COURSE CURRICULUM

The Manderson MBA program at The University of Alabama is structured as a highly standardized, competency-based graduate business degree with two main formats—Traditional MBA and STEM/CREATE MBA—both designed to build strong leadership, analytical, and functional business skills but differing in credit requirements and academic emphasis. The Traditional MBA requires 57 total credit hours, while the STEM/CREATE MBA requires 51 credit hours, with both pathways offering nine focused areas of study: Business Analytics, Cyber Security, Finance, Financial Risk/Engineering (FERM), Information Systems, Marketing, Real Estate, Strategic Management, and Supply Chain & Operations Management. The main difference between the two formats lies in how coursework is distributed: the Traditional MBA includes 36 credit hours of core courses, 12 credit hours in a focused area of study (FAS), and 9 credit hours of electives, whereas the STEM/CREATE MBA increases core requirements to 39 credit hours and eliminates separate electives, concentrating the remaining 12 credit hours entirely on the chosen specialization.The core curriculum is designed to provide a comprehensive foundation in all major areas of business management and includes courses such as Financial Managerial Accounting, Managerial Economics, Financial Management, Global Business, Leadership and Ethics, Business Communication, Information Systems, Marketing Management, Operations Management, Statistics for Business Applications, and Business Policy. The STEM/CREATE version also includes additional STEM-focused enhancements such as STEM Business Honors courses and modified analytics/statistics requirements, reflecting a stronger emphasis on quantitative and technical business skills.Overall, both MBA formats are built to prepare students for advanced managerial and leadership roles by combining analytical training, strategic thinking, and applied learning through case studies, teamwork, and real business problem-solving. The Traditional MBA offers more flexibility through electives, while the STEM/CREATE MBA is more structured and quantitatively intensive, making it especially suitable for students aiming for data-driven or technical business careers.