The MSMA program requires the completion of a minimum of 35 credits, divided between core and elective courses, and typically spans 18 months. Applicants without a background in business and/or economics may be required to take prerequisite courses in Accounting, Operations Management, and Marketing[1]. Applicants who are not required to take these prerequisites may complete the program in as little as 15 months, provided they take the maximum allowed course load each semester.
The summer semester begins with Quantitative Tools for Management, a four-credit core course that provides an intensive introduction to Statistics, Microsoft Excel, and Python. This course is designed to prepare students with the essential analytical foundation before they move on to the program’s main coursework in the Fall and Spring semesters. Applicants with a strong background in data science may request a waiver for this requirement. Waiver decisions are made by the program’s admissions committee based on the applicant’s academic profile and transcript.
Additionally, an intensive boot camp in business communication is required for applicants whose undergraduate program was not taught in English.
As electives, students may enroll in courses from other programs, such as the MBA, subject to the approval of the respective program chairs. In addition, students have the opportunity to spend a full semester or a shorter period at one of our partner universities as part of an exchange program, with the earned credits transferable toward the MSMA degree requirements.
[1] Admission decisions are not affected by the need to take prerequisite courses. The MSMA program’s admissions committee reviews each applicant’s profile and makes the appropriate recommendation. Tuition for any additional prerequisite courses is calculated separately from the program’s tuition. These courses do not count toward the MSMA degree credit requirements.
Boot-camps
- Business Communication Boot-camp (1 credit, no credits towards program requirements)
List of the Required and Elective Courses (3 credits per course, unless stated otherwise)
- Introduction to Accounting (3 credits, no credits towards program requirements)
- Operations Management (3 credits, no credits towards program requirements)
- Introduction to Marketing (3 credits, no credits towards program requirements)
- Quantitative Tools for Management (4 credits)
- Accounting for Decision Making
- Data Management
- Business Analytics
- Managerial Economics
- Analytical Tools for Supply Chain Decisions
- Marketing Management
- Organizational Behavior
- Research Methods (1 credit)
- Capstone
- Elective 1 (2 credits) Advanced Topics in Data Analysis
- Elective 2 (3 credits) Business Strategy and Innovation
AUA requires all graduate students to complete 1 credit Environmental studies.