Faculty
Degrees Granted: Master of Accounting; Master of Business Administration; Master of Technology Management, Doctor of Philosophy (Business Administration)
Accounting
Professor and Chair, J. Sweeney; Professors, R. Greenberg, D. Sanders, R. Toolson, B. Wong-on-Wing; Associate Professors, J. Cote, S. Gill, C. Latham, T. Nunamaker; Assistant Professors, C. Bame-Aldred, S. Thornburg, J. Thornton, Siew Chan.
Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate
Professor and Chair, G. Lai; Professors, R. Sias, H.
Turtle; Associate Professors, M. McNamara, J.
Nofsinger, D. Whidbee; Assistant Professors, K. Beller,
G. Caton, S. Kalpathy, D. Paul.
Information Systems
Associate Professor and Chair, M. Fuller; Professors, L. Jessup, J. Valacich,; Associate Professors K. Josh, S. Sarker; Assistant Professors K. Marett, P. Datta, M. Featherman, J. Wells, T. Hess, S. Sarker, G. Rose.
Management and Operations
Professor and Chair, R. Reed; Professors, S. Ahn, B. Chen, J. Cullen, S. Fotopoulos, J. Goodstein, D. Lemak, T. Tripp, M. Wang; Associate Professors, K. Butterfield, C. Munson; Assistant Professors, J. Arthurs, T. Baker, M. Gruys, K. Kuhn, S. Shin, D. Stewart, L. Trevino, K. Wade.
Marketing
Professor and Chair, D. Muehling; Professors, J. Cote, J. Johnson, E. Spangenberg, D. Stem, P. Tansuhaj, U. Umesh; Associate Professors, P. Henderson, D. Sprott; Assistant Professors, K. Ehrich, J. Giese, Y. Gregoire.
Hospitality Business Management
Professor and Director, W. T. Umbreit; Professors, W. Maynard; D. Reynolds; Associate Professors, K. Kendall, M. Paxson; Assistant Professors, D. Gursoy, H. Kim, N. Swanger; Interim Director Swiss Center, M. Vieregge; Culinary Educator, G. Fritz; Lecturers, M. O'Fallon, L. Benson; Professors Emeriti, P. Diaz, L. Kreck, D. Rutherford, D. Smith; Instructor, K. Bennett.
The Department of Accounting offers the degree of Master of Accounting. The Master of Business Administration and the Doctor of Philosophy degrees are offered through the combined programs of accounting, finance, marketing, and management, and are administered by the Associate Dean of Graduate Programs in Business Administration.
PhD Program. The Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration degree is designed to prepare its graduates for careers in teaching and research positions at colleges and universities and for research-oriented positions in business, industry and government. The educational objectives of the Ph.D. in Business Administration degree program at Washington State University are to give our graduates:
1. in-depth preparation in the core statistical
concepts and research methodologies for their chosen
areas of study
2. proficiency and expertise in their 'major' fields of
study sufficient for them to explore original and
relevant topics leading to a dissertation
3. sufficient background and preparation in one or more
supporting fields to enrich and support the
dissertation,
4. preparation for continued and productive research
beyond
the dissertation
5. opportunities and training to develop effective
classroom teaching skills
The Ph.D. program in business administration is an intensive, research-oriented program. It prepares graduates with the research methodologies and teaching skills important to their success. The program requirements reflect the belief that holders of the degree must be competently trained in the general skills of research and teaching, with specific content expertise in their major fields of study. These are selected from the following business disciplines.
Accounting
Finance
Management and Operations
Information Systems
Marketing
The doctoral program consists of three major areas of formal course-work: the research tool requirement, the major field requirement, and the minor field requirement. The dissertation requirement consists of a major research project of original and independent work designed to advance the field of knowledge in the student's area of specialization.
Successful PhD candidates are expected to pass their written and oral field examinations near the end of their third year of study and to defend their dissertation research near their eighth or ninth semester. Students whose undergraduate training is not in business may require an additional semester or two to develop a basic foundation in business while students holding an MBA degree may require one or two semesters fewer.
All applicants must submit a completed application form and provide official transcripts of all previous college coursework. Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores must also be submitted (GRE scores may be used for PhD applicants). Students whose native language is not English must submit scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Applicants for admission and for financial aid are accepted for either the fall or spring semester.
