MBA Direct – Early Career Track, Spring Term Start

Each semester is split into two-seven-week sections. Some courses will continue from Module A to Module B, while others will conclude at the end of Module A and students will switch into a new course at the beginning of Module B.

The majority of courses meet live one time per week for 90 minutes over Zoom. Certain courses will meet weekly via Zoom for up to 2.5 hours or 3 hours and 15 minutes. For example, but not limited to, MNGT 6203 Business Communications and MNGT 6275 Global Immersion

Electives can be taken online or on-campus, depending on preference and availability of courses.

The program is 53 credit hours, which includes one immersion (2 credit hours). 

Term Module A Module B
Spring
Term One
(8 hours)
  • Managing and Leading People
  • Data Analytics I
  • Managing and Leading People | Experiential Learning
  • Introduction to Data Analysis I
Summer
Term Two
(8 hours)
  • Financial Accounting I
  • Managerial Economics
  • Financial Accounting II
  • Macro-Economics
Fall
Term Three
(6 hours)
  • Managerial Finance
  • Strategic Cost Analysis
  • Finance Theory and Practice
Spring
Term Four
(8 hours)
  • Marketing Management
  • Data Analytics II
  • Fundamentals of Marketing Simulation
  • Operations and Supply Chain Management
Summer
Term Five
(5 hours)
  • Valuation and Analysis
  • Managing Your Career
  • Corporate Financial Policies
Fall
Term Six
(6 hours)
  • Strategic Management
  • Global Immersion
  • Business Communication
Spring
Term Seven
(6 hours)
  • Elective
  • Elective
  • Elective
Summer
Term Eight
(6 hours)
  • Elective
  • Elective
  • Elective

Curriculum Highlight: Immersion Experiences

A key component to the MBA Direct curriculum at SMU Cox is an international immersion. You will participate in one in-person immersion, offered in a pre-selected international location during your final year in the MBA program. This immersion includes six days of engagement with corporate executives, faculty and student peers. You will explore and apply leadership skills and analytical knowledge, and lead real-world consulting projects managed in the local market.

Learn more about immersions

MBA Direct Curriculum and Courses




Term 1

This course has been designed to cater to the vast majority of you who have spent the early part of your career as individual contributors in your respective organizations. You have probably been praised and rewarded for your technical skills and individual performance. However, sooner or later you will be (or have been) promoted to a position where you are in charge of others and your results depend on their performance. Success in managing others requires you to understand the subtle (and not so subtle) dynamics of human behavior that lead to commitment, motivation, performance, and ultimately, results. This course introduces you to some of the concepts and skills you need to master in order to become an effective manager and leader in your organization. By deriving principles and frameworks based on scientific evidence from the field of organizational behavior, this course will expose you to contemporary management thinking with an emphasis on driving results.

Credits: 4

This course is intended to develop a fundamental understanding of data and its applications to business. The best way to do this is to focus on solving problems. In most cases, solving problems involves (1) recognizing which statistical methodology to use and (2) applying the methodology. There are two objectives for this course: (1) for you to become comfortable with statistical methods for analyzing data; and (2) for you learn how to use statistics to help make better business decisions. These goals will be achieved by discussing/solving problems in class and by having you work similar problems for homework. You will find many of the courses you take during the MBA program use and build on the statistical techniques covered in this class.

By deriving principles and frameworks based on scientific evidence from the field of organizational behavior, this course exposes students to contemporary management thinking with an emphasis on driving results. Rather than learning about human behavior from the sidelines, students are expected to actively engage throughout the course utilizing exercises, cases, and discussions to share their personal experiences while appropriately challenging their current level of understanding as well as those of their cohort members.

Credits: 2

This course is intended to develop a fundamental understanding of data and its applications to business. The best way to do this is to focus on solving problems. In most cases, solving problems involves (1) recognizing which statistical methodology to use and (2) applying the methodology. There are two objectives for this course: (1) for you to become comfortable with statistical methods for analyzing data; and (2) for you learn how to use statistics to help make better business decisions. These goals will be achieved by discussing/solving problems in class and by having you work similar problems for homework. You will find many of the courses you take during the MBA program use and build on the statistical techniques covered in this class.

Credits: 4

Term 6

This course examines the fundamental concepts of strategy of the firm as they are applied in domestic and global markets. Topics include business strategy, industry analysis, vertical integration, strategy execution, and diversification.

Credits: 2

 

No matter which Cox online program you choose, you will have an opportunity to experience global and domestic immersion trips with peers and professors. Our 4-day immersion trips are located in cities chosen for their strategic relevance to the business community, including locations such as London, Dallas, Dubai, Singapore, Seattle or Madrid. Over the course of an immersion, you'll gain hands-on experience working in teams on a real-time project that will challenge you to overcome complex corporate obstacles in a fluid global market. You'll explore leadership and analytics topics and hear from top corporate executives on their experiences. In an era of business ambiguity and flux, immersions teach MBA candidates the skills to pivot and meet today's evolving changes and challenges.

