A Management Degree Should be More Than Just a Piece of Paper

As a Management major you’ll develop outstanding leadership skills by learning to understand the challenges of managing organizational activities at any level in rapidly changing business and not-for-profit environments.

The BA in Management provides theoretical and applied knowledge in the basic areas expected of all managers:

  • Management science
  • Accounting
  • Budgeting
  • Economics

Dr. Steve Brezezinski shares his perspective about the relevance of the BA in Management program:

Management positions exist in every organization. Graduates have the know-how to coordinate organizations services, oversee operations, ensure safety standards and examine consumption patterns. Available career titles include:

  • Administrative services manager
  • Facility manager
  • Office manager
  • Contract administrator
  • Office and administrative support supervisor

Project Management

With the skills and methodologies you’ll gain from the AU Midwest project management major, you will be enabled to manage the people, resources, schedules, and plans to bring projects for business and industry to successful completion, on time and on budget.

Just a few of the many professional careers that often begin with a Bachelor of Arts in Project Management include:

  • Project manager
  • Project leader
  • Corporate projects manager
  • Project analyst
  • Cost estimator
  • Quality assurance specialist
  • Construction scheduler
  • Business analyst

MANAGEMENT MAJOR
General Education (21 cr)

  • GNED-3210 Experience and Expression (3)
  • GNED-3250 Modes and Methods of Learnin (3)
  • GNED-3310 Literary Analysis and Argumentation (3)
  • GNED-3350 Culture, Conflict, and Social Research (3)
  • GNED-3450 Foundations of Civilization (3)
  • GNED-3510 Ecology, Technology, and Society (3)
  • GNED-3550 Leadership (3)

Major Requirements (30 cr)

  • MGT-3680 Accounting/Budgeting (3)
  • MGT-3720 Business Law (3)
  • MGT-4410 Economics-Macro and Micro (3)
  • MGT-4780 Strategic Marketing (3)
  • MGT-4840 Ethical Issues in Management(3)
  • MGT-4960 Organizational Behavior (3)

Three electives (9 cr)

  • MGT3830 Project Mgmt Essentials (3)
  • MGT3850 Quality Management (3)
  • MGT3880 Contracting & Purchasing (3)
  • MGT3900 Human Resource Mgmt (3)
  • MGT3910 Risk Management (3)
  • MGT4500 Resolution of Org Conflict (3)
  • MGT4790 Entrepreneurship (3)
  • MGT4810 International Business (3)
  • MGT4850 Corporate Strategy (3)
  • MGT4870 Personal Investment Strategies (3)
  • MGT4880 Strategic Mktg for Non-Profits (3)
  • MGT4950 Career Development (3)

PRO-4970 Senior Project (3)

MANAGEMENT MAJOR
General Education (21 cr)

  • GNED-3210 Experience and Expression (3)
  • GNED-3250 Modes and Methods of Learning (3)
  • GNED-3310 Literary Analysis and Argumentation (3)
  • GNED-3350 Culture, Conflict, and Social
  • Research (3)
  • GNED-3450 Foundations of Civilization (3)
  • GNED-3510 Ecology, Technology, and Society (3)
  • GNED-3550 Leadership (3)

Major Requirements (33 cr)

  • MGT-3720 Business Law (3)
  • MGT-3830 Project Mgmt Essentials (3)
  • MGT-3850 Quality Management (3)
  • MGT-3880 Contracting & Purchasing (3)
  • MGT-3900 Human Resource Mgmt (3)
  • MGT-3910 Risk Management (3)
  • MGT-4960 Organizational Behavior (3)

Three electives (9 cr)

  • MGT-3680 Accounting/Budgeting (3)
  • MGT-4410 Economics-Macro and Micro (3)
  • MGT-4780 Strategic Marketing (3)
  • MGT-4840 Ethical Issues in Management (3)
  • MGT-4500 Resolution of Org Conflict (3)
  • MGT-4790 Entrepreneurship (3)
  • MGT-4810 International Business (3)
  • MGT-4850 Corporate Strategy (3)
  • MGT-4870 Personal Investment Strategies (3)
  • MGT-4880 Strategic Mktg for Non-Profits (3)
  • MGT-4950 Career Development (3)

PRO-4970 Senior Project (3)

GNED-3210 Experience and Expression

Students discover the uniqueness of each human life by reading, comparing and comparing life stories about transformative experiences. They learn to write in their own voice from their own life experience employing rhetorical modes such as narration, description, example, comparison and contrast, process analysis, classification, cause and effect, and argument and persuasion. Students develop a new view of the world, of themselves, and of their interconnectedness to others.