The Pullman Full-Time MBA program at WSU, with nationally prominent faculty and small cohort groups, encourages frequent and personal interaction among faculty and students. The revamped MBA program focuses on the management of innovation and hands-on, real-world experiences. The following principles guide the development and delivery of MBA courses at Washington State University:
Concentration on emerging technologies and innovation
management in business across all functional
disciplines.
Participation in strategic leadership development
skills with special attention to effective
communication and team building.
Program-sponsored industry interaction opportunities
with real world visitors, applications, projects and
internships.
Our MBA program utilizes a hands-on problem-solving approach to learning by combining the areas of managerial leadership, accounting, finance, marketing, operations management, information systems, and services management with the very latest in business technologies and the management of innovation.
Real-World Highlights
Supervised Summer MBA-Level Internship
Entry in the Business Plan Competition
Executive Education Seminar Series
Corporate Consulting Project
Service Learning Project with a Non-Profit
Organization
Required International Business Elective
Field Trips to Tour Factories
“Live” Marketing Policy Case Study with
Executives
August Before Entering
Three weeks full-time training including:
Spreadsheet Design and Modeling in Excel, Calculus,
Statistics, Case Analysis Preparation, Business
Writing, Challenge Course Teamwork Development, Oral
Presentations and PowerPoint Training, Research Skills,
and Using Library Resources.
The MBA degree program requires a total of 62 credit
hours.
Year One Fall Semester (16 credits)
Acctg 550—Introduction to Financial and
Managerial Accounting
Econ 555—Managerial Economics for Decision
Making
MgtOp 591—Statistical Analysis for Business
Decisions
MgtOp 593—Managerial Leadership and
Productivity
Mktg 505—Survey of Marketing
MgtOp 702—Master’s Directed Study (1
credit) (Executive Education Seminar Series)
Year One Spring Semester (15 credits)
Acctg 533—Administrative Control
Fin 525—Advanced Financial Management
MgtOp 581—Operations Management
MIS 580—Information Systems Management
Mktg 506—Marketing Management and Administrative
Policy
Summer (3-6 credits)
Required--MgtOp 600—Independent Study (3 credits) Supervised summer internship with student written and oral reports along with company and faculty feedback minimum 8 weeks.
*Optional—IBus 600—Independent Study (3
credits)
Study abroad—3 weeks.
Year Two Fall Semester (15 credits)
B Law 510—Business Law and Ethics
Fin 526—Problems in Financial Management
HBM 581—Services Management
MIS 576—Emerging Technologies Elective Course
Year Two Spring Semester (13 credits)
MgtOp 590—Strategy Formulation and Organizational
Design
MgtOp 600—Independent Study (3 credits) (Business
Plan Competition)
MgtOp 702—Master’s Directed Study (1
credit) (Career Development)
Elective Course
Elective Course
* One second-year elective may be dropped if IBus 600 is taken over the summer.
There are no theses or foreign language requirements.
The MBA program accepts applications from qualified holders of a bachelor's degree from a recognized college or university, regardless of undergraduate field of study. The last 60 semester hours of the undergraduate GPA or the GPA for 12 or more semester credits in recognized graduate courses must be 3.0 or above to be eligible for regular admission. Foreign students must have the equivalent of the above credentials and complete the TOEFL with a score of 580 or better. Applicant's Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores and letters of recommendation (three) will also be used to determine admission status. All applications will be evaluated on these credentials and on the strength of their other supporting documentation.
MBA Program Vancouver and Tri-Cities.
With nationally prominent faculty and relatively small class sizes, the Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree at WSU encourages frequent and personal interaction among faculty and students. While continuing a strong focus on developing leadership skills and decision-making expertise, the MBA program includes the study of current business technologies as an integral part of the MBA experience.
The educational objectives of the MBA program at Washington State University are to give our graduates:
strong leadership skills preparation through a common set of managerial courses, an in-depth understanding of the specific corporate business functions, an integrated learning experience across all managerial and functional disciplines, and a strong foundation in information technology to manage effectively in today's dynamic marketplace.
The following principles guide the development and delivery of the MBA course at Washington State University:
Concentration on the emerging technologies in business across all functional disciplines. Participation in strategic leadership development skills with special attention to effective communication and team building. Program-sponsored industry interaction opportunities with business visitors, applications, projects and internships.
The MBA program utilizes a hands-on, problem-solving approach to learning by combining the more traditional business areas of managerial leadership, accounting, finance and marketing with the very latest in business technologies. It is designed to build on these managerial strengths as it increases its emphasis on the managerial application of information technologies.
