Master of Science in Management

Program Coordinator: Dr. Lagnajita Chatterjee
Email: lchatterjee@worcester.edu 

Admission Requirements

The general admission requirements for graduate study at Worcester State University are located at: www.worcester.edu/graduate

In addition, applicants must also have the results of the Graduate Management Admission Test  (GMAT)  sent to the Office of Graduate and Continuing Education. Typical scores should be at the 50th percentile or higher for accepted students and typical undergraduate GPAs are 3.0 or higher on a U.S. scale of 4.0. The GMAT will be waived for students meeting the following criteria—3.0 GPA and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from an accredited U.S. university or college. In addition, students must prepare an essay describing their career plans and interest in graduate study. Three letters of recommendation from former professors or work supervisors are required. Admission to this program is a rolling admissions process and applicants who have already earned a bachelor's degree are eligible to take up to 6 credits prior to being accepted into the program.

 
 

Requirements of the Program

The Master of Science in Management Degree requires the completion of thirty-six (36) credit hours of graduate courses. Students with a B.S. or B.A. in Business from an accredited U.S. university or college and a 3.0 G.P.A. may reduce the M.S. in Management program from 36 to 30 credits. A maximum of two of the following courses can be omitted—BA-910, BA-912, BA-914, or BA-915. See program coordinator for details. The curriculum includes prerequisites, eight core courses, four required courses in each concentration, and possible electives. Prerequisites may be completed at the undergraduate level. A minimum grade of a B in prior courses is required for all waived and transferred courses. All waivers require the approval  of the program coordinator.

The Department of Business Administration and Economics offers a 4Plus program that will allow qualified WSU Business Administration majors with GPAs of 3.0 or higher to start taking courses in the M.S. in Management program during their senior year. For more details, students should consult the graduate coordinator of the M.S. in Management program. Undergraduate Business Administration majors who are accepted into 4Plus program may take the following graduate courses (6 credits maximum) and count them in both their BA undergraduate major and in the M.S. in Management program. These courses will appear at the 500 level on their undergraduate transcripts and will be transferred at the 900 level for the M.S. in Management program once they have completed their B.S. degrees. Students must have permission of the graduate instructor and the M.S. in Management graduate coordinator to take any graduate classes before they have finished their undergraduate degree program and must complete special registration forms with the program coordinator. Other courses may count in both the student's M.S. in Management and B.S. in Business Administration programs with permission of the graduate coordinator.

BA-960Leadership Theory and Skills (may count in the BA electives or in the management concentration)3
BA-962Ethics and Social Responsibility of Leadership (may count in the BA electives or in the management concentration)3
BA-915Corporate Finance (this may be counted as a substitute for BA404 in the BA electives or within the finance concentration) 13
BA-912Marketing Management (this may count in the BA electives or within the marketing concentration. May not be waived for students in the Marketing track) 13
Note: Other courses may count in both the undergraduate and graduate programs with permission of the instructor.

The following prerequisites apply to all students entering the program:

  • Principles of Management or Organizational Behavior

  • Undergraduate Accounting

  • Business Law

  • Computer Applications

  • Statistics

  • Microeconomics

  • Macroeconomics

  • Communications

  • College Mathematics (College Algebra or higher)

In addition to the above admissions prerequisites, students in the Accounting Concentration must also complete undergraduate Accounting I and II, Intermediate Accounting I and II, and an undergraduate Auditing (theory) course.

Students in the Marketing Concentration, in addition to the above admissions prerequisites, must also complete an undergraduate Principles of Marketing and a Marketing Research course.

Note:  All undergraduate prerequisites to the M.S. in Management program will follow WSU’s transfer policy, which accepts undergraduate transfer grades of C- or better.

Core Courses

Master of Science in Management Core Courses (all students)(24 credits)
BA-910Information Technology 13
BA-911Accounting for Managerial Decisions 23
BA-912Marketing Management (May not be waived for students in the Marketing track) 13
BA-913Managerial Economics3
BA-914Organizational Behavior 13
BA-915Corporate Finance 13
BA-916Quantitative Analysis and Research Methods3
BA-990Integrated Business Strategy3
Total Credits24

Accounting Concentration

Accounting Concentration Required Courses(12 credits)
AC-910Taxation of Individuals & Proprietors3
AC-911Taxation of Corporations and Shareholders3
AC-912Advanced Accounting Theory3
AC-913Advanced Auditing Theory and Practice3
Accounting Concentration Elective Courses (offered when sufficient demand exists)(24 credits)
AC-920Advanced Problems in Accounting3
AC-921Advanced Cost Accounting3
AC-922International Accounting3
AC-923Advanced Government & Non-Profit Accounting 33
AC-930Advanced Financial Theory3
AC-932International Finance and Economics3
AC-950Seminar Topics in Taxation3
AC-951Seminar in Issues in Accounting Ethics3

