Olin Business School

ACCT 2610 Principles of Financial Accounting

This course introduces the fundamentals of financial accounting with an emphasis on recording common business transactions and mapping them into financial statements. It highlights how the balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows communicate a firm’s financial performance and support informed decision making.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

ACCT 2620 Principles of Managerial Accounting

Managerial Accounting focuses on figuring out how much things cost and using that information to make better managerial and strategic decisions. Most products and services require many inputs—different types of labor, materials, and overhead—many of which are shared across multiple product offerings and therefore must be thoughtfully allocated. The course develops tools for estimating and analyzing product and service costs, while emphasizing that businesses are dynamic: information, technologies, products, and production processes evolve over time. Accordingly, students learn not only how to construct costing systems, but also how to design and adapt those systems to support decision-making, evaluate trade-offs, and inform corporate strategy as organizations learn and change.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

ACCT 3610 Intermediate Financial Accounting I: Finance Related Topics

The first of a two-course sequence in corporate financial reporting. Topics include reviewing accounting basics, events, and transactions that impact financial statements, comprehending corporate financial reports, and deepening ones understanding of how core transactions affect the financial statements. Intermediate financial accounting I is designed to be applicable to accounting, finance, and any other student interested in gaining a deeper understanding of financial statements.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

ACCT 3620 Intermediate Financial Accounting II

Continuation of ACCT 3610. Focus on the accounting and reporting of various stakeholders' claims against the corporate entity. Claims of shareholders, long-term creditors, employees and governmental bodies are examined. An in-depth understanding of applicable generally accepted accounting principles is developed by examining the strengths and weaknesses of these principles and alternative accounting practices.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

ACCT 3650 Taxation of Business Entities

This course involves an examination of tax laws at the federal, state, and international levels, with an emphasis on corporate taxpayers and partnerships. A data-driven approach will be used to show how various business transactions affect a business entity's tax liability. Attention will also be given to various ways in which business entities might structure transactions to avoid or reduce tax liability and how the choice of business entity type affects these decisions.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

ACCT 3660 Carbon Accounting

Carbon and Emissions Reporting provides students with an understanding of the current structure of emissions disclosure, with an emphasis on carbon reporting. The course examines the regulatory bodies and standard-setting organizations that shape carbon reporting requirements, the role of rating agencies and indices used by investors and other stakeholders, and the content of corporate sustainability reports. Students learn to critically evaluate the emissions information disclosed by firms and assess its usefulness for investing and consumption decisions by carbon-conscious individuals. The course also analyzes the economic and political forces that influence the supply and demand for carbon disclosures and how those forces shape firms’ voluntary and mandatory reporting choices and the evolving decision-usefulness of carbon information.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

ACCT 4003 Not-For-Profit Accounting

Students will gain an understanding of the unique facets of not-for-profit accounting, including understanding not-for-profit financial statements, differences in not-for-profit GAAP, and the IRS Form 990.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

ACCT 4013 Ethics I

This course is designed to help the student understand ethical reasoning and behavior, and it will help them to define their own moral compass using case studies as the primary source of instruction. The primary goal is to make the student a role model for others in ethical behavior. Students will learn not just how to determine the proper ethical choice; more importantly, they will learn how to effectively implement the behavioral changes required to achieve solutions to ethical dilemmas. To quote (while paraphrasing) the authors of the textbook, we strive in [these courses] not only to educate accounting students to be future leaders in the accounting profession but to stimulate [the student's] ethical perception and cultivate virtue thereby awakening [their] sense of duty and obligation to the public interest.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

ACCT 4014 Ethics II

This course is part of a two-course sequence to develop a rigorous understanding of ethical decision-making in accounting and auditing, grounded in professional responsibility and moral judgment. Students examine ethical frameworks and their application to real-world challenges, including financial statement fraud, auditors' legal and fiduciary obligations, earnings management, and the pressures created by capital markets and Wall Street expectations. The course emphasizes that ethical conduct ultimately rests on an individual’s sense of right and wrong, as well as the courage to voice concerns and act in the public interest. Through cases, discussion, and reflection, students explore what it means to exercise professional skepticism and integrity in complex organizational settings. More broadly, it seeks to prepare students to uphold trust, accountability, and ethical action within business and society.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

ACCT 4550 Accounting Policy and Research

This course will enable students to develop their knowledge and appreciation of current debates that surround the accounting profession. Students will develop critical thinking skills regarding these issues and form and defend opinions about contemporary regulatory and market issues. The course will also provide an opportunity for students to learn important technical and research tools, including generative AI and machine learning, which are widely used by accounting practitioners. Finally, students will gain an appreciation of the primary methods underlying academic research in accounting.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

ACCT 4640 Auditing

This course deals with the professional service industry of auditing. The auditing industry provides the service of objectively obtaining, evaluating, and communicating evidence regarding managerial assertions about economic events. Specifically, auditing ascertains the degree of correspondence between managerial assertions and established criteria. The course is organized around the basic categories of: (1) the economic role of external corporate auditing in securities markets, (2) the composition of the firms in the auditing industry, (3) the regulatory environment of auditing, (4) litigation issues facing the accounting/auditing industry, and (5) the requirements for conducting audits. Topics included in the last area include a consideration of the scope and application of Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS) and the general technology of auditing which are some general auditing topics typically covered on the CPA exam. Grading is based on homework, a group-based project, and two exams.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

ACCT 4650 Taxation of Business Entities

This course involves an examination of tax laws at the federal, state, and international levels, with an emphasis on corporate taxpayers and partnerships. A data-driven approach will be used to show how various business transactions affect a business entity's tax liability. Attention will also be given to various ways in which business entities might structure transactions to avoid or reduce tax liability and how the choice of business entity type affects these decisions.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

ACCT 4660 Financial Statement Analysis

Designed to enhance your understanding of the process of evaluating financial statement information. Requires a basic familiarity with financial accounting and the assumptions underlying measurements reported in financial statements, an understanding of the economic and regulatory forces underlying corporate disclosure of financial statement information and their effects on financial statement information, and familiarity with data sources and analytical tools to extract and evaluate this data. Objectives are to develop familiarity with this type of analysis and to gain an appreciation for its limitations. Topics: profitability and risk analysis, credit risk models, forecasting, and valuation.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

ACCT 4670 Taxation of Individuals

This course presents an introduction to taxation.  We will cover the fundamental elements of individual income tax, including income, deductions, investments, and computing tax liabilities.  We then shift to business-related activities of individuals, including income, deductions, accounting periods and methods, and the tax consequences of purchasing assets, cost recovery, and property dispositions.  We will close the semester with the following specialized taxation topics: compensation, retirement savings, and home ownership.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

ACCT 4675 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance

This experiential learning course where students volunteer at an external organization, the Gateway EITC Community Coalition (“Gateway”), which provides free federal and state tax preparation services to low- to moderate-income families and individuals, seniors, persons with disabilities, and limited English-speaking taxpayers who need tax preparation assistance.  Students will need to initially complete the VITA Training Program, pass a certification exam administered by Gateway, and volunteer at Gateway tax preparation sites in the St. Louis area.  

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

ACCT 4680 M&A Accounting

Accounting issues related to mergers, acquisitions, and other intercorporate investments are examined. The first two-thirds of the course focuses on business combination accounting and related reporting issues, including the equity and cost methods, preparation of consolidated financial statements, fair value adjustments, goodwill and impairments, intercompany transactions, and accounting for less than 100% ownership. The remaining portion of the course introduces selected advanced accounting topics that extend beyond core consolidation material, including consolidation of foreign subsidiaries, governmental accounting, and accounting for not-for-profit organizations. Coverage emphasizes financial reporting implications and connections to current professional standards and CPA Exam–relevant topics.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

ACCT 4755 International Taxation

In today’s global economy, questions regarding what activity and income get taxed and which jurisdiction enjoys taxing priority have never been more important.  Relatively recent U.S. tax reform has caused a monumental shift in the U.S. taxation of multinational transactions and activities.  U.S. and global legislative proposals continue to focus on the tax rules applicable to multinational enterprises as parameters around these topics continue to evolve.  This course will focus on the fundamentals of international taxation, addressing such topics as tax jurisdiction, sourcing of income and deductions, taxation of foreign activities of U.S. persons, and taxation of U.S. activities of foreign persons.  Overall, the course provides foundational tax knowledge essential for managerial decisions involving international business activities by U.S. entities or individuals, integrating tax management with broader business strategy considerations.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

ACCT 4756 Advanced International Taxation

This course will address advanced international taxation, focusing on such topics as cutting-edge initiatives proposed by the OECD, and being implemented throughout the world, foreign currency, export benefits, transfer pricing, tax treaties, as well as planning from both an outbound and inbound investment perspective.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

ACCT 4960 CPA Examination Preparation Seminar

This course provides structured guidance for students preparing for the CPA Exam. Each iteration of the course lasts for one-half semester and has three meetings: a kickoff meeting, a mid-term check-in meeting to discuss progress and discuss questions, and a concluding session. The course is primarily self-guided, with students working independently through recommended CPA Exam review materials (which students must purchase on their own). A faculty member will organize the sessions and be available to answer students’ questions throughout the term. The CPA Exam material of focus will vary by term and alternate between the four CPA exam sections: Audit (Fall-A), Regulation (Fall-B), Financial Accounting (Spring-A), and a Discipline (Spring-B). Students will select one of the disciplines: BAR (Business Analysis and Reporting), ISC (Information Systems and Controls), or TCP (Tax Compliance and Planning).   This course will review the topics covered in various Olin accounting courses, explore many of the topics in considerably more depth, and cover other topics that are not covered in Olin courses, such as governmental accounting and auditing of governmental entities and grants.   Specifically, the course addresses the tasks, content/knowledge, skills (remembering & understanding, application, analysis, and evaluation), and abilities in the AICPA Uniform CPA Examination Blueprints (a 100+ page document). https://www.aicpacima.com/resources/download/learn-what-is-tested-on-the-cpa-exam.  