GNED-3250 Modes & Methods of Learning

This course shows ways to identify and apply diverse modes of learning to achieve ends such as acquiring knowledge of self and world, solving problems, producing works of art, or engaging in public speaking. Students learn to distinguish facts from values, intuition from logic, imagination from objective  representation, beliefs from arguments, synthesis from analysis, and qualitative from quantitative reasoning. They practice selfawareness and employ evidence and logic as foundations of inquiry.

GNED-3310 Literary Analysis & Argument

Students travel the world in literature to explore ideas, passions, and the lives of people in other times and places. Discussions focus on viewpoints and aims of characters, narrative techniques, cultural contexts, and intentionality in reading and writing. Students refine their ability to read closely and critically and to analyze literary texts using a variety of academic approaches. They learn both how to construct analytical arguments about literary themes and how this skill can be transferred to other professional situations. Prerequisite: GNED-3210.

GNED-3350 Culture, Conflict & Social Research

Introduces students to the historic and cultural origins of contemporary conflicts and the attitudes and institutions that perpetuate them. They learn methods of research that can effectively address the issues and questions that arise in conflict situations. Students learn how to pose productive questions, formulate hypotheses, design logical and effective research strategies, address issues of reliability and validity, and observe ethical protocols. They each conduct and compose a modest research project and make an oral presentation according to professional standards. Prerequisite: GNED-3250.

GNED-3450 Foundations of Civilization

This course focuses on understanding differences between cultures and civilizations, including how both evolve from specific environmental conditions, and are shaped to address local challenges. This course examines the religious, economic, and political systems in such foundational zones as ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, India and China, and Greece and Rome.

GNED-3510 Ecology, Technology & Society

This course explores the interdependency of natural and social systems, the factors that contribute to the evolution and disappearance of species, and the human impact on natural environments by factors such as overpopulation, pollution, war, and excess consumption. It also examines more sustainable initiatives in waste management, and agricultural production, the use of alternative energies and technologies, and policy efforts to both conserve natural resources and ecosystems and build more sustainable communities.

GNED-3550 Leadership

 The course explores the concept of Leadership as science, as art, and as service. In the process of studying cases of successful and failed leadership the course requires students to reflect on how to make their lives meaningful and productive through the cultivation and exercise of leadership skills. They learn how to employ creative means to achieve constructive ends and how, in the process, to serve with integrity as they draw upon the capacities of diverse human resources and deploy the skills of community building.

MGT 3680 Accounting & Budgeting

MGT-3680 Accounting and Budgeting  This course introduces the students to fundamental principles underlying the accounting function as it relates to the management of organizations. Students develop an accounting model, starting with simple concepts, and build toward a system overview by taking a practical approach to the subject. This course also examines the basic concepts and issues underlying budget planning as well as the relationships of budgeting, planning, accounting, and information systems to organizational goals, program objectives, and performance measures.

MGT 3720 Business Law

This is a comprehensive survey of the courts and laws affecting business, with particular emphasis on torts, contracts, agency, partnerships, corporations, Uniform Commercial Code, antitrust, employment, real and personal property, insurance, wills, and trusts.

MGT 4410 Economics - Micro and Macro

This course provides an understanding of methods, theories and concepts of microeconomic analysis and their application to basic management decisions pertaining to production, marketing, finance, and investment. Emphasis is placed on theoretical and practical rationales underlying economic decisions. This course also studies the aggregate economy focusing on the major macroeconomic problems of income, employment and prices. Major theories of macroeconomic instability are presented along with resulting policy options. International economics, international finance and economic growth are also studied.

MGT 4780 Strategic Marketing

This course examines marketing as the business function that identifies current unfulfilled needs and wants, defines and measures their magnitude, determines what target markets the organization can best serve, and decides on appropriate products, services, and programs to serve these markets.

MGT 4840 Ethical Issues in Management

This course provides an ethical investigation of the context of American business, including capitalism and the free market system. This includes an inquiry into the ethical nature and role of business organizations within this broad economic context, as well as an examination of particular ethical issues, which arise in the course of this activity.

MGT-4960 Organizational Behavior

Organizations are complex social systems with external environments and internal goals. Organization behavior includes the processes of determining how organization resources shall be employed (toward the 28 goals) and under what rules. Decisions may be made through rational or political processes or through observation, analysis, discussion, and experimentation. This course examines personal and organizational behaviors employed in achieving personal and organizational goals.

