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Gain practical business mastery and establish yourself as a standout leader with the iMBA. We've designed our curriculum to deliver a blend of content and experiences that will impact your career – immediately and long term.
Hone specific skills through customizable curriculum
Your career goals are unique to you, which is why we've developed an MBA curriculum that puts you in control. We offer five Focus Area Specializations and more than 18 electives that allow you to customize your learning path – all at your pace and in a sequence that works for you.
Timing and Structure
- Flexible completion time – 24-60 month program
- Short, manageable courses – 4-8 week courses
- Design your own schedule – 1-4 courses per 16 week semester
- Customize your curriculum – select from 5 focus areas and 18+ electives
Core Specializations (Required)
Develop the ability to execute, manage, and lead in the midst of globalization, emerging technologies, and other drivers of change. You'll build foundational business knowledge and skills in the four Core Specializations that all iMBA learners complete.
Core 1: Strategic Leadership and Management
- BADM 509: Managing Organizations
- BADM 544: Strategic Management
- MBA 590: Core 1 Capstone
Core 2: Managerial Economics and Business Analysis
- BADM 572: Statistics Management Decision Making
- FIN 574: Microeconomics for Business
- FIN 571: Money and Banking
- MBA 590: Core 2 Capstone
Core 3: Value Chain Management
- BADM 520: Marketing Management
- BADM 567: Operations Management
- ACCY 503: Managerial Accounting
- MBA 590: Core 3 Capstone
Core 4: Financial Management
- ACCY 500: Accounting Measurement, Reporting, and Control
- FIN 511: Investments
- FIN 570: Corporate Finance
- MBA 590: Core 4 Capstone
Focus Area Specializations
Build areas of expertise that lead to fulfilling, successful careers. Complete two focus area specializations or one focus area specialization and an elective path – letting your interests and career goals be your guide.
Focus Area 1: Digital Marketing
- MBA 545: Marketing in Our New Digital World
- MBA 542: Digital Marketing Analytics
- MBA 543: Digital Media and Marketing
- MBA 590: Focus Area Capstone
Focus Area 2: Entrepreneurship and Strategic Innovation
- MBA 551: Strategic Innovation
- MBA 552: Fostering Creative Thinking
- MBA 553: Entrepreneurship: From Startup to Growth
- MBA 590: Focus Area Capstone
Focus Area 3: Global Challenges in Business
- MBA 547: Global Marketing
- MBA 548: Global Strategy
- MBA 549: Multiculturalism in Management and the Marketplace
- MBA 590: Focus Area Capstone
Focus Area 4: Business Analytics
- MBA 561: Introduction to Business Analytics with R
- MBA 562: Introduction to Business Analytics: Communicating with Data
- MBA 563: Data Toolkit: Business Data Modeling and Predictive Analytics
- MBA 564: Special Topics 1 - Applying Data Analytics in Marketing
- MBA 564: Special Topics 2 - Applying Data Analytics in Accounting
Focus Area 5: Mergers and Acquisitions
- FIN 572: Finance of Mergers and Acquisitions
- ACCY 532: Mergers and Acquisitions and Other Complex Transactions
- FIN 573: Investment Banking Concepts
Elective Courses
Further customize your degree to fit your career path by choosing from 18+ elective courses. A combination of 12 elective credit hours can fulfill one of the two Focus Area Specializations (above).
- ACCY 531: Financial Statement Analysis for MBAs
- ACCY 593: Disruption and Emerging Technologies
- ACCY 574: Risk Management and Innovation
- BADM 589: Project Management
- MBA 549: Multiculturalism in Management and the Marketplace
- MBA 565: Infonomics
Capstones
Capstones are designed to bridge the ‘knowing – doing’ gap, challenging students to apply their iMBA courses, work experience, industry acumen, business knowledge and skills. Students work through a case study with a team in which the deliverables for each module will build upon one another. Each course culminates with the final case presentation.
How Capstones Work
- Students complete 3 capstones: 2 specialization capstones and 1 program capstone.
- Specialization capstones are two weeks in length and students choose the specializations that best meet their academic and professional interests.
- The program capstone is four weeks in length and will be completed in the final semester of the iMBA program.
- Capstones are group-based projects typically focused on a case study.
- Experiential learning opportunities, such as immersions, may be completed to fulfill one to two capstones.
- Learners entering Fall 2023 and beyond will complete an extended onboarding experience, MBA 597: Program Foundations, during the first semester of the iMBA program.
Immersion opportunities
Expand your understanding of other cultures and the global economy by choosing to participate in a two-week immersion – either in-person or virtually. We partner with select universities and companies around the world to bring together a diverse group of learners, cultures, ideas, and solutions.
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Engaging online experience
Interact with top University of Illinois faculty and fellow learners from around the globe in your iMBA courses. Our program was built from the ground up to deliver the level of rich interaction and engagement you'd experience on campus.
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Course structure and format
Generally, you will spend 10-15 hours per class, per week. The course load is flexible – you can take one or two courses, or skip a term depending on your capacity.
- Weekly live classes and office hours with top faculty
- Missed a live class? Watch the recording at a more convenient time
- Self-paced, downloadable course material on Coursera
- Group discussions and projects with peers around the globe
- Immediately applicable graduate-level coursework
Apply to the iMBA Program Today
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