and management of the marketing function. The principal components of marketing operations, including product development, promotion, pricing, and distribution, will be discussed, as well as the processes, concepts, and methods of marketing strategy at both the product level and the corporate level. The marketing strategies and management practices of contemporary firms will be examined as they relate to industrial and consumer products and services. The relation between marketing and other business functions will be reviewed as well. Three credits.

MBA 633 Organizational Behavior in a Global Society
Prerequisite: GBA 512
This course analyzes both the formal and informal aspects of organizational behavior as well as the ethical demands on the business organization for social responsibility. Topics cover issues of human behavior in an organizational context, such as individual patterns of motivation and behavior, norms and values, ethical dilemmas, communication, teamwork, collaboration versus conflict, and group dynamics, Organization-wide issues such as leadership, superior/subordinate relationships, and organizational change are also explored. The moral, legal, and political challenges which arise as a result of conducting business in a global society are discussed. Three credits.

MBA 821 Business Policy and Strategy
An examination of the fields of policy making and management that integrates the work covered in the graduate business curriculum. The viewpoint is that of senior general managers who set company-wide objectives and coordinate departmental policies and activities. As an integrating experience, students are expected to bring their acquired business knowledge to bear on managerial decision making. Through readings in strategic management, case analyses, and a computer-based simulation, students take the role of executive team members to test their skill in the use of financial, marketing, and management variables in competition with other student teams on the campus and in other universities. Selected guest lecturers and a major written project round out the learning experience. Three credits.

Advanced Courses, Finance Concentration: 12 Credits
The student may choose either Finance or Management as a field of concentration. Finance Concentration courses (4) will be drawn from the following.

Finance 702 Money and Capital Market Applications
Prerequisites: GBA 510, GBA 511
Study of financial markets as allocators of funds and distributors of risk. Emphasis is given to the roles and functions of financial intermediaries. Theories of financial asset pricing are considered as they help to determine risk and return in competitive markets.
Three credits.

Finance 704 Financial Reports Analysis
Prerequisites: GBA510, GBA 511
Survey of the analytical tools and techniques used to evaluate the current financial position of the firm. Financial reports are analyzed for growth potential, solvency, earnings quality, investments, and forecasting implications. Topics include: business and financial trends, proper adjustments of financial data, cash flow forecasting, estimation of debt risk premiums, and identification of likely candidates for acquisition and high bankruptcy risk firms. Required of all Finance concentration students.
Three credits.

Finance 705 Securities Analysis
Prerequisites: GBA 510, GBA 511, Finance 704
Introduction to the theory and practice of security analysis, including the valuation of individual securities, valuation of the stock market as a whole, portfolio management and investment strategies. Investment risks will be analyzed and measurements of risk, including duration and convexity, will be examined. An introduction to derivative securities and international investments will be included. Three credits.

Finance 707 Portfolio Management
Prerequisites: GBA 510, GBA 511, Finance 704, Finance 705
This course considers the most effective methods of meeting investment objectives for individual and institutional portfolios (specifically pension funds, endowment funds and mutual funds). Focus will begin with dedicated equity and fixed income portfolios and then progress to asset allocation and management strategies for mixed portfolios. Alternative techniques for managing risk, including derivatives, will be explored. Portfolio management, implementation and performance measurement will be analyzed and appraised in terms of economic shifts, yield curve changes, tax and legal considerations. The course makes heavy use of computer programs for portfolio management and analysis. Actual individual and institutional portfolios, managed by large and small institutions, will be examined. Three credits.

Finance 710 Corporate Mergers and Acquisitions
Prerequisites: GBA 510, GBA 511, Finance 704, Finance 705
Study of business enterprise growth through merger and acquisition. Topics include pre-merger planning and fact finding, legal and accounting considerations, financing aspects, tax and antitrust problems, personnel issues, post-merger integration and valuation techniques. International and domestic mergers and acquisitions are considered. Case studies are employed. Three credits.