Credit 0 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

DAT 1200 Managerial Statistics I

The first of a two-course sequence in business applications of statistics, focused on descriptive statistics, probability and distributions, inferential statistics, and linear regression. Approximately, the first third of the course covers descriptive statistics and predictive analytics, including data visualization, applications of covariance, Simple Linear Regression, and Machine Learning in R. The second third is devoted to probability: basic rules, conditional probabilities, Bayes' theorem, expected values, and probability distributions. This work is followed by an introduction to sampling distributions and inferential statistics in the final third of the course. Confidence intervals and hypothesis testing are introduced to make inferences about parameters. Students are also introduced to Data Analytics using Python. Software used in the course includes Excel, R Studio, Tableau, and Python.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

DAT 1201 Managerial Statistics II

The second of a two-course sequence in business applications of statistics, focused on forecasting and inference. The course is devoted to the use of linear regression models in business, and ways to deal with problems of outliers, non-linear relationships, heteroscedasticity, and collinearity. Advanced topics, including time series regression and logistic models, are covered as time permits. There are exams and projects that emphasize students' competencies in applying statistics. 

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

DAT 3015 Data Analytics in Python

This course introduces the fundamentals of Python programming and offers an accessible entry point to data science for students with no prior coding experience. Python provides powerful capabilities for data manipulation, analysis, visualization, and optimization. The course is organized into two main units. The first unit covers the fundamentals of Python programming, equipping students with essential coding skills. The second unit focuses on data analytics, where students apply Python to explore, analyze, and visualize real-world datasets drawn from diverse domains such as finance, sports, and technology. By the end of the course, students will have both a foundational understanding of Python and practical experience applying it to solve data-driven problems while creating both static and dynamic visualizations. Students may not earn credit in both DAT 3015 and in DAT 5561.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

DAT 4001 Data Management Tools for Business Decisions

This course prepares students for success in many business analyst roles. The tools covered in this course will prepare students well for roles in finance, accounting, quantitative marketing, information systems, operations, talent analytics, and others. As companies collect more data internally and augment this with external data sources, collecting, maintaining, and organizing data is becoming an essential skill for success in many roles. Developing creative reports and dashboards that are updated in real time are demanded in today's data-driven decision-making environment. While there are a plethora of tools available to support business analysts, this course focuses on VBA in Excel and SQL, two critical tools for reporting and dashboards. Students will also be introduced to Tableau, the state-of-the-art visualization software. These tools are introduced within the broader organizational data environment to provide an understanding of the role of the business analyst within the organization. Companies' data environments traditionally include enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, relational databases, external data sources, data warehouses, and data cubes. Understanding the roles of each component of the data environment enables students to utilize each effectively.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

DAT 4550 Machine Learning Tools for Prediction of Business Outcomes

Machine Learning deals with algorithmic learning from data to predict the future. This course emphasizes data situations that students are likely to face in marketing, finance, manufacturing, and other business domains. Students will analyze business datasets using various advanced analytic techniques such as logistic regression, decision trees, random forest, stochastic gradient boosting, ensembles, and clustering, etc. The focus of the course lies in the conversion of raw business data into robust, actionable predictions for decision-making.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

FIN 3150 Capital Markets and Financial Management

Students will learn how the decisions of a company affect shareholder value and what decisions can increase it. To understand the perspectives of shareholders, we will study basic principles of investing: time value of money, valuation of debt and equity securities, discounted cash flow as a foundation for stock prices, the impact of diversification and leverage on portfolio risk, the relationship between risk and expected return in securities markets, and capital market efficiency. We will use these principles to analyze capital investment decisions by estimating cash flows and discounting them at the appropriate cost of capital. We will also study how shareholder value is affected by a firm's financing decisions, such as the choice of using debt or equity capital.

Credit 3 units. EN: S

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

FIN 3175 Banking and Financial Institutions

This course is a study of financial intermediation. It first develops a conceptual framework for why and how financial institutions as intermediaries play a vital role in the functioning of the global economy, then examines applications to commercial banks, investment banks, mutual funds, hedge funds, broker-dealers, insurance companies, and more from the corporate perspective. We will also discuss current topics in financial regulations, challenges, and opportunities in the aftermath of the financial crises as well as the rise of AI. From this course, students will (1) develop familiarization with current practices of the institutions that make up the financial markets while understanding their vulnerabilities and changes over time, (2) understand the purpose of banking and other types of financial services in economic development and stability, and (3) assess job opportunities in the financial sector from the viewpoint of career development through case studies and guest speeches.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

FIN 4010 Advanced Valuation

This course covers advanced topics in valuation. Main topics covered will be the valuation of private firms and young businesses, and the valuation of financial services firms such as banks and insurance companies. The course applies both theory and practical valuation methods through the analysis of cases and real world examples.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

FIN 4023 Venture Capital Methods

Students are exposed to the process of analyzing, valuing and structuring potential equity investments in privately-held, entrepreneurial, venture-stage businesses. The goal is to develop critical thinking skills in evaluating potential investments and understanding the dynamics of various risk factors predominant in such investments, including market risk, execution risk and technology risk. The classes will be a combination of individual readings, case learning, presentations and panel discussions by industry experts, and experiential learning in a team format. Classes will be case study driven and will focus on company-and fund­ specific situations. Guest lecturers will be used extensively and will provide content integral to the course. The final sessions of the class will be conducted as a presentation and analysis of a potential investment.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

FIN 4024 Venture Capital Practice

This capstone course offers students interested in early-stage investing an immersive experience in angel and early-stage investment practices within private companies. Collaborating with professionals in the St. Louis community, students engage in activities spanning from identifying potential investment opportunities to closing deals, gaining practical skills essential for the field.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

FIN 4025 Private Equity Methods

This course will provide the student with an understanding of the basic terminology, due diligence, and analytical methodologies critical to evaluating private equity investments. The course will also cover the history of private equity and the different roles of private equity, including growth capital, LBO/MBO, roll-up, and so on in the evolution of the firm. Private equity funds in the context of the overall market (i.e., strategic vs. financial acquirers) will be discussed as will be the role of leveraged lending and bank financing of financial sponsors. Private equity as an investment and its role in portfolio construction will also be analyzed. Finally, the legal structure of private equity funds in the context of firm control and governance will be reviewed.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

FIN 4026 Private Equity Practice

This course is the capstone for students interested in pursuing careers in private equity. Students will develop practical skills for investing in private companies. Students will partner with professionals in the St. Louis community to perform various activities, including transaction sourcing, evaluating investment opportunities and, where appropriate, negotiating, arranging financing, and closing investments. The course also heavily relies on bringing in professionals from the local community to provide real-world perspectives on private equity investing.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

FIN 4232 Mergers & Acquisitions

This course focuses on identifying ways to increase firm value through mergers and acquisitions (M&A). We will survey the drivers of success and failure in M&A transactions, develop your skills in deal design, explore the deal process, and develop LBO and merger models similar to those used by investment bankers. Other topics addressed in the course are M&A regulation, the sell-side and buy-side M&A process, valuations, takeover strategies and antitakeover defenses, structuring of transactions to minimize tax consequences, the acquisition method of accounting, merger arbitrage, and auction vs negotiation sale processes.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

FIN 4280 Investment Praxis

In this course, students serve as managers of a portfolio, the Investment Praxis Fund, which is owned by the university. Students analyze investment opportunities in various industries and present recommendations to the class for possible purchases or sales of stocks, consistent with the style and objectives of the fund. Valuation tools, financial statement analysis and investment techniques are emphasized as part of a thorough analysis. The course focus is on developing and implementing investment ideas.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

FIN 4370 Advanced Derivative Securities

This course focuses on implementation of models for pricing and hedging derivative securities in the equity, currency, and fixed-income markets. Students will learn to write programs to implement the Black-Scholes model, binomial models, Monte-Carlo methods and finite-difference methods. The derivatives studied will include exotic equity and currency derivatives and caps, floors and swaptions. The goals of the course are to learn more about the various instruments that are traded, the various assumptions and methods that may be chosen in modeling them, and the importance of the assumptions in determining the prices and hedges that are chosen. The course will be especially useful to students pursuing careers in sales and trading who will interact with research departments and students pursuing careers in asset management.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

FIN 4400 Real Estate Finance

This course provides a broad introduction to real estate finance and investments. Topics include both equity and debt. We begin with an overview of real estate markets in the United States. On the equity side students will be introduced to the fundamentals of real estate financial analysis, including pro forma analysis and cash flow models, and elements of mortgage financing and taxation. Ownership structures, including individual, corporate, partnerships and REITS will also be covered. On the debt side, we examine a number of financing tools in the context of the evolution of the secondary mortgage market, both residential and commercial. Those wishing to pursue more advanced topics in real estate finance could follow this course with Fixed Income and Mortgage-Backed Securities.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

FIN 4410 Investments

Introduces the theory and practice of investments from the point of view of an investment/portfolio manager. We will begin with the financial environment, asset classes, types of financial assets, investment history, and risk preferences. Next, we will have a brief review of statistics and, if time permits, matrix algebra. We will then apply these tools to examine the trade-off between risk and return and to develop and implement Modern Portfolio Theory. The major topics covered include Markowitz optimization, Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), Arbitrage Pricing Theory (APT)/factor models, market efficiency, performance evaluation, and, if time permits, behavioral finance. The last portion of the course will be devoted to fixed income securities, including interest rates, bond valuation, and bond immunization.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

FIN 4430 International Finance

This course provides a framework for making financial decisions in an international context. Topics include relevant features of financial markets and instruments (e.g., foreign exchange, currency futures and options, swaps); exchange rates; corporate risk management; international investing; and capital budgeting issues.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

