n
PennState
•~ World Campus
Penn State
Online MBA
A world of possibilities.
Online.
-
–
'iJ
PennState
Smeal College
of Business
Table of Contents
Earn Your MBA Online ..........................3
Online MBA Curriculum .................. 4–6
ICE: A Skill Based Approach
to Learning................................................ 7
The Penn State
Smeal Advantage ............................. 8 9
Why Penn State? ...................................10
Begin Your Application Today ........... 11
“The Penn State Online MBA provides
a highly engaging and integrative
learning environment for professionals
who want to advance or change their
career paths.
The program can be customized to
help you prepare for a broad range of
careers, from project management and
human resources to business analytics
and supply chain management.
Our world-renowned faculty work in
partnership with current professionals
in the field to create an applied and
engaged learning experience for you.
You will receive a top-quality education
from expert educators who are widely
respected in their fields of study.”
—Janet Duck, Ph.D.
Faculty Chair, Online MBA
Penn State Smeal College of Business
2
AACSB
ACCREDITED
Earn Your MBA Online
Designed to Fit Your Busy Lifestyle and
Career Goals
The Penn State Online Master of
Business Administration (MBA),
led by the internationally ranked
Penn State Smeal College of Business
and delivered through Penn State World
Campus, is a 48-credit program that
allows you to earn a master’s degree
without interrupting your career. This
interdisciplinary degree can provide
you with a thorough understanding of
all aspects of business management
theory and practice while integrating
key business concepts found in
high-performing organizations.
This program is one of the most
flexible top-tier online programs
available, giving you the freedom to:
›
select from three start dates each year
›
earn your degree in 2–5 years, with
flexible options anywhere in between
›
choose from more than
25 concentrations
›
participate in our online Team
Performance Immersion
›
complete weekly assignments
from anywhere in the world
As a student, you can design a program
to suit your busy schedule, leverage your
personal strengths, fill knowledge gaps,
build expertise in a discipline, or pivot
your career in an entirely new direction.
worldcampus.psu.edu/mba
“It’s incredible how applicable the
course material has been to my job.
The concepts I learned in class could
be implemented in a meeting or applied
to a project the very next day.”
—Stephen F., Online MBA Graduate
3
Online MBA Curriculum
Begin with Our Team Performance Immersion
Start your first required course, Team Performance, during the three-day online
immersion. This initial immersion is designed to kick off your classroom experience,
introducing resources, fostering valuable interactions with faculty and fellow students,
and helping you prepare for successful, collaborative, and engaged online learning.
The three-day Team Performance Immersion is the only time students are required to
be engaged synchronously and during weekday working hours
.
Semester Start Immersion Held
Fall August
Spring January
Summer May
Build a Core Management Foundation
The program requires 48 credits,
39 of which will provide you with
a solid understanding of essential
management concepts. These core
courses are designed to help you:
›
use statistical techniques, as well as
accounting and financial data, to analyze
and evaluate business decisions
›
prepare and deliver clear and
compelling case studies about
contemporary business problems
›
demonstrate effective verbal
and written communication skills
across multiple platforms
›
identify and prioritize business
challenges, apply logical reasoning,
and develop alternative solutions
›
develop leadership skills fundamental
to managing a business
›
analyze and solve business problems
from multiple functional perspectives
Core courses include Financial
Accounting, Team Performance, Data
Analysis for Decision-Making, Economics
for Business Strategy, Global Strategic
Management, Corporate Innovation
and Entrepreneurship, and more.
See a complete list of course descriptions
at: worldcampus.psu.edu/mbacourses
Online MBA
Requirements
Team Performance Immersion (three days)
48 Total Credits
›
39 Core Management Credits
›
9 Concentration Credits
4
“Penn State’s personalized career
services and large and engaged
alumni network were crucial to
helping me achieve my career goals.”
—Drax P., Online MBA Graduate
Customize with a Concentration
Tailor your education to meet your unique career goals by selecting one of these
9-credit concentrations:
Accounting Foundations can equip you
with a level of knowledge similar in scope
to an undergraduate major in accounting.
Additive Manufacturing and Design
explores the new technology of 3D
printing and articulates the value
proposition for additive manufacturing.
Advanced Accounting focuses
on advanced accounting course
work; students are required to
either have work experience or an
undergraduate degree in accounting.
