The Global MBA Program begins in February with two-weeks of immersive management communications courses in Seoul, followed by an action-based learning residency on leadership in Osaka. You'll return home in March to complete three core courses online, allowing for maximum flexibility. 

In May, travel to the Ross campus at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to meet and study with peers as you complete six courses over two seven-week sessions. Benefit from a blend of fully in-person discussion-based courses, and quantitative courses that combine online modules with in-person instruction. As you complete this core coursework in the summer, you'll also participate in a second action-based learning residency on innovation held on campus. 

In the fall, pursue a wide variety of electives alongside other Ross MBAs; courses are delivered via live instruction. During this term you'll also travel to Silicon Valley for the third action-based learning residency. In the next term, you can participate in the Global Semester Exchange program at one of our partner institutions from around the world, or choose to remain in Ann Arbor to pursue additional Ross electives. The program concludes with the seven-week Multidisciplinary Action Projects requirement.

Global MBA Class of 2022 Schedule

Please note that the sequence of courses is subject to change.

The Ross MBA Program requires successful completion of 57 graduate credit hours. Students must complete a minimum of 27 credit hours of coursework during the fall 2021 and winter 2022 terms combined, including an approved law or ethics course (variable credit weight) and the Competing in the Global Business Environment course (1.5 credit hours). Students may take a maximum of 18 credit hours during each of the fall 2021 and winter 2022 terms.

The Ross MBA curriculum prepares you to lead by offering a combination of rigorous fundamentals, practical experience, and the freedom to explore. We want you to leave the school with broader aspirations, the tools to achieve them, and the confidence to pursue them.

Business challenges are often complex. You must be able to see from many perspectives in order to assess your risks and opportunities.

The broad-based management approach at Ross delivers an integrated view of business. Our focus on action-based learning gives you the tools and hands-on experience to lead change, drive innovation, and implement creative solutions.

The core courses give you a broad grounding in the fundamentals of:

• financial and managerial accounting
• business economics
• business statistics
• finance
• business communication
• management and organizations
• marketing
• operations management
• strategy

Additional Degree Requirements

1. Competing in the Global Business Environment
   (STRATEGY 503 - 1.5 credits) core course which must be completed during either the fall or winter term in Ann Arbor.
2. Business Law Requirement: This requirement can be met by taking ONE of a selection of courses at any time during either the fall or winter term in Ann Arbor. (Students who have earned a Juris Doctor degree are automatically waived from this requirement.) The following courses satisfy the Business Law requirement: BL/ES 504, BL 507, BL 509, BL 512, BL 513, BL 514, BL 517, or BL 582
3. Management Communication Competency Requirement: Global MBA students fulfill the communication requirement through successful completion of BCOM 594 and BCOM 595 offered at the beginning of the program.
4. Must complete all three action-based learning residencies; one per term in the first Winter term, Spring/Summer term, and Fall term.
5. In the final term, you put the curriculum to work in the Multidisciplinary Action Projects course (see below), integrating your analytical tools with teamwork and leadership development on a strategic project inside an actual firm or organization.

Ross offers you the flexibility to focus studies on a specific area or broaden studies over a variety of disciplines. During your elective terms, you also need to fulfill the Competing In the Global Business Environment and Law/Ethics requirements (see above). With the exception of those two courses, you are free to select from more than 110 elective offerings at the Ross school or across the University.

During the winter (January-April) term, you can participate in the Ross MBA Global Semester Exchange program to study at one of our partnering schools worldwide. Choose from more than 20 partners, including those in Asia, Australia, Latin America, and Europe. You may choose to remain in Ann Arbor for the winter term to complete another full term of Ross elective courses. Your choice.