FIN 4480 Advanced Financial Management

A comprehensive, advanced study of corporate financial management. Focuses on the internal decisions of a corporation, the valuation of a firm in the capital market, and the relationship between the two. Topics include capital budgeting systems, project and firm valuation, capital structure decisions, debt policy, payout policy, raising capital, and how a variety of market frictions, such as taxes, financial distress costs, asymmetric information, and agency conflicts, affect managers’ decisions.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

FIN 4506 Financial Technology: Methods and Practice

This course will provide an overview of financial technology and will cover specific topics in this area. Topics covered include data-driven credit modeling, crypto currencies, digital wallets and block chains, robo advising, high-frequency trading, and crowd funding, and peer-to-peer lending. The course will also discuss regulatory aspects of FinTech. The course will cover different methods as well as practical applications.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

FIN 4510 Options, Futures and Derivative Securities

Examines the theory and practical application of derivative securities such as futures, options and swaps. Central to the theory of derivative security pricing is arbitrage and payoff replication. In practice, derivative securities provide a principal route to manage and, in particular, hedge financial risk. Futures, options and swaps on different types of underlying assets are examined with emphasis on pricing and application.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

FIN 4601 Research Methods in Finance

The course is designed to prepare students for independent research in finance by exploring methods and techniques in a manner that will allow the students to implement them correctly and efficiently. The curriculum will emphasize practical applications of empirical methods used in financial research and how to implement them. Students in the course will learn empirical methods in corporate finance and asset pricing; gain basic knowledge and familiarity with the databases used in common finance research; gain exposure to recent research in finance that applies the methods covered; and learn how to implement these methods using relevant programming languages. Note: There will be significant overlap in the course tools used in both MEC 4710 and FIN 4601. However, the applications and papers for each class will be entirely different.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

INTL 3001 Planning for International Learning

The primary focus of this course is on preparation for the study abroad/internship experience. Topics include the following: What does a global firm look for in a globally competent recruit; Development of goals and objectives for international experience; Develop a working knowledge of host country key features such as businesses, culture, and politics; Overview of logistics for abroad, including timeline expectations, visa, housing, travel, contact with Olin, and registration for return semester; Career Services resources on how to use study abroad/internship to obtain a summer job/internship.

Credit 0.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

INTL 3100 Olin Global Programs Summer Study Abroad

This course serves as a placeholder for all undergraduate students participating on a summer abroad program through Olin Business School. Students must be accepted onto a program and have met with an Olin global program advisor.

Credit 0 units.

Typical periods offered: Summer

INTL 3200 Business, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Israel

INTL 3200 provides students with an immersive and unique opportunity to understand how and why Israel has become Start-Up Nation and how innovation and entrepreneurship are embedded in the Israeli culture. This class looks at the interconnectedness between culture, politics, and business and how this has produced a unique and successful business and entrepreneurial environment.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Summer

INTL 3230 Business of Art: The European Capitals of Culture

This unique course is designed for students of the arts and students of business interested in the relationship between arts and management, culture and commerce, as a site of possibility. Based in two sites - London and Galway in the west of Ireland - the course looks through the lens of the European Capitals of Culture (ECoC) program, established in 1985. Visiting Galway 2020 will enable you to gain first-hand experience of how the vision of 'creative cities' - manifested through a yearlong program of events and initiatives - celebrates the arts and cultural engagement as 'drivers' for social and economic regeneration. Whilst London is an established center for business and the arts, Galway, is a smaller, regional city, which is hoping to use the awarding of the ECoC to grow in these areas. You will gain working knowledge of the complex needs of cultural producers, managers and entrepreneurs as leaders, facilitators and catalysts. You will come away with insights in to what is at stake for the people and environment in the spheres in which they operate. Whilst gaining knowledge of theoretical frameworks, the course has an emphasis on creativity and arts-based learning - debate, critique and visual and experiential methods. Preference is given to students minoring in Busines of Arts.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Summer

INTL 3231 Entrepreneurship in the Middle East: United Arab Emirates & Israel

The Middle East is in the process of transforming from predominantly relying on energy to drive the economies to become hubs of global innovation and entrepreneurship. This course provides students with a unique opportunity to learn about an established entrepreneurial country (Israel) and an emerging entrepreneurial country (UAE) and to understand the unique interconnectedness between culture, politics, and business and how all three produce a unique and successful business and entrepreneurial environment in the Middle East focused on the UAE and Israel, the leading countries in the region. This course will do the following: 1) provide an understanding of the journey the countries have been on and the impact that culture, politics, and the Abraham Accords have on the innovation ecosystem in Israel and the UAE; 2) develop the ability to conduct research on an Israeli & UAE businesses/industry and analyze the primary drivers for their success; 3) solve an unstructured business problem from a startup with a presence in the UAE and Israel; and 4) contrast and compare elements of Israeli and Emirati businesses to American businesses on an industry level while understanding the global business environment.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Summer

INTL 3240 International Business Environment

What is the relationship between the dominance of the financial interests centered in the City of London and the competitive performance of British industry? How does Britain reconcile an advanced capitalist economy alongside a traditional social and political structure? How great is the tension between domestic forces that seek closer economic and political integration with Europe and those pushing for greater engagement with Britain's former English-speaking colonies? Is British foreign policy driven more by economics than national security? This course addresses these and other important questions regarding British political economy by contextualizing current issues within the wider evolution of the country's political, economic and social systems since 1945.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

INTL 3501 European Study Tour

This course encompasses Individual and team research, writing, presentation and participation in Olin's European Study Tour (EST), including Mock Parliament. It includes required attendance and expected professional contributions to all EST corporate and government visits and briefings and other EST individual and group activities. Offered only in the spring semester.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

INTL 3502 Glocal Learning: Engaging With the World Locally

GLocal Learning combines GLocal Mindset development with Local engagement. The course is designed to provide students with a multidisciplinary approach and introductory understanding of what it means to be a member of the St. Louis international community. It will provide an overview of intercultural learning, focusing on how individuals can cultivate a global mindset through different models, including the Intercultural Competency Continuum and Intercultural Praxis Model.  Combining  small group sessions, case studies and speakers working in areas that support the global St. Louis community, the course is an interdisciplinary approach to learning about & building global communities, particularly within St. Louis. Guest lecturers and on-site visits will be used extensively, to provide content and context integral to the course, with time to engage in critical reflection and discussion topics. By the end the class students will understand how their values, preferences, and belief systems shape intercultural competencies. This awareness will help them bridge differences effectively, improving their ability to collaborate on diverse teams.  Developing a global mindset is essential for thriving in business industries:  understanding cultural nuances helps tailor consulting strategies, brand positioning, and customer engagement. It promotes inclusive leadership and cross-cultural solutions. A global perspective enhances risk assessment by developing ways to consider culturally informed decisions-making in multinational environments. Having completed the course, students will have learnt how to use different models, experiences, and reflection to continue developing their global mindset throughout their careers.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

INTL 3994 International Internship in Business

This online course deepens the overall learning a student gains from an international internship. By completing structured assignments that relate to both the work completed during the internship and to elements of the broad-based Olin business curriculum, the value of the internship increases markedly, for both the student and employers. To enroll, you need admission to one of Olin's International Internship Programs.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

INTL 4200 Business Research Internship

This is the capstone course for overseas internship programs where students learn to apply rigorous statistical and analytical approaches to research questions in business, but not limited to questions relating to marketing, management, finance and economics, operations, and policy. Students will identify a research topic, and present this topic to Faculty supervisors for approval. The goal is to capitalize on the practical knowledge gained while interning abroad, and apply that to a research question in the area in which a student is interning. Students will be required to review the current literature on their topic, formulate their own research question, identify potential data sources they can use to address these questions, and make recommendations to add to the body of knowledge on their chosen subject.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MEC 2900 Microeconomics

Provides a rigorous analysis of the behavior of consumers and firms in competitive and monopoly markets; oligopoly markets are introduced. Consumer topics include preferences and utility, budget constraints, consumer optimal choice and demand curves. Firm topics include technology, cost minimization and profit maximization. The course concludes with price determination in monopoly and competitive markets, and an introduction to oligopoly and game theory. The focus of the course is on microeconomics as a decision making tool for consumers and managers.

Credit 3 units. EN: S

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

MEC 2920 Global Economics

This class is about Macroeconomics, the sub-field of Economics that studies the evolution and the determinants of aggregate quantities such as GDP, unemployment, international trade, government debt, and prices such as exchange rates, interest rates, wages, etc. The class pays special attention to international-related topics and provides an economic foundation to the analysis of business decisions in a global setting. Among the questions that macroeconomists ask are: (i) why are some countries very rich and others are very poor? (ii) what causes inflation? (iii) is international trade beneficial to everybody? (iv) does a large federal budget deficit today imply high interest rates in the future? (v) why sometimes do countries plunge into devastating financial crisis?

