Curriculum

The MSM degree program consists of a 32-credit hour curriculum. There is no thesis requirement.

Required Classes

The curriculum is comprised of twelve required classes (22 credits) that provide students with an understanding of business fundamentals with a special emphasis on their applications in managerial decision making. There are prerequisites within the MSM program however, there are no prerequisite courses needed before the start of the program. Effective for the group starting in Summer B 2009, the course, Organizational Behavior, will move to the Summer B term and Global Strategic Management will move to the spring term's second module.

Core Course Descriptions

ACG 5005	Financial Accounting: Introduction for prospective managers. Primary emphasis on financial reporting and analysis.
ACG 5075	Managerial Accounting: (prerequisite ACG 5005) Introduction for prospective managers. Primary emphasis on management control systems.
QMB 5304	Introduction to Managerial Statistics: Basic concepts and methods of probability and statistics, stressing applications in analyzing and solving business problems.
ECP 5702	Managerial Economics: Synthesis and application of microeconomic theory and related business administration principles to managerial decision making through a problem solving operation.
MAN 5246	Organizational Behavior: (prerequisite QMB 5304 or undergraduate statistics) Behavior of individuals, groups, and organizations. Understanding organizations, how they work, and the people in them. Concepts presented in relation to core managerial competencies.
FIN 5437	Finance I : Asset Valuation, Risk, and Return: (prerequisite ACG 5005, ACG 5075) Analysis of business financing and investing decisions. Selected financial tools and concepts. Risk analysis and capital budgeting.
MAR 5806	Marketing Management: (prerequisite ACG 5005, ACG 5075, QMB 5304) Concepts and techniques for resolving marketing management problems through case method.
MAN 5502	Production & Operations Management: (prerequisite QMB 5304) Introduction to Production and Operations Management, which focuses on design and control of productive systems within organizations.
GEB 5212	Professional Writing: Written structure of memoranda, executive summaries, mission statements, marketing and SWOT analyses, product and management structure descriptions, marketing and business plans. Conventions and psychological principles governing reader preferences and assumptions. (1 credit)
GEB 5215	Professional Communication: Balance between descriptive information and application of organizational communication theories and techniques for business and professional speaking. (1 credit)
MAN 6636	Global Strategic Management Strategic issues facing global and multinational organizations.
BUL 5811	Managers and the Legal Environment: (prerequisite ACG 5005, ACG 5075, QMB 5304) Law governing relationships with corporation and between corporation and social, political, and ethical environment. Business and the Constitution, litigation and dispute resolution, agency and forms of business organization, state and federal regulation of corporations and securities.

Electives

The curriculum allows for five or six elective classes (total of 10 credits.)

Students can choose electives from a variety of subject areas such as Entrepreneurship, International Business, Human Resource Management, Supply Chain Management, Economics, and Hospitality Management. Available elective courses will be designated by the program administration and announced prior to the start of each term. Electives may also have prerequisites that must be met.

Graduate Elective Courses

Degree

Upon completion of the required curriculum, students are awarded the Master of Science Degree, with a major in Management.

EDGE Leadership Development Program

The EDGE program, designed specifically for students in the Hough Graduate School of Business, will provide professional leadership development for graduate business students by bringing the workplace into the classroom. Students will develop practical and implementable workplace skills through hands-on projects and activities that will enable them to practice new skills. Students will also interact with industry leaders, experts and others to learn first-hand the challenges and opportunities of working in business organizations. This program will afford students a value-added edge that will make them more attractive to employers.

This is a fast-paced program in which topics are presented by a lead instructor, followed by specific hands-on interactive exercises or activities conducted both in class and in the field. These will include self-assessments for the purposes of personal development, group discussions, simulations, interviews, and dialogues with industry leaders, site visits, along with guided self-reflection. There will be opportunities for authentic and real world interactions; social interaction; content and skills that are made relevant to the learner; linking prior knowledge to new experiences; ongoing formative assessment and capstone experiences; opportunities for reflection and meaning construction; faculty role as facilitators of learning; and the encouragement of multiple perspectives.

The program is offered as two components (1 credit each) to total a 2-credit elective "Graduate Business Professional Development". Students will meet once per week through the fall and spring terms, completing one credit per term. The maximum enrollment in each section of the course is 35 students. This is a graded elective course with required participation, quizzes, assignments, and activities. The program is designed by UF’s Leadership Development Institute and led by Executive Director Ron Kirsch.

Leadership Development Institute
Executive Director Ron Kirsch

Details are subject to change- learning goals below are tentative and sequencing of topics to modules may be altered before actual course initiation in fall 2009.

Module 1: Introduction to Leadership
Students will understand the importance of leadership in building a sustainable enterprise; understand the evolution of leadership frameworks; understand organizational life cycles and leadership priorities; gain self-knowledge that can be applied to the development of individual leadership competencies; understand and apply the principles of emotional intelligence to themselves and others; understand and apply techniques for effective interpersonal communication; identify individual "strengths and struggles", determine ways to capitalize on strengths, determine ways to overcome or manage around struggles.

Module 2: Direction
Students will learn to map the global business context; learn the challenges of leading in a global business environment; successfully interact and achieve goals with people whose cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives are different from their own; understand "cultural intelligence" and cross-cultural communication; use foresight and futuring tools to anticipate future leadership issues; develop an understanding of sustainability and the triple bottom line; understand social responsibility; develop strategies for leading in turbulent times.

Module 3: Action
Students will understand the talent management process; differentiate between the roles of leader and individual performer; gain knowledge of tools and techniques that can be used to manage performance; understand the theory and practice of employee motivation; assess their influencing style and practice influencing skills; learn how to build effective teams; learn how to work together and build a high-performing team; develop strategies for dealing with team dysfunctions; develop customer-centric behavior in themselves and others.

Module 4: Culture
Students will understand how leaders develop other leaders; understand the characteristics of "high-potential" employees; gain knowledge of ways organizations create an employer of choice workplace; understand the theory and practice of building organizational trust and loyalty; learn to deal with real-world diversity and trust issues; learn to manage personal and organizational change and transition; learn to use tools for the measurement of leadership and organizational performance.