General Catalog - John F. Kennedy University

School of ManagementGraduate DivisionSchool ofManagementMaster of Business AdministrationBy concentrating on analytical, ethical leadership and businessrelatedskills, the Master of Business Administration (MBA)program prepares students for organizational careers at theprofessional and executive levels. Traditional and emergingsubjects are studied in an interactive environment that encouragescritical inquiry and maximizes understanding. The programaccommodates both experienced business professionals andindividuals who have acquired significant organizational andadministrative experience in a non-business setting.The MBA program provides students with a solid understandingof individual, group, and organizational behavior; financial analysisand management; quantitative decision making and other analyticalskills; practical ethics in the business arena; strategic planningand implementation; marketing theory and practices; the managementof change; the impact of technology; and international issuesand the expanding global economy.MissionThe Master of Business Administration (MBA) program isdesigned to prepare qualified students and working professionalsfor positions of responsibility as managers and leaders who arecapable of working collaboratively and making effective andethical business decisions in a challenging global environment. Weemphasize visionary, participatory leadership and strategic thinkingfrom a global viewpoint that values innovation and diversity.JFKU’s MBA program focuses on shaping leaders who can foreseeissues, understand their complex causes, shape viable plans andsolutions that benefit current and future generations, and gain thesupport to effectively implement them.Rooted in the core MBA competencies, JFKU’s MBA programoffers a holistic and transformative educational opportunity that:• Enables students to contribute to local and globalcommunities by being innovative and socially responsibleleaders and managers in organizations of their choice—forprofit, nonprofit, or public.• Blends theory and practice, equipping students with theperspectives, knowledge, and skills to:• lead collegially;• draw upon the talents and power of a diverse workforce;• engage employees and teams in planning, decisionmaking, and organizational change processes;• think and plan strategically;• analyze issues systematically;• devise fiscally sound, pragmatic, yet creative action plans;• communicate ideas and solutions; and• utilize an ethical decision making process.• Provides professionals with a student-oriented learningexperience founded in dialogue, critical reflection, creativeproblem-solving, and practical application.• Offers conveniently scheduled face-to-face and onlinecourses and provides a professional staff that enable studentsto take responsibility for their academic and professionalcareer development.Program Learning Outcomes• Lead ethically and collaborate with others in situationscharacterized by differing interests and objectives.• Develop and implement an organizational vision andoperational mode, identifying, selecting, and justifyingstrategies and courses of action from a system-thinkingapproach.• Manage a multicultural and diverse team-orientated workforceby a sense of mission, shared values, and high levelsof commitment and motivation.• Identify, diagnose, and innovatively problem-solve businessissues accurately and effectively in a complex organizationalenvironment, including management practices, accountingand financial management, operations, marketing, andstrategic management.• Develop pragmatic and socially responsible plans for theimplementation of strategies across a wide range of businessdomains and levels in a learning organization culture thatfosters diversity, job ownership, continuous learning, criticalthinking, creative decision making, and ethical leadershipdevelopment.• Envision, communicate, implement, and evaluate changestrategies and processes in a managerial role, includingeffective presentation of analysis, justification of recommendedactions, and persuasive messages intended toaffect the perceptions of others.SpecializationsWhile students master a core of knowledge in the MBA program,they also explore their particular interests in one of the followingareas of specialization: Leadership, Strategic Management,Program Management, or an individually planned specialization.Individually planned specializations give students a chance tocreate a customized specialization which would help in theircareer path. Individually planned specializations may be a crossdisciplinaryconcentration integrating more than one school.Refer to the General Information section of this catalog for moreinformation about designing an individualized program.Admission RequirementsIn addition to the university’s requirements, applicants to theMBA program must possess a bachelor’s degree from an institutionwhose accreditation is recognized by the Council for HigherEducation Accreditation (CHEA). Applicants must submit a JFKUniversity application along with a statement of purpose. Thestatement of purpose should be two double-spaced, typewrittenpages describing educational and professional goals, includingwhat the applicant expects from and can contribute to theprogram. Finally, applicants must submit a resume of workexperience detailing professional background. While the GraduateManagement Admissions Test (GMAT) is usually not required foradmission, the school may require the applicant to take the examin some cases.78 School of Management John F. Kennedy University