Graduate School of Business  Curriculum
 

MBA Core Curriculum | Specializations & Tracks | Certificate Programs | 

Graduate Business Specializations & Tracks

All specializations and tracks within the MBA Program will consist of the basic core as listed above (28 credits) and specialization electives (12 credits).  The student may elect to take all electives within a single area or take and interdisciplinary approach and take electives in more than one area.  In order to received certification in a track, all coursework must be completed with no grade less than a "B-," and an average of 3.0 for the 12 credits of the track.  

Specializations are offered in the following areas:

 

Accounting Track

The MBA Accounting Track students must meet the same general admission criteria as Master of Accounting students and be approved by the School of Accounting for inclusion in the track, as well as be approved in the MBA Program.  The MBA Accounting track student must substitute ACG 6135 for ACG 6085 and ACG 6475 for ISM 6026.  Electives will be in 6000-level Accounting courses for which prerequisites have been met.  Accounting courses at the 5000 level are unacceptable in the MBA Program.

In addition to its traditional classroom MBA in Accounting program, the School of Accounting also offers the following programs.  Please click on each link for more information:

 

 

Electronic Commerce Track

Students electing the Electronic Commerce track will take the basic core courses listed above and the following:

and any three courses from the following list:

 

Finance Track

Students electing the Finance Track will take the basic core courses and any of the following four courses:

 

Financial Planning Track

An MBA with Financial Planning Track can open the door to a challenging and rewarding career within the financial services industry.  An MBA from Florida Atlantic University, coupled with the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification is a winning combination that will increase your marketability to prospective employers.  The demand for financial planning services and particularly planners with the CFP™ certification continues to grow at a rapid pace as life spans become longer, government support programs continue to shrink and/or become needs-based, and the number and complexity of financial products available to consumers continues to grow.

Recognizing these trends, retail brokerage firms and financial service firms including banks are continuing to shirt away from product specific sales commissions to all encompassing financial plans where a variety of products can be bundled together in the form of Money Under Management.  Increasing numbers of brokers and other professionals in the financial service industry are obtaining the CFP certification to accommodate their client's needs and more CFP licensees are being hired by these firms as well as traditional financial planning firms.  Having both an MBA and the CFP certification will greatly enhance your job prospects and your ability to advance in your current position within the financial services industry.

 

Career Opportunities

More and more, employers of MBA's are being very selective in the specific training and experience they require from their newly hired MBA's, expecting them to arrive on the job with specialized skills.  Working closely with business, Florida Atlantic University is continuing to offer enhanced MBA degree options and concentrations to better train students to meet the specific needs of business.  The MBA with Financial Planning Track is one of these options that is designed to fill a niche area that is expanding in South Florida and the United States by providing the MBA student a thorough background in the concepts and applications of personal financial planning.

Traditional MBA's are employed in a wide variety of businesses including accounting, commercial banking, management consulting, consumer products, health care, insurance, and services companies.  In these jobs, the specific job function of the MBA includes marketing, finance, operations, information systems, and long-term planning.  By comparison, many CFP™ practitioners are self-employed in private practice by themselves or with other planners.  Still other CFP licensees work for a variety of businesses as they form long-term relationships with their clients, mapping our and implementing strategies to achieve their client's financial goals.  These businesses include banks, credit unions, insurance companies, accounting and law firms, credit counseling organizations and brokerage firms.  The MBA degree with the CFP certification is an attractive combination that opens a board spectrum of potential employment opportunities.

 

Registration with the CFP Board and Accreditation

The MBA Degree Program with Financial Planning Track is registered with the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards in Denver, Colorado.  The CFP Board is an independent professional organization that establishes and enforces education, examination, experience and ethics requirements for CFP licensees.  The CFP certification is at the forefront of the financial planning profession and has become the most widely recognized financial planning credential among consumers in the United States.  In a 1996 survey conducted by the Survey Research Laboratory at Florida State University, more than 60% of investors recognized the CFP mark making it one of the most recognized certifications in the field.  Upon completion of the required coursework outlined below, students are eligible to sit for the CFP™ Certification Examination.  Completing the financial planning coursework, passing the CFP™ Certification Examination, financial planning related work experience, and adherence to the CFP Board's Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility are the four requirements needed to obtain the CFP certification.