Credit 3 units. EN: S

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MEC 2922 Global Economy - Australia

Introduces the fundamentals of international economic analysis. Provides an economic foundation to the analysis of business decisions and strategies in the global setting. Topics include: introduction to the global economy; comparative advantage as the basis for international trade and sources of comparative advantage; economies of scale and imperfect competition as the basis for international trade; tariffs and other instruments of trade policy; political, legal, and institutional factors influencing international trade; balance of payments; exchange rates and the foreign exchange market; international capital flows; national competitive advantage and industrial policies; global economic competition and business strategy. Prerequisites: Admission to the Asia Pacific Internship Program.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

MEC 3210 Health Economics and Policy

The basic tenets of health economics will be covered. This course will place a unique emphasis on incorporating materials from three broad source categories -- textbook elements, lay press and media, and academic journal publications -- with the aim of fostering the application of rigorous, critical thought to media presentations of health care economics and policy issues.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

MEC 3220 Health Care Management

The goal of the course is to develop facility in applying basic tenets of general management to actual situations and dilemmas that might be faced by health care managers, consultants, financiers, investors, innovators, or providers in the course of their work. Issues addressed will include but not be limited to financial issues, management challenges, and conduct of operations. The first phase will cover the basic background on the structure and financing of the health care industry to include very brief reviews of critical topics like insurance and government-provided health care. A few basic frameworks will then be developed for students to apply to course topics moving forward, such as cost/benefit analyses and evaluation of risk. The remainder of the course will involve critical analyses of health care cases involving varied subjects and management challenges. Class sessions will emphasize student-led discussions.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

MEC 3550 Health Insurance in the US

This course is designed to introduce students to the nature and complexity of the US health insurance industry, with a particular focus on the drivers of financial success for health insurance firms. Students should expect a broad introduction to key concepts, nomenclature, and dynamics for the industry with a heavy emphasis on case-based discussions. This course is particularly relevant for students interested in careers in healthcare service delivery, health insurance, consulting, and healthcare finance, though it provides a good introduction for general managers and HR professionals involved in selecting insurance products for firms. Additionally, the course will provide useful context for students interested in the development or products and services in the biotechnology space.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MEC 3551 Drugs and Devices

This course provides students with an overview of the regulatory, financial, and market factors associated with the development of pharmaceutical products and devices for human use. Sessions will address the process of ideation and the unique steps necessary for market readiness. We will contrast the approach between different therapies, outlining the deviation between devices and pharmaceuticals.  The course will cover market and non-market factors that impact the success of product offerings and discuss nuances of channel access.  Students will find the content particularly relevant to careers in biotechnology innovation, healthcare service delivery, and health insurance.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring Intersession

MEC 3630 Olin Grand Rounds: The Business and Practice of Medicine

Grand rounds in medical schools are a forum for presenting new and challenging clinical problems and cases. The goal of Olin Grand Rounds is to focus on the challenges and solutions facing the business of medicine. The course will therefore provide an introduction to the current issues facing the health care sector that integrates management tools and clinical knowledge. The objective is to provide students new insights into how modern management tools can be combined with scientific and clinical knowledge to manage health care organizations more efficiently and practice medicine more effectively.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

MEC 3700 Game Theory for Business

Provides students with a methodological framework to analyze strategic business situations. Building on a background in microeconomics and statistics, this course includes such topics as the following: modeling strategic problems, games with sequential moves, games with simultaneous moves, strategies and the derivation of strategic forms, general classes of games, uncertainty and information, strategy and voting, auctions, bargaining.

Credit 3 units. EN: S

Typical periods offered: Spring

MEC 4100 Research in Industry Analysis

Research in Industry Analysis will build on the materials taught in MEC 370 (Game Theory) MEC 470 (Market Competition and Value Appropriate) and MEC 471 (Empirical Techniques in Industry Analysis), integrating them with methods of industry analysis used in practice and applying them to companies.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

MEC 4600 Economics of Entertainment

This course will focus on the unusual economics of the entertainment industry and the associated management challenges. The sessions will cover the basic economics of entertainment, then focus specifically on the music and movie industries, plus one other that will vary from year to year. Classes will consist of lecture and discussion, as well as speakers from the relevant industries. The primary student deliverable will be a twenty minute documentary-style production in which student teams present findings of their research into specific industries within the broader industries studied in class, e.g., rock, classical or rap within music, blockbusters within music, etc.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

MEC 4610 Business of Arts

This course is for students who aspire to a career in the creative side of the Art Business, including visual art, dance, music, fashion, architecture, photography, writing/poetry, film, communication design, etc.; it may also be of interest to those who plan to work in the business side of Art, but in close connection with the creative side, e.g., A&R at a record label, or acquisitions in a movie or TV studio. It will complement MGT432E, Business Management of Arts Organizations. This course provides a diverse collection of business skills that form the foundation for the course's main deliverable: a multi-year plan for the development of an art business that will have commercial success sufficient to enable the artist to pursue their art as a profession. It includes interaction with successful artists, numerous presentations and experiential activities as the business plan develops throughout the semester.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

MEC 4660 Health Analytics

This is the capstone course for the Health Management major in which students learn to apply rigorous statistical and analytical approaches to research questions in health services, including but not limited to questions relating to management, finance and economics, operations, and policy. Faculty will identify several available research project options and present these options in class. The goal is to capitalize on the strength of the university medical school and affiliated medical centers, in addition to capitalizing on existing relationships between Olin and various health care firms to identify student research projects. Students will also be encouraged to formulate their own research questions and to identify potential data sources they could use to address these questions, if they so desire. Students will work in teams of three or four using the approaches developed for the Practicum and Hatchery courses.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

MEC 4700 Industrial Economics

This course provides students with theoretical frameworks for making intelligent decisions in evolving markets. It begins with general game theory concepts which form the basis for deeper exploration of market dynamics, competitive and cooperative firm relationships, and strategy. The course takes a formal approach to the analysis of production and sales decisions by firms. Specifically, we will study the behavior of firms in imperfectly competitive markets. Most real-world scenarios (e.g., markets in which there are few firms, differing firms, or differentiated products) are not adequately characterized by a typical model of perfect competition. We will study the imperfectly competitive circumstances under which firms behave strategically to price above marginal cost and generate profit. You will apply theoretical frameworks in the context of a detailed industry study on which you will present in class.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

MEC 4710 Empirical Techniques for Industry Analysis

Students will learn how to use data to answer a wide variety of questions regarding the incentives and behavior that generate market activity. We emphasize inference about the strategic decisions of firms and consumers. Students are introduced to new statistical and econometric tools by examining the application of these tools to current research in economics. Among the topics considered are the empirical implications of: strategic bidding in auctions, price discrimination and dispersion, differences across products, and the internal organization of firms. .

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

MGT 1000 Individual in a Managerial Environment

As an introduction to the foundations of business, this course covers four major themes: (1) how markets work; (2) motivating and managing people; (3) business strategy and firm performance. This is a first-year level course and may not be completed beyond the sophomore year.

Credit 3 units. EN: S

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MGT 1500 Foundations of Business

Provides business students with an introduction to each of the functional areas of business as well as the skills needed to solve complex business problems. As students work to solve an assigned business case problem, they will build skills in teamwork, communication, critical thinking, and an understanding of the complex interplay of business functions. Fall semester enrollment is only open to incoming business freshmen, and students must be concurrently enrolled in MGT 1000. Spring enrollment is only open to students planning to do an Internal Division Transfer (IDT) to the Olin Business School who have already completed MGT 1000 or are concurrently enrolled in it.

Credit 2 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MGT 2001 Business Fundamentals for Non-Business Students

This course is intended to help successfully position arts and sciences, engineering, and design majors for careers in organizations such as non-profits, entrepreneurial ventures, and corporations, among others. Students will learn key technical and professional skills that are valued and often required by employers. Topics addressed include working in teams, data-driven decision making, financial and business analysis, concepts for organizational strategy, professional communication, and career strategies. The course will use a combination of lectures, exercises, projects, and cases to introduce participants to these topics. The class is designed for Washington University undergraduates in Arts & Sciences, Engineering, and Design and Visual Arts who are preparing for internships or jobs. Recommended for sophomores and juniors. BSBA and BUCS students cannot receive credit.

Credit 3 units. EN: S

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MGT 2002 Venture Creation

Venture Creation is designed for students who are interested in exploring the venture creation process, or the undertaking of creating a new business from scratch. The course allows students to experience entrepreneurship in a unique and innovative manner by integrating theory and practice in an interactive learning by doing process. The goal of the course is to assist and support students in the realization of a business vision from inception of an idea to fruition of a company producing value.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Summer

MGT 2010 Management Communication

Managers who write and speak effectively are more likely to succeed as business leaders. Employers consistently rank communication skills as the most important hiring attribute, and research shows these skills are a core predictor of leadership effectiveness. However, effective communication involves more than mastering business writing and presentation skills. Successful business leaders critically assess communication needs and the audience who will hear or read a message; they craft communication to attain targeted results. This course makes you a more polished communicator as you work toward the following goals: Applying rhetorical principles to management communication; Using critical thinking to analyze the audience, the organizational environment, and business problems before developing communication strategies; Implementing principles of plain language and effective design; Collaborating with colleagues to strategize communications for a live corporate client.

