Flex Online Opening Term

You will begin your coursework in Opening Term with the Structure of Global Industries (BADM 5500, 3.0 credits). This three-week course is rigorous and fast-paced. It will introduce you to the highly integrated and global view of business which will set the tone for the entire MBA program experience. Your faculty will seek to spark your curiosity and create questions in your mind that can be answered throughout the rest of the curriculum. Following the completion of Opening Term, you will begin the fall semester. 

Mark the dates below on your calendar, but please note the schedule may change prior to the start. Use this information as a general guide.

Opening Term and In-person Residency #1

BADM 5500 – Monday, August 5 – Friday, August 23

During the first two weeks of this class, August 5 – August 18, you will attend live online synchronous sessions on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings. These two weeks will also include substantial asynchronous course content and teamwork, so please plan to be available on evenings and weekends to complete this work.

You will complete the third week, August 18 – 24, in person on campus for your first program residency. These will be full days and evenings, with class sessions, team meetings, and faculty coaching. At the end of the week, you will take a final exam and present your team project. A detailed itinerary will be provided closer to the start of the residency.

Please note that you are responsible for all costs, including travel to Washington, D.C., lodging, transportation, and meals during your residency week. As we get closer to the start of Opening Term, the Program Office hopes to provide a hotel recommendation that will offer students a discounted rate and allow for students to stay in one centralized location.

Your specific course schedule will be provided in mid-July. The Program Office will register you for these classes.

Fall Semester begins – Wednesday, August 28

Opening Term Course

BADM 5500: The Structure of Global Industries

This course is offered in an intensive format using multiple instructors, teams, and projects, and provides an immediate immersion into international business. The first objective of the course is to develop skills of critical thinking and business decision making. This entails learning how to analyze problems with the use of theory and evidence, synthesize findings into recommendations, and communicate persuasively and effectively. The second objective is to learn the foundations of international business and economics that are necessary for managerial success and to incorporate ethical considerations into business decisions. A third objective is to learn how to function effectively in teams and make persuasive professional presentations.

The core discipline and intellectual framework for the course is international economics enriched by global strategy. Ethical considerations are introduced formally and experientially. Teamwork and presentation skills are learned in the context of the projects.

To achieve the course objectives, we have 25 sessions consisting of lecture classes, case study classes, and practicums, plus final exam and project presentation. A feature of the course is a global industries project that is conducted by teams of students focused on a firm’s decisions about business in a range of global industries. Similar to a corporate strategy exercise, each team determines where to locate production and sales, how to organize a firm in each of the industries, and how the firm’s business is affected by a major macroeconomic shock.

Course Materials

Textbooks can be purchased either in the bookstore or from online sources. Please note that some courses may require you to purchase additional materials through a custom coursepack or other materials available online; instructions on how to purchase those items will be delivered by your faculty. Faculty will post course materials shortly before their classes begin.

Calculator

We recommend that you purchase a Texas Instrument BA-II Plus or HP 12C financial calculator. These models were chosen because they are the only calculators allowed for the CFA exams. Other types of calculators may not be approved by your faculty.