Leadership Concentration

Leadership Concentration Required Courses(12 credits)
BA-960Leadership Theory and Skills3
BA-961Organizational Development and Change3
BA-962Ethics and Social Responsibility of Leadership3
BA-963Action Learning Professional Leadership Project3
Leadership Concentration Elective Courses (offered when sufficient demand exists)(21 credits)
BA-970Seminar in Leadership3
BA-971Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management3
BA-972Motivation and Leadership of Teams3
BA-973Leading in the International Business Environment3
BA-974Negotiations3
BA-975Leadership Perspectives of Human Resources and the Legal Environment3
BA-976Selected Topics in Leadership3

Marketing Concentration

Marketing Concentration Required Courses(12 credits)
BA-920Global Marketing Management3
BA-921Consumer Behavior3
BA-922Research Methods for Marketing Decisions3
BA-923Integrated Marketing Communications3
Marketing Concentration Elective Course (offered when sufficient demand exists and may be substituted for one of the required Marketing concentration courses)(3 credits)
BA-924Sales Management3
1

May be waived for students with consultation of the graduate coordinator

2

May be waived for students in the accounting concentration

3

Replaces BA-911 for students in the accounting concentration, but is not offered on a regular basis

 
 

Graduate Management Courses

BA-901 Directed Study: Management

Directed study offers graduate students, who because of unusual circumstances may be unable to register for a course when offered, the opportunity to complete an existing course with an established syllabus under the direction and with agreement from a faculty member. Variable credits.

Fall and Spring and every year. 1-12 Credits

BA-910 Information Technology

This course taks a managerial perspective toward the use of information technology (IT) and will analyze how organizations use IT to improve organization efficiency and effectiveness and to achieve a competitive advantage. Case studies may be employed to understand how organizations have implemented IT to integrate processes across multiple business functions and to differentiate their organization from the competition.

3 Credits

BA-911 Accounting for Managerial Decisions

This course focuses on the analysis of financial statements, benchmarking for liquidity, solvency, efficiency, profitability, analysis of risk and leverage, financial planning and control, cost analysis including activity based costing, budgeting systems, and an introduction to capital budgeting.

3 Credits

BA-912 Marketing Management

This course will provide students with an in-depth understanding of consumer and business marketing. Students will develop an understanding of and apply marketing theories, models and techniques through reading and analysis of current journal articles and cases. Particular focus will be placed on developing managerial and decision-making skills.

3 Credits

BA-913 Managerial Economics

This course will present those aspects of economics theory and analysis that are most relevant to students in business administration. The topics covered include demand analysis, estimation and forecasting, production theory, cost analysis and estimation, and pricing theory and application.

3 Credits

BA-914 Organizational Behavior

This course introduces concepts, theories and current research in the effective management of organizations employing the open-systems model and contingency approach as an overall framework. Individual differences, teamwork, organizational structure and processes are all discussed. The role of perception and motivation in the behavior of the individual is addressed. Cases, workshops and readings are integrated within the course.

3 Credits

BA-915 Corporate Finance

This course will review theories and cases in value maximization as the goal of a firm.The specific topics covered include EVA and MVA approaches, corporate governance and agency issues, valuation of corporate securities, cost of capital, and risk analysis and management. Other possible topics may include uses and valuation of derivatives, advanced issues in capital budgeting including embedded options, capital structure, dividend policy, lease analysis, mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcy, and international finance.

3 Credits

BA-916 Quantitative Analysis and Research Methods

This course will explore both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Professional business statistics will be covered including multiple regression, time series analysis, queuing theory, decision theory and advanced data analysis. Fundamental social science research methods such as exploratory, field, experimental, and survey research will be reviewed. Students will be expected to present a research plan including problem definition, research questions, data collection methods and data analysis tools.

3 Credits

BA-920 Global Marketing Management

Building on the core courses in Marketing and International Marketing, students examine the types of decisions that marketing managers make when expanding and developing foreign markets. We will relate the various economic, social, political, and legal dimensions of the world to the marketplace. Using primarily qualitative methodologies, the course assesses the impact and integration of global factors in marketing programs and strategies.