Credit 4 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MGT 2500 The Business of Sports

This course provides an overview of the major aspects of the sports business industry, including but not limited to the following: (1) the primary revenues and expenditures of pro and college sports; (2) collective bargaining agreements; (3) sports media rights; (4) facility financing; (5) sports sponsorships and athlete endorsements; (6) the role that sports commissions play within communities; and (7) current events that affect the growth and evolution of the sports business industry.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

MGT 3010 Legal Environment of Business Management

Surveys the various areas of law that make up the legal environment of business. Develops a basic understanding of law as it relates to business, with traditional emphasis on private law and business transactions. This study of the micro law of business will review the detailed substantive rules in the areas of contracts, sales, products liability, agency, corporations, and partnership. In addition, a summary review of contemporary legal problems such as insider trading, discrimination in employment, sexual harassment, and ethics may be discussed, if time permits. Case studies are analyzed in order to give the student an understanding of how various laws apply to actual situations.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

MGT 3080 Introduction to Global Business

Focus on the aspects of management of a business enterprise that are necessary to compete in the global marketplace. The course begins with a survey of the environmental context in which international companies operate (economic systems and cultural factors). This is followed by a review of International Trade Theory and Economics. This forms a basis for concentration in the second half of the course on strategies and structure for global operations. The course deals with the situations in Europe, Japan, Latin America and China through case studies and discussion of current topics and their relation to the fundamental aspects of global business management.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MGT 3515 Global Entrepreneurship

Global Entrepreneurship will expose students to the differences and challenges of start-ups in South America, the Middle East, Africa and India. In addition to hearing from and engaging with entrepreneurial leaders from each of these regions, students will have the opportunity to solve a strategic problem for a start-up in each region.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

MGT 3565 Sports Entrepreneurship and Emerging Technologies

This course is an introduction to the concepts, theories, and practices unique to sports entrepreneurship and emerging technology. This course seeks to understand the fundamentals of early-stage companies and their growth trajectories from idea to exit. This course covers key topics in sports entrepreneurship and technology, including the various stages of the startup, the art of the pitch, market data-driven decision making, investor relations, and valuation. It surveys the rapidly changing ecosystem of entrepreneurship and technology across the global sports industry. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, augmented reality, virtual reality, human performance, Esports/gaming, and venue tech as they relate to entrepreneurial concepts, practical applications, and principles will also be addressed.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall Half A, Fall

MGT 3800 Business Strategy

The course adopts the perspective of the general manager -- the individual charged with developing and implementing the long-term strategy of a business. The course develops basic tools and concepts in strategy formulation, including competitive advantage, value creation and capture, industry analysis, capability assessment, competitive positioning, and strategy implementation. The course is designed to develop students' skills in both analyzing observed strategies and in formulating and implementing new ones.

Credit 3 units. EN: S

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MGT 4020 Ethical Issues in Managerial Decision Making

This course examines how managers face and resolve ethical challenges in complex organizational settings. Using case studies, class discussions, and applied projects, students learn to identify ethical risks and design practical solutions. The course emphasizes personal growth, preparing you to make sound decisions that shape your career and the organizations you lead.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring Half A, Spring, Fall Half A, Fall

MGT 4022 Applied Problem Solving for Organizations

Applied Problem Solving for Organizations will provide rising junior BSBA students an opportunity to work on strategic problems for organizations on a virtual team. This class will be completely remote. The course runs from June 1st - July 16th and will have some scheduled meeting times, but the majority of the work will be coordinated by the group in consultation with their professor.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Summer

MGT 4101 Startup Practicum (St. Louis)

Fuel your entrepreneurial spirit and tackle real-world challenges in this half-semester experiential learning course designed to immerse students in the realities of early-stage and emerging ventures. Students work in small teams with real clients to help them achieve objectives critical to their success. The course focuses on helping students learn how to operate effectively within a startup context, emphasizing decision-making in environments where uncertainty is high, data is incomplete, and time and resources are limited. It is particularly valuable for students interested in startups, innovation teams, consulting, or marketing careers. This St. Louis section includes a required in-person kickoff session followed by ongoing client collaboration within the St. Louis entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MGT 4102 Sustainable Development and Conservation Through Entrepreneurial Collaboration: Madagascar

This course focuses on sustainable development in rural subsistence economies, using Madagascar as a case study. Students from diverse disciplines are challenged to develop and assess the feasibility of projects that can have a positive impact on communities constrained by poverty traps. The span of projects includes topics such as forest conservation and use, nutrition, health, food security, clean water, education, and bottom up economic growth. Students in Humanities, Social Sciences, Business, Design, Engineering, Physical Sciences, Law, Social Work, Economics, Political Science, Public Health and others use their different perspectives to search for answers. Teamwork and peer teaching are central to the course. Prerequisite: Application is required and enrollment is limited. Students should apply be adding their name to the waitlist in WEBSTAC. This will notify staff to send an application to interested students who will be notified of acceptance prior to the spring semester. Dropping this course may have an adverse impact your ability to register for other CEL courses in the future.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

MGT 4103 The Practicum

As the flagship practicum within the Olin experiential learning portfolio, The Practicum serves as the central hub for advanced, consultative, client-engaged projects with enterprise organizations across a range of industries such as healthcare, consumer packaged goods, financial services, and technology, among others. Projects are purposefully curated not only by industry, but also by discipline, tackling high-impact business challenges in areas including marketing, operations, finance, and strategy. Student-led and faculty supported, The Practicum emphasizes innovation, judgment, and execution through the development of well-supported, implementable solutions to initiatives that matter to the organization and inform real decisions.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MGT 4104 Small Business Practicum

The Small Business Practicum transforms students into catalysts for economic vitality in the St. Louis region. By connecting students with small, locally owned businesses that form the backbone of the American economy, the course places students in a consultative, client-engaged role where they contribute meaningful insights to organizations that often lack the time or resources for structured analysis and strategic planning. In this experiential learning course, students work directly with business owners to address real challenges related to growth, marketing, and operational effectiveness. Through a collaborative, hands-on process, students build critical skills in judgment, problem framing, and execution, while delivering high-caliber strategic support that can meaningfully inform decisions and create pathways that drive prosperity for small businesses in their communities and beyond.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MGT 4105 Taylor Non-Profit Practicum

The Taylor Non-Profit Practicum connects students with local and regional nonprofit organizations that play a critical role in the vitality of their communities. In this experiential learning course, students work in teams in a consultative, client-engaged capacity to address real strategic and operational challenges facing nonprofit organizations, applying academic concepts to inform real-world decisions under faculty guidance. Students engage in essential organizational work—clarifying goals, identifying priorities, analyzing information, and developing practical, decision-relevant recommendations within resource-constrained environments. Through this process, students gain a more nuanced understanding of nonprofit organizations as strategic, data-informed enterprises and build confidence operating in complex settings where impact depends on judgment, prioritization, and execution.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MGT 4108 Startup Practicum (Domestic)

Fuel your entrepreneurial spirit and tackle real-world challenges in this half-semester experiential learning course designed to immerse students in the realities of early-stage and emerging ventures. Students work in small teams with real clients to help them achieve objectives critical to their success.
The course focuses on helping students learn how to operate effectively within a startup context, emphasizing decision-making in environments where uncertainty is high, data is incomplete, and time and resources are limited. It is particularly valuable for students interested in startups, corporate innovation, consulting, or marketing careers.   This section includes required travel to a domestic entrepreneurial ecosystem.  A travel fee applies.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MGT 4210 Introduction to Entrepreneurship

Through case studies, frequent guest speakers, and the professor's own experience, the real world of entrepreneurship will be brought into the classroom to provide a context for students to learn the fundamentals of founding, operating, and exiting a start-up business. Students will learn new perspectives that will teach them to think like an entrepreneur. Those who are interested in the general study of entrepreneurship, those who want to be entrepreneurs, and those who would like to leverage entrepreneurial principles in other career paths are all good candidates for the course.

Credit 3 units. EN: S

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MGT 4240 Business Planning for New Enterprises [the Hatchery]

In this course, student teams pursue their own business idea or support outside entrepreneurs by researching, writing, and pitching business plans for new commercial or social ventures. Enrolled students can recruit a team to work on their own business idea, or can join a team working on another's idea. Outside entrepreneurs and scientific researchers wishing to recruit student teams must apply in advance to be considered for student selection. Most of the work is done outside the classroom with the support of mentors, advisors and the instructor. Classes are held once per week for the first half of the semester. Workshops and rehearsals are required in the second part of the term. Students make final presentations to a panel of judges including venture capitalists, angel investors, entrepreneurs and people involved with early stage ventures.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MGT 4250 The Business of Presidential Elections

This course will examine Presidential elections, particularly the 2020 election through an multi-disciplinary approach with an emphasis on how campaigns are entrepreneurial ventures. Campaigns are start ups that rely on strategy, branding, financing and other business concepts to achieve the elections of their candidate. The course will also allow students to examine how different candidates policies/platforms may impact different constituencies/sectors of the business/labor world as well as the economy.

Credit 3 units. EN: S

Typical periods offered: Fall

MGT 4290 Management and Corporate Responsibility

Our goal is to help managers incorporate corporate social responsibility demands into their actions within their firms. Assuming that no managers wish to work at a socially irresponsible company, this requires us to understand precisely what these socially responsible demands entail and how they might run counter to taking actions that increase value for the firm's owners and make the manager. We will take care to rigorously define these socially responsible demands and subject them to philosophical and economic examination so that we can assess and implement them. This inquiry would also require us to understand the public relations and political implications of the outsiders' perceptions about the social responsibility of the actions of the firm and its managers, with an eye toward improving these perceptions and reducing political costs.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

MGT 4325 Business Management of Arts Organizations

This course is for students who want to work in arts-related organizations and corporations. It will complement the Business of Arts course, which is directed to individual artists who need a business background and who may become entrepreneurs. The intent of this course is to provide business-oriented students who want to work in organizations producing a wide array of arts -- including the performing arts, architecture and design, art galleries (both museum and sales), fashion or media -- the knowledge of how these institutions are managed and financially run, in both the for-profit and non-profit areas. The course will build on basic business skills and combine lectures, case studies and expert professional interactions. This will include on-site visits and presentations. The course will also provide a framework for experiential learning practicum projects. which will be conducted simultaneously with various arts organizations.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

MGT 4400 Strategic Decision Making in Sports

This course examines business and management issues involved in the sports industry. This industry is very diverse, ranging from global sports events (such as the Olympic Games, World Cup Soccer, etc.) to major national competitions (such as the National Football League, Major League Baseball, etc.). Engaged in this industry are many different players, including franchises, governing leagues, sponsors, media, stadium owners, government, fans, and so forth. This course will take a practical look at the world of sports management and administration, with an eye on extracting key lessons for corporate management and administration.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

MGT 4455 Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition

The purpose of this course is to provide students with an opportunity to explore being an entrepreneur by acquiring a company rather than starting one from scratch. The readings and class discussions will help students understand how to purchase a business, finance an acquisition, and operate and grow a business. The cases and conversations will help students understand what it is like being a young, first-time CEO and what types of challenges and issues will be encountered.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

