Master of Business Administration

The learning outcomes and competencies below are the core of the Rider University Norm Brodsky College of Business MBA program. They provide the foundation for its curriculum and are designed to enhance student success, both throughout the program and post-graduation. There are three main focus areas: decision-making, leadership, and communication.

• Decision-making - Make strategic decisions that are integrative.
• Leadership - Manage organizational activities in a global environment.
• Communication - Effectively communicate business information in the appropriate format.

The Rider MBA classes include foundation, core, and elective classes. Depending on the background of the individual student, completion of the degree will require between 36 and 51 credits. The MBA program is accredited by the AACSB International (Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business), a distinction held by fewer than 4% of business programs worldwide.

Classes are offered in the evening, Monday through Thursday, as well as in the online and hybrid formats. All prerequisite courses are offered during the fall, spring, and summer semesters. Students can pursue the MBA on a full or part-time basis. Courses are taught in small sections, usually by full-time faculty holding doctoral degrees. Faculty are engaged in research in their fields and have business experience as well.

There are two electives in the MBA program which allow MBA students to customize their degree to suit their needs. By adding a third elective, MBA students may choose to concentrate in a particular area of interest.

The MBA Program requires a core of 30 credit hours of Breadth course requirements and 6 credit hours of elective courses. Students may also be required to take up to an additional 15 credit hours of Foundation requirements based on their educational and work experience. A student must complete between 36 and 51 semester hours for the MBA, depending on the number of Foundation courses that are waived. To enrich the MBA degree, students may take electives in the areas of finance, information systems, business analytics, forensic accounting and sport management.

Breadth Course Requirements

• PMBA 8000 Executive Communications 1
• PMBA 8210 Information Technology Management
• PMBA 8220 Strategic Accounting for Manager
• PMBA 8230 Managerial Economics
• PMBA 8240 Applied Corporate Finance
• PMBA 8250 Operations & Supply Chain Management
• PMBA 8260 Mkt Analysis & Decision Making
• PMBA 8270 Advanced Organizational Behavior
• PMBA 8290 Legal and Ethical Aspects of Management
• PMBA 8880 Strategic Management

Elective Courses

Students are required to complete 6 semester hours of electives to complete the program requirements. 2

1 Students are required to take PMBA 8000 as one of the first breadth classes they take in the program.
2 Students pursuing a concentration as part of their degree will need to complete 9 semester hours of electives by taking an additional elective.

Foundation Requirements – Courses

(15 credits for non-business undergraduates or business undergraduates with outdated course work or course work that did not meet waiver standards)

• PMBA 8020 Fundamentals of Accounting
• PMBA 8030 Economic Analysis
• PMBA 8040 Basic Financial Principles
• PMBA 8051 Fundamentals of Statistical Analysis
• PMBA 8052 Models and Methods of Operations Management
• PMBA 8060 Basic Marketing Principles
• PMBA 8070 Management: Theory & Application

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) –Waiver of Courses

A waiver of a course from foundation requirements may be granted under the following conditions:

I) PMBA foundation class is waived based on previous undergraduate coursework if:

• Students took the equivalent course less than six years ago and received a grade of B or above.
• Students took the equivalent course more than six years ago and received a grade of B or above and utilize the knowledge in their professional position on a regular basis, as determined by the Dean's Office.

II) PMBA foundation class is waived upon the proficiency assessment or successful completion of a review short course if:

• Students took the equivalent course less than six years ago and received a grade of B- or C+.
• Students took the equivalent course more than six years ago and received a grade of B or better.
• Students took the equivalent course more than six years ago and received a grade of B- or C+ and utilize that specific knowledge in their professional position on a regular basis, as determined by the Dean's Office.

III) PMBA foundation class must be taken if:

• Students have never taken the undergraduate equivalent class.
• Students received below a C+ in the class, regardless of when it was taken.

In all cases, the comparable undergraduate courses must have been taken from an accredited school.

If a student is granted a waiver for any foundation requirements, the student is responsible for a satisfactory level of competency with the representative material. If necessary, the student should review and/or seek tutoring support for the waived material in preparation of advanced courses. Any appeal of a waiver decision based on previous coursework must be made to the Dean's Office within the first semester of the program.

MBA Breadth Course Waivers

It is possible for students to substitute an elective for an MBA Breadth course in the following situations, so as not to duplicate coursework that may have been done as undergraduates:

• Students who graduated in the last five years as marketing majors and had at least a 3.0 in their marketing courses will not need to take PMBA 8260 Mkt Analysis & Decision Making. In its place, students must take an additional elective from the MBA or MAcc programs.
• Students who graduated in the last five years as accounting majors who graduated with at least a 3.0 in their accounting courses, will not need to take PMBA 8220 Strategic Accounting for Manager. In its place, students must take an additional elective from the MBA or MAcc programs.
• Students who graduated in the last five years with an undergraduate degree in Information Systems/Technology, Computer Science or Electrical Engineering with at least a 3.0 GPA in their major area courses and have at least five years of professional experience in IS/IT and strategy, OR for students with a graduate degree in Information Systems/Technology, Computer Science or Electrical Engineering and over five years professional experience in IS/IT and strategy will not need to take PMBA 8210 Information Technology Management. In its place, students must take an elective from either the MBA or MAcc program.
• Students who graduated in the last five years as supply chain majors and had at least a 3.0 in their supply chain courses will not need to take PMBA 8250 Operations & Supply Chain Management. In its place, students must take an additional elective from the MBA or MAcc programs.