Strategic decisions are made in a complex environment made up of economic, technical, social, global, environmental, political, and legal forces, all impacting the total enterprise. This course focuses on developing and strengthening the skills and tools necessary to think analytically and strategically in the decision-making process. It builds on the knowledge learned from previous courses such as accounting, economics, finance, management, marketing, and operations management. Case studies, current events, and interactive discussion are used to analyze and investigate the cross-functional effects and consequences of situations, problems, and decisions in organizations. Emphasis is on analyzing the external, industry, and organizational environments that impact the operations and successes of companies in both the long and short-term. Students will use the tools and frameworks from the field of strategic management to analyze and understand how organizations set and choose their direction, manage business activities, and establish and defend their competitive positions in the market. Throughout the course these tools and frameworks will be the basis for making sound decisions based in fact and data, culminating in a semester long project. This course is the MBA capstone course and should be taken in a student's final year of the program.
Sections offered by academic year and season, with estimated offering chances for future years above the divider
Year
Fall
Spring
Summer
Intersession
2030
62%2030 Fall: 62% chance, medium confidence. Offered in every fall term since 2018.
62%2030 Spring: 62% chance, medium confidence. Offered in every spring term since 2018. Department course count rising about 4% per year. Department faculty is about 35% below its recent average.
17%2030 Summer: 17% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 3 of 9 summer terms since 2018. Department course count falling about 15% per year. Department faculty is about 28% below its recent average.
8%2030 Intersession: 8% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 6 intersession terms since 2020.
2029
62%2029 Fall: 62% chance, medium confidence. Offered in every fall term since 2017. Department faculty is about 11% below its recent average.
56%2029 Spring: 56% chance, medium confidence. Offered in every spring term since 2017. Section count rising about 1% per year over 2 terms. Department course count falling about 2% per year. Department faculty is about 39% below its recent average.
20%2029 Summer: 20% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 4 of 10 summer terms since 2017. Department course count falling about 11% per year. Department faculty is about 26% below its recent average.
7%2029 Intersession: 7% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 7 intersession terms since 2017.
2028
59%2028 Fall: 59% chance, medium confidence. Offered in every fall term since 2016. Department course count falling about 4% per year. Department faculty is about 17% below its recent average.
58%2028 Spring: 58% chance, medium confidence. Offered in every spring term since 2017. Section count rising about 1% per year over 3 terms. Department course count falling about 5% per year. Department faculty is about 43% below its recent average.
21%2028 Summer: 21% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 4 of 10 summer terms since 2017. Department course count falling about 12% per year. Department faculty is about 27% below its recent average.
7%2028 Intersession: 7% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 7 intersession terms since 2017.
2027
62%2027 Fall: 62% chance, medium confidence. Offered in every fall term since 2016. Department course count falling about 6% per year. Department faculty is about 23% below its recent average.
61%2027 Spring: 61% chance, medium confidence. Offered in every spring term since 2017. Section count rising about 1% per year over 4 terms. Department course count falling about 6% per year. Department faculty is about 45% below its recent average.
22%2027 Summer: 22% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 4 of 10 summer terms since 2017. Department course count falling about 10% per year. Department faculty is about 28% below its recent average.
6%2027 Intersession: 6% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 7 intersession terms since 2017.
2026
11 section
11 section
11 section
n/aNo data for this term
2025
11 section
22 sections
Not offered
Not offered
2024
11 section
22 sections
Not offered
Not offered
2023
11 section
22 sections
11 section
Not offered
2022
11 section
22 sections
Not offered
Not offered
2021
11 section
22 sections
11 section
Not offered
2020
11 section
22 sections
Not offered
Not offered
2019
11 section
22 sections
Not offered
n/aNo data for this term
2018
11 section
22 sections
Not offered
n/aNo data for this term
2017
11 section
22 sections
11 section
Not offered
2016
11 section
Not offered
Not offered
n/aNo data for this term
ForecastUnder 15%15–39%40–69%70–89%90%+Not enough history
Fall Spring Summer Intersession Darker means more sectionsNot offeredNo data for term
Future estimates combine recent offering frequency with detected multi-year cycles. Hover a
cell for confidence and evidence; low-confidence estimates are marked with ~.