The College of Business at Florida Atlantic University is fully accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).  It is one of only approximately 115 business programs in the United States accredited by the AACSB at all levels: bachelors, masters and doctorate.

 

The Financial Planning Track Coursework

 

Foundation Component and Courses

The foundation component introduces the broad field of business administration and the fundamental quantitative techniques used in business analysis.  Courses in the Foundation Component are:

Course Course Number Credits
Financial Aspects of Accounting ACG 6027 3
Financial Management FIN 6406 3
Marketing Functions and Processes MAR 6055 3
Modern Economic Concepts and Theories ECO 6008 3
Total:   12

 

Core Component and Courses

The Core Component consists of required graduate business courses that extend the basic background in the Foundation Component.  These courses include:

Course Course Number Credits
Graduate Business Communications Applications GEB 6215 3
Advanced Analysis of Accounting Data ACG 6085 3
Investment Management FIN 6816** 3
Global Environment of Management MAN 6937 3
Strategic Concepts in Marketing MAR 6716 3
Information Systems ISM 6026 3
Organizational Behavior MAN 6151 3
Operations Management MAN 6501 3
Global Management Strategy and Policy MAN 6721 3
Core Total   27

**In the MBA Personal Financial Planning Track, FIN 6816, Investment Management, will be substituted for FIN 6806.

 

FAU MBA Degree Program with Financial Planning Track Advisory Board

Scott W. Barnhart, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Finance Florida Atlantic University
Robert Friedman, CLU Managing Director Prudential Insurance
Robert Levitt, CFA, CFP Principal Levitt Capital Management
Jay L. Shein, Ph.D., CFP President and CEO Compass Financial Group, Inc.
Deidre S. Waltz, CFP President South Florida Society of the ICFP
Marilyn K. Wiley, Ph.D., CFA Associate Professor of Finance and Director of Graduate Programs Florida Atlantic University

 

Admission Requirements

Admission to the MBA program at FAU requires and undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or better in the last sixty hours of coursework leading to the degree.  The Graduate Management Admissions Test is also required, with a score of 500 or better.  Students who are close to these requirements may be considered for probationary admission.

Application Procedures

Visit the FAU website at http://www.fau.edu and select ADMISSIONS and then GRADUATE ADMISSIONS for access to an on-line application or simply call (561) 297-3650 for more information.

"Florida Atlantic University does not certify individuals to use the CFP™, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and "CFP (with flame logo)®" certification marks.  CFP certification is granted only by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards to those persons who, in addition to completing an educational requirement such as this CFP Board-Registered Program, have met its ethics, experience and examination requirements."

International Business Track

Students in the International Business Track will take the basic core courses as listed above.  The international component consists of four electives courses within the three blocks. Students must take one course from each block. The fourth course may be chosen from any block with a limit of 3 credits for GEB 6365, International Field Experience.  

BLOCK #1 consists of the following:

BLOCK #2 consists of the following:

BLOCK #3 consists of the following:

 

 

Global Entrepreneurship Track

Students in the Entrepreneurship Track will take the basic core as listed above.  The Entrepreneurship component consists of four elective courses as follows:

 

 

Health Administration Track

Students in the Health Administration Track will take the basic core as listed above and four elective courses as listed below:

 

 

Operations Management Track

Students electing the Operations Management Track will take the basic core and the following courses listed below:

Students must also take two classes from the following list:

 

 

Real Estate Track

Students electing the Real Estate Track will take the basic core courses and four elective courses as follows:

One of the following:

REE 6207    AND    REE 6305

Plus one course from the following:

And one course from the following:

 

 

Sport Management Track

Once a student is accepted to the general FAU MBA, they must make formal application to MBASport. This is done by contacting the program director and setting up an interview. A personal essay stating your reasons why you desire to enter MBASport and procure a career in Sport Management. It should be made clear that acceptance into the general FAU MBA program does not imply automatic acceptance into MBASport.  While a business-orientated undergraduate degree is preferred, all applications from candidates holding a bachelors degree from a properly accredited college or university will be considered. Special consideration will not be given to those applicants who possess a bachelors degree in sport management, sport marketing, sport studies, sport administration, etc. Such degrees will not hurt the applicants chances for admission; but they will not move the applicant to "the head of the line". All applicants should be "computer literate". 

 

 

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