Earn an MBA Faster and for Less
You don't need to spend several years and your entire annual salary to get an MBA. The award-winning Master of Business Administration program at University of Maryland University College offers you a respected MBA degree that you can earn entirely online in just 18 months for about $25,000. Plus, you can complete an MBA without paying for a single textbook. All course materials are available as no-cost electronic resources through UMUC's online classroom.
These program requirements are for students who enroll in the 2018–2019 academic year. For prior year academic requirements, visit the catalog archive in the Current Students section.
About the Master of Business Administration
UMUC makes it affordable and convenient to gain the business knowledge, practical skills, and door-opening credentials you need to propel your career to new heights. Courses in the MBA curriculum use high quality online learning resources and emphasize teamwork, information literacy, technology fluency, ethics, communication, problem solving, and critical thinking. Additionally, the MBA offers you the opportunity to learn from highly qualified experts with significant managerial and leadership experience in emerging areas relevant to your career growth.
What You'll Learn
Through your coursework, you will learn how to
- Create and implement a personal leadership development plan
- Foster mutual respect, trust, and high standards of ethics, performance, and teamwork
- Assess and manage critical knowledge and skill gaps related to core organizational functions and managerial responsibilities
- Complete a comprehensive analysis of the costs of operations, pricing options, financing, product mix, distribution channels, and supply chain relationships
- Evaluate your cultural intelligence, ethical values, and skills in decision-making, and implement specific actions to leverage your strengths and further develop areas of relative weakness
- Evaluate your organization's policies for managing legal and ethical risks, with a focus on contracts, agency, and tort law
- Complete an audit of the technology and information systems and processes in your organization
- Design and develop a marketing plan for a new product or service in both domestic and international markets
- Prepare a detailed project management plan for an initiative in a new international location that presents business, language, cultural, legal, and other challenges for your organization
- Develop a comprehensive strategy for expanding your organization’s products or services in a selected country
- Prepare a personal professional portfolio that includes your key achievements, a brief summary of your strategic leadership skills, and your plan for goal and career advancement
Coursework Examples
In past projects, students have had the opportunity to
- Analyze costs of operations for an organization using managerial finance techniques
- Determine optimal prices for goods and services by analyzing costs, revenues, and profitability
- Evaluate the opportunities and risks involved in an organization’s decision to expand its operations to a global market by assessing issues of culture, business ethics, employment law, contracts, and criminal law in the context of a global business
- Design and present a marketing plan for a new product or service, including a comprehensive situation analysis, a strong value proposition, an effective marketing mix strategy, and a holistic marketing communications plan
Master of Business Administration Requirements
Our curriculum is designed with input from employers, industry experts, and scholars. You'll learn theories combined with real-world applications and practical skills you can apply on the job right away.
Master's Courses
Core Courses
- PRO 600
- MBA 610
- MBA 620
- MBA 630
- MBA 640
- MBA 670
All courses must be taken in the order listed.
You must complete each course with a grade of B or better to advance to the next course. The grade of C is not available for these courses.
The courses in this program will have seven-day and 60-day options for the grade of Incomplete.
Other Requirements
Career Preparation
This program is designed to help you prepare for management careers in business, government, or nonprofit organizations in areas including team leadership, project supervision, and creation and implementation of business solutions.
Experience Recommended for Success in the Program
We recommend you have strong writing and analytical skills. We recommend ASC 601 if you'd like to improve your graduate writing skills. If you need to improve your computing skills, we recommend you take ASC 605.
We did a lot of marketing research and studied all the major companies. In one class, we even learned how the Grateful Dead and the NBA were marketed. This gave me a broad understanding of how business can become successful.
Debbie Murphy
Master of Business Administration

My education and background are in business. It's what I've always been interested in. I earned my real estate license with the hopes of one day opening my own real estate agency, so going back to school for my MBA was pretty much a no-brainer.
Danielle Kelly, MBA
Master of Business Administration

I remember that the professors at Wharton were hands-down amazing, but there was a sense of being rather abstract in their teaching style. I also remember that the UMUC professors were every bit their equivalent, but in a more practical application, since UMUC professors are also professionals in the field.
Milton Hall, MBA
Master of Business Administration

One of the great things about UMUC is that we offer seamless divisional transfers within the university. You can be stationed anywhere in the world and still attend UMUC. You can start courses at one of our three divisions—stateside, Europe, or Asia—and then jump to a different division if you get stationed somewhere else. A lot of our military students don't know that, and when they find out, it helps put their mind at ease.
Julie McCarren
Veteran
Senior Certification Specialist
Student Clubs and Organizations
Type: Student organization
Professional Affiliation:
The Association of Accountants and Financial Professionals in Business
Available To: Undergraduate and Graduate
The UMUC IMA Student Chapter serves as the Association of Accountants and Financial Professionals in Business.
This chapter allows its members to learn more about networking opportunities, information on the certified management accountant program, and other resources. The UMUC Chapter is sponsored by the Nation's Capital Chapter No. 0044.
The IMA Accounting Honor Society recognizes and honors academic achievement in the study of accounting and provides an opportunity for students to differentiate themselves as they begin their career journey. IAHS membership is available to all students who meet the eligibility criteria—membership in the IMA Student Chapter is not required. Membership will be considered for UMUC business students who apply.
Type: Student organization
Professional Affiliation:
Society for Human Resource Management
Available To: Undergraduate and Graduate
Joining the UMUC Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management allows you to network with other students, staff, and faculty who are currently working in or are interested in entering the human resource field. Members share information, experiences, and knowledge. The chapter hosts monthly events designed to help students meet local professionals and transition into or advance within the field. In addition, the chapter provides leadership and student development opportunities for members.
Type: Academic club
Available To: Undergraduate and Graduate
This club provides opportunities for students to learn more about the field of marketing, discuss their shared interests, and network with classmates and faculty members.
Program Accreditation
University of Maryland University College has received specialized accreditation for its business programs through the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE).
Further information on student achievement is available in the Public Disclosure of Student Achievement.
About the Faculty
Our world-class faculty members combine academic credentials with a wealth of experience in the field.
Faculty members in this program hold or have recently held positions including
- Attorney
- CEO
- CFO
- CIO
- General manager
- Entrepreneur
- Financial and operational manager
- Human resource manager
- Marketing manager
- Operations manager
- Research and development manager
- Strategic manager
- Strategic planner
Our faculty work or have worked at organizations including
- 3M Company
- AT&T
- Baltimore Gas & Electric
- Bank of America
- Booth Communications
- CIGNA Corp.
- Commerce One
- Financial Accounting Standards Board
- Hallmark Cards Inc.
- LexisNexis
- Peace Corps
- Procter & Gamble
- The Kroger Co.
- Time Warner
- U.S. Army
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
- U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission
Featured Faculty

Rosemary Hartigan
Associate Vice Dean of Business and Management
Program Chair of the Master of Business Administration