Ross offers you the flexibility to focus studies on a specific area or broaden studies over a variety of disciplines. During your elective terms, you also need to fulfill the Competing In the Global Business Environment and Law/Ethics requirements (see above). With the exception of those two courses, in the fall (September - December) term, you are free to select from more than 110 elective offerings at the Ross school or across the University.
During the winter (January-April) term, you can participate in the Ross MBA Global Semester Exchange program to study at one of our partnering schools worldwide. Choose from more than 20 partners, including those in Asia, Australia, Latin America, and Europe. You may choose to remain in Ann Arbor for the winter term to complete another full term of Ross elective courses. Your choice.
Featured Courses:
FinTech: Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies, and Other Technology Innovations – FIN 638
New technological innovations are poised to fundamentally transform the financial industry in the coming decades, resulting in abundant career opportunities for FinTech professionals who are well-versed in the dual languages of tech and finance. This course introduces students to the most cutting edge topics including blockchain, cryptofinance and smart contracts, mobile payments, P2P lending, and robo-advising. Topics on big data and technology commercialization will be interwoven throughout the course. Students will (1) obtain in-depth technical knowledge of core Fin Tech concepts, (2) connect this technical know-how to current financial theories and market practices, and (3) decipher concepts beyond just the buzz words to provide critical judgments on new Fin Tech ventures. This knowledge will enable students to be the go-to FinTech expert in a wide variety of industries, and give them an important advantage in career advancement over peers who might just know the "buzz words".
+Impact Studio: Translating Research into Practice – BA 670
The +Impact Studio teaches interdisciplinary student teams (e.g., MBAs, MSWs, MPH, MEng) how to use scholarly intellectual capital, business acumen and design methodologies to begin to address a wicked problem. Wicked problems are issues with societal import, that are difficult to understand, and are embedded within complex systems; for example, how might the financially precarious or the unbanked accomplish necessary financial transactions in society; how might citizens living with failing infrastructure be better served by their municipality. To begin to address such an issue, teams will be seeded with novel, university-generated intellectual capital (e.g., new insights on FinTech or a machine learning algorithm from Marketing research) that may provide a critical piece of the puzzle to making a sustainable, scalable positive impact. There is a trove of such capital within the University that would otherwise remain disconnected from the pressing problems of our generation. Thus, this course serves as a nexus between this intellectual capital, a wicked problem and design. In the Fall term, this course focuses on accomplishing the following design phase in addressing a wicked problem: developing a human-centered and systems-centered understanding of the specific opportunity for making a positive impact at scale. In the Winter term, this course focuses on accomplishing the following design phase in addressing a wicked problem: opportunity calibration, ideation, experimentation and prototyping for making a positive impact at scale.
Artificial Intelligence for Business – TO 633
We are living in fast changing world. The amount of information we generate, receive and process is increasing at an exponential rate. This information explosion is empowering a wave of smart, automated functionalities broadly called Artificial Intelligence ("AI"). AI allows computers and machines to automate the business logic - to work and react like humans. AI comes with a great promise for individuals, organizations and societies but at the same time there are considerable risks, significant societal implications and ethical dilemmas. This course aims to provide students with a conceptual introduction of AI, a broad understanding of AI's basic techniques, how AI is applied to problems, future applications, of AI, and an awareness of the challenges, risks and ethical considerations of use of AI in business.
Business Leadership in Changing Times – MO 611
Could you announce a significant shift in company strategy to investors in a case simulation? How about in front of a C-Level executive from the very company you are studying? The CEO and other C-level executives of Fortune 500 companies make regular appearances in this class. Your performance will be closely scrutinized and rigorously critiqued – but the opportunity is unique.
Entrepreneurial Turnaround Management – ES 735
You'll examine turnaround management techniques, led by an experienced practitioner. This hands-on course evaluates analysis techniques, prioritization of tasks, communication strategies, strategic repositioning, financial restructuring, and the psychological aspects of troubled situations.
Marketing Engineering MKT – 630
Professions such as marketing manager, account manager, and market researcher are evolving rapidly in the new technology-intense marketing environment. The new marketing needs people with marketing engineering skills, and this course develops those skills.
Strategies For Growth – STRATEGY 672
This course develops a framework for determining the direction of growth: market penetration, globalization, vertical integration, related diversification and unrelated diversification, and the mode of growth. You will also explore the organizational challenges in implementing the growth strategy.
Integrated Product Development Course – TO 548
Partner with students in the College of Engineering and School of Art and Design to research, design, manufacture, and market a fully functional, customer-ready prototype of an actual product. Then compete against classmates in a trade show.
Mobile Innovation Development – TO 626
Explore business issues related to mobile enterprises, including business and revenue models, customer engagement, security and privacy challenges, the role of big data and mobile analytics, and the integration of emerging technology directions. You will then form a student project team to conceptualize, design, and prototype/simulate a mobile business innovation.
Focused Learning Opportunities
Ross students inhabit a world of powerful, relevant ideas, both in and out of the classroom, through focused learning opportunities in the school’s leading institutes and centers.
Across the University
Ninety-seven U-M graduate programs are ranked in the Top 10 (U.S. News & World Report, 2019). You have the opportunity to take up to 10 of your 57 required credits at any of the graduate programs offered by the University of Michigan.
Dual Degree Program
If you are equally passionate about another subject beyond business, Ross offers over 20 established dual degrees, including in engineering, education, social work, public policy, public health and law.