Questrom School of Business-GRAD
Questrom School of Business
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Leadership Communication
QST ES 740
Persuasion is an essential skill for business success. Whether the goal is to influence and motivate your colleagues, superiors, organization, clients, or broader stakeholders, the capacity to persuade diverse audiences is key to effective leadership. In this course, students learn to create and deliver compelling, high-impact verbal and written communications that inspire action. Students generate insights with meaningful conclusions and recommendations; apply the principles of logical reasoning to create a compelling narrative; develop their unique leadership style to connect authentically to the audience; express complex information clearly and concisely in writing and with visual aids; and master presentation delivery, including projecting power through body language. The course covers a range of situations, from communicating within an organization, to winning over the public in a time of crisis, to holding crucial conversations to resolve conflicts. 2 cr. Tuition: $3816
Summer 1 (May 23-July 7)
OL (IND) Tues. 6:30-9:15 pmStaffOnline Course
Course meets 5/23, 5/30, 6/6, 6/13, 6/20, 6/27, 7/7. This is a 100% remote, sycnhronous course. BU employees may not apply tuition remission benefits towards this course -
Financial Management
QST FE 722
Grad Prereq: (QST AC 710 or QST AC 711) and (QST MO 712 or QST MO 713), previous or concurrent. Financial Management examines three sets of problems: 1) saving and investment decisions by households, 2) investment and financing decisions by corporations, and 3) the role of securities markets and financial intermediaries in the economy. Decisions today affect the timing of and uncertainty about future flows of income; both timing and risk determine the current value of those future flows. This course develops the tools required to analyze these decisions and their interaction within the financial system. 3 cr. Tuition: $5724
Summer 1 (May 22-July 5)
A1 (IND) Mon./Wed. 6:30-9:15 pmLucy WhitePemba core. Make-up classes on two Fridays: 6/2 and 6/23 -
Corporate Financial Management
QST FE 820
Grad Prereq: (QST FE 712 or QST FE 722). Provides an in-depth analysis of financial considerations relating to corporate growth. Addresses the setting of financial and corporate goals in terms of maximizing shareholder wealth and relationships among working capital, debt levels, capital costs, dividend policy, growth, and the value of the firm. Also considers the requisite financial analysis associated with mergers and acquisitions and bankruptcy. 3 cr. Tuition: $5724
Summer 1 (May 22-July 5)
A1 (IND) Mon./Wed. 6:30-9:15 pmFelipe CortesMake-up classes on two Fridays: 6/2 and 6/23 -
Investments
QST FE 823
Grad Prereq: (QST FE 712 or QST FE 722). Introduction to the investment management process. Defining investment objectives and constraints. Introduction to Modern Portfolio Theory, CAPM, Fama-French factors, APT, efficient markets, stock, bond and option valuation models. Introduction to forwards and swaps and their applications within investment strategies. Active and passive investment strategies, fundamental analysis, trading practices, and performance evaluation. Introduction to the role of futures and options in hedging and speculation. Arbitrage and hedge fund strategies. Understanding the assumptions underlying the different approaches and their limitations. Topics related to current events and the recent financial crisis. 3 cr. Tuition: $5724
Summer 2 (July 11-August 24)
B1 (IND) Tues./Thurs. 6:30-9:15 pmFelipe Cortes -
IT Strategies for a Networked Economy
QST IS 711
Grad Prereq: (QST AC 710 or QST AC 711) and (QST MO 712 or QST MO 713) and (QST QM 716 or 717). This case-based course demonstrates the role that information technology plays in shaping business strategy and business models. Provides an overview of the key technologies that are important in today's business environment, and introduces organization and management concepts relating to the information technology function. Illustrates the relationships between organizational performance and the ability to leverage knowledge assets. 3 cr. Tuition: $5724
Summer 1 (May 23-July 7)
A1 (IND) Tues./Thurs. 6:30-9:15 pmElizabeth PorterMake-up class on Friday, 7/7 -
Marketing Management
QST MK 724
Grad Prereq: (QST AC 710 or QST AC 711), previous or concurrent. Provides a practical understanding of how business strategies and tactics are driven by marketing's dual focus on customers and competition. Students learn how to leverage marketing tools and emerging technologies in the creation (e.g., customer insight, product and service design, branding), delivery (e.g., communication and distribution), and capture (e.g., pricing, customer lifetime value) of marketplace value. Across business contexts including B2C, B2B, products versus services, global versus domestic markets, small/medium/large organizations, for-profit versus social enterprises, the course builds the fundamental skills involved in analyzing market challenges and opportunities and making decisions for the formulation and implementation of successful and sustainable marketing programs. 3 cr. Tuition: $5724
Summer 2 (July 11-August 24)
B1 (IND) Tues./Thurs. 6:30-9:15 pmAshley KeeneyPemba core -
Engaging Consumers in a Digital World
QST MK 845
