Curriculum

Overview

When you apply to the BYU Marriott MBA program, you choose from one of five MBA tracks:

  • Entrepreneurship
  • Finance
  • Operations and supply chain
  • Marketing
  • Strategic human resources 

The program makes space for you to take courses in pursuit of an emphasis, a minor, and to complete a certificate. Your academic advisor, student career mentor, and professors help you chart a path during your time here to deepen your knowledge in ways that increase your marketability and personal fulfillment. 

Regardless of the track you choose, the first year is designed to build general management knowledge and to provide exposure to the many different areas of management.

Students are enrolled in the management core classes during the first year (two 15-week semesters) of study. The BYU Marriott MBA follows a lockstep format wherein first-year students enter the program in the fall and take all their classes together during the first year. Because of the intensity of the courses and the number of hours spent in group work outside the classroom, students are not permitted to work during the first year of the program.

The required courses, though challenging for most first-year students, provide vital tools, concepts, and techniques for analysis in the basic functional areas of business.

Instruction in the management core enables students to apply the tools learned in one course to the solution of problems encountered in another. Case discussions are constructed to provide an environment that encourages students to analyze issues from multiple perspectives.

Working in Teams

Entering MBA students are divided into sections of approximately 50 students each. A section is organized into smaller learning teams of approximately five students each. Teams are composed of people from different undergraduate majors, academic backgrounds, language backgrounds, and previous work experiences.

The team experience is critical. Students must rely on one another’s strengths, skills, and experience to work through business challenges. This learning environment provides a realistic model of what graduates will encounter in the workplace—dealing with different pressures, scenarios, team member types, and the ambiguity all business leaders face. 

First-Year Overview 

During the first year of the program, MBA students will learn to solve complex managerial issues with this essential set of core classes. These courses ensure you gain the foundational knowledge necessary for effective business analysis and management. They also provide feedback and insights needed to hone your own personal leadership style. 

All students are required to complete the following core classes: 

Fall Semester Core Courses
  • MBA 500: Career Development
  • MBA 501: Corporate Financial Reporting
  • MBA 505: Leadership
  • MBA 520: Business Finance
  • MBA 530: Operations Management
  • MBA 548: Strategic HR Management
  • MBA 593R: Major Professional Seminar
Winter Semester Core Courses
  • MBA 560: Business Analytics
  • MBA 580: Business Strategy
  • MBA 584: Intro to Global Management
  • MBA 670: Entrepreneurial Innovation
  • Students can also choose a number of electives (up to 10 additional credits)
    • MBA electives and other BYU Marriott classes may be taken
    • Other university courses may be approved for credit
Summer Internships 

Following the second semester of the program, students are strongly encouraged to spend the summer in independent work experiences or internships. Work experience that furthers specific professional interests can have a strong impact on career opportunities following graduation. 

The BYU Marriott MBA career management team is ready to assist you in landing the best work experience possible. Many of the same companies that recruit graduates provide internship opportunities for first-year MBA students. 

As students return from their internships, they bring new insights, skills, and passion to their studies. Many use the work experience to determine if a specific company or industry is right for them. All this adds perspective and focus to the second year of study.

Second-Year Overview

The second year of the program opens up opportunities to specialize in a specific discipline and take courses of particular interest. Fall semester begins with your last two core classes supplemented by track electives. The winter semester of your second year is wide open for you to complete your track requirements and to build your managerial toolkit. 

Fall Semester Core Courses
  • MBA 502: Managerial Accounting 1 (1.5 credit hours)
  • MBA 604: Business Ethics (1.5 credit hours)
  • Add track courses and electives, up to 18.5 credit hours per semester. Each elective ranges from 1.5 to 3.0 credit hours.
Minors, Emphases, and Certificates (choose one or two):
  • Analytics
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Global business certificate
  • Healthcare
  • Information systems
  • International business
  • Product management
  • Social innovation
  • Strategy
Winter Semester Electives

During the final winter semester, you will finish up your track-suggested electives, minor requirements, or topics that interest you. Pick electives that will make you marketable in your target industry and focus on topics you want to learn more about that may set you apart from others.

See Tracks available in the MBA program.