MGT-3830 Project Management Essentials

This course will cover the nine knowledge areas in the area of Project Management; Project Integration Management, Scope
Management, Time Management, Cost Management, Quality Management, Human Resource Management, Communications
Management, Risk Management and Procurement Management. Students will learn how to initiate, plan, control, execute and close a project. This course will cover three aspects of project management in detail: cost management, time management
and scope management. Students will learn how to define the needs and requirements of a project, develop and implement a
comprehensive project schedule, and estimate project costs. Managing changes to these three areas during the course of the
project will also be covered.

MGT-3850 Quality Management

This course is an in-depth study of the theories and methods used to achieve quality in various types of organizations. Through exercises and case analysis, students will learn to apply quality control tools to problems and organizations. The focus is on quality across a broad range of industries, and services rather than simply from a manufacturing perspective.

MGT-3880 Contracting and Purchasing

This course covers the skills needed to acquire the goods and services necessary for successful projects, including contract law and administration, elements of supplier relationship management and purchasing.

MGT-3900 Human Resource Management

This course introduces students to a critical examination of theoretical and practical issues of human resource management and strengthens their decision-making skills in personnel cases. It is designed to benefit all students of management.

MGT-3910 Risk Management

This course defines what risk is, how it can be identified, measured and transferred, the qualitative and quantitative methods available to analyze risk, and the significance of risk planning to the management of  organizations and projects.

MGT-4410 Economics (Micro and Macro)

This course provides an understanding of methods, theories and concepts of microeconomic analysis and their application to basic management decisions pertaining to production, marketing, finance, and investment. Emphasis is placed on theoretical and practical rationales underlying economic decisions. This course also studies the aggregate economy focusing on the major macroeconomic problems of income, employment and prices. Major theories of macroeconomic instability are presented along with resulting policy options. International economics, international finance and economic growth are also studied. 

MGT-4500 Resolution of Organizational Conflict

This course is an examination of conflict resolution theory as it impacts the manager within an organization. Practical skill is the focus of this course. Practical skill applications of management of workplace conflict are emphasized.

MGT-4780 Strategic Marketing

This course examines marketing as the business function that identifies current unfulfilled needs and wants, defines and measures their magnitude, determines what target markets the organization can best serve, and decides on appropriate products, services, and programs to serve these markets.

MGT-4790 Entrepreneurship

This course provides an exploration of entrepreneurship in small manufacturing, retail, and professional service businesses. Topics include operating, marketing, financing and managing a business with fewer than 25 employees; preparing a management plan for a start-up business and making the transition from entrepreneurship to professional management through controlled growth.

MGT-4810 International Business

 This course examines the relationships between businesses within the domestic and international contexts. It introduces and elaborates upon factors responsible for U.S. corporate movement abroad and for foreign trade and investment in the U.S. It examines why and how governments intervene in the economic processes in order to effect administrative policies.

MGT-4840 Ethical Issues in Management

This course provides an ethical investigation of the context of American business, including capitalism and the free market system. This includes an inquiry into the ethical nature and role of business organizations within this broad economic context, as well as an examination of particular ethical issues, which arise in the course of this activity.

MGT-4850 Corporate Strategy

This course reviews the political and behavioral rationalities of the organization environment and the organization’s formalities, mission, strategy, and policy by considering the firm’s environment, the available internal and external resources, the assigned responsibilities and the implicit and explicit managerial values.

MGT-4870 Personal Investment Strategies

This course focuses on investing as part of a personal financial management plan. The need for setting of personal financial goals, assessment of risk tolerance, portfolio development and the strategies, tactics and techniques involved in managing investment accounts will be discussed.

Strategic Marketing for Non-Profit Organizations

Marketing is the business function which links a society’s needs and its pattern of organizational response, has become critically important to not-for-profit organizations seeking to survive and prosper in increasingly competitive environments. Students learn the principles of strategic marketing, including marketing research, segmentation, targeting, and positioning, and how to apply these principles.

MGT-4950 Career Development

This course explores the current research and literature on careers and career development with a view toward student understanding of past career choices and the development of career plans and options within this context. It also provides students with the opportunity to examine personal values and career aspirations in relation to professional goal setting.

PRO-4970 Senior Project

 In this seminar, each student develops and carries out a project relevant to professional goals. The project generally involves background study or research, planning, implementation, evaluation, and preparation of a written report. Instructor permission required.