Executive MBA Curriculum | Lundquist College of Business

The Oregon Executive MBA strengthens your strategic perspective and allows you to exchange ideas and best practices with your peers. With classes held twice a month on consecutive Fridays and Saturdays, time away from work is limited, so you can sustain your career momentum while earning a graduate degree.

View CALENDAR FOR STUDENTS STARTING FALL 2019 (PDF)

Each cohort of working professionals spends twenty months side by side, bringing their own real-world business acumen to bear on the lessons learned in a high-level MBA curriculum. We know you’re already beyond the basics, so we focus on leadership, teamwork, and personal growth in projects that hold relevance for today’s business environment.

You can review current course listings below. Hallmarks of the Oregon Executive MBA curriculum include:

Real-World Application: Relevant projects impart great value to your sponsoring company by addressing key issues such as generating revenue, lowering costs, and leading strategic change. Students receive coaching and feedback on their performance as individuals, leaders, and team members.
Global Study Trip: Because business is breaking boundaries, we expect our MBAs to do the same. This is why an international experience (or several) is a required step toward earning your executive degree. You will travel abroad to visit companies, meet with executives and industry leaders, and learn the intricacies of doing business in a global environment while extending your skills by applying them in new contexts. Past trips have included destinations such as Iceland, Ireland, Fiji, and New Zealand.

First-Year Curriculum: 36 Credits

The first year of Oregon Executive MBA’s curriculum focuses on the core knowledge and skills executives need in order to lead their organizations effectively. Through a variety of dynamic instructional formats, students are challenged to apply their learning to real world situations.

Executive Immersion in Portland and Eugene
Leadership & Motivation
Financial Accounting
Global Business Environment
Managerial Economics
Business Writing
Accounting/Finance Bridge
Managerial Accounting
Marketing Management
Operations Management
Applied Statistics
Managing and Leading Organizations
Business Ethics
Financial Analysis
Opportunity Recognition
Capstone Workshop
Global Trip Workshop

Course Descriptions

Executive Immersion in Portland and Eugene

Held for four days before the academic year begins, Executive Immersion includes two days at the Oregon Executive MBA facility in Portland and two days at the University of Oregon’s Lundquist College of Business in Eugene, Oregon. Executive Immersion includes an overview of the program, alumni presentations and team building activities. These intensive four days provide a foundation for the program and accelerate the formation of a supportive, positive learning environment and cohort.
(Non-credit)

Leadership and Motivation

Examines management and leadership with an emphasis on effective organizational design for achieving strategic objectives. Emphasizes creating alignment among people, culture, structure, and reward systems to assure high performance. Typical project: analysis of student’s organization, structure, and culture as determinants of firm performance. (BA 716, 3)

Financial Accounting

An introduction to the reporting system used by businesses to convey financial information to external parties. Primary emphasis is placed on reading, understanding, and using financial reports outputs. Students will learn to prepare, comprehend, and perform basic analysis of financial statements. Typical project: an analysis of the financial statements of the student’s organization.

(BA 712, 3 credits) Gudrun Granholm

Global Business Environment

Explores the strategic and operational issues confronting managers in firms engaged in global business. Guest executives will help integrate fundamental concepts and emerging events and issues in the global economy. The course develops the skills to effectively manage in crosscultural environments. Typical project: student teams analyze how companies respond to the complex challenges of global business.
(BA 726, 3 credits) Tina Starr

Managerial Economics

Examines economic concepts for solving major managerial problems by covering the concepts of cost, demand, rivalry, and competitive advantage. Includes an overview of monetary and fiscal policy impacts on organizations. Typical project: student learning teams compete in a business simulation
(BA 715, 3 credits) Glen Waddell

Business Writing

This course covers the essentials of clear and concise business writing. Reviews the theory and practice of writing effectively for U.S. and international business audiences, addressing the use of rhetorical, cultural, and organizational analysis to create persuasive business documents.
(BA 708, 1 credit) Kelli Matthews