Business Analytics covers how to use
optimization and forecasting techniques
across various areas of business.
Business Architecture explores the
concepts of enterprise modeling
approaches along with tactics to
effectively execute organizational
transformation and business strategy.
Business Sustainability Strategy enables
you to help your organization create
transformative change and achieve
long-term sustainability by managing
their environmental and social impact.
Business-to-Business Marketing
centers on value creation and delivery,
new product development, and
marketing strategy and analytics.
Community and Economic Development
helps you build community capacity,
develop sustainable communities,
enhance the local economy, and
work with community members to
build shared visions of the future.
Corporate Innovation and
Entrepreneurship cultivates your expertise
in the techniques, strategies, and business
fundamentals required to innovate and
sustain new products and services.
Cybersecurity Intelligence Leadership
focuses on understanding the
cybersecurity infrastructure, intelligence
analysis process, and how to visualize data
discovered through these processes.
Diversity and Inclusion as Strategy
discusses the concept of personal,
organizational, and cultural values while
illustrating how they relate to ethical
decision-making, leadership, and culture.
Engineering Leadership and Innovation
Management emphasizes the impact
of globalization and the need to
innovate in the field of engineering.
Finance imparts an understanding of
practical applications used to manage
financial challenges, as well as financial
theory to address future trends.
5
Financial Engineering helps you develop
foundational knowledge as a financial
“quant” with course work that focuses
on econometric analysis, derivative
securities, and financial modeling.
General Management provides you with a
broad foundation in accounting, analytics,
finance, and project management.
Health Care Business delivers the
knowledge required to help you
advance in leadership positions in health
services organizations from insurance
d pharma to health providers.
Homeland Security enables you to
formulate risk- and threat-driven strategies
to prevent, mitigate, and respond to issues
of national security and public safety.
Human Resource Management
integrates HR strategies and practices
with organizational strategy to help
you improve business performance.
International Affairs addresses
topics such as international
relations theory, intelligence,
globalization, and foreign policy.
Management Consulting presents
skills needed to help clients
improve efficiencies, transform
business models, and restructure
their workforce and processes.
Marketing Analytics enables you
to translate data into insight to
improve your organization’s marketing
strategy and decision-making.
Negotiation and Influence combines
negotiation theory with hands-on
trial-and-error learning to identify and
refine negotiation capabilities.
Project Management uses problem-based
learning to provide a strong foundation in
project management theory and practice.
Public Administration can enhance
your ability to understand and analyze
public organizational environments to
manage more effectively and promote
positive change in the public sector.
Real Estate Law and Valuation
opens the door to the subject
matter of real estate analysis,
development, finance, investment,
management, sales, and valuation.
Strategic Leadership empowers you to
design and articulate an organization’s
strategic path to ensure it remains
relevant in today’s dynamic marketplace.
Supply Chain Management provides
logistics professionals with the
knowledge to increase the efficiency
of an organization’s supply chain.
Supply Chain Risk Management
uses industry-proven strategies
for managing interruptions as well
as tactics for mitigating risks.
Talent and Diversity Leadership analyzes
the application of models, theories, and
strategies for managing an increasingly
diverse workforce and customer base.
Taxation increases your depth
of knowledge in tax policy and
procedure to promote legal compliance
and minimize tax liability.
Concentrations may be added or changed
to meet market demand.
View updates at:
worldcampus.psu.edu/mba
6
ICE: A Skill-Based Approach
to Learning
Courses are designed around the three-part ICE framework, a teaching and
learning approach that incorporates the principles of Integration, Collaboration, and
Engagement.
› Integrative Learning —
Unifies concepts across previously
siloed business disciplines, allowing you
to engage in authentic problem-solving
from a comprehensive perspective.
› Collaborative Learning —
Embraces hands-on projects that
promote team-based problem-
solving, decision-making, and project
management — all of which are
relevant in the contemporary business
environment.
›
Engaged Learning — Allows you
to apply business concepts in an
interactive and participative learning
environment through the use of
virtual classrooms, collaborative
video-conferencing, discussion
boards, mentoring, and more.
“I was a nontraditional student. My colleagues were
virtual, my workplace was global, and my schedule was
unpredictable. The Penn State Online MBA accommodated
my needs perfectly.”