MGT 4510 Business & Government: Understanding and Influencing the Regulatory Environment

The United States as well as many of the world's governments has entered a new episode with respect to the interaction of business and government. Now, more than ever, government regulations are attempting to spur job growth and the economy on one hand, but also is intruding into many aspects of business and the markets on the other hand. Business students must not only understand the shifting business government landscape, but also how to engage government officials and legislators to help shape policies that affect their firms and industries. As an introductory course, student will learn from business and government leaders how to interact with and affect the processes of regulation.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

MGT 4600 Critical Thinking and Complex Problem Solving for Business

The course introduces students to rigorous techniques for critical and strategic thinking, problem formulation and problem solving, advancing their ability to provide valuable advice to organizations and preparing them for management consulting company interviews by exploring methods to engage in case analysis, various cognitive biases that can emerge as a problem is being formulated and analyzed, such as the use of inappropriate analogies, confirmation bias, self-serving bias, conflation of correlation and causation, and so on.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

MGT 4601 Corporate and Global Strategy

Business-level strategy involves a firm's choices regarding how to compete in a particular single industry or market. Corporate strategy, on the other hand, involves choices about which sets of different industries or markets to compete in, and how to do so. It also involves choices about which kinds of activities to undertake within the firm, and which to organize through contracts or alliances with other firms. Global strategy is a particular type of corporate strategy that involves choices about which geographic regions or national markets to compete in and how.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

MGT 4602 Sports Business Analytics

This course introduces students to business analytics through sports-themed applications, academic research pertaining to sports topics, class readings, and guest lecturers from industry. Objectives for students include: 1) learning estimation and forecasting skills/trends used in sports; and 2) develop critical thinking skills necessary to assist managerial decision making to augment the performance of sports teams, leagues, or companies.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

MGT 4603 Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship

Social entrepreneurs use innovative, market-based tools and responses to solve social and environmental problems. This interdisciplinary class attracts students from all disciplines to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and skill set to apply to local and global issues. Through readings, lectures, local and international guest speakers, case studies, classroom debates, and lean startup and business model canvas techniques, students will gain meaningful insight into how to create and capture social value. Students will develop the skills to develop and pitch a social venture that fits their passions and interests in the Olin Big Idea Bounce Pitch competition that brings students together across campuses to share their ideas and compete for prize money. In addition, students will explore the role entrepreneurship and social impact investing play in the social and economic development of healthy communities both nationally and internationally. Students may take either MGT 421 or this course.

Credit 3 units. EN: S

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MGT 4604 Business of Social Impact

This course is designed for students interested in understanding how social change and social impact can be achieved, borrowing tools and approaches from a broad spectrum of disciplines by asking the following questions: What is social impact and what is social change? How has the concept of social impact developed, where did it come from and how is it useful? How can social impact be meaningfully measured? What examples exist for cooperation and mutual support in the achievement of social impact? What role do for-profit organizations play in creating and promoting social impact? How do CSR, PPP and BOP achieve social impact? The course is based around social impact as a concept, measuring social impact and building institutions, and partnerships around social impact. It will be taught with a practical bent using examples from existing social impact organizations, including those of the professor. Guest speakers will provide case studies of social impact approaches from the local area.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MGT 4605 Ownership Insights: The Competitive Advantage of Family- and Employee-Owned Firms

This course is designed to introduce students to the unique governance and financing issues faced by owners of closely held businesses, with particular emphasis on employee- and family-controlled firms. The core issue addressed in this course is that of sustainability: What actions are required of the current owners to increase the likelihood that the business will last beyond them? What best practices can we learn from successful employee-owned and multigenerational family businesses, some of which have been in existence for more than 150 years? There are three target audiences for this course: 1) students who may be or who are considering working for a closely held business, be it employee- or family-owned; 2) entrepreneurs who build successful businesses and want their businesses to be passed on to their employees or family members; and 3) students seeking to work in the private equity, investment banking, legal or wealth-management industries and who will be calling on this segment of the market. The course will be multidisciplinary and more qualitative than quantitative. Each class will have a lecture and case component; there will be guest speakers at each session. Students will be required to complete a case study in advance of each class (not more than two pages). There will be no final exam. Class attendance and active participation are expected.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

MGT 4610 Legal Issues in Sports

This course introduces the fundamentals of sports law. It teaches the basic tenets of a variety of legal disciplines through the lens of sport. It focuses on legal issues that have a direct relationship to sport with an emphasis on current legal sports issues in the news. In the tort arena, we will explore the potential liability of athletes for reckless violent actions toward their competitors, of sports teams and leagues for failing to adequately protect the health of participants (e.g. concussion lawsuits), of coaches, trainers and medical personnel at all levels for failing to properly train, monitor and assess athletes, of product manufacturers for injuries caused by defective sports equipment, and of teams for injuries to spectators, among other potential liabilities.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MGT 4720 Defining Moments: Lessons in Leadership & Character From the Top

Most successful leaders can point to a handful of defining moments in their careers - key choice points that defined the trajectory of their character, their career, and/or their company. How can aspiring business leaders prepare themselves to face these defining moments with insight and integrity? How do leaders achieve business performance without sacrificing character or integrity? This course examines these questions by learning from notable leaders who exemplify both business excellence and personal character. Top executives from leading companies will sit down with us to talk about their defining moments and to engage with us in considering these questions. These conversations will be supplemented with contemporary cases and readings on leadership and character. Prerequisites: Senior status or juniors with permission of instructor.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

MGT 4765 Innovating for Healthcare

n this entrepreneurial course, students form teams and work on solving real problems facing the healthcare industry by producing solution prototypes that may also be commercialized by the students once the class is completed. The majority of the course work involves weekly customer interviews and team presentations on those findings. Using Lean Startup Theory, this course will provide an entrepreneurial platform that can develop solution prototypes that match the healthcare industry users' needs in just weeks, rather than months or years. Depending on the industry, grants or investors may provide follow-on funding to student teams for further refinement and the development of solution prototypes. The course is demanding; students will present during every class, work closely with their teams, and receive relentlessly direct feedback. Problem sponsors, mentors, industry liaisons, corporate partners, investors, and journalists may be in the room while students are solving real problems for real customers in real time. This is a course designed for all graduate and upper-level undergraduates in all WashU schools and programs. It takes an entrepreneurial, interdisciplinary approach to the healthcare industry's biggest challenges. It is assumed that students will come into the course with a basic understanding of ideation, research methods, corporate entities, funding sources, intellectual property, and related concepts.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

MGT 4775 Launching and Scaling New Enterprises (The League)

This advanced entrepreneurship course acts as an accelerator, encouraging students to actually launch and scale a business. Students must apply at https://sites.wustl.edu/theleague/ either with a business idea OR to join a student team that is about to launch their business. Students will be notified of their selection to join The League (of Extraordinary Entrepreneurs) shortly after the application deadline. Our most successful alumni in technology have agreed to be part of the class. This course covers leadership, crafting a story, product development, attracting customers, an innovative mindset, building successful teams, scaling to billion-dollar valuations, and the mind of the high-tech investor. The deliverables in the course include reflections on each of the unicorn guest speakers and how it applies to the students' ideas; actually launching their website and MVP of their product; meeting the growth goals the teams set for themselves; pitching real VC's and Angel Investors at the end of the course; and applying for a St. Louis Arch Grant Enrollment by application only.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MGT 4970 Honors Thesis I: Research and Analysis

The Olin BSBA Honors Thesis challenges motivated students to move beyond traditional course work and apply critical thinking skills to an academic business thesis. Senior BSBA degree students in good standing with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.70 or higher have the opportunity to develop an intensive research project that extends far beyond the limits of the material in a single course during a single semester. In the two-semester honors thesis sequence, research and analysis are the foci of the first semester. With successful progress, the student will write, present, and defend the research during the subsequent semester.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

MGT 4971 Honors Thesis II: Writing and Presentation

The Olin BSBA Honors Thesis challenges motivated students to move beyond traditional coursework and apply critical thinking skills to an academic business thesis. Senior BSBA degree students in good standing with a cumulative grade point average of 3.70 or higher have the opportunity to develop an intensive research project, which extends far beyond the limits of the material in a single course during a single semester. In the two-semester honors thesis sequence, research and analysis are the foci of the first semester and, upon successful progress, the student writes, presents, and defends the research in the subsequent semester.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

MGT 4980 Honors Seminar I

The first of a two-course honors seminar. Students will have the opportunity to investigate current issues in business using an interdisciplinary approach to their research. Course content of the seminar varies from year to year. Prerequisites: senior standing and faculty invitation.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

MGT 4981 Honors Seminar II

The second of a two-course honors seminar. Students will have the opportunity to investigate current issues in business utilizing an interdisciplinary approach to their research. Course content of the seminar will vary from year to year. Prerequisite: MGT 4980.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

MGT 4990 Individualized Practicum Module (4-Week)

These courses support curated, faculty-mentored experiential learning engagements in which students apply academic knowledge to real-world business challenges through a consultative, client-engaged project model to support their individualized learning journey. Projects are approved and activated through a structured review process to ensure appropriate scope, academic rigor, and alignment with experiential learning objectives.  This fast-paced, high-intensity module is designed for students seeking a short-term, real-world learning engagement. Over four weeks, students take on focused business challenges requiring rapid analysis, agile decision-making, and high-quality deliverables under tight timelines. Ideal for sprint-style projects, this course emphasizes adaptability, precision, and strategic thinking in dynamic environments, preparing students to operate effectively under pressure.  Students may take a combination of MGT 4990, MGT 4991 and/or MGT 4992. However, a maximum of 4.5 units can be taken.