Accounting Finance Bridge

Make the transition from accounting basics to sophisticated financial analysis in a new course taught by Professor of Accounting Sarah E. Nutter, the Edward Maletis Dean at the UO Lundquist College of Business.
(BA 710, 1 credit)

Managerial Accounting

Covers the development, presentation, and interpretation of cost information for management decision-making, planning, and control. Typical project: analyze and evaluate a costing system in the student’s company and make recommendations for improvement.
(BA 714, 3 credits) Michele Henney

Marketing Management

Studies the marketing process from the perspective of the general manager; fundamental marketing concepts are discussed and students develop frameworks to analyze complex marketing opportunities and challenges. Specific topics include market segmentation, targeting, positioning, differentiation, products, brands, pricing, distribution, promotion and global marketing. Typical project: students compete in a marketing simulation and prepare a critique of their organizations’ marketing programs.
(BA 717, 3 credits) Kathy Long Holland

Operations Management

This course examines methods and processes for providing a competitive advantage through continuous quality and process improvements, supplier management, and efficient production of products and services. Key topics include capacity planning, make/buy decisions, production, procurement, and logistics planning. Typical project: participation in an operations management simulation and analysis of supply chain case studies.
(BA 727, 3 credits) Nagesh Murthy

Applied Statistics

Integrates statistical tools for analyzing business data and covers process analysis, data collection, regression, statistical control, and forecasting. Typical project: identify opportunities and application of statistical tools in the student’s business unit.
(BA 713, 3 credits) Glen Waddell

Managing and Leading Organizations

Business Ethics

Studies the derivation of values and their application to individual choices. This course emphasizes the conflict managers experience when choosing between two alternatives. Typical project: student teams address one current dilemma facing managers.
(BA 730, 1 credits) Jeffrey Stolle

Financial Analysis

Focuses on the theories, concepts, and principles of financial analysis. This course includes the analysis of policy problems involved in financing the business corporation, the time value of money, asset valuation models, risk management, financial statement analysis, management of working capital, earnings and dividend determination, business combinations, and business reorganizations. Typical project: students apply financial tools and frameworks to real-world situations.
(BA 718, 4 credits) Deb Bauer

Opportunity Recognition

Introduces the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, a spirited approach to leadership that involves identifying high-potential opportunities, gathering resources, and managing rapid growth and significant risks through principled decision making.
(BA 735, 3 credits) Andrew Nelson

Capstone Workshop

Global Trip Workshop

Second-Year Curriculum: 37 Credits

The second-year curriculum offers advanced courses in core subjects, with a special focus on strategy, global business, corporate entrepreneurship, and innovation. This year is built around the Business Capstone Project, which provides students the opportunity to pursue a project of special interest to their organizations or themselves. Additionally, a series of electives provides the opportunity for more in-depth study on selected topics.

Global Study Trip
Marketing Strategy
Formulating Corporate Strategy
Corporate Financial Strategy
Negotiation
Oregon Executive MBA Business Capstone Project
Alliances and Acquisitions
Technology and Innovation
Implementing Strategy
Legal Environment of Business
Electives
New Venture Planning

Course Descriptions

Global Study Trip

The Global Business Trip provides students with the opportunity to learn about global business through a combination of readings, discussions, and international travel. Students study business, political, and cultural environment of other countries, then take an 8–10 day trip to those destinations. During their time abroad, students meet with academic and business leaders, visit a variety of businesses, and learn about the local business cultures.
(BA 708, 1 credit) Tina Starr

Marketing Strategy

Focuses on how to develop and execute marketing strategies that create sustainable competitive advantage. Key topics include finding strategic market segments, differentiation through value networks, value propositions, channel innovation, global branding, and marketing organization. This course also explores difference between marketing strategy and tactics and discusses how a leader can motivate an organization to rally behind its marketing strategy. Typical project: student will apply marketing strategy models to their own firm and a variety of other firms.
(BA 719, 3 credits) Doug Wilson

