Graduate Programs

An MBA program is meant to be a generalist degree which covers all the relevant topical areas and gives a student the opportunity to specialize, but not major, in a functional area of business. The MBA program has three components: core courses, breadth courses, and specialization or concentration courses.

The core courses are not required courses; they are designed to provide fundamental tools and functional area competencies for students who either did not major in a business specialty as undergraduates, did not perform well academically as undergraduates, or took only a portion of the functional and tool courses that comprise the MBA core. For example, a student who majored in Economics as an undergraduate probably has sufficient background in economics, mathematics, statistics, and information systems, but lacks coursework in marketing, accounting, finance, organizational behavior, etc. Therefore, the Economics major would need to complete the missing core courses in order to have the same set of fundamental competencies as a student who majored in a business discipline. This is called "leveling," i.e., everyone starts at the same level, or nearly so, before they go on to take advanced coursework. Therefore, the core courses are prerequisites to the full MBA program.

The full MBA program is comprised of the breadth courses and the specialization courses. The new AACSB accreditation standards require at least 30 semester hours of study beyond the core. The School of Business will limit the number of options that it offers in both the breadth and specialization courses to strengthen the program pedagogically with a strong set of breadth courses that everyone must take, and limit the number of specialization electives to provide a focus for each concentration.

Course Waiver Policy: Most students admitted to the program are able to waive selected core courses on the basis of previous course work; upon successful completion of a written qualifying examination; or relevant work experience when combined with related course work, qualifying examinations, program of graduate study and other factors. Students will not normally waive Breadth and Concentration courses.

Computer Usage: All students are expected to demonstrate and/or attain proficiency in the use of computers during their program of study. Usage is integrated throughout the curriculum and it is expected in each course. The School provides fully equipped microcomputer labs for student use, and each student may obtain a computer account for access to the University's mainframe systems.

Core Courses - 18 credits

AACSB standards require that the core curriculum include the following core areas:

Financial reporting, analysis and markets,
Domestic and global economic environments of organizations,
Creation and distribution of goods and services, and
Human behavior in organizations.

Up to six courses (18 credits) may be waived if equivalent undergraduate or graduate coursework has been completed with a "B" or better. Usually core courses are taken before breadth and concentration courses.

AC 400 Introduction to Accounting
FI 400 Principles of Finance
MG 400 Organizational Behavior
MK 400 Marketing Management
OM 400 Integrated Business Processes
QA 400 Applied Business Statistics

Breadth Courses - 18 credits

AC 500 Accounting Information for Decision-Making
FI 500 Shareholders Value
IS 500 Information Systems
MG 500 Managing People for Competitive Advantage
MG 503 Legal and Ethical Environment of Business
MK 500 Creating, Managing and Measuring Customer Value

Concentration Courses - 12 credits

Four concentration courses (12 credits) are required from one of the following concentrations:

MBA Accounting
MBA Finance
MBA General Management
MBA Human Resources Management
MBA Information Systems and Operations Management
MBA International Business
MBA Marketing
MBA Taxation

One elective must be a designated "research" course in the student's area of concentration. Usually, electives are taken following completion of core and breadth courses.

Elective Course - 3 credits

One 500 level free elective gives graduate students the flexibility to choose another course within their area of concentration or outside of their concentration area.

Capstone - 3 credits

MG 584 Global Competitive Strategy

MBA Accounting Concentration

To earn a Master's in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting, the student must successfully complete the MBA core and breadth courses, as well as the area of concentration in Accounting.

To be eligible for admission to this area of concentration, the student must have an undergraduate degree with a major in accounting or equivalent, i.e., B.S. or B.A. The equivalent of an undergraduate degree in Accounting includes the successful completion of: Intermediate Accounting (6 credits), Advanced Accounting (3 credits), Cost Accounting (3 credits), and Auditing (3 credits).

