Master of Science in Management (MSM)

The Master of Science in Management (MSM) is a specialized degree program, which means that it is fundamentally different from the MBA program. While the MBA program has the objective of providing you with an opportunity to study business over a broad range of subjects, our MSM program allows you to pursue in-depth study in one of two areas: Information Systems Management and Human Resource Management. The MSM is not for everyone. It is for those who already know they want to pursue a career in either information systems or human resource management, or who are already working in those fields and want to gain additional knowledge and expertise.

Despite its narrower focus, the MSM program provides you with the same solid background in basic business concepts as the MBA program, through the same set of carefully structured foundation or "Bridge-Up" courses. These courses provide the necessary foundation for students who do not have a business background and may also serve as a refresher for those who have been out of the classroom for a while. Not everyone is required to take foundation courses.  During a one-on-one consultation, a member of our advising staff will review your academic background and work history to determine which, if any, of these courses you need to take. We also offer waiver exams so that you have the opportunity to prove your knowledge of a particular subject, if necessary. If you obtained your undergraduate degree in business and completed comparable courses, with acceptable grades, less than six years prior to admission to the MBA program, you can expect to be exempted from most foundation courses. All courses, whether foundation or advanced, are offered on a schedule that permits you to start your program in any semester.

Beyond the foundation level, the MSM program is very different from the MBA program. The core of the MBA program is a broad range of business courses including accounting, finance, marketing, management, international business, policy and leadership, while management courses make up the core of the MSM program.  In addition, the MSM program allows you to pursue in-depth study in your chosen field through a 21-credit concentration, compared to a 12-credit concentration in the MBA program.

The School of Law and the College of Business Administration also offer a joint program in legal and management studies (JD/MSM). This combination is of interest to student's preparing for careers in such areas as corporate law, tax accounting, human resource management or legal practice in government.

Only you can decide which graduate program is the right one for you. Whichever program you choose, we are confident that our faculty and our courses will prove to be a winning combination for your future success.