Featured Courses:

FinTech: Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies, and Other Technology Innovations – FIN 638

New technological innovations are poised to fundamentally transform the financial industry in the coming decades, resulting in abundant career opportunities for FinTech professionals who are well-versed in the dual languages of tech and finance. This course introduces students to the most cutting edge topics including blockchain, cryptofinance and smart contracts, mobile payments, P2P lending, and robo-advising. Topics on big data and technology commercialization will be interwoven throughout the course. Students will (1) obtain in-depth technical knowledge of core Fin Tech concepts, (2) connect this technical know-how to current financial theories and market practices, and (3) decipher concepts beyond just the buzz words to provide critical judgments on new Fin Tech ventures. This knowledge will enable students to be the go-to FinTech expert in a wide variety of industries, and give them an important advantage in career advancement over peers who might just know the "buzz words".

+Impact Studio: Translating Research into Practice – BA 670

The +Impact Studio teaches interdisciplinary student teams (e.g., MBAs, MSWs, MPH, MEng) how to use scholarly intellectual capital, business acumen and design methodologies to begin to address a wicked problem. Wicked problems are issues with societal import, that are difficult to understand, and are embedded within complex systems; for example, how might the financially precarious or the unbanked accomplish necessary financial transactions in society; how might citizens living with failing infrastructure be better served by their municipality. To begin to address such an issue, teams will be seeded with novel, university-generated intellectual capital (e.g., new insights on FinTech or a machine learning algorithm from Marketing research) that may provide a critical piece of the puzzle to making a sustainable, scalable positive impact. There is a trove of such capital within the University that would otherwise remain disconnected from the pressing problems of our generation. Thus, this course serves as a nexus between this intellectual capital, a wicked problem and design. In the Fall term, this course focuses on accomplishing the following design phase in addressing a wicked problem: developing a human-centered and systems-centered understanding of the specific opportunity for making a positive impact at scale. In the Winter term, this course focuses on accomplishing the following design phase in addressing a wicked problem: opportunity calibration, ideation, experimentation and prototyping for making a positive impact at scale.

Artificial Intelligence for Business – TO 633

We are living in fast changing world. The amount of information we generate, receive and process is increasing at an exponential rate. This information explosion is empowering a wave of smart, automated functionalities broadly called Artificial Intelligence ("AI"). AI allows computers and machines to automate the business logic - to work and react like humans. AI comes with a great promise for individuals, organizations and societies but at the same time there are considerable risks, significant societal implications and ethical dilemmas. This course aims to provide students with a conceptual introduction of AI, a broad understanding of AI's basic techniques, how AI is applied to problems, future applications, of AI, and an awareness of the challenges, risks and ethical considerations of use of AI in business. 

Business Leadership in Changing Times – MO 611

Could you announce a significant shift in company strategy to investors in a case simulation? How about in front of a C-Level executive from the very company you are studying? The CEO and other C-level executives of Fortune 500 companies make regular appearances in this class. Your performance will be closely scrutinized and rigorously critiqued – but the opportunity is unique.

Entrepreneurial Turnaround Management – ES 735

You'll examine turnaround management techniques, led by an experienced practitioner. This hands-on course evaluates analysis techniques, prioritization of tasks, communication strategies, strategic repositioning, financial restructuring, and the psychological aspects of troubled situations.

Marketing Engineering MKT – 630

Professions such as marketing manager, account manager, and market researcher are evolving rapidly in the new technology-intense marketing environment. The new marketing needs people with marketing engineering skills, and this course develops those skills.

Strategies For Growth – STRATEGY 672

This course develops a framework for determining the direction of growth: market penetration, globalization, vertical integration, related diversification and unrelated diversification, and the mode of growth. You will also explore the organizational challenges in implementing the growth strategy.

Integrated Product Development Course – TO 548

Partner with students in the College of Engineering and School of Art and Design to research, design, manufacture, and market a fully functional, customer-ready prototype of an actual product. Then compete against classmates in a trade show.

Mobile Innovation Development – TO 626

Explore business issues related to mobile enterprises, including business and revenue models, customer engagement, security and privacy challenges, the role of big data and mobile analytics, and the integration of emerging technology directions. You will then form a student project team to conceptualize, design, and prototype/simulate a mobile business innovation.