Grad Prereq: (QST MK 723 or QST MK 724). Digital technologies have transformed the marketing communications paradigm and the consumer decision-making process. In particular, within this new paradigm, consumers are more likely to learn about new products and services from other consumers via online word-of- mouth and have more power to co-create products, experiences, and brand meaning with manufacturers and service providers. This course examines the implications of these changes for marketers. Specifically, the course examines how digital technology can be used (a) to engage consumers prior to purchase; (b) to enhance and augment the consumption experience; and (c) to build ongoing and long-lasting relationships with consumers post-purchase. These topics are explored using case studies and a client-based project, as well as a final exam. 3 cr. Tuition: $5724
Summer 2 (July 11-July 22)
B1 (IND) Mon./Tues./Wed./Thurs. 6:30-9:15 pmSat. 9 am-6 pmMarcus CollinsRsvd for Pemba students. Course meets July 11, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 22 only -
Branding
QST MK 854
Grad Prereq: (QST MK 723 or QST MK 724). This is a course about branding, and the ways that brands acquire and sustain value in the marketplace. Cases, readings, in-class discussions, and team/individual assignments are designed to provide: an appreciation of the strategic discipline of branding and its role in creating shareholder value; an understanding of brands as co-creations of consumers, marketers, and cultures, and brand management as a collaborative process of meaning management; a sound foundation in consumer-brand behavior to inform brand decisions; and a capacity to think creatively and precisely about the strategies and tactics involved in building, leveraging, defending, and sustaining strong brands. Select topics may include brand equity, brand (re)positioning, brand relationships, brand loyalty, brand community, open source branding, branded entertainment and other cultural branding strategies, internal branding, brand architecture design and portfolio strategy, brand leverage and extensions, brand metrics, crisis management, and brand stewardship. A team-based brand planning project or series of data-driven applications weaves content throughout the course and, when possible, involves a live client problem. Guest speakers from branding services, consulting, and practice provide insights throughout. While this course has obvious relevance for those contemplating brand management careers in product or service markets, it is appropriate for a range of future professionals within for-profit and not-for-profit B2C and B2B worlds, and others who share a simple passion for branding. 3 cr. Tuition: $5724
Summer 1 (May 23-July 7)
A1 (IND) Tues./Thurs. 6:30-9:15 pmKim DonlanMake-up class on Friday, 7/7 -
Managing High Performance Teams and Project Groups
QST MO 847
Introduces the challenges of leading and participating in teams and project groups. Emphasizes the role of leadership in composing teams, motivating members, and creating an environment in which teams and their members grow in capacity over time. Uses cases, experiential exercises, and group projects to help students gain both knowledge of team dynamics and the skills to shape them. 3 cr. Tuition: $5724
Summer 1 (May 23-July 7)
A1 (IND) Tues./Thurs. 6:30-9:15 pmMatthew ReisMake-up class on Friday, 7/7 -
Negotiations
QST MO 853
Grad Prereq: (QST MO 712 or QST MO 713). Negotiations are part of daily life inside of organizations and out; yet, effective strategies for negotiation are elusive. Across a variety of negotiation contexts, students learn different frameworks for thinking about negotiations and best practices. Intellectually, there is an emphasis on the tensions and strategies around claiming and creating value. Practically, there is an emphasis on skill-building through hands-on exercises entailing both individual and team-based negotiations. Students are expected to gain confidence as negotiators through experiential learning. 3 cr. Tuition: $5724
Summer 2 (July 10-August 23)
B1 (IND) Mon./Wed. 6:30-9:15 pmMoshe Cohen -
Creating Value Through Operations and Technology
QST OM 726
Grad Prereq: (QST AC 710 or QST AC 711) and (QST MO 712 or QST MO 713) and (QST QM 716 or QST QM 717). Recommended: (QST MK 723 or QST MK 724) and (QST FE 712 or QST FE 722). This MBA core course is case-oriented and focuses on topics of use to managers in any environment: process analysis, process improvement, supply chain management, and strategic operations decision-making. It emphasizes the importance of effectiveness and efficiency and evaluates the potential trade-offs between them. 3 cr. Tuition: $5724
Summer 2 (July 10-August 23)
B1 (IND) Mon./Wed. 6:30-9:15 pmGuy BreierPemba core -
Blockchain-based Business Models
QST OM 832
Grad Prereq: (QST OM 725 or QST OM 726) and (QST QM 716 or QST QM 717). Blockchain technology is transforming societies by decentralizing institutional systems and reducing the need for intermediaries. This course aims to help students understand blockchain technology and the unique business models it enables in various industries. Students learn how blockchains work and how their properties enable business models that have never previously been possible. Through an analysis of current programs with existing use cases as well as future models, the course prepares students to implement models today while anticipating the changes that newer models bring to the sector. 3 cr. Tuition: $5724
Summer 1 (June 17-June 29)
A1 (IND) Mon./Tues./Wed./Thurs. 6:30-9:15 pmSat. 9 am-6 pmAnne ConnellyRsvd for Pemba students. Course meets June 17, 20, 21, 22, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29 only -
Project Management
QST OM 855
Grad Prereq: (QST OM 725 or QST OM 726). Projects are increasingly the way that work gets done in companies of all types and sizes. In this course, students learn the strategic dimensions of project management, including critical aspects of project selection, definition, planning, execution, and monitoring. Concepts and approaches for dealing with complexity, uncertainty, vague mandates, temporary staff, partners, stakeholders, dynamic risk, and time-critical deadlines are emphasized. Cases and readings cover a wide range of industry and organizational contexts. The course requires that students apply these topics and considerations to a real project of their choice either by analysis of publicly available information or direct field study. 3 cr. Tuition: $5724
Summer 1 (May 23-July 7)
A1 (IND) Tues./Thurs. 6:30-9:15 pmKishore PochampallyMake-up class on Friday, 7/7 -
Economics and Management Decisions
QST PL 730
Grad Prereq: (QST MO 712 or QST MO 713). Recommended: (QST QM 716 or QST QM 717). Presents many of the decision problems managers face and the economic analysis they need to guide these decisions. Microeconomic tools are used to structure complicated decision problems about production, pricing, investment, and other strategic issues. Students address uncertainty through probabilistic forecasts and sequential decisions. An important part of the course is to develop an understanding of the external environment in which firms operate by analyzing the implications of market structure, macroeconomic developments and policy, and other forms of public policy toward business. 3 cr. Tuition: $5724
Summer 1 (May 23-July 7)
A1 (IND) Tues./Thurs. 6:30-9:15 pmJay ZagorskyMake-up class on Friday, 7/7 -
Emerging Issues in Business and Law
QST PL 861
Introduces graduate business students to fundamentals of legal analysis by focusing on timely legal problems of particular interest to business. Students develop familiarity with substantive legal principles and leave the course with the ability to recognize legal issues, discuss them intelligently, and understand why the lawyers seem incapable of giving a simple answer. The course uses lectures to provide a common foundation of knowledge. It is primarily discussion based, using a question and answer format to engage students in the process of legal analysis. 3 cr. Tuition: $5724
Summer 1 (May 22-July 5)
A1 (IND) Mon./Wed. 6:30-9:15 pmKabrina ChangMake-up classes on two Fridays: 6/2 and 6/23 -
Data Analysis for Managerial Decision-Making
QST QM 717
Grad Prereq: (QST MO 712 or QST MO 713). The overall goal of this course is to improve students' abilities to learn from data, specifically to 1) assess the validity of conclusions that have been drawn from statistical analyses; 2) recognize the extent to which variation characterizes products and processes, and understand the implications of variation on organizational decisions when interpreting data; and 3) portray, summarize, and analyze data to support operational and strategic decisions associated with the core business models. Students increase their understanding of the use of probabilities to reflect uncertainty; how to interpret data in light of uncertainty to assess risk; and how to build and interpret regression models, which can be used to inform core business and organizational decisions. 3 cr. Tuition: $5724
Summer 1 (May 22-July 5)
OL (IND) Mon./Wed. 6:30-9:15 pmStaffOnline CoursePemba core. Make-up classes on two Fridays: 6/2 and 6/23. This is a 100% remote, synchronous section. BU employees may not apply tuition remission benefits towards the Ol section -
Business Analytics: Spreadsheet Optimization and Simulation
QST QM 880
Grad Prereq: (QST QM 716 or QST QM 717). The modeling process illustrated throughout the course significantly improves students' abilities to structure complex problems and derive insights about the value of alternatives. Students develop the skills to formulate and analyze a wide range of models that can aid in managerial decision-making in the functional areas of business. These areas include finance (capital budgeting, cash planning, portfolio optimization, valuing options, hedging investments), marketing (pricing, sales force allocation, planning advertising budgets), and operations (production planning, workforce scheduling, facility location, project management). The course is taught almost entirely by example, using problems from the main functional areas of business. This course is not for students who want a general introduction to or review of Excel. This course is for students who are already comfortable using Excel and would like to use it to create optimization and simulation models. 3 cr. Tuition: $5724
Summer 2 (July 11-August 24)
B1 (IND) Tues./Thurs. 6:30-9:15 pmStaff -
Competition, Innovation, and Strategy
QST SI 751
Grad Prereq: (QST AC 710 or QST AC 711) and (QST MK 723 or QST MK 724) and (QST MO 712 or QST MO 713) and (QST OM 725 or QST OM 726). This integrative course is designed to capitalize on students' understanding of finance, operations management, marketing, and other functional issues. The course draws on a number of academic disciplines, especially economics, organization theory, and sociology to build a fundamental understanding of how and why some firms achieve and sustain superior performance. Students also study why some firms persistently generate returns that are lower than average. The course is analytically focused and requires that students evaluate both the external environment and the internal capabilities of organizations. Corporate diversification and global management are important topics that are also featured. 3 cr. Tuition: $5724
Summer 1 (May 22-July 5)
A1 (IND) Mon./Wed. 6:30-9:15 pmChristopher CarterPemba core. Make-up classes on two Fridays: 6/2 and 6/23 -
Design Thinking and Innovation
QST SI 839
Grad Prereq: (QST SI 750 or QST SI 751). Examines how managers and leaders can create the conditions for innovation at the individual, team, and organizational levels--and how those conditions differ for startup and mature organizations. Managing innovation includes the generation of ideas; the integration of ideas into new product concepts; and the commercialization of ideas. While core strategy courses address the questions of what innovations to pursue and whether and when those innovations will bring value, this course addresses the question of how managers can create organizations to deliver innovations of value. It focuses on the practices and processes that managers need to put in place to enable organizations to execute an innovation strategy. Students evaluate how to balance the challenges of organizing, managing, and leading innovation with the need to produce concrete, routine, and expected outcomes within the organization. To be innovative, any new idea must resolve the innovation paradox introducing enough novelty to appeal to new markets while retaining enough familiarity to tap into existing behaviors. Because design and innovation are frequently inseparable in managing this paradox, students assess how design contributes to innovation in product, process, and business models across industry sectors. The course also considers the role that all sources of innovation play including communities, networks, brokers, and other forms of open innovation. Students are asked to reflect upon innovations that have been critical to their lives, and how these innovations were produced and gained market traction. Final group projects explore how to rescue innovations in trouble with turnaround teams. 3 cr. Tuition: $5724
Summer 2 (July 24-August 5)
B1 (IND) Mon./Tues./Wed./Thurs. 6:30-9:15 pmSat. 9 am-6 pmPatricia HambrickRsvd for Pemba students. Course meets July 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, and August 1, 2, 3, and 5 only. No class on July 31 -
Entrepreneurship
QST SI 855
Grad Prereq: (QST AC 710 or QST AC 711) and (QST MO 712 or QST MO 713) and (QST QM 716 or QST QM 717) and (QST MK 723 or QST MK 724) and (QST FE 712 or QST FE 722). A comprehensive introduction to the entrepreneurial process from idea generation through venture launch and later growth. Initial lectures and case studies focus on idea generation and concept feasibility along with the skills, competencies, and perspectives entrepreneurs must develop to manage the organization through each phase of development. Later lectures and cases emphasize the issues faced by entrepreneurs in scaling innovative enterprises: use of strategic alliances, attracting funding and managing investors, managing growth expansion, and choosing among exit options. 3 cr. Tuition: $5724
Summer 1 (May 23-July 7)
A1 (IND) Tues./Thurs. 6:30-9:15 pmIan MashiterMake-up class on Friday, 7/7
Candidates for the MBA at Boston University are given first consideration for enrollment in the graduate courses offered by the Questrom School of Business.
Students currently matriculated as candidates for other graduate degrees offered by Boston University (including Metropolitan College on a case-by-case basis), visiting MBA students from other AACSB accredited institutions, and MBA alumni from Questrom or another AACSB accredited institution may be granted permission to enroll on a space available basis, provided that they meet criteria established by the Questrom School of Business for registration as cross enrolled students and the student fills out the appropriate cross enrollment application. All students must meet the prerequisites established for enrollment in advanced courses. Cross enrollment applications can be obtained from the Questrom School of Business Graduate Center, 595 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 115 (617-353-2673).
Summer 1 classes begin Monday, May 22 and end Friday, July 7. Summer 2 classes begin Monday, July 10 and end Thursday, August 24. There are no class sessions on Memorial Day (Monday, May 29), Juneteeth (Monday, June 19), or on Independence Day (Tuesday, July 4). Class will be held on Friday, June 2; Friday, June 23; and on Friday, July 7 to make up for these holidays. Monday, July 3, is a regular class meeting day for the courses listed on this page.
Required Courses
Cohorted Professional Evening MBA (PEMBA) students take required courses with their cohort groups. Self-paced PEMBA students should be sure to follow the prerequisites when scheduling their core courses:
QST AC 711 Financial Reporting and Control*
QST ES 707 Managing Career Growth
QST FE 722 Financial Management
QST MK 724 Marketing Management
QST MO 712 Managing Organizations and People*
QST OM 726 Creating Value through Operations and Technology
QST PL 730 Economics and Management Decisions
QST QM 717 Data Analysis for Managerial Decision-Making
QST SI 751 Competition, Innovation, and Strategy
*Not offered in summer 2023