The MBA degree program requires four graduate level leadership and technology courses, three advanced business functions courses, three electives, and a two-credit final review assignment for a total of 32 graduate semester credit hours. There are no theses or foreign language requirements.
The MBA program is open to any qualified holder of a bachelor's degree from a recognized college or university, regardless of undergraduate field of study. The cumulative undergraduate GPA or the GPA for 12 or more semester credits in recognized graduate courses must be 3.0 or above to be eligible for regular admission. Foreign students must have the equivalent of the above credentials and complete the TOEFL with a score of 580 or better. Applicant's Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores and letters of recommendation (three) will also be used to determine admission status. All applications will be evaluated on these credentials and on the strength of their other supporting documentation.
MACC Program.
The Master of Accounting program is the primary degree program for careers in public accounting. The broad learning objectives of the program are: (1) preparation for successful completion of the CPA examination with a minimum of additional directed study, and (2) development of profession accounting research and communication skills. Professional research can involve financial reporting issues and the determination of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in a particular situation; tax planning and compliance issues and defining the tax law; and auditing issues and the determination of Generally Accepted Auditing Standards in a particular situation. Oral communication skills involve the ability to make business presentations while written communication skills involve the ability to prepare acceptable business letters, memoranda, and reports. In addition, students will develop and attain additional knowledge and skills in financial reporting, auditing, and tax accounting. Students may choose to complete a sequence of courses that constitute a taxation emphasis within the Master of Accounting degree. While focusing on careers in public accounting, the Master of Accounting degree also provides preparation for careers in internal auditing, consulting, industry, governmental accounting, and not-for-profit accounting. The degree also provides the background necessary for entering a Ph.D. program in accounting.
The Master of Accounting degree program requires 32 graduate semester credit hours. This includes 18 hours of graduate level accounting courses, 12 hours of approved electives and 2 hours of a final oral examination. There are no theses or foreign language requirements.
A full-time graduate student with no prerequisite requirements can complete the Master of Accounting program in one year (two semesters). Graduate students with half-time teaching assistantship appointments normally take three semesters to complete the program. In no event should more than two years be required.
Regular admission to the Master of Accounting program requires a baccalaureate degree in Business Administration with a major in accounting (or its equivalent), three satisfactory letters of recommendation, a grade point average of 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0) or higher determined from the last half of undergraduate study or total graduate study of 12 hours or more, the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), at least 1150 where the admission index is computed as follows from the Graduate Management Admission Test score and GPA: (Al = GMAT + (200)(GPA).
Accounting
530 Accounting Theory 3 Prereq Acctg 430. Recent developments with respect to the determination of income and the valuation of assets.
531 Federal Taxation 3 Prereq Acctg 335. Overview of federal taxation of individuals, partnerships, corporations, estates and gifts.
532 Contemporary Accounting Cases and Problems 3 Prereq Acctg 430. Accounting theory applied to external financial reporting practices.
533 Administrative Control 3 Prereq Acctg 550 Managerial evaluation of budgeting, cost accounting, and financial analysis techniques; their utilization in control of operations.
535 Taxation of Partners and Partnerships 3 Prereq Acctg 435. Federal income tax impact on partners and partnerships of forming, operating, and liquidating partnerships.
536 Taxation of Corporations and Stockholders 3 Prereq Acctg 435. Federal income tax impact on corporations and their stockholders from forming, operating, and liquidating corporations.
537 Professional Research 3 Methodology used by accounting professionals to research applied problems in taxation, accounting, and auditing; communicate results.
538 Seminar in Cost/Managerial Accounting 3 Cost concepts, cost and managerial accounting systems; current issues and research in cost and managerial accounting.
539 Seminar in Public Accounting and Auditing 3 Prereq Acctg 439. Public accounting and auditing to present; current issues including statistical sampling and computers.
550 Introduction to Financial and Managerial Accounting 3 Prereq enrollment in the MBA program. Fundamentals of financial and managerial accounting; primarily for graduate students who wish to meet the MBA core requirements in accounting.