Credit 0.75 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MGT 4991 Individualized Practicum Module (Half Semester) )

These courses support curated, faculty-mentored experiential learning engagements in which students apply academic knowledge to real-world business challenges through a consultative, client-engaged project model to support their individualized learning journey. Projects are approved and activated through a structured review process to ensure appropriate scope, academic rigor, and alignment with experiential learning objectives.  This medium-length module allows students to engage with real-world business challenges over a half-semester. With additional time for research, iteration, and stakeholder engagement, students are expected to deliver more comprehensive analysis and integrated strategic recommendations. The course strengthens students’ ability to adapt, communicate, and influence within evolving business contexts while reinforcing professional rigor and cross-functional thinking.  Students may take a combination of MGT 4990, MGT 4991 and/or MGT 4992. However, a maximum of 4.5 units can be taken.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall Half B, Fall Half A

MGT 4992 Individualized Practicum Module (Full Semester)

These courses support curated, faculty-mentored experiential learning engagements in which students apply academic knowledge to real-world business challenges through a consultative, client-engaged project model to support their individualized learning journey. Projects are approved and activated through a structured review process to ensure appropriate scope, academic rigor, and alignment with experiential learning objectives.  This immersive, semester-long module offers an end-to-end experiential learning engagement. Over 14 weeks, students work independently or in teams to address complex, ambiguous business problems with strategic significance. Emphasizing sustained project ownership, multidisciplinary synthesis, and long-term stakeholder engagement, this course is designed for students ready to apply advanced academic theory to real-world challenges and demonstrate mature judgment in complex environments.  Students may take a combination of MGT 4990, MGT 4991 and/or MGT 4992. However, a maximum of 4.5 units can be taken.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MGT 4993 Internship in Business

This is an online course designed to deepen the overall learning you gain from an internship. By completing structured assignments that relate to both the work completed during the internship and to elements of the broad-based Olin business curriculum, the value of the internship will be markedly increased-for both students and employers. Internship in Business is a 1.5-credit Pass/Fail course for Olin Business School undergraduates. The course, credit, and pass/fail grading are transcript notations, but the hours earned for MGT 4993 do not count toward the 120 hours minimum needed for graduation nor does the grade count towards your GPA. Approval from Undergraduate Programs prior to enrolling in this course.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

MKT 3150 Principles of Marketing

Marketing is the window to the customer, making the function a critical component of any successful organization. Through a mixture of lectures, case discussions and classroom exercises, this course will give students an overview of the best theories and practices in marketing management today. Specific topics will include: how to segment the customer base and choose target markets, how to create perceived value both from an economic and psychological perspective, how to differentiate a product or service from a competitor's offering, how to build and maintain a strong brand, and how to employ different marketing tools such as advertising, pricing, product design, service, and location. The class will also provide students with some basic tools for evaluating the financial impact of marketing activities.

Credit 3 units. EN: S

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MKT 3250 Applied Marketing Research

This course is designed to provide you with an appreciation of the role of marketing research (MR) in the formulation and solution of marketing problems. You will be developing an understanding of the marketing research process, and understand how to read reports and use output from marketing research to make managerial decisions. While the course will cover the process of engaging in marketing research, the emphasis is on understanding how to interpret output from marketing research so that you can gain greater mileage from marketing research reports that are run for your company, and on understanding what types of information can be collected so you will understand what types of information you can commission once you step into a managerial role. BSBA students can't enroll in this course. Students may not receive credit for both MKT 3780 and this course.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

MKT 3770 Consumer Behavior

A successful marketing strategy must be built around an understanding of consumers, and this same understanding can help consumers make better choices. MKT 3770 incorporates the latest research in psychology, marketing, and other social sciences to help students understand why consumers act as they do. In addition, this course includes a community-engaged learning component, so that students apply what they learn while they also help to meet a marketing need identified by a nonprofit community partner. 

Credit 3 units. EN: S

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MKT 3780 Marketing Research

The goal of the course is to familiarize students with the fundamentals of Marketing Research. Marketing Research involves developing research questions, collecting data, analyzing it and drawing inferences, with a view to making better business decisions. To this end the course is organized into two basic parts: (1) Data Collection and Research Design, and (2) Tools and Applications of Marketing Research. In essence, this is an Applied Statistics course where we focus on inference from Marketing Research data.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MKT 3810 Inclusive Marketing

Inclusive Marketing Strategies examines the importance of integrating inclusive thinking from the beginning of the strategic marketing process - and in every key decision that follows. The course will explore what we know about societal, cultural, demographic shifts and spending power and how these changes will affect our marketing approach and ultimate success. The course will feature discovery through strategic insights, current marketplace examples, group discussion and theory application.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

MKT 4000 Elements of Sales: Tools and Techniques

This course will provide students with a thorough understanding of the sales function in a managerial context as well as the process of selling from prospecting through solution selling and account maintenance. Specific topics addressed include sales force structure, salesperson selection, evaluation, and compensation. Students will study sales technique, strategic selling, and key account management.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

MKT 4001 Digital Marketing and Analytics

This course teaches students how to utilize key technologies and data sets to drive business growth via digital channels, and how to properly measure investments. In addition to learning how to utilize various paid, earned, and owned digital media tactics, students learn how to build performance-driven websites and how to utilize digital data to better understand consumers and markets. This course is widely applicable to students seeking marketing, entrepreneurial, or strategy-driven careers.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

MKT 4002 Creating & Launching Innovative New Products

This course teaches students how to successfully create and launch new solutions (i.e., products, services, and technologies) inclusive of the business models that power them. Students learn cutting-edge approaches to uncover opportunities, curate ideas, discover solutions, and then realize the potential via successful launch. In addition, they learn how to build innovative environments and build the culture needed within them. This course applies to students seeking careers as brand managers, product managers, product marketers, consultants, and those who aim to be entrepreneurs.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

MKT 4003 Understanding and Conducting Business Experiments

This course introduces the essential methods of A/B testing and causal inference, which are key components of modern data science. Success in the age of AI requires more than just finding patterns in data. We need to understand the underlying processes that generate those patterns. In fact, the range of business and policy questions that require causal inference is broader than commonly recognized, including high-demand topics like churn prediction, digital marketing strategy, and product development. The course also supports students in developing the necessary programming skills to conduct these analyses. By the end of the term, students will possess the analytical toolkit to distinguish causal relationships from simple correlations, enhancing their data-driven decision-making.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

MKT 4004 Sports Marketing

This is a specialized class focused on Sports Marketing. It is essential for anyone going into the field of Sports Marketing, but given the experience of the instructor, I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the topic.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

MKT 4315 Growth Marketing Practicum

Help innovative and emerging brands address real growth challenges by developing marketing strategies related to customer acquisition, retention, positioning, product launches, or performance stagnation - situations where growth is uncertain and the path forward is not obvious. Growth challenges manifest differently across organizations, and students learn how to adapt their approach by deciding what to measure, how to interpret results, and how to connect marketing activity to business outcomes under real constraints. Through this process, students develop the ability to think strategically about growth, use metrics as a decision tool, and communicate recommendations that help organizations move forward. Teams meet regularly with the instructor for guidance and progress reviews and collaborate directly with client organizations throughout the engagement. Dropping the course after being introduced to a client will impact eligibility for future Center for Experiential Learning leadership roles.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

MKT 4700 Pricing Strategies

This course equips students with the core concepts, analytical frameworks, and practical tools needed to formulate and evaluate effective pricing strategies. Students will examine the key factors that shape firms’ pricing decisions—including costs, customers, competitive dynamics, and channels—and analyze how these factors influence optimal pricing across a wide range of industries. The course combines lectures with in-class discussions, case analyses, group projects and presentations, and interactive pricing simulation games. Students will learn fundamental theories and analytical approaches for pricing and apply them to real-world managerial problems. Emphasis is placed on developing proactive pricing strategies through systematic analysis of costs, customers, competitors, and channels. Topics include market segmentation and price customization, competitive pricing strategies, pricing of innovative and digital products, price promotions, psychological and behavioral aspects of pricing, dynamic pricing, freemium business models, online pricing and market-making, platform-based business models, and probabilistic selling. 

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

MKT 4770 International Marketing

Addresses three fundamental decisions confronting a company whose operations extend beyond the domestic market: (1) choosing which foreign markets to penetrate; (2) determining the mode of market entry; and (3) devising the international marketing plan. Topics include global marketing planning; environmental and cultural influences on international marketing decisions; organizational and control issues in international marketing decisions; global marketing intelligence; foreign risk and feasibility studies; and issues of ethics in other countries.

