Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular term. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• QST IS 863: Integration of Generative AI in Business Practice
  This course provides students with a practical understanding of generative AI and how to strategically implement it across organizations. Through lectures, case studies, and hands-on exercises, participants will learn the fundamentals of generative AI and how it stands to transform industries. Given the wide applicability of these technologies, we will consider how to prioritize GenAI applications and develop roadmaps for integrating AI into various business functions. Students will explore best practices for managing AI projects and addressing legal, IP, and ethical considerations. The course will include insights from AI practitioners driving change in major companies through Gen AI. Despite its promise, realizing value through these technologies can be challenging. We will study the barriers to AI integration along technical, organizational, and operational lines. The class does not involve programming and is appropriate for the general MBA audience.
• QST IS 879: Business Modeling with Spreadsheets
  This course aims to sharpen students' ability to conduct quantitative analyses of business problems. The primary focus is on problem formulation and analysis -- identifying the key components of a decision problem, structuring it, translating it into a graphical chart, and then building the appropriate mathematical and spreadsheet models. These models are used to generate valuable qualitative and quantitative managerial insights. Students will be introduced to data management and decision tools such as Formula Diagrams, Linear Optimization, and Error Detection methodologies, as well as to Parametric Sensitivity Analyses. While each business problem is distinctive, a disciplined approach to problem solving can be incredibly useful across many career contexts. The concepts and exercises in this course will sharpen the student's professional ability to structure a messy problem and do some disciplined analysis on it. Developing these modeling skills requires the opportunity to brainstorm, reflect, and practice it on a wide variety of problems. Hence, the course includes intensive team-centered workshop sessions where all students get hands-on practice working with a group of peers to frame various problems in appropriate analytical terms, develop a solution approach, and critically reflect on the results. Examples will be drawn from Strategy, Operations, Technology Management, Marketing, and Finance to expose students to the broad applications of the concepts and tools learned in this class. Many of the up- to-the-minute Excel techniques covered in the course are now considered standard in industry, and developing a good understanding of them will deepen the student's ability to identify opportunities in which spreadsheet analytics can be used to improve performance, drive value, and support important decisions. Finally, students will learn the latest technologies for effectively linking spreadsheets to relational databases, and to manage reliably large scale spreadsheet development projects.
• QST IS 883: Deploying Generative AI in the Enterprise
  Graduate Prerequisites: MSDT Students Only - Most organizations today -- of all sizes and stages of maturity -- are undertaking internally and externally focused digital initiatives. The success of these programs varies widely and depends on numerous strategic, tactical and technical factors; that is, active management of not only the technology but also the organizational and product development lifecycle. Accordingly, this course will delve into the mechanics of Large Language Models, including their structure and functionality. Through practical exercises students will learn to deploy these models effectively in various business contexts, from enhancing decision-making processes to optimizing operational efficiencies. We will cover integration of Language Models with cloud-based platforms such as Azure and OpenAI's APIs. A focused exploration of query optimization and prompt engineering will equip students with the skills to fine-tune AI outputs for strategic use. Ethical and social implications of the technology will also be considered. Students will apply concepts -- including agile methodologies, design thinking, user experience, and financial modeling -- to architect and execute an AI-driven business project.
• QST IS 889: Data Management
  Graduate Prerequisites: MSDT Student Only - The ability to collect, organize, access, analyze and harness data is a source of competitive advantage for some and a competitive necessity for others. Getting an organization to the point where it has a data asset it can leverage is a non-trivial task. Many firms have been shocked at the amount of work and complexity that is required to pull together an infrastructure that integrates its diverse data sources and empowers its managers. This course will provide an introduction to the concepts and technologies that are involved in managing and supporting the data assets of your organization. We will cover data modeling, relational databases, including SQL, data warehousing and business intelligence.