596 Doctoral Topics 3 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 15 hours. Advanced topics in accounting.
600 Special Projects or Independent Study Variable credit. S, F grading.
702 Master's Special Problems, Directed Study, and/or Examination Variable credit. S, F grading.
800 Doctoral Research, Dissertation, and/or Examination Variable credit. S, F grading.
Business Law
510 Business Law and Ethics 3 Prereq enrollment in the MBA program. Legal process and reasoning; commercial, managerial, and employment law; government regulations; contracts, torts, crimes; ethical conflicts and ethical decision making.
511 Business Law II 3 prereq B Law 210 or 510. Law of partnerships, corporations, securities regulations, negotiable instruments, secured transactions, property, insurance and bankruptcy; government regulation of businesses and professions.
Finance
500 Economic Theory I 3 Same as Econ 500.
501 Economic Theory II Same as Econ 501.
502 Economic Theory III Same as Econ 502.
503 Economic Theory IV 3 Same as Econ 503.
504 Economic Theory V 3 Same as Ag Ec 504.
510 Statistics for Economists 4 Same as Ag Ec 510.
511 Econometrics I 3 Same as Econ 511.
512 Econometrics II 3 Same as Ag Ec 512.
521 Interest Rates and Financial Markets 3 Prereq Fin 325 or 525. Real and nominal interest rates; bond pricing; term and risk structure of interest rates; investment and commercial banking; financial futures.
524 (502) Financial Management 3 Prereq Acctg 550; Econ 101. Financial management of the firm; capital budgeting, working capital management, capital acquisition, and dividend policy.
525 Advanced Financial Management 3 Prereq enrollment in the MBA program. Theory of financial management; quantitative analysis of financial problems of the firm; empirical studies on financing modern corporations.
526 Problems in Financial Management 3 Prereq enrollment in the MBA program; Fin 325 or 525. Application of financial principles to problems in financial management; credit policy, capital budgeting, leasing and mergers, cash management.
527 Investment Analysis 3 Prereq Fin 325 or 525. A decision-making approach to the problems of asset management for personal and business portfolio.
528 Portfolio Theory and Financial Engineering 3 Prereq Fin 325 or Fin 525; Fin 427 or 527. The theory of portfolio management and the use of derivative securities in portfolio risk management.
529 Financial Management for High-Tech Firms 3 Prereq Fin 325 or Fin 525. Application of finance principles to firms in high-tech industries; financing, risk management, capital investment, and mergers/acquisitions.
542 (R E 522) Advanced Topics in Real Estate 3 Basic forces that motivate and affect investors in their use and possession of real estate.
581 International Finance 3 Same as I Bus 581.
590 Advanced Topics in Mathematical and Quantitative Methods 3 Same as Ag Econ 590.
591 Advanced Topics in Monetary and Public Economics V 1-6 Same as Econ 591.
592 Advanced Topics in International and Development Economics V 1-6 Same as Econ 592.
593 Advanced Topics in Health, Education, Labor, and Demographic Economics V 1-6 Same as Econ 593.
594 Advanced Topics in Markets and Industrial Organization V 1-6 Same as Ag Ec 594.
595 Advanced Topics in Resource and Production Economics V 1-6 Same as Ag Ec 595.
596 Advanced Topics in Financial Economics V 1-6 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 12 hours. Prereq Fin 504 and 512 or permission of instructor. Topics may include financial theory and empirical methods as applied to financial management, investments, international finance, and markets/institutions.
600 Special Projects or Independent Study Variable credit. S, F grading.
702 Master's Special Problems, Directed Study, and/or Examination Variable credit. S, F grading.
800 Doctoral Research, Dissertation, and/or Examination Variable credit. S, F grading.
International Business
580 International Business Management 3 Decision-making in the international environment; political, cultural, and economic risk management.
581 International Finance 3 Prereq Fin 325 or 525. Principles of international finance; financial management of multinational corporations; international investments.
582 International Marketing Management 3 Prereq Mktg 505. Principles of international marketing; marketing decision making in international environments; problems of adapting marketing programs to international marketing.
595 Seminar in Research and Theory Development 3 Theory development and research on business in a global context.
596 Doctoral Topics 1 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 6 hours. Prereq graduate standing. Advanced topics in international business.
600 Special Projects or Independent Study Variable credit. S, F grading.
800 Doctoral Research, Dissertation, and/or Examination Variable credit. S, F grading.
Management and Operations
501 (Mgt) Management of Organizations 3 Leading, organizing, decision making, planning, controlling, conflict management, and behavior in work organizations.