3 Credits

BA-921 Consumer Behavior

The course will focus and further development the of knowledge of consumer behavior in the consumer marketing perspective. We will investigate the inputs of consumer behavior into marketing by relevant analytical methods and research. In this course you will learn about fundamental theories and concepts in consumer psychology and research of how and why people choose, use, and evaluate goods and services.

3 Credits

BA-922 Research Methods for Marketing Decisions

Students will examine the concepts and techniques used in marketing research for problem-solving and decision making in marketing. Problem definition, research design, types of information and measurement scales, and evaluation, and utilization of secondary data with an emphasis on electronic access are discussed. Students are trained in the methods of primary data collection including structured and unstructured interviews, focus groups, and surveys.

3 Credits

BA-923 Integrated Marketing Communications

This course is designed for students who will become decision makers in almost any company concerned with consumer/customer communications including advertising, public relations, promotions, Internet marketing, media and client organizations. The emphasis in this course will be the formulation of advertising and other promotional mix elements in the integrated marketing communications program (IMC) of an organization.

3 Credits

BA-924 Sales Management

This course will examine the elements of an effective sales force as an indispensable component of the organization's marketing effort. Students will understand marketing's reach and potential impact in achieving organizational goals. Students will understand the sales process, the relationship between sales and marketing, sales force structure and customer relationship management (CRM).

3 Credits

BA-960 Leadership Theory and Skills

This course explores the past, present and future of leadership and covers a variety of leadership paradigms and approaches. Attention is focused on cultural dynamics and diversity, including national, global and ethical issues. Emphasis is placed on how leaders emerge, the ever changing nature of a leader's skills portfolio, and how leadership roles are changing. Leadership of individuals, small teams, organizations, as well as leadership in a virtual world are discussed. Assignments include case analyses, individual and group projects and presentations.

3 Credits

BA-961 Organizational Development and Change

This course focuses on improving organizational effectiveness and leading the change processes. It draws upon a variety of behavioral science approaches to planned development and change. Regaining control after unplanned changes are also discussed. Using an experiential approach, Organizational Development is designed to improve individual, team and organizational performance though the design, implementation and evaluation of system-wide changes.

3 Credits

BA-962 Ethics and Social Responsibility of Leadership

This course examines ethical questions in the conduct of leadership. It considers the legal mandates, ethical and social responsibilities of leaders to all stakeholders. The influence of external and internal forces of the organizational environment will be explored.

3 Credits

BA-963 Action Learning Professional Leadership Project

Prerequisites: 2 courses from BA-960 BA-961 BA-962.

This course serves as a capstone in the Leadership concentration. Individuals will select a specific hands-on leadership project within a profit or not-for-profit organization. They will write and orally deliver a proposal to the class and subsequently to the host organization. The project, once implemented and completed, will incorporate skills, theories and concepts learned throughout the program into real-world applications.

3 Credits

BA-970 Seminar in Leadership

This course complements the theoretical components offered through the MS program by providing practical exposure to current management issues. This is accomplished by bringing to class business executives and leaders who discuss their most immediate and longer term management challenges. The course also examines several current issues facing senior executives.

3 Credits

BA-971 Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management

This course explores both entrepreneurial venture and small business start-up processes, plans and strategies. Students will be required to establish a business and develop a start-up proposal and strategic plan for a successful operation. The course is interdisciplinary and relies heavily on experiential exercises and simulation.

3 Credits

BA-972 Motivation and Leadership of Teams

This course is designed to provide a leadership perspective on the management and work effectiveness of teams and groups. Theories of motivation and group dynamics will be discussed in order to develop a greater understanding of the interplay between task, individuals, teams/groups and leadership. Your own personal behavior in teams and your team management skills will also be examined. The course is highly experiential and involves working in class teams on graded and non-graded assignments. These assignments include team presentations and written and oral analysis.

3 Credits

BA-973 Leading in the International Business Environment

This course is an in-depth analysis of all components of international business management. Major emphasis is placed upon multi-national business operations, including foreign profit centers, national and cultural differences, and comparative management systems. These are studied in terms of their influence on all areas of international trade.

3 Credits

BA-974 Negotiations

This course focuses on the essential knowledge and skills that effective negotiators need to deal appropriately with the problems and possibilities of effective negotiations, conflict management, and power and influence at work and other settings. Through active participation in negotiation role-plays, students develop negotiation skills; through the use of self-administered instruments, students learn about their own negotiating styles; and through lectures and readings, students learn about the structures and dynamics of negotiation, conflict, and power in organizations.