—Dr. Michael B., Online MBA Graduate
7
The Penn State Smeal Advantage
More Options, Greater Flexibility, and a
Commitment to Lifelong Learning
In partnership with Penn State World Campus, the Smeal College of Business makes
it easy to customize a learning plan to your unique career aspirations and busy
schedule. We provide numerous concentrations and one of the most integrated and
flexible offerings of all online and residential programs in the United States. As a
Penn Stater in a Smeal-led program, you will experience:
Personal advising
Experts will explain the many options that
Smeal offers and will help you refine your
career strategy and craft the educational
experience best suited to your interests.
It all starts with a simple, but critical,
question: “What are your goals?”
Career coaching
Our Alumni Career Services team
will support you across all career
stages with professional advancement
opportunities and coaching to help you
stay focused on achieving your goals.*
The Penn State Smeal College of Business, University Park
8
Industry professionals
in a virtual classroom
Many of Smeal’s courses feature
industry professionals who have
been in the trenches and work hard
to make an impact every day. These
individuals, most of whom hold a
Smeal graduate degree, may serve
as Teaching Support Specialists
(TSS) and partner with our renowned
faculty to provide a rich academic
context with real-world application.
Enhanced learning
outside the classroom
Smeal encourages students studying
online to participate in college-wide
events like global immersion trips,
executive workshops, and more.
Discover more benefits at:
worldcampus.psu.edu/
mbasmealadvantage
* Services are available only to students and alumni of Penn State Smeal College of Business degree
programs and online degrees led by Smeal and delivered through Penn State World Campus.
Students and alumni of online graduate certificates are not eligible to receive these benefits unless
they are also enrolled in a degree program.
9
Why Penn State?
Reputation for
Excellence
Having a Penn State degree on your
résumé is a great way to broaden your
career options and prove to current
and potential employers that you are an
educated, career-focused professional
with a relevant and transferable skill set.
Flexibility and
Convenience
Penn State knows that as an adult
student, you need flexible and
convenient learning options. The online
learning format offered by Penn State
World Campus makes it possible to
fit a graduate education into your life.
Though courses have fixed start and
end dates with assignment deadlines,
you can decide when to do your
course work to meet those deadlines.
Student Support
Services
Benefit from an array of support services,
including access to one of the largest
research libraries in North America,
plus 24/7 technical support offered
by the Penn State IT Service Desk.
Vast Alumni Network
Upon your completion of the
Penn State Online MBA, you will
become part of a proud worldwide
network of Penn State alumni,
including more than 92,000 graduates
of the Smeal College of Business,
and you will have the opportunity to
leverage valuable Smeal connections
throughout your professional career.
10
11
Begin Your Application Today
Admissions decisions for the MBA are
based on a review of the complete
application portfolio. There is a standard
deadline each semester, with courses
beginning in January, May, and August.
Class size is limited. To receive priority
consideration for the admission
decision, submit your completed
application portfolio by the deadline.
Your application portfolio
should include:
› application and fee
› postsecondary cumulative
undergraduate GPA
› ocial transcripts from all
institutions attended
› two professional recommendations
› résumé
› essay responses
› TOEFL or IELTS score (if applicable)
For application deadlines and more
information about the application
process, please visit
worldcampus.psu.edu/applymba
or call our admissions office at
814-863-5386.
Did You Know?
› Penn State World Campus is
consistently ranked as a top provider
of online degree programs by
U.S. News & World Report.
› No distinction will be made on your
ocial Penn State transcript or
diploma that your courses were
completed online.
› Faculty in our online programs have
extensive corporate, teaching, and
research experience. In many cases,
they are the same distinguished
professors who teach in our
residential programs.
11
- -
- -
~
PennState
W World Campus
~
PennState
W Smeal College
of Business
f
-
in
@
Contact Us
Admissions Questions
Phone: 814 863 5386
worldcampus.psu.edu/admissions
The Pennsylvania State University
128 Outreach Building
University Park, PA 16802
@psuworldcampus
@PSUWorldCampus
Penn State World Campus
@pennstateworldcampus
@PennStateOnlineMBA
@SmealPGP
Penn State Smeal College of Business
@PennStateOnlineMBA
This publication is available in alternative media on request.
Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all
qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability
or protected veteran status. Produced by Outreach and Online Education Marketing UBR 24 WC 1604550/jxt/bjm
Copyright © 2024 The Pennsylvania State University