Formulating Corporate Strategy

Examines how organizations formulate successful strategies in a variety of competitive environments. This course considers the different frameworks and analytical techniques for effective strategic decision-making as students apply their learning through case discussions, exercises, simulations, and an in-depth analysis of their own organization or a start-up venture. Live case studies and guest speakers form a major part of this course. Typical project: prepare a strategic plan for your business unit or organization.
(BA 723, 3 credits) Beth Hjelm

Corporate Financial Strategy

Presents advanced topics in firm valuation (e.g., acquisitions, restructuring) and financial risk management (e.g., hedging, derivatives, foreign projects) as related to global and domestic corporate strategies. Typical project: prepare a strategic analysis of an important financial issue facing the student’s organization.
(BA 720, 3 credits) Brandon Julio

Negotiation

Explores the major theories and concepts of negotiation, giving students the chance to practice deal-making and conflict resolution while gaining insights into their own and others’ styles. It encourages improvement in communication and persuasion. Typical project: students participate in negotiation simulations.
(BA 729, 3 credits) Dave Garten

Alliances & Acquisitions

This course is designed to help a manager understand and use alliances as a tool to fulfill a given business strategy. It will cover best practices (what works), as well as unsuccessful practices (what doesn’t work). The course will pay particular attention to value creation and will include topics on deal valuation, deal making, due diligence, and integration.
(BA 736, 3 credits) Dave Garten

Implementing Strategy

Examines how managers implement business strategy, including employing a portfolio management approach to select initiatives that will drive an organization toward strategy fulfillment. This class explores techniques to visualize and measure relationships between strategy and operational level actions. There is significant focus on the art and practice of plan execution. Typical project: prepare a critical linkage strategy map that shows implementation projects through the operational level.
(BA 725, 3 credits) Ed Warnock

Technology and Innovation Management

The post-industrial economy we live in is marked by waves of disruptive technologies. Leaders and companies can either gracefully surf these waves or be smashed into the ocean floor by them. For instance, Kodak missed the digital photography disruption and filed for bankruptcy but Fuji Film transformed itself into a specialty chemicals firm that is bigger than ever. This class will teach students how to predict the next disruptive technologies and understand how to implement strategies to manage them successfully.
(BA 710, 3 credits) Ralph Heidl

Legal Environment of Business

Explores the effects of law, government policy, and social forces upon business strategy formulation and decision-making. This course encourages the practice of strategic prevention. Typical project: an anchoring paper on a legal issue affecting a student’s work environment.
(BA 711, 3 credits) Scott Schnuck

The Oregon Executive MBA Business Capstone Project

The Capstone Project completes the Oregon Executive MBA. Students individually develop, research, and analyze a new business opportunity for their firm in an integrative, hands-on learning experience that can take the form of a business plan or a feasibility study. The Capstone Project covers both strategy formulation and strategic implementation issues and serves as an important return on investment opportunity for student sponsors. Students develop the business project throughout the second year of the program and are supported by an individual faculty advisor.
(BA 740, 7 credits spread over 3 terms) Bill Etheredge, Scott Chambers, Eric Chung, Dave Davies, Gudrun Granholm, Michele Henney, Kathy Long Holland, Dave Preston, Linda Weston, Doug Wilson

Electives

Each student will choose two credits of electives which will give them more focused coursework in a specific area. Examples of specific electives which might be offered are:

Change Management
Organizational Congruence
International Finance
Risk Management
Data Analytics
New Venture Finance
Corporate Governance
Database Management Systems
Game Theory
Emerging Market Fund Management
Strategic Business Transformation
International Accounting
Managing a Cross-cultural Organization
Managing Innovation
Project Management

(BA 708, 2 total credits)

New Venture Planning

Students learn how to prepare a comprehensive strategy for launching a new business inside a corporation or as a startup, using their entire business education and experience. Working in small teams, students research the market for a product or service, prepare a detailed plan, and present it to the class or a panel of experts. Typical project: preparation and presentation of a new venture business plan.
(BA 731, 3 credits) Ed Warnock

View Examples of Capstone Projects (PDF)

Oregon Executive MBA Curriculum