Catalog

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Satinder Dhiman, PhD, EdD

Associate Dean and Chair

Accreditation

Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

Introduction

Our lives, our society, and our planet have experienced an unprecedented change explosion. Even change has changed in terms of complexity, unpredictability, and uncertainty. What has not changed, however, is our need to face the complex phenomena of change in order to lead ourselves to greater excellence and fulfillment. Therefore, in a world where change is the only constant, the ability to lead change successfully becomes a core survival competency.

For some, there is no nobler goal than to lead oneself and others to excellence, fulfillment, and collaborative achievement. The Woodbury MBA degree provides an exceptional opportunity to nurture and master the essential skills for organizational excellence and success.

Leadership is often hailed as the key determinant of success for any organization, large or small, public or private. Research shows that effective leadership helps meet stakeholders’ expectations and ensures the long-term survival of an organization. Woodbury University’s MBA degree is designed to prepare the next generation of effective leaders, and is open to those with non-business backgrounds as well as those possessing undergraduate business degrees.

Woodbury University’s MBA focuses on three key tenets:

  • Becoming Responsible Leaders through social responsibility and ethics initiatives.
  • Developing Sustainable Businesses by rethinking the way we do business to optimize resources.
  • Harnessing Self-Empowerment to take control of decision-making and to make positive choices.

Students will be empowered to realize their leadership dreams and develop breakthrough thinking in a world where change is the only constant. Whether looking to transition into new industries, start their own businesses, or further careers in their current fields, an MBA from Woodbury gives our graduates a competitive edge.

For help with any questions, please contact the MBA Chair and Director, Dr. Satinder Dhiman, at satinder.dhiman@woodbury.edu.

Mission

Woodbury University’s Master of Business Administration degree is designed to prepare future leaders of organizations to communicate effectively, act ethically, and think globally in a strategic manner.

Program Learning Outcomes

Woodbury’s MBA program prepares business graduates to compete in a dynamic, global environment marked by rapid technological and social change. Each student emerges from the MBA program with a sound knowledge base in accounting, finance, marketing, leadership, and strategy, and with the networking skills necessary to build a successful career.

This knowledge base is further enhanced by a heavy dose of organizational behavior skills, including emotional intelligence, ethical leadership, and strategy. We believe that a well-rounded business education should involve a happy amalgam of functional areas and soft skills. Our goal is to prepare leaders who are effective, ethical, and responsible.

The challenges our students will face in their careers will not come neatly bundled according to areas of expertise. Our goal, then, is to engender a holistic view, so our graduates can interface with people from a variety of disciplines, and have the skill set to confront business challenges that are not so clearly defined.

Woodbury MBA students learn to:

  • Demonstrate leadership competencies;
  • Communicate effectively;
  • Act in an ethical manner;
  • Perform effectively in a global business environment;
  • Integrate strategies within overall organizational contexts;
  • Express mastery of domain-specific knowledge and skills.

Stated below are learning objectives corresponding to each learning goal, with Bloom’s Taxonomy related to different levels of learning shown in parentheses.

Leadership Competencies

  • To develop and enhance existing leadership strengths and acquire relevant, new leadership skills (Application, Synthesis, Evaluation).
  • To determine and select the most effective leadership approaches after examining contexts, people, and organizations involved (Synthesis, Evaluation).
  • To assess the ability to lead teams toward the successful completion of goals (Evaluation).

Acting Ethically

  • To analyze specific examples of moral challenges faced by business leaders and to show the ethical implications of their decisions (Application and Analysis).
  • To develop personal core values and apply them when carrying out the missions of various types of organizations (Application, Analysis, Synthesis).
  • To identify potential moral dilemmas, apply moral reasoning, select courses of action, and assess the ethical implications of business decisions (Analysis, Synthesis, Evaluation).

Communication

  • To demonstrate the application of effective communication skills in speaking, writing, and using electronic media (Application, Analysis).
  • To express positions succinctly, logically, and persuasively (Synthesis).
  • To apply communication strategies toward improving team effectiveness (Application, Analysis).
  • To apply communication skills across diverse contexts and environments (Application, Analysis, Synthesis).

Strategy

  • To identify salient features of complex situations and organizations and be able to recommend effective change strategies (Synthesis).
  • To creatively adapt strategic thinking to address unpredictable situations and contexts (Analysis, Synthesis).
  • To demonstrate the ability to integrate and synthesize various functional areas and assess their effectiveness in terms of achieving overall organizational goals/success (Synthesis, Evaluation).

Assessment Process

Formative Assessment Experiences

Faculty members ensure the development of knowledge, skill sets, and behaviors in a system of continuous improvement by reviewing and analyzing initial, milestone, and summative assessments at the end of each semester. Through a rigorous gap analysis, areas for improvement are identified and changes implemented to close the loop. This ongoing process ensures the currency and relevance of our mission-critical curriculum. Feedback from employers who critique student work in our outreach program and MBA candidate performances in capstone simulations provides objective evidence of the high quality of learning in our MBA program.

Summative Assessment Experiences

In the entrepreneurship course (MGMT 608), students complete a hands-on outreach project providing them with real-world consulting experience from entrepreneurs and business owners, and the opportunity to create a research project while developing as solution providers, problem solvers, and critical thinkers. Student teams are assigned to a local Burbank business identified for this project by members of the Burbank Chamber of Commerce.