Credit 3 units. EN: S

Typical periods offered: Fall

MKT 4800 Marketing Strategy

Successful business plans are dependent on well-defined and carefully crafted marketing strategies. In this course, students will explore the interconnections between business strategy and marketing strategy through a series of lectures, case discussions, and participation in an online marketing simulation exercise. The course also places heavy emphasis on the discussion of topical marketing issues faced by companies in the current environment. Students are required to read the relevant business press and bring real world issues into the class for brainstorming and interactive discussion. Through this process, students will become astute observers of the strategic trends in marketing across a variety of industries.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

MKT 4810 Advertising and Promotions

This course focuses on an Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) approach to advertising and other forms of commercial communications. The purpose is to provide future managers and practitioners with a foundation in communications theory, based on understanding the target's role in the demand chain for goods and services, as well as hands on experience in developing marketing communications plans. A practical understanding is provided of each of the range of marketing communications vehicles: consumer and business-to-business advertising, sales promotion/incentives, direct marketing, public relations, events and sponsorships, as well as online/interactive communications. Copy strategy, creative development, media planning, promotion strategy, and the evaluation of these programs are all addressed in this course. Industry experts will give guest lectures. We will have 4 companies in different industry sectors for which the class will develop marketing communications plans during the course.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

MKT 4820 Brand Management

The course examines brand equity and explores brand architecture with the purpose of maximizing brand equity. It is suitable for those interested in careers in brand development.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

OB 3150 Organization Behavior Within the Firm

While proficiency in technical skills is essential for success in the workplace, your ability to understand and manage the human side of an organization will be what ultimately sets you and others apart. This course will provide you with concepts and tools that help you understand and manage human behavior in complex organizations. The knowledge and skills you develop in this course will be critical to you as you plan your career, manage your relationships with co-workers, design and change the groups or the organization you belong to, and work to achieve your goals in complex organizational settings.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

OB 3250 Human Resources Management

Emphasis on development of attitudes and skills of managers and supervisors in solving human problems and in building and maintaining effective employer-employee relations. Major topic areas include: selection and placement, training, and compensation. Other topics include legal aspects of employment policies, labor relations, and other aspects of human resources management.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

OB 4002 Women in Leadership

This course uses a multi-faceted approach to learn about women and leadership. To better prepare students to lead in organizations, we will learn from notable leaders who will share their experiences and advice with the class. These conversations will be supplemented with cases and readings of women leaders pulled from a range of organizations as well as a review the current state of empirical evidence about the status of women as leaders. Finally, there will be time to engage in deep reflection about what students expect from their careers as well as a chance to consider the pathways they must take to become effective and inclusive leaders in increasingly diverse organizations.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

OB 4300 Thinking Creatively and Leading Creative Teams

This course is for students who want to improve their ability to develop creative solutions to tricky problems and to lead in a way that fosters creativity in others. Data suggest that the ability to solve problems in new and better ways is one the leadership skills that is increasing in importance and that will set you apart from your peers. Future leaders who have mastered the skills of creativity and can foster those skills in others are therefore in a position to add tremendous value to their firms and, ultimately, to society. This course is designed to help you understand and begin to master those skills.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

OB 4340 Talent Analytics

Finding, developing, and retaining the best talent has always been the key to sustained success in business. Organizations today have potential access to far more useful information about people than ever before, but most struggle to access and use it effectively. In a highly competitive global market, rigorously analyzing data to enable timely and strategic decisions about talent provides a critical edge. In this course, students will learn how to use analytics to bring data and rigorous modelling to bear on people-related issues, such as recruiting, performance evaluation, leadership development and succession, job design, and compensation. Together, these factors can help organizations achieve their long-range strategic goals, rather than simply serving as administrative support functions.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

OB 4350 People Metrics

Since metrics are at the core of people analytics, this course introduces students to the foundations of assessing behavior in organizations using novel measurement approaches and large datasets. Through classroom discussions and real-world applications, this course will enable students to add value to organizations through the development, use, and interpretation of innovative people metrics. Specifically, after taking this course, students will be able to develop a clear and logical conceptual measurement model. A conceptual measurement model is the foundation of creating novel and useful new approaches for assessing intrapersonal characteristics (e.g., personality) and interpersonal behavior (e.g., knowledge sharing, teamwork).

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

OB 4610 Negotiation

Through reading, practice, and discussion, this course teaches skills and knowledge to successfully negotiate in various contexts.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

OB 4620 Leadership in Organizations

This course is designed to fulfill three broad objectives for students. The first is to provide a useful overview of the primary leadership perspectives, focusing on how each framework links individual leadership to organizational outcomes. The second objective involves student self-assessment of strengths and weaknesses in relation to the abilities and skills that are predictive of leadership effectiveness. The third goal of the course is to enable participants to articulate an effective strategic plan for individual leadership development. Course topics include perspectives on individual leadership effectiveness, leadership and motivation, developing subordinates, leading groups and teams, leading the resolution of conflict, and leading organizational change.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

OB 4660 Leadership in the Trenches

This course is based on the idea that effective leadership development combines three elements: (1) a challenging leadership experience, (2) developmental feedback from coaching, and (3) formal instruction. For the experiential component, this course partners with the Center for Experiential Learning (CEL) and targets students who have been selected as Team Leads for a semester-long program. Similar to leading a team in a consulting firm, Team Leads must manage, organize, and motivate team members, manage the relationship with the client to guide expectations and delivery, and work with the faculty advisor and the CEL. Team Leads spend an average of 5 to 10 hours per week throughout the semester serving in this role.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

OB 4685 Mindfulness and Performance in the Workplace

Throughout corporate America and contemporary society, we frequently hear people touting the benefits of “mindfulness.” What exactly is mindfulness – and how can it foster performance in the workplace and improve the quality of workers’ lives? This course addresses these questions. More specifically, this course examines a large and growing body of research on mindfulness and mindful organizing and incorporates cases and activities designed to hone your attention skills and highlight applications of the course material. By the completion of the course, you should be finely attuned to the nature and relevance of mindfulness for organizations and their members – and able to think and behave more mindfully on an everyday basis.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

OB 4720 Defining Moments: Lessons in Leadership and Character From the Top

Most successful leaders can point to a handful of defining moments in their careers - key choice points that defined the trajectory of their character, their career, and/or their company. How can aspiring business leaders prepare themselves to face these defining moments with insight and integrity? How do leaders achieve business performance without sacrificing character or integrity? This course examines these questions by learning from notable leaders who exemplify both business excellence and personal character. Top executives from leading companies will sit down with us to talk about their defining moments and to engage with us in considering these questions. These conversations will be supplemented with contemporary cases and readings on leadership and character.

Credit 1.5 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

SCOT 2000 Quantitative Business Decision Making

Many managerial decisions, regardless of their functional orientation, are increasingly based on analysis using quantitative models from management science. Management science tools, techniques, and concepts (e.g., data, models, and software programs) have dramatically transformed business operations across different fields.  This course teaches undergraduate students how to apply quantitative models to make smarter, data-driven decisions across various functional business areas such as operations, marketing, finance, accounting, strategy, and human resources. Focusing on real-world applications, students will learn the following core techniques: decision analysis, optimization techniques, and simulation techniques. By the end of this course, students will be able to apply key optimization and simulation techniques to solve real-world business problems, including applications in supply chain design, advertising budget allocation, investment portfolio optimization, capital budgeting, strategic resource allocation, workforce planning and project management, and more.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

SCOT 2850 Operations Consulting via Experiential Projects

This course offers an in-depth exploration into leading and managing corporate consulting projects, with a special focus on mostly data driven, analytic challenges within complex supply chain and operational settings. Utilizing real-world data from Boeing Center member companies, students will learn the intricacies of team management, client engagement, problem formulation, critical thinking and data-driven problem-solving. Expected outcome is to make informed decisions and provide actionable solutions for complex operational challenges, and also communicate them effectively to the client. Various pedagogical techniques and methodologies will be used to maximize learning impact (e.g., group presentations, videos, readings, and coaching for client presentations). This course is designed for undergraduate students interested in management consulting, with a special interest in supply chain analytics and operational excellence projects.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

SCOT 3150 Operations Management

Operations management is the business function that plans, coordinates, and controls the resources and processes needed to produce a company's products and services. This course introduces core concepts in operations management, with a focus on modeling the challenges businesses face in aligning strategic goals with underlying business process flows. Covered topics include process analysis, project management, forecasting, queuing and service operations, inventory management, and supply chain management.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

SCOT 3800 Supply Chain Management

A supply chain is a network of all firms and relationships that get a product to market, including the original acquisition of raw materials, production of the item at a manufacturing facility, distribution to a retailer, sale of the finished item to the customer, and any installation, repair, or service activities that follow the sale. How to effectively manage the supply chain is a central issue for all levels of management, regardless of industry. More demanding customers, the Internet and digital technology, growing competitive pressures, and globalization create new opportunities and challenges on how supply chains should be configured and managed. Many innovations and new business models have emerged, arising from application of information technology and reconfiguration of the supply chain network.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

SCOT 4300 Operations Fun: Data-Driven Optimization

The intent of this course of this course is to present a comprehensive look into the practical appeal of linear and integer programming. Each unit will focus on a particular class of optimization problems, and include a data-driven case study revolving around a real-world application. The topics of these case studies run the gamut from fantasy football line-up selection to Amazon delivery truck routing to picking the perfect McDonald's order. DAT 3015 or CS 1301 strongly recommended.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

SCOT 4505 Generative Artificial Intelligence

This is a 3-credit introductory course to generative AI. The course assumes basic programming skills in Python, which can be acquired through the prerequisite data science course, DAT 561. The course is divided into four components:
1. Basic Technology in Natural Language Processing (NLP): This component covers the foundational technology in NLP that powers large language models. Topics include an introduction to PyTorch/Deep Learning, traditional NLP models (such as word vectors, transformer models, tokenizers, etc.), and the basic building blocks of foundational models. 2. Generative AI Usage and Programming: This component focuses on the practical applications of generative AI, enabling students to build business applications. Topics include an introduction to large language models (LLMs), prompt engineering, LLM evaluation, retrieval-argument generation (RAG), fine-tuning, AI agents and agentic workflows, and LLMOps. The goal is for students to reach a level where they can develop interesting business applications using these tools.
3. Societal and Business Impact of Large Language Models: This component addresses the broader impact of generative AI. It begins with an overview of the generative AI supply chain, from power generation and data center construction to end-user applications. The goal is to help students understand the short-term and long-term business impacts of generative AI. It also covers the societal impact and discusses how to build safe and responsible AI.
4. Beyond Large Language Models: This final component explores image, voice, and video generation. Topics include multimodal generative AI and diffusion models for image generation.  

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

SCOT 4580 Operations Analytics

Examines the concepts and techniques essential for effective operations planning, scheduling, and control in various manufacturing and service organizations. Discusses the use of various models for inventory control, forecasting, production planning, and operations scheduling. Just-in-time techniques and material requirements planning systems will also be discussed.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring