A Master of Business Administration (MBA) builds the knowledge and leadership skills needed to succeed in today’s competitive business environment. Whether you’re advancing in your current role or preparing to take on new challenges, understanding the core subjects in an MBA program helps you see how each course contributes to your overall professional growth. At Everglades University, MBA students gain a comprehensive foundation in management, finance, marketing, and strategic planning, skills designed to empower confident, effective decision-makers. Programs are available 100% online or on campus and can be completed in as little as one year, offering flexibility for working adults pursuing their next career step.
Explore Everglades University’s MBA and see how the curriculum supports your professional goals.
Table of Contents
- Why the MBA Core Curriculum Matters
- Accounting for Decision Makers
- Leadership Skills for Managers
- Managerial Finance
- Human Resource Management
- Marketing Management
- Applied Managerial Statistics
- Business Policy and Decision Making
- Information Technology Applications in Decision Making
- Managerial Economics
- Strategic Sales and Marketing Management
- Advanced Organizational Behavior
- Graduate Business Capstone Course
- Begin Your Path Toward Advanced Business Leadership
Why the MBA Core Curriculum Matters
A strong core curriculum is the foundation of an effective MBA program. At Everglades University, required courses introduce essential areas of business leadership, including finance, management, strategy, operations, and organizational behavior. These subjects establish a shared foundation of knowledge that enables students to think critically, solve complex challenges, and comprehend how organizational decisions interconnect across departments.
For students advancing from a bachelor’s degree online or on campus, the MBA core deepens business fundamentals and strengthens professional readiness. Coursework in finance, accounting, operations, supply chain management, marketing, and analytics supports the development of practical decision-making and leadership. Whether taken through a flexible online format or as a full-time program, the core curriculum equips students with the skills needed to evaluate information, lead teams, and plan for long-term organizational success.
Accounting for Decision Makers
Accounting for Decision Makers is one of the core essential courses in the MBA program, providing students with the business skills necessary to understand an organization’s financial health and make informed strategic decisions. This course teaches you how to read and interpret financial statements, including balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow reports. You learn how each document works together to show performance, stability, and long-term potential.
Students also explore managerial accounting concepts used inside organizations. These include cost analysis, budgeting, and evaluating the financial impact of operational choices. By working through real business scenarios, you learn how accounting information guides decisions related to pricing, resource allocation, investment planning, and performance evaluation.
Although accounting may seem technical at first, it becomes a powerful decision-making tool when applied across different business functions. Whether you are considering how a marketing initiative affects budgets, evaluating the financial sustainability of a social venture, or assessing operational adjustments, the ability to interpret financial information is essential.
The course also connects to broader business courses that support industry-focused immersion experiences, where students apply analytical and financial thinking to practical situations. These exercises reinforce your ability to use financial insights in leadership, strategy, Digital Marketing, and cross-functional planning.
In this course, you will:
- Interpret key financial statements to assess organizational performance and stability
- Apply cost analysis and budgeting techniques to real business decisions
- Use accounting information to evaluate opportunities, manage risk, and support strategic planning
Leadership Skills for Managers
Leadership Skills for Managers is a core course that develops the personal and interpersonal abilities required to guide teams and support organizational excellence. Students learn how to make clear, confident decisions in complex environments while strengthening their understanding of both individual leadership development and team dynamics.
The course introduces a spectrum of leadership styles and illustrates when each approach is most effective. Emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, and communication strategies form the backbone of this training. These competencies prepare future managers to motivate diverse teams, manage organizational change, and create a workplace where people can perform at a high level. This foundation applies across business fields, including roles that involve collaboration with Digital Marketing, operations, and project management teams.
Students also engage with real-world leadership scenarios. One example involves guiding a cross-functional team through the launch of a digital initiative. Students refine their ability to communicate expectations, align responsibilities, respond to setbacks, and maintain engagement through project milestones. These activities highlight how leadership theory translates into practical organizational action.
Through this course, students strengthen their ability to:
- Analyze leadership styles and determine how to apply them in varied team environments
- Use emotional intelligence to improve communication, reduce conflict, and build trust
- Lead collaborative projects by managing roles, timelines, setbacks, and team performance
Managerial Finance
Managerial Finance is a core course that teaches students how financial decisions shape an organization’s long-term growth and stability. Rather than focusing only on formulas or theory, the course emphasizes how leaders use financial insights to guide strategy, assess opportunities, and manage risk.
These skills support decision-making across many business roles, including areas connected to Security and Information Assurance, Data Management, and Data Analysis and Decision Making. Strong financial understanding also enhances communication and people skills, which are essential for explaining financial choices to teams, stakeholders, and executives.
Students learn how to:
- Apply corporate finance principles
Understand how financial decisions influence organizational strategy, resource allocation, and long-term performance. Students learn how managers evaluate financial health, communicate financial priorities, and align decisions with broader business goals. - Evaluate capital budgeting decisions
Explore how companies assess major investments using methods such as net present value and internal rate of return. Students learn how to compare project options, analyze risk, and determine which investments are most likely to support future growth. - Use valuation techniques
Study approaches to estimating the value of assets, companies, and long-term projects. Students learn how valuation supports mergers, acquisitions, new product launches, and strategic expansion efforts. - Calculate the cost of capital
Understand how organizations determine the cost of financing through debt and equity. Students learn why the cost of capital affects expansion decisions, pricing, and long-term strategy. - Conduct investment analysis
Evaluate opportunities in financial markets, analyze returns, and compare investment risks. Students learn to assess both internal and external investment opportunities using data-driven reasoning. - Manage financial risk
Explore tools and techniques for identifying, measuring, and reducing financial risk. Students learn how changes in interest rates, market volatility, and global economic shifts affect financial planning. - Make capital structure decisions
Study how companies balance debt and equity financing. Students learn how capital structure influences risk, financial flexibility, and shareholder confidence. - Understand dividend policy
Examine why companies distribute dividends, retain profits, or reinvest earnings. Students learn how dividend choices affect investor relations and financial strategy. - Manage working capital
Learn how organizations maintain day-to-day financial stability by managing cash flow, inventory, receivables, and payables. Strong working capital management supports operational efficiency and reduces financial risk. - Focus on maximizing shareholder value
Understand how strategic decisions influence long-term organizational performance. Students learn to evaluate actions based on their impact on profitability, sustainability, and stakeholder trust.
Human Resource Management
Human Resource Management is a core course that prepares students to understand, develop, and lead the people strategies that support organizational performance. Rather than treating HR as an administrative function, this course examines how talent, culture, and workforce planning shape long-term success. Students learn how HR decisions influence productivity, engagement, and business outcomes, making this subject essential for anyone pursuing career paths with an MBA in Human Resources. These roles often intersect with broader business areas such as Financial Analysis, Financial Management, operations, technology, and organizational strategy.
This course also reflects the needs of a modern, global workforce. Students explore contemporary HR topics, including diversity, equity, and inclusion; evolving workplace expectations; and legal and ethical considerations that guide responsible management. Whether studying through an Online MBA, a full-time MBA, or programs enriched with exchange programs, students gain a strategic perspective on building strong organizational cultures that support talent and innovation.
In this course, students learn how to:
- Implement talent acquisition and retention strategies
Understand how to attract qualified candidates, build strong recruitment pipelines, and retain high-performing employees through development opportunities, workplace support, and strategic incentives. - Design performance management systems
Learn how to evaluate employee performance using structured tools, continuous feedback models, coaching techniques, and data-driven assessments that promote fairness and clarity. - Develop compensation and benefits plans
Study how organizations create competitive salary structures, benefits packages, and rewards programs that align with financial strategy, employee motivation, and organizational goals. - Strengthen employee engagement
Explore approaches that increase motivation, improve workplace satisfaction, and foster a sense of belonging. Students learn how engagement influences productivity and long-term retention. - Shape organizational culture
Understand how values, communication patterns, leadership styles, and workplace norms influence behavior. Students learn how culture becomes a strategic asset that supports innovation and collaboration. - Navigate legal and ethical considerations in H.R.
Learn how employment law, ethical guidelines, and regulatory requirements shape recruiting, workplace conduct, and organizational policies. Students examine cases involving compliance, fairness, and decision-making. - Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion
Examine the role of DEI in strengthening team performance and organizational credibility. Students learn how inclusive practices improve collaboration, problem-solving, and employee well-being. - Plan for strategic workforce needs
Study workforce planning tools that help organizations anticipate talent needs, respond to industry changes, and align staffing decisions with long-term business strategy.
Marketing Management
Marketing Management is a core course that helps students understand how organizations create value, connect with audiences, and stay competitive in a changing marketplace. The course blends marketing fundamentals with digital tools and real-world applications, supporting decision-making across Supply Chain Management, global business, and product development. The MBA is the most popular online graduate degree, which reflects the strong demand for these strategic and analytical skills in modern organizations.
| Focus Area | What Students Learn | Why It Matters |
| Market analysis and segmentation | How to divide broad markets into meaningful segments using demographic, behavioral, and psychographic data. | Segmentation guides product design, messaging, and budget allocation so campaigns reach the right audiences. |
| Consumer behavior | How psychology, culture, digital influence, and societal trends shape buying decisions. | Understanding behavior helps predict customer needs and adjust strategies as preferences change. |
| Brand development and positioning | How to build brands through clear messaging, differentiation, and emotional connection. | Effective positioning strengthens long-term identity and helps a company stand out in crowded markets. |
| Product lifecycle management | How products move from introduction to growth, maturity, and decline, and how strategy shifts at each stage. | Lifecycle awareness supports timely innovation, rebranding, or repositioning decisions. |
| Pricing strategies | How to set prices based on cost, competitors, and perceived value. | Pricing decisions influence profitability, market share, and how customers view the brand. |
| Distribution channels | How products reach customers through direct, retail, online, and global logistics networks. | Channel choices link marketing with operations and supply chain management, affecting customer access and experience. |
| Integrated marketing communications | How to coordinate advertising, public relations, digital content, and promotions into one clear message. | Integrated communication builds consistent brand recognition and stronger customer engagement. |
| Digital marketing fundamentals | How to use SEO, analytics, email, social media, and online ads to support goals. | Digital tools deliver measurable results and enable organizations to compete effectively in an increasingly online marketplace. |
| Marketing metrics and ROI | How to track performance, acquisition cost, customer lifetime value, and channel effectiveness. | Data-driven evaluation helps optimize budgets, refine campaigns, and demonstrate the impact of marketing decisions. |
| Experiential learning | Case studies, simulations, and project work based on real organizational scenarios. | Strengthen strategic thinking, prepares students for complex market conditions, and connects classroom learning to real business outcomes. |
Applied Managerial Statistics
Applied Managerial Statistics teaches students how to use data to guide clear, evidence-based decisions. The course emphasizes practical analysis over theoretical math, helping students develop business skills they can apply immediately in workplace settings. Through experiential learning, case studies, and even case competitions, students learn how statistical thinking improves decision-making in finance, operations, marketing, and leadership. The course also emphasizes the importance of interpreting data within its social context, ensuring that insights are both accurate and responsible.
Students learn how to:
- Use descriptive and inferential statistics
Summarize data, identify patterns, and make reliable predictions about larger populations. - Apply probability theory
Understand uncertainty, assess risk, and calculate the likelihood of business outcomes. - Conduct hypothesis testing
Evaluate claims and compare business scenarios using statistical evidence. - Run regression analysis
Identify relationships between variables to support forecasting, pricing, hiring needs, or strategic planning. - Interpret and visualize data
Transform complex data into clear charts, dashboards, and visual insights that support team communication. - Build statistical models for business decisions
Use modeling techniques to analyze trends, optimize operations, and guide strategy across departments. - Work with data analytics tools
Apply spreadsheet, BI, or analytics software to real datasets, preparing students for roles that demand analytical fluency.
Business Policy and Decision Making
Business Policy and Decision Making is a core course that teaches students how to evaluate complex business situations and craft strategies that support long-term organizational success. The course brings together all primary business functions (finance, marketing, operations, leadership, and analytics), showing how strategic decisions depend on a clear understanding of how these areas interact. Through case studies and applied learning, students practice thinking like organizational leaders and develop the ability to guide companies through competitive and rapidly changing environments.
In this course, students learn how to:
Understand and Apply Strategic Frameworks
- Utilize tools such as SWOT analysis, Porter’s Five Forces, and value chain analysis to examine industries and competition.
- Assess internal capabilities and external market conditions to identify opportunities and potential risks.
Plan and Implement Strategic Action
- Develop strategic plans, evaluate strategic alternatives, and choose solutions that align with organizational goals.
- Integrate functional business areas to support implementation, manage strategic change, and measure outcomes effectively.
Information Technology Applications in Decision Making
Information Technology Applications in Decision Making teaches students how technology influences modern business strategy and supports effective decision-making across every department. With more than 250,000 students enrolled in MBA programs worldwide, the growing emphasis on digital skills reflects a global shift toward data-driven leadership. This course positions IT as a strategic enabler rather than a technical afterthought, showing students how technology drives efficiency, innovation, and competitive advantage.
In this course, students learn how to:
Use Enterprise and Data Systems Strategically
- Understand the role of ERP and CRM systems in coordinating operations, managing customers, and improving organizational performance.
- Work with data management tools, databases, and business intelligence platforms to gather insights and support daily decision-making.
Lead Digital Transformation and Technology Initiatives
- Explore cybersecurity fundamentals, IT project management principles, and the challenges of leading digital change.
- Leverage emerging technologies to enhance efficiency, strengthen competitive positioning, and support long-term business strategy.
Managerial Economics
Managerial Economics helps students apply economic thinking to real business decisions. Instead of focusing solely on theory, this course demonstrates how microeconomics and macroeconomics inform pricing, planning, and strategy in everyday management.
Students learn how to interpret market trends, evaluate cost structures, and anticipate economic changes that impact their organization.
Key topics include:
- Micro and macro principles for business
Apply core economic concepts to understand consumer behavior, production decisions, inflation, and economic growth, and then connect these ideas to planning and budgeting. - Supply, demand, and market structures
Analyze how supply and demand shape prices, study different types of competition, and learn how market structure affects strategy and profitability. - Pricing strategies and cost analysis
Evaluate fixed and variable costs, break-even points, and pricing options so managers can set prices that support both competitiveness and margin goals. - Economic forecasting and business impact
Review economic indicators and trends to forecast demand, plan investments, and prepare for shifts in interest rates, employment, or consumer confidence. - International trade and global markets
Examine how exchange rates, trade policies, and global demand influence operations, sourcing, and expansion opportunities.
Advanced Organizational Behavior
Advanced Organizational Behavior explores how people think, act, and interact within organizations. This course helps students understand the human side of management and teaches them how individual behavior, team dynamics, and organizational systems influence performance. The goal is to enhance a leader’s ability to guide teams, resolve challenges, and foster a healthy and productive workplace environment.
Students begin by examining how individuals behave at work and what drives motivation. They learn how attitudes, personality, and perception influence performance and collaboration. From there, the course expands into team behavior, communication patterns, and the informal relationships that shape daily operations.
The course also explores organizational culture and climate. Students study how culture is formed, its impact on engagement, and why it becomes a powerful driver of organizational success or failure. This foundation prepares future leaders to manage change, build trust, and support innovation.
Key workplace challenges are analyzed through practical case discussions. Students learn how conflict arises, how power and politics influence decisions, and how leaders can guide organizations through transitions such as restructuring, mergers, or changes in strategic direction.
In this course, students learn how to:
- Understand individual behavior, motivation theories, and what influences employee performance
- Recognize how organizational culture and climate shape attitudes, communication, and teamwork
- Evaluate how power, politics, and informal networks influence organizational decisions
- Manage diversity with an awareness of how different perspectives strengthen performance
- Guide organizations through change with structured change management tools
- Use conflict resolution strategies to maintain trust and strengthen collaboration
- Analyze organizational design and structure to understand how systems support or hinder success
Strategic Sales and Marketing Management
Strategic Sales and Marketing Management teaches students how organizations generate revenue, build customer relationships, and align marketing efforts with effective sales execution. The course emphasizes practical skills that help future leaders guide sales teams, understand customer needs, and make data-informed decisions that support business growth.
What Students Learn in Strategic Sales and Marketing Management
| Skill Area | What Students Learn |
| Develop sales strategies | Create plans that align with organizational goals and support both short-term and long-term growth. |
| Apply B2B and B2C sales approaches | Tailor communication, value propositions, and relationship building to match business and consumer buying behaviors. |
| Manage the sales force | Recruit, train, motivate, and evaluate sales teams to strengthen performance and customer engagement. |
| Strengthen customer relationship management | Use CRM systems to track interactions, identify opportunities, and improve customer lifetime value. |
| Use sales forecasting tools | Apply data to predict demand, set quotas, allocate resources, and prepare for market changes. |
| Practice negotiation tactics | Build communication and persuasion skills to close deals, overcome objections, and create win-win solutions. |
| Integrate digital sales strategies | Explore online selling techniques, digital lead generation, and data driven outreach. |
| Align sales and marketing functions | Coordinate messaging, campaigns, and customer insights for unified organizational goals. |
| Evaluate sales metrics and performance | Analyze KPIs, conversion rates, pipeline health, and revenue data to guide strategy and improvement. |
Graduate Business Capstone Course
The Graduate Business Capstone Course serves as the culminating experience of the MBA program. In this course, students integrate knowledge from accounting, leadership, finance, marketing, strategy, operations, and technology to solve complex business challenges. The emphasis is on applying concepts rather than reviewing them, ensuring students demonstrate true mastery of MBA competencies.
Students work through real-world case analyses, strategic simulations, and scenario-based projects that mirror the decision-making responsibilities of organizational leaders. These exercises require analytical thinking, cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to evaluate competing priorities while maintaining a clear strategic direction.
The capstone also strengthens students’ ability to communicate insights effectively. Whether presenting recommendations, defending strategic choices, or summarizing financial and operational impacts, students practice delivering solutions with clarity and confidence.
Begin Your Path Toward Advanced Business Leadership
Pursuing an MBA is not just an academic step; it is a meaningful investment in your future as a strategic, flexible, and well-rounded leader. The core subjects in this program work together to build your confidence in decision-making, strengthen your analytical thinking, and prepare you to lead teams, manage operations, and respond to evolving business challenges. Each course adds depth to your understanding of how organizations function, helping you develop into a professional who can think critically, communicate effectively, and lead complex initiatives with purpose.
Learn more about Everglades University’s online and full MBA programs and take a step toward shaping your future in business leadership.