Finance 715 International Trade
Prerequisites: GBA 510, GBA 511
Includes a review of international trade, its magnitude, direction, and industrial classification, as well as the institutions (GATT, etc) facilitating it. The course focuses on practical techniques and problems of exporting and importing with special attention to small business. Topics include: sources of marketing information, techniques of payment and collections, currency fluctuation problems and balance of payments analysis, sources and uses of funds to finance foreign trade, and government assistance. Three credits.

Finance 750 Financial Problems Seminar
Prerequisites: GBA 510, GBA 511
Selected foreign and domestic financial and economic developments are analyzed. Emphasis is upon integrating acquired financial knowledge with the problems under study. Three credits.

Advanced Courses, Management Concentration: 12 Credits
The student may choose either Finance or Management as a field of concentration Management Concentration courses (4) will be drawn from the following.

Management 702 Theories of the Organization
Prerequisites: GBA 512, MBA 633
Survey of organizational theories with particular emphasis on goal setting, assessing, achievement and displacement. Topics include: the relationship of authority, role responsibility, organizational structure, design and culture. Students will diagnose organizational functions, analyze deficiencies and determine ways of adapting organizational structure to realize goals. Three credits.

Management 703 Project Analysis and Program Management
Prerequisites: GBA 512, MBA 633
Survey of managerial criteria for effective project planning and management. Topics discussed: establishment of objectives, cost benefit analysis, planning methods, organizational concepts, causes of conflict, conflict resolution and options in allocation of resources. Three credits.

Management 704 Managerial Planning and Control Systems
Prerequisites: GBA 512, MBA 613
Formulation of integrated long-range and strategic plans relating to organizational objectives, expense centers, performance centers and investment centers. Also studied are methods of performance measuring and information handling. Three credits.

Management 705 Management Decision Theory
Prerequisites: GBA 512, MBA 633
Survey of the decision-making processes and methods for examining, defining, analyzing and solving complex problems. Emphasis is on defining objectives, value systems and methods for identifying and assessing alternative courses of action. Three credits.

Management 722 Human Resources Management
Prerequisites: GBA 512, MBA 633
A review of the major areas of personnel administration. Topics include: selection and replacement, compensation, training and development, labor relations and employee services. These activities are viewed from the position of both the large and small firm. Three credits.

Management 724 Organizational Development
Prerequisites: GBA 512, MBA 633
Survey of contemporary training and development problems with emphasis on the relationship between development and the organizations personnel decisions. Techniques of personnel training are examined. Three credits.

Management 725 Work, People, and Productivity
Prerequisites: GBA 512, MBA 633
Analysis of the problems of the occupational environment in small and large enterprises. Emphasis on the practical problem-solving that is of immediate concern to the participants. Topics include: survey of new approaches to motivation, attitudes, job satisfaction, job enrichment, monotony, fatigue, working conditions and conflict resolution, quality circles, and productivity. Three credits.

Management 750 Management Seminar
Prerequisites: GBA 512, MBA 633
The human problems of organizational management considered from a multidisciplinary point of view. Concepts and research from the behavior sciences are applied to the personnel problems of management. Theory and technique will be integrated by using group and individual study projects. Course is designed to enhance interpersonal skills related to superiors, subordinates, staff specialists, and peers. Three credits.

Capstone Course: 3 Credits

Business Policy and Strategy MBA 821
An examination of the fields of policy-making and administration that builds upon and integrates the work covered in the graduate curriculum. The viewpoint is that of senior general managers who set company-wide objectives and coordinate departmental policies and activities. As an integrating experience, students are expected to bring their overall acquired business knowledge to bear on the intricacies of managerial decision-making. Through text, case analysis and a computer-based simulation, students have an opportunity to test their skill in the use of financial, marketing and management variables in a competitive situation. Selected guest lecturers and assignment of a major written project round out the learning experience. Three credits.

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