Wayne Biz School Requirements, MBA Concentrations ... It’s Too Much!

Easy guide to getting all the classes you need to graduate with an MBA from Wayne Biz

Congratulations! You got into Wayne State University’s School of Business Administration! You’re going to get the coveted Master of Business Administration! The M.B.A! You will be attending an AACSB accredited business school! Your future is starry and bright! The sky’s the limit! Etc, etc! Now, like any good student, you must sit down and contemplate your class schedule; since you’re probably extremely ambitious, you’ll sit down and figure out every semesters’ classes. When I was a new, doe-eyed first year graduate student, I found the system hard to navigate. With Foundation Courses, Core Requirements, and electives – it was overwhelming! So I’m going to make it easy for you.

Your question: What do you need to graduate with an MBA from WSU?

First: The Super Simple Stuff

You need a minimum of 36 credit hours to graduate.

Sadly, these 36 credits do not include any Foundation Courses you may have to take.

Thankfully, these 36 credits do include any Core Requirements you may need.

Logically, you will need some electives to fill your 36 credits.

Second: What Did You Accomplish With Your Undergraduate Degree?

Do you already have a business bachelor’s degree? Good for you! Want to know the ins and outs before we start! You are special and get to skip this section. (Of course, this is just a guide; we are all individually examined by the Graduate Committee to determine what we need – please follow their recommendations.)

Did you get a bachelor’s degree in something not business-y? Like Medical Technology? Or Anthropology? Like me? Well, we wouldn’t want you to fall behind, so we have some Foundation Courses to get you started in your business career at Wayne State. You might be able to get a class or two waived based on your undergraduate coursework – make sure to speak to your advisor. The Foundation Courses are required and include:

• BA 6000: Financial Reporting: Accounting Module
• BA 6005: Basics of Corporate Finance
• BA 6010: Basics of Business Economics
• BA 6015: Marketing Foundations
• BA 6020: Contemporary Principles of Management
• BA 6025: Basics of Production/Operations Management
• BA 6090: Quantitative Analysis: Theory and Applications
• BA 6100: Analytical Writing for Business

Third: What Are The Truly Required Classes?

Well, because school mimics the real business world, nothing is ever ‘truly’ required. But we do want you to be a well-rounded professional, so we have some Core Requirements for you to complete. These are required and include:

• BA 7000* Managerial Accounting
• BA 7020 Corporate Financial Management
• BA 7040* Managing Organizational Behavior
• BA 7050* Marketing Strategy
• BA 7070 Social Perspectives on the Business Enterprise
• BA 7080 Strategic Management

Fourth: Do You Want To Have An MBA Concentration?

I’m proud of you if you’ve thought far ahead in your life! You clearly are bound for glory! Lucky for you, Wayne State has 12 – I repeat. 12! – MBA concentrations for you to choose from. In alphabetical order, these include:

1. Accounting Systems
2. Auditing
3. Corporate Governance
4. Finance
5. Financial Accounting
6. Global Supply Chain Management
7. Information Systems Management
8. Internal Audit
9. International Business Management
10. Management
11. Marketing
12. Taxation

Fifth: Need Some Fillers?

You won’t always need electives if you’re taking on multiple concentrations – those can add up pretty quick and suddenly your 36 credits for business school are finished. Some of us, however, will need electives to fill out our 36 credits. No, you can’t take just any course an elective. You can’t take Graphic Design 7250 and decide that it’s an MBA elective. But you can choose 7000 level classes from 7 areas of business. These areas include:

• Accounting (ACC)
• Business Administration (BA)
• Finance (FIN)
• Global Supply Chain Management (GSC)
• Information Systems Management (ISM)
• Management (MGT)
• Marketing (MKT)

That's It!

Easy as 1-2-3-4-5! Apple Pie!

Complete Foundation Courses if necessary

Finish all Core Requirements

Select a concentration if you like!

Pick electives!

Bam! In no time you’ll be done!

Business school is challenging, but navigating your way through your master’s degree shouldn’t be. Congrats again on making into Wayne State University’s School of Business! You are 36 credits away from being a ‘Master’ of Business Administration ☺

I hope you have found this useful! If you have any questions, an advisor is much more knowledgeable than me! I advise you to talk to them ;) If you have any other helpful comments you have found through your MBA journey, please share!

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(All accolades and credit to Sarah McKay who is the author of this tremendous blog post!)