3 Credits

BA-975 Leadership Perspectives of Human Resources and the Legal Environment

This course examines how managers can utilize modern human resource practices in order to improve company performance and efficiencies. Topics include staffing for quality, outsourcing, use of core and contingent workforce, managing workforce commitment and performance, legal issues, managing careers and reward systems. A case study approach is used.

3 Credits

BA-976 Selected Topics in Leadership

This course is an in-depth study of a selected topic, issue, problem or trend in management. The specific subject matter is not offered as an existing regular course or deserves more time-emphasis than is possible in a regular course. When offered, topics and prerequisites are announced in WebAdvisor.

3 Credits

BA-986 Internship in Management

Prerequisites: Matriculated in MS in Management / Permission of Graduate Coordinator The graduate Internship in Management consists of supervised managerial work in an approved business setting (45 hours per credit or 135 hours for 3 credits).

1-6 Credits

BA-990 Integrated Business Strategy

This course will expose students to the concepts of strategic management and processes and provide them with the opportunity to integrate knowledge and skills developed in previous courses. The principal method for achieving these objectives is the in-depth oral and written analysis of complex, multiple problem cases by both individual students and teams.

3 Credits

Graduate Accounting Courses

AC-901 Directed Study: Accounting

Directed study offers graduate students, who because of unusual circumstances may be unable to register for a course when offered, the opportunity to complete an existing course with an established syllabus under the direction and with agreement from a faculty member. Variable credits.

Fall and Spring and every year. 1-12 Credits

AC-910 Taxation of Individuals & Proprietors

This course will provide a detailed analysis of federal laws, regulations, and other authorities affecting the taxation of individuals and proprietors. The course will be structured around tax law research with some consideration to forms and computerized tax packages.

3 Credits

AC-911 Taxation of Corporations and Shareholders

This course will focus on analyzing federal and state laws affecting corporations and shareholders, including laws governing corporate formation, liquidating and non-liquidating distributions, reorganizations, taxes on corporation accumulations, tax planning for compliance and minimization.

3 Credits

AC-912 Advanced Accounting Theory

This course will cover advanced topics in reporting for creditors, investors, regulatory agencies and other stakeholders, and the conceptual development and application of reporting alternatives. Specific emphasis will be placed on the application of accounting theory to current topics in financial reporting.

3 Credits

AC-913 Advanced Auditing Theory and Practice

The course will provide students with an in-depth understanding of auditing standards, auditing electronic systems, auditor's reports, and statistical samples in auditing, and SEC regulations. Case studies will be used to allow students to apply their knowledge in actual business situations.

3 Credits

AC-920 Advanced Problems in Accounting

This course will study general and specialized accounting problems based on the subject matter contained in C.P.A. examinations.

3 Credits

AC-921 Advanced Cost Accounting

This course will cover advanced topics in cost and managerial accounting systems including activity based costing and activity based management, capital budgeting, control systems, linear programming techniques, transfer pricing, and cost and variance analysis.

3 Credits

AC-922 International Accounting

The course focuses on the preparation of financial and accounting statements for multinational firms, foreign currency exchange adjustments, comparative acounting principles and disclosures, and audit reports as well as the interpretation of foreign financial statements.

3 Credits

AC-923 Advanced Government & Non-Profit Accounting

This course will address the analysis of measurement and reporting problems unique to nonprofit organizations and federal, state and local governments including the comparison of FASB and GASB standards with reference to other authoritative bodies. The course will provide an overview of fund accounting, budgetary systems, budgetary control and the auditing of government and nonprofit entities.

3 Credits

AC-930 Advanced Financial Theory

This course will allow students to study emerging topics in Finance with an emphasis on derivative instruments, risk management, financial engineering and hedges, issues in capital structure, mergers and acquisitions, real options in capital budgeting, and the impact of corporate governance structure on firm value.

3 Credits

AC-932 International Finance and Economics

This course will cover foreign exchange markets, rates and risks, reasons for international trade, purchasing power parity, interest rate parity, forward and future spot rates, international capital markets, financial instruments of international banking and trade, capital budgeting in the international context, and the impact of political risks.

3 Credits

AC-950 Seminar Topics in Taxation

This is a research based course dealing with contemporary and emerging topics in taxation resulting from changes in tax policies, legislation and regulation.

3 Credits

AC-951 Seminar in Issues in Accounting Ethics

The course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to identify, discuss, and analyze the many ethical issues faced by practicing accountants. Approaches for resolving ethical dilemmas and models for analyzing ethical issues will be discussed to assist students in making well-reasoned ethical decisions in their professional lives.

3 Credits