Focused Learning Opportunities

Ross students inhabit a world of powerful, relevant ideas, both in and out of the classroom, through focused learning opportunities in the school’s leading institutes and centers. 

Across the University

Ninety-seven U-M graduate programs are ranked in the Top 10 (U.S. News & World Report, 2019). You have the opportunity to take up to 10 of your 57 required credits at any of the graduate programs offered by the University of Michigan.

Dual Degree Program

If you are equally passionate about another subject beyond business, Ross offers over 20 established dual degrees, including in engineering, education, social work, public policy, public health and law.

Three residencies (3-5 days each) complement your core and elective MBA coursework. Residencies are rooted in our signature action-based approach to learning, and each gives you the opportunity to strengthen different skill sets. 

Business Leadership Residency  | Osaka 

Effective leadership doesn’t just take place at the top — it happens at all levels of an organization. This intensive experience will hone your natural leadership capabilities with learning techniques that will help you become an effective leader in all phases of your career.

Business Innovation Residency | Ann Arbor 

Introduce yourself to the world of entrepreneurship with both a focus on academic fundamentals and action-based experiences in this innovation residency that explores what it takes to invest in and start a business.

Business Transformation Residency  | Silicon Valley 

Gain the opportunity to systematically evaluate a business, diagnose issues and opportunities, deal with ambiguity, and develop strategies for success in this residency focused on transformation.
 

The Ross MBA Global Semester Exchange program gives you the opportunity to study at one of our distinguished partner schools during your final winter term. Apply to partners in Asia, Australia, Latin America, or Europe to learn about business from diverse perspectives, experience other cultures, and network with students, faculty, and business professionals from around the world. Choose to study abroad for seven weeks (for up to 9 elective credits) or study abroad for the full 14-week semester (for up to 15 elective credits).  

Put your learning into action during our renowned Multidisciplinary Action Projects (MAP) course, the epitome of the Ross commitment to action-based learning. Over seven weeks, you and your team will work together to devise a creative solution to a critical organizational challenge at a sponsoring company. Sponsors range from startups to nongovernmental organizations to multinational corporations, and their projects are just as varied. You may be asked to develop a business strategy, solve a market entry problem, or evaluate new products. Benefit from the ability to spend time onsite with your sponsor, and deliver your final analysis and recommendations to company leadership and Ross faculty. 

Learn more about MAP

Students completing their Ross Global MBA with a VPA of 2.5 or above are invited to apply for the opportunity to complete a Post-MBA Research Project. This is a chance to enhance your education through a comprehensive research project integrating all that you have learned. Once the research plan is approved, students must meet criteria to apply and then be approved for Optional Practical Training to participate in the research project.

Available exclusively to Global MBA students, the project is offered for seven or 14 weeks. Under the guidance of a faculty advisor, you'll apply the knowledge gained at Ross to a real situation faced by your employer. Then, you'll deliver a final report and present proposed solutions.

In the program, you'll participate in an engaging workshop with the Sanger Leadership Center. Learn about the Michigan Model of Leadership, your personal strengths and weaknesses, and steps you can take now to further develop your capabilities and lead more adaptively.  Participate in the Leadership Crisis Challenge, which prepares students to lead in high-pressure, high-stakes situations. You can discover your true leadership potential through these and other opportunities from the Sanger Leadership Center.

At Ross you can also challenge yourself to participate in clubs, case competitions, and conferences which connect students with executive and thought leaders from various industries around the world.

See also:

Leading People & Organizations – MO 503

Business Leadership in Changing Times – MO 611

Bargaining and Influence Skills – Negotiation Strategy in a Global Economy – MO 512

Leading with Values – MO 620

Learn business the same way you'll lead it — across platforms, formats, and locations. The Global MBA complements in-person courses held around the world with immersive, online instruction, for a truly dynamic experience. Our use of innovative SmartStage technology helps ensure the live online classes you join offer an engaging atmosphere, one in which conversation and collaboration are seamless. Feel like you're right in the classroom and benefit from the same access to expert Ross faculty, who teach across platforms.