• QST IS 890: Creating Successful Digital Products & Experiences
  Graduate Prerequisites: MSDT Students Only - Organizations of all sizes and stages of maturity are undertaking internally and externally focused digital initiatives. The success of these programs varies widely and depends on numerous strategic and tactical factors. In this class students will learn leading models, practices and tools used by top digital teams, and apply them, along with other skills learned throughout the MSDT program, toward the research, ideation, design and creation of a prototype digital product/experience designed to address unmet needs in the market and achieve real-world critical business objectives.
• QST IS 895: Action Learning Directed Study in Information Systems
  ALDS: INFO SYS
• QST IS 898: Directed Study: Info Systems
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor and the department chair - Graduate-level directed study in Management Information Systems. 1, 2, or 3 cr. Application available on the Graduate Center website.
• QST IS 899: Directed Study: Info Systems
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor and the department chair - Graduate-level directed study in Management Information Systems. 1, 2, or 3 cr. Application available on the Graduate Center website.
• QST IS 911: Generative AI & Causal Inference with Text
  This seminar will introduce the latest empirical methods in generative AI and causal inference using text, empowering doctoral students to explore and investigate novel and high-impact business and computational social science research. The first half of the seminar will concentrate on the techniques, potential applications, and economics of generative AI and large language models. Topics covered will include Transformer, BERT, the GPT family, VAEs, GANs, Diffusion Model, Human-AI collaboration, etc. The second half will focus on causal inference techniques using text as controls, mediators, and treatment. Students will be required to propose a new idea based on the seminar's content. Previous iterations of the seminar have included Interpretable ML and Bias in ML (2017), Generative AI (2019), and Neural Language Models and Economics of AI (2020). The seminar is engineered to foster innovative ideas for students across a diverse range of academic disciplines.
• QST IS 912: Platform Strategy & Design
  This class will cover seminal works in the economics of information including the Nobel Prize winning ideas of Akerlof, Arrow, Spence, Stiglitz, and von Hayek. It will proceed through (i) concepts of information, its value and measurement (ii) search and choice under uncertainty (iii) signaling, screening, and how rational actors use information for private advantage (iii) how to price and package information goods (iv) how properties of information cause market failure (v) macroeconomic effects of information (vi) social and legal issues of owning information. Although primarily a theory class, it should be of interest to any student applying information economics in academic, commercial, or government policy contexts. Prerequisites are a graduate course in microeconomics and mathematics at the level of introductory calculus and statistics. Students will produce a major paper suitable for publication or inclusion in a thesis.
• QST IS 919: Research Seminar 2
  This course covers those important Information Systems (IS) theories and topics that are at the organizational level of analysis and below. That is, it focuses on the behaviors of single individuals and small numbers of individuals, such as dyads and teams. This is consistent with an approach to organizational phenomena that distinguishes between micro and macro levels of research, this course being the micro. The focus is on ways that individuals and teams use information technologies to acquire, process, and transfer information, and the effects these technologies have on individual cognition and dyadic and group interactions. It also investigates the design and implementation of information technologies and the impact of these on organizational outcomes. The course is designed to engender students with a broad knowledge of research at the intersection of information technologies and organizations, with an emphasis on theoretical underpinnings and methodological choices.
• QST IS 990: Current Topics Seminar
  For PhD students in the Information Systems department. Registered by permission only.
• QST IS 998: Directed Study: Info Systems
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor and the department chair - PhD-level directed study in Management Information Systems. 1, 2, or 3 cr. Application available on the Graduate Center website.
• QST IS 999: Directed Study: Info Systems
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor and the department chair - PhD-level directed study in Management Information Systems. 1, 2, or 3 cr. Application available on the Graduate Center website.
• QST LA 245: Business Law, Contracts, and Regulation
  Undergraduate Prerequisite: QST SM131. - This course provides a broad overview of the fundamental legal issues of significance for business. It examines contracts, business organizations, employment law, intellectual property, and international law. It explores the regulatory environment affecting businesses in the United States and around the globe. The course goals include understanding the basic rules of business law and the underlying social policies and ethical dilemmas that affect business operations and investments.
