Our MBA core curriculum introduces you to all the disciplines and analytical tools of business.
The integration of courses spanning five departments and four areas of expertise forms the cross-functional foundation for the four curricular specializations and hands-on learning opportunities available to MBA students.
In addition to mandatory core MBA courses, students may begin taking elective and specialization courses as early as their second term. By completing a combination of electives and core courses during the first year, students will kickstart their journey toward expertise in a particular field, gaining an advantage in securing a summer internship.
At a Glance
First Year
- Three terms, late September to early June
- Eleven MBA core courses spread throughout fall, winter, and spring terms
- Initial courses required for specialization
- Three MBA seminars (one each term)
Second Year
- Three terms, late September to early June
- Final MBA core courses
- Courses required for specialization and electives
- MBA capstone requirement, taken in either winter or spring term
Curricular Specializations
At the time of their application to the program, Oregon MBA students choose one of our four curricular specializations—sustainable business, sports business, entrepreneurship, or finance and securities analysis. To have a specialization notated on their transcripts, students must complete required and recommended courses specific to their specialization.
- Finance and Securities Analysis
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- Sports Business
- Sustainable Business Practices
Concurrent Degree Options
Want to earn an MBA and an MSF, JD, or master's degrees in art history, Asian studies, environmental studies, and global studies (to name just some of the possibilities)? At the University of Oregon, students can earn concurrent degrees often in less time than earning degrees separately.
Note: you must be admitted to both the MBA program and the concurrent one.
MBA Core Courses
The core courses of the full-time Oregon MBA provide the foundation for subsequent coursework. Regardless of chosen specialization, students and their classmates will take core courses together as a cohort, creating a sense of community and collaboration. The final culminating capstone course, to be taken in either the winter or spring term of their second year, ties together the knowledge and skills that students have acquired during their time in the program.
All courses listed below count for three credits each, with the exception of MBA seminars, which are programmatic requirements but do not count toward credit, and BA 610: Business Writing, which counts as one credit.
First Year
Fall Term
- ACTG 612: Financial Accounting
- BA 610: Business Writing
- FIN 612: Fundamentals of Finance
- MGMT 640: Sustainable Business Development
- OBA 612: Quantitative Methods for Managers
- MBA seminar
Winter Term
- FIN 613: Managerial Economics
- MGMT 612: Managing Individuals and Organizations
- MKTG 612: Marketing Management
- MBA seminar
Spring Term
- BA 680: Data Visualization and Communication
- MGMT 615: Leadership
- OBA 613: Operations Management
- MBA seminar
Second Year
Fall Term
- BE 625: Business Law and Ethics
For students specializing in sports business: SBUS 653: Legal Aspects of Sports Business - MGMT 614: Strategic Management
Winter Term
- MGMT 623: Negotiation
- For students completing their MBA capstone in winter term: FIN 671: Corporate Finance
Spring Term
- For students completing their MBA capstone in spring term: BA 661: Oregon Advanced Strategy
Before Your First Term
Online Preparation
Incoming MBA students will complete an online Excel preparation course which provides them with the skills and tools they'll need throughout the program and in their future careers. Working at their own pace over the summer, all new MBA students must complete this online course prior to orientation. Costs are covered by the Oregon MBA.
Orientation
An Oregon MBA kickoff event is scheduled each August and is hosted online. This half day session provides incoming students with the opportunity to brush up on the fundamentals of accounting and finance, meet their MBA cohort, and learn more about academic planning to help optimize their time in the Oregon MBA.
The required Oregon MBA orientation is scheduled each September during the two weeks before the first day of classes. During orientation, incoming students will build community with their colleagues, faculty, and staff; develop skills in case analysis, leadership, and team dynamics; and more. Online orientation modules will also be available to help students become familiar with university resources and LinkedIn Learning Pathways.
During Your Journey
Hands-On Learning
In keeping with the Lundquist College's mission, experiential education is a core value and competency emphasized throughout the Oregon MBA curriculum. Hands-on learning is more than just learning by doing or applying theoretical lessons to practical situations. It's about reflecting and evaluating. It's about feedback and continuous improvement. What worked? What didn't? How might we do better next time?
Much of the experiential learning in the Oregon MBA program is mediated by the business school's four centers of excellence. Among the experiential learning coursework students complete is a strategic planning project (SPP), that allows students to develop solutions for real-world businesses relating to their industry specialization. Another principal experiential learning opportunity for entrepreneurially minded students is the Venture Launch Pathway, in which some students are given the opportunity to present at business plan competitions nationally and internationally. For students pursuing the innovation and entrepreneurship specialization and qualify for these competitions, they may elect the Venture Launch Pathway in lieu of the strategic planning project. In addition, finance and securities analysis students actively manage the Emerging Markets Fund portfolio instead of completing the strategic planning project.
Other experiential learning opportunities include our hallmark Engaging Asia study tour, as well as study tours to New York, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and more.
Nonbusiness College Electives
In addition to the courses offered by the Lundquist College of Business, MBA students may choose up to three courses from other UO colleges and departments. Naturally, these electives should advance their business career and make sense as part of an MBA degree.
Oregon MBA students have taken courses in advertising, economics, education, environmental studies, geography, law, not-for-profit management, political science, psychology, and public administration.