Washington, DC MBA Program Curriculum & Academics

Data Driven Decision Making

The academic environment at the Robert H. Smith School of Business is rigorous. With a curriculum grounded in data driven decision making, Smith MBAs are prepared to "Lead Fearlessly." They are able to embrace the ever greater amounts of information available and lead the transformations of their functional areas by having the analytic and leadership skill sets that the next generation of business leaders will require. 

For graduation, students are required to complete a total of 54 credit hours - 36 credits of required courses and 18 credits of elective courses.

 (Winter 2025 Completion)

 (Spring 2025 Completion)

Required Courses - 36 Credits

Students must complete 36 required course credits for graduation. The required courses are listed below. All courses are 2 credits. Curriculum and course numbers are subject to change. Students will be provided pertinent curriculum information at Opening Residency.

All required courses are completed with a student's cohort at their home campus. The cohort model provides an active, interactive, and dynamic setting for students to develop their knowledge and skill sets. Intended to strengthen the overall MBA experience for each individual, a cohort brings students together to build a strong community, foster creativity, and develop leadership skills.

In addition, the Business Decoded Saturday Seminars are held throughout the academic year and explore new developments in business and are taught by our own Maryland Smith faculty experts. Flex MBA students at all three locations are required to complete 50 hours (4 credits total) of these special topic seminars as part of their required courses to graduate. 

Term
Core/Required Courses
*Spring 2023 - Term C & D
*Courses will be taken with the Fall 2022 admits
BUSI600 Flex MBA Opening Residency/Fundamentals of Business (January 14 – 15, 2023)
BUSI690 Strategic Management
BUSI610 Financial Accounting
BUSI640 Corporate Finance I
BUSI621 Digital Transformation in Business
Summer I & II 2023
BUSI641: Corporate Finance II
BUSI758D-E Business Decoded Seminars (4 credits)
- Spring 2023 admits will be added to the Business Decoded Canvas site in late January 2023
- Slated to be offered throughout the academic year on specified dates on Canvas site
*Fall 2023 - Term A & B
*Courses will be taken with the Fall 2023 admits
BUSI681 Managerial Economics & Public Policy
BUSI662 Leadership & Teamwork
BUSI718D Data Driven Analytics
BUSI650 Marketing Management
Spring 2024 - Term C 
BUSI683 The Global Economic Environment
Summer I & II 2024
BUSI787 Integrative Capstone
BUSI758Q MBA Consulting Practicum (Summer I & II, 4 credits)
Fall 2024 - Term A & B
BUSI611 Managerial Accounting
BUSI634 Operation Management

Industry Focus Area Electives and Other Electives- 18 Credits

Note that industry focus area electives may be offered in person and/or online. 

Students are required to complete 18 credits of elective courses for graduation. Winter electives are offered online. Students can also choose to take the 4-credit Global Business Course* that includes international travel in January. Global Business Course credits will appear on student transcripts as 2 credits in Fall and 2 credits in Spring. For more information about Global Business Courses, please visit the Global Business Course page. The industry focus areas that are available at the Washington, DC campus are listed below. Please contact your campus advisor to discuss these focus areas and other elective options.

* The Global Business Course is not required to graduate. Students should contact their campus advisor for questions.

 
Term
General Management
Finance (Corporate)
Digital Marketing
Summer II 2023
(June - July)
Marketing Research and Analytics
Fall 2023 Term A
(August - October)
Negotiations
Financial Strategy
Fall 2023 Term B
(October - December)
Leading with a Strategic Mindset
Digital Customer Journey
Winter 2024
(January)
Global Business Course Travel*
(4 credits: 2 Fall/2 Spring)
OR
Online Elective
Spring 2024 Term C 
(January - March)
Valuation
Digital Promotion and Advertising
Spring 2024 Term D 
(March - May)
AI and Business Strategy
Decision Modeling
Corporate Risk Management
Summer I 2024
(June - July)
Ethical Leadership
Digital Marketing Strategy
Summer II 2024
(July - August)
Data Mining
Advanced Financial Modeling and Equity Analysis

Math Prep and Resources

The Smith MBA program begins with intensely quantitative required courses. In order to ensure that students are able to maximize their learning during this part of the program, it is essential to enter the program with well-developed pre-skills in basic business mathematics. Students are expected to complete the required Pre-Skills for BUSI600 (Opening Residency) in Canvas upon course registration. Please allow up to 24 hours for Canvas to update once registered.