• QST LA 343: Discrimination and the Law: Implications for Business
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (QSTLA245) - Many companies struggle with how to support diverse employees, and the need to do so has become even more urgent in the wake of events like the death of George Floyd. Navigating these issues requires understanding how the lived experiences varies systematically among different ethnic groups, genders, gender identities, and sexual orientation. Successfully addressing inequities and adopting practical solutions necessitates understanding the history of racism, sexism, and other "isms" in America. This course will address these and other relevant issues in the context of the corporate environment. It will cover doctrinal issues regarding the ethical and legal obligations of corporations as it relates to managing discrimination in the workplace (e.g., history of antidiscrimination legislation, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964), but will also delve into some of the more practical aspects of the tools and techniques companies can or should adopt to achieve a more inclusive work environment. 4 cr.
• QST LA 346: Business, Justice, and Responsibility
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (QSTLA245) - This course explores the legal and ethical challenges a leader will face in a highly regulated, complex, global business. We will explore societal issues such as lying, bias, fraud, corruption, stereotyping, religious freedom, discrimination, and whistleblowing, and consider the responsibility of a business and its leaders to address these challenges, and to create a more just society. Students will also consider the competing roles of business, the legislature, and the courts in addressing societal issues. By reading Supreme Court opinions and business cases, participating in oral arguments, engaging in efforts to make social change, and studying current events, students will deepen skills in analyzing ethical dilemmas and thinking critically. This course will teach students to view decisions through multiple frames, develop empathy, and train them to engage in a meaningful, substantive dialogue -- written and spoken -- about sensitive topics in a professional setting.
• QST LA 355: Employment Law and Public Policy
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (QSTLA245) - An in-depth look at the legal issues involved in the employer/employee relationship. Such topics include: discrimination, affirmative action, harassment, the hiring process, employee testing, and terminating employees (for cause, layoffs). Discussions will focus on the duties and rights of both parties through the stages of employment, from hiring and managing your workforce, to benefits, conditions of employment, and downsizing.
• QST LA 360: Real Estate Law
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: QST LA245. Pre-req for SHA students: SHA HF250 - Real estate can generate spectacular wealth and contribute to unprecedented financial losses. Real estate is an essential component of every business that requires a physical location to operate. Real estate is where we sleep, where we attend school, where we work, where we play, where we go when we are sick -it quite literally is beneath everything we do. Every real estate transaction begins and ends with legal principles. Mastering the basics of property law puts one in a superior position. Knowledge of real estate law is imperative for those who plan to invest in or manage property on a larger scale. This course provides an overview of real estate law for tenants, present and future property owners, developers, investors, and public policy advocates. We examine the nature of real property and property ownership, residential and commercial real estate transactions, and selected issues of real estate development.
• QST LA 365: Securities Regulation
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (QSTLA245 & QSTFE323) - The securities industry is highly regulated by a complex set of federal laws designed to "protect investors, maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation." (www.sec.gov/about/whatwedo.shtml) Federal law governs the issuance of securities ("going public"), regulates companies whose shares are being traded (known as "issuers"), and makes rules for everyone working in the securities industry, including bankers, brokers, dealers, and investment advisors. Those issuers and financial institutions (and their employees or directors) who violate the myriad of federal laws regulating securities face civil litigation from shareholders, enforcement actions by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and criminal charges from the Department of Justice. This course will focus upon the key federal statutes that regulate securities and participants in the securities markets: the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Sarbanes-Oxley, the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and several criminal statutes that are utilized for violations of securities regulation. We will read statutes and case law, and use examples and guest speakers to understand the application of the law in real life. The class is intended for students interested in careers in finance or leadership in a public company. The goal is not to create securities lawyers, but to give students an awareness of the regulation and the legal risks involved in the securities market.