Required Concentration Course

AC 590* Contemporary Issues and Problems in Accounting

A student must choose three courses from the following to complete the concentration:

AC 520* International Business, Accounting and Tax Issues
AC 530 Accounting for Governments, Hospitals, and Universities
AC 540 Topics in Managerial Accounting
AC 550* Accounting Information Systems and Technology
AC 560 Issues in Auditing & Auditing Services
AC 580 Financial Statement Analysis
AC 598 Independent Study in Accounting

Students pursuing a concentration in accounting may substitute one of the following taxation courses as an elective:

TX 510 Corporate and Shareholder Taxation
TX 520* Estate and Gift Taxation
TX 522* Taxation of Flow-Through Entities

*Designated as research courses.

MBA Finance Concentration

Required Concentration Courses:

FI 530 Corporate Finance
FI 540* Investment Analysis

A student must choose two courses from the following to complete the concentration:

FI 545 Portfolio Management
FI 555* International Financial Management
FI 560 Global Financial Markets and Institutions
FI 565 Derivative Securities
FI 570 Fixed Income Securities
FI 575 Capital Budgeting
FI 585* Seminar: Contemporary Topics in Finance

MBA General Management Concentration

Required Concentration Course:

MG 504 Leadership

A student must choose three courses from the following to complete the concentration:

MG 505 Human Resource Strategies
MG 506 Organizational Culture
MG 507 Negotiation and Dispute Resolution
MG 508* Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation
MG 510 Management Communication, Power, and Influence
MG 520 Diversity in the Workplace
MG 530 Entrepreneurship
MG 540 Cross-Cultural Management
MG 550 International Business Law and Regulation
MG 580 Seminar: Contemporary Topics in Management

MBA Human Resource Management Concentration

Required Concentration Course:

MG 505* Human Resources Strategies

A student must choose three courses from the following to complete the concentration:

MG 525 Performance, Management, and Reward 
MG 535 International Human Resources Management
MG 545* Law and Human Resource Management
MG 555 Labor Relations
MG 585* Seminar: Contemporary Topics in Human Resource Management

MBA Information Systems & Operations Management Concentration

A student must choose three courses from the following to complete the concentration:

Students select three courses from the following list:

IS 501* International Information Systems
IS 520 Project Management
IS 585* Contemporary Topics in IS&OM
OM 525 Business Process Improvement
OM 535 Global Supply Chain Management
IS 598 Independent Study in IS&OM

Students select one course (free elective) from any MBA 500 level course list.
*Designated as research courses

MBA International Business Concentration

Required Concentration Course:

IB 585 International Business Management

A student must choose three courses from the following to complete the concentration:

AC 520* International Business, Accounting and Tax Issues
FI 555* International Financial Management
FI 560 Global Financial Markets and Institutions
IB 565* International Business Seminar
IB 580  Study Abroad
IS 501* International Information Systems
MG 535 Managing People for Global Business
MG 550* International Human Resource Management
MK 550* Global Marketing

*Designated as research courses.

MBA Marketing Concentration

Required Concentration Courses:

MK 510* Customer Behavior
MK 520* Marketing Research

A student must choose two courses from the following to complete the concentration:

MK 535 Building Brand Equity
MK 540* Advertising Management
MK 550* Global Marketing
MK 560* Business to Business Marketing in the Internet Economy
MK 570* Internet Marketing
MK 585* Seminar: Contemporary Topics in Marketing

*Designated as research courses.

MBA Taxation Concentration

Required Concentration Course:

TX 550 Tax Planning

A student must choose two courses from the following to complete the concentration:

TX 510 Corporate and Shareholder Taxation
TX 520* Estate and Gift Taxation
TX 522* Taxation of Flow-Through Entities, Shareholders and Beneficiaries

**Students pursuing a concentration in taxation may substitute one of the following accounting courses as an elective.

AC 520* International Business, Accounting, and Tax Issues
AC 530 Accounting for Governments, Hospitals, and Universities
AC 550* Accounting Information Systems and Technology
AC 560 Issues in Auditing & Assurance Services

*Designated as research courses.

Overall MBA Program Requirements

A minimum of 36 Graduate Credit Hours must be completed at Fairfield University for the MBA degree.

Time to Complete Degree
Students are expected to complete all requirements for the MBA and MS programs within five years, and within three years for the Certificate Program, after beginning their course work. Each student is expected to make some annual progress toward the degree or certificate to remain in good standing.

A student who elects to take a leave of absence must submit a request, in writing, to the Dean.