Credits: 2

Introduction to business speaking where students gain skills to become effective storytellers, design effective visual aids, learn the language of business, determine how to respond to audience questions, and study the element of persuasion in order to convey important concepts to key decision makers within an organization. Prerequisite: Enrollment in MBA Direct Program.

Term 7

Electives can be taken on campus or online (no hybrid formats available). For in-person electives, students have access to the same electives our residential MBA students have access to.

Examples of the online electives you can choose are:

  • ACCT 6211: Financial Statement Analysis
  • BUSE 6208: Special Topics in Energy Economics
  • FINA 6233: Private Equity Finance
  • ITOM 6275: Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning
  • MKTG 6237: Digital Marketing Applied
  • STRA 6202: Advanced Strategic Management
  • STRA 6230: Technology Strategy
  • BL 6274: Legal Environment of Business
  • MKTG 6235: Digital Marketing Foundations
  • MNGT 6270: Global Business Strategy
  • MNO 6215: Master Negotiation
  • MNO 6277: Executive Leadership
  • FINA 6216: Portfolio Theory & Asset Pricing
  • MNO 6214: Strategic Management of Human Capital
  • MNO 6222: Organizational Innovation & Change by Design
  • STRA/MKTG 6248: Competitive Intelligence (War Gaming)
  • BUSE, CISB, or STRA 62xx (varies): Global Elective

Credits: 2

Electives can be taken on campus or online (no hybrid formats available). For in-person electives, students have access to the same electives our residential MBA students have access to.

Examples of the online electives you can choose are:

  • ACCT 6211: Financial Statement Analysis
  • BUSE 6208: Special Topics in Energy Economics
  • FINA 6233: Private Equity Finance
  • ITOM 6275: Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning
  • MKTG 6237: Digital Marketing Applied
  • STRA 6202: Advanced Strategic Management
  • STRA 6230: Technology Strategy
  • BL 6274: Legal Environment of Business
  • MKTG 6235: Digital Marketing Foundations
  • MNGT 6270: Global Business Strategy
  • MNO 6215: Master Negotiation
  • MNO 6277: Executive Leadership
  • FINA 6216: Portfolio Theory & Asset Pricing
  • MNO 6214: Strategic Management of Human Capital
  • MNO 6222: Organizational Innovation & Change by Design
  • STRA/MKTG 6248: Competitive Intelligence (War Gaming)
  • BUSE, CISB, or STRA 62xx (varies): Global Elective

Credits: 2

Term 8

Electives can be taken on campus or online (no hybrid formats available). For in-person electives, students have access to the same electives our residential MBA students have access to.

Examples of the online electives you can choose are:

  • ACCT 6211: Financial Statement Analysis
  • BUSE 6208: Special Topics in Energy Economics
  • FINA 6233: Private Equity Finance
  • ITOM 6275: Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning
  • MKTG 6237: Digital Marketing Applied
  • STRA 6202: Advanced Strategic Management
  • STRA 6230: Technology Strategy
  • BL 6274: Legal Environment of Business
  • MKTG 6235: Digital Marketing Foundations
  • MNGT 6270: Global Business Strategy
  • MNO 6215: Master Negotiation
  • MNO 6277: Executive Leadership
  • FINA 6216: Portfolio Theory & Asset Pricing
  • MNO 6214: Strategic Management of Human Capital
  • MNO 6222: Organizational Innovation & Change by Design
  • STRA/MKTG 6248: Competitive Intelligence (War Gaming)
  • BUSE, CISB, or STRA 62xx (varies): Global Elective

Credits: 2

Electives can be taken on campus or online (no hybrid formats available). For in-person electives, students have access to the same electives our residential MBA students have access to.

Examples of the online electives you can choose are:

  • ACCT 6211: Financial Statement Analysis
  • BUSE 6208: Special Topics in Energy Economics
  • FINA 6233: Private Equity Finance
  • ITOM 6275: Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning
  • MKTG 6237: Digital Marketing Applied
  • STRA 6202: Advanced Strategic Management
  • STRA 6230: Technology Strategy
  • BL 6274: Legal Environment of Business
  • MKTG 6235: Digital Marketing Foundations
  • MNGT 6270: Global Business Strategy
  • MNO 6215: Master Negotiation
  • MNO 6277: Executive Leadership
  • FINA 6216: Portfolio Theory & Asset Pricing
  • MNO 6214: Strategic Management of Human Capital
  • MNO 6222: Organizational Innovation & Change by Design
  • STRA/MKTG 6248: Competitive Intelligence (War Gaming)
  • BUSE, CISB, or STRA 62xx (varies): Global Elective

Credits: 2