Assessment Process

  • Collaboratively developed learning outcomes and goals.
  • Curriculum mapped (at the program level) to set learning goals and (at the course level) to student learning outcomes: please refer to the MBA curriculum map.
  • Standardized syllabus format emphasizes learning objectives, grading rubrics, and course activities aligned with student learning outcomes.
  • Midway data capture points have been created to track student learning progress and provide feedback to improve the curriculum.
  • Faculty training: University- and School-level faculty development workshops and professional conferences in the science and art of outcomes assessment.
  • Capstone course evaluation.
  • Direct assessment is embedded into courses using specific rubrics.
  • Indirect assessment via alumni surveys and exit exams, etc.

Program Specific Academic Standards

In order to remain in good standing and qualify for graduation, MBA students are required to achieve and maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0.

MBA Admission Requirements are:

  1. A minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.5.
  2. Three professional and/or academic letters of recommendation.
  3. A two- to three-page essay describing your qualifications for acceptance into the MBA program. Address your leadership potential, motivational aptitude, and career goals. Discuss how Woodbury’s MBA will assist you in accomplishing your goals.

Note: GMAT/GRE is not required

International Applicants

Please see the section below for details.

MBA Preparation Courses

In an effort to ensure that all Woodbury MBA students have similar academic preparedness, Common Professional Component (CPC) topics must be satisfied by those without sufficient academic business backgrounds. Common Professional Component (CPC) subjects may be satisfied in several ways: by taking one of the preparation courses listed below; by undergraduate coursework with grade “B” or better; or by passing a College Level Examination Program (CLEP) or DANTES test, if applicable. Work experience will not be accepted to satisfy CPC requirements.

The following PMBA Bridge Courses are specifically designed to meet these requirements:

ACCT 501
Accounting Practices
MGMT 506
Organizational Behavior and Strategy
FINA 508
Fundamentals of Finance, Economics, and Statistics

Note: These courses will not count toward the 36-unit core and elective requirement for the MBA degree. There are no pre-requisites to these courses. For course descriptions, please see below under the heading MBA Preparation Courses (PC). PC courses are open only to those students who need them, per their PC evaluation sheet.

MBA candidates with BA or BS undergraduate business degrees in accounting, business administration, finance, international business, management, management information systems, or marketing from an AACSB- or ACBSP-accredited four-year college or university and with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50 may be waived from taking MBA Preparation Courses.

Curriculum Summary

Generally, MBA students take 2 courses per session, 4 courses per semester. Thus, they can finish their MBA degree in 3 semesters (one year) if they do not need Pre-MBA courses.

Program Major Curriculum

Unit Type (UT) Number of Units (U)
Major (MA) 27
Unrestricted Electives (UE) 9
Minimum Total Units Required 36

Suggested Sequence of Courses

First Year

Fall Semester

ACCT 600Financial Accounting

3

MGMT 603Quantitative Methods Business Decisions

3

Total Credit Hours:6

Type:

ACCT 600 and MGMT 603: MA.

Spring Semester

MGMT 604Managerial Economics

3

MGMT 605Managing Leading Organizations Ethically

3

Total Credit Hours:6

Type:

MGMT 604 and MGMT 605: MA.

Second Year

Fall Semester

MRKT 606Marketing Concepts and Strategies

3

FINA 607Managerial Finance, Theory and Practice

3

Total Credit Hours:6

Type:

MRKT 606 and FINA 607: MA.

Spring Semester

MGMT 609Management of Information Technology

3

MGMT 608Entrepreneurship

3

Total Credit Hours:6

Type:

MGMT 609 and MGMT 608: MA.

Third Year

Fall Semester

MGMT 682Strategic Management and Consulting

3

____ ___MBA Elective

3

Total Credit Hours:6

Type:

MGMT 682: MA.

MBA Elective: UE.

Spring Semester

____ ___MBA Elective

3

____ ___MBA Elective

3

Total Credit Hours:6

Type:

MBA Elective: UE.

The Woodbury MBA program requires a minimum of Administration Master of Business 12 three-unit graduate-level courses, or nine required core courses and three elective courses. Five sets of elective concentrations are available for MBA students: Accounting-Finance, Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, Entertainment, and Leadership and Global Strategies. Electives are scheduled based upon student interest and demand.

Electives for Accounting-Finance Concentration

ACCT 501Accounting Practices

3

FINA 611International Finance

3

FINA 612Corporate Finance

3

ACCT 614Investment Analysis and Portfolio Mgmt

3

ACCT 648Tax Theory and Application

3

ACCT 650Controllership Accounting

3

FINA 67_Topics in Finance

3

ACCT 67_Topics in Accounting

3

Electives for Leadership and Global Strategies Concentration

MGMT 610Management of Global Enterprise

3

MGMT 613Management Communications

3

MGMT 642International Business Strategy

3

MGMT 655Human Resource Management

3

MGMT 657Spirituality in the Workplace

3

MGMT 660Ethical Leadership

3

MGMT 665Emotional Intelligence

3

MGMT 67_Topics in Leadership and Global Strategy

3

Electives for Entrepreneurship Concentration

MGMT 611

3

MGMT 612

3

MGMT 614

3

MGMT 616

3

MGMT 618

3

MGMT 620Social Entrepreneurship

3

MGMT 67_Topics in Entrepreneurship

3

Electives for Sustainability Concentration

MGMT 632

3

MGMT 633

3

MGMT 634

3

MGMT 636

3

MGMT 638

3

MGMT 640

3

MGMT 67_Topics in Sustainability Business Practices

3

Electives for Entertainment Concentration

MGMT 663

3

MGMT 659

3

MGMT 664

3

ACCT 666Cast and Crew Financial Accounting Practice

3

MRKT 660

3

MGMT 668

3

MGMT 67_Topics in Arts and Entertainment Management

3