516 (Dec S) Time Series 3 Prereq MgtOp 515 or Stat 443. ARIMA models; identification, estimation, diagnostics, and forecasting; seasonal adjustments, outlier detection, intervention analysis and transfer function modeling.
517 (Dec S) Quality Improvement for Management 3 Philosophy and evolution of quality control, control charts, process capability analysis, applications.
518 (Dec S) Techniques of Sampling 3 Prereq MgtOp 591. Sample surveys for business use; theory and application with emphasis on appropriate sample types and the estimation of their parameters.
519 (Dec S) Applied Multivariate Analysis 3 Prereq MgtOp 591 or Stat 443. Principal components, factor analysis, discriminant function, cluster analysis, multivariate normal distribution, Hotelling's T2 and MANOVA.
540 (Dec S) Deterministic Business Models 3 Prereq MgtOp 340. Decision analysis, linear optimization models, nonlinear models, network analysis including PERT, and dynamic programming as applied to business.
542 (Dec S) Applied Stochastic Models 3 Prereq MgtOp 215. Stochastic processes, Markov models, stochastic dynamic programming, queues and simulation applied to business problems.
581 (Dec S) Operations Management 3 Prereq enrollment in the MBA program. Analytical approach to solving problems in production and operations management.
582 (Mgt) Personnel and Human Resource Management 3 Human resources and personnel administration; selection, training, compensation, performance appraisal, labor relations, health and safety, EEO legislation.
583 (Mgt) Organization Design 3 Development and design of contem-porary systems of organization and management.
585 (Mgt) Negotiation Skills 3 Graduate counterpart of MgtOp 485; additional requirements. Credit not granted for both MgtOp 485 and 585.
586 (Dec S) Applied Multiple Time Series Analysis 3 Prereq MgtOp 516. Approaches to modeling and analysis of multiple time series.
587 (Mgt) Business Ethics 3 Graduate-level counterpart of MgtOp 487; additional requirements. Credit not granted for both MgtOp 487 and 587.
588 (Mgt) Management of Innovation 3 Prereq Graduate standing. Technological transitions and technology strategy; knowledge and creativity in organizations; managing innovation processes, technical employees, and cross-functional cooperation.
589 (Mgt 586) Seminar in Management 3 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 6 hours. Prereq admission to MBA program. Special topics in management, organization behavior, organization theory, human resource management and strategic management.
590 (Mgt) Strategy Formulation and Organizational Design 3 Prereq enrollment in the MBA program. Relationship between the formulation of strategy and the selection of effective organizational structures and systems.
591 (Dec S) Statistical Analysis for Business Decisions 3 Prereq enrollment in the MBA program. Analytical skills for decision-making; data collection and analysis, sampling, inferential, regression methodologies, experimental design, time series, forecasting analysis.
593 (Mgt) Managerial Leadership and Productivity 3 Prereq enrollment in the MBA program. Organizational behavior and human motivation in the workplace; organization and leadership theories, studies, projects and models leading to improved productivity.
596 Doctoral Topics V 1-4 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 15 hours. Advanced topics in management and operations. .
597 Doctoral Topics 3 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 15 hours. Advanced topics in management and operations.
598 (Mgt) Research and Professional Development 1 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 6 hours. Ph.D.-level professional development colloquium designed to improve research, teaching, and presentation skills and to provide professional socialization. S, F grading.
600 (Mgt) Special Projects or Independent Study Variable credit. S, F grading.
702 (Mgt) Master's Special Problems, Directed Study, and/or Examination Variable credit. S, F grading.
800 (Mgt) Doctoral Research, Dissertation, and/or Examination Variable credit. S, F grading.
Information Systems
507 Computers and Systems for Managers 3 Data base concepts, management information systems, design of application programs, and computer concepts.
572 Database Management Systems 3 Prereq admission to MBA program. Database management, data modeling, system design and implementation; the application of DBMS technologies to organizational and business problems.
574 Telecommunications and Networking in Business 3 Prereq admission to MBA program. Business applications of data communications, infrastructure, protocols, topologies and management, wired and wireless solutions, and related research issues.
575 Electronic Commerce and the Internet 3 Prereq admission to the MBA Program. Technologies underlying electronic commerce and the internet; strategies and implementation plans for managing the implementation of electronic commerce systems.
576 Emerging Technologies 3 Prereq enrollment in the MBA Program. Special and advanced topics in MIS.
580 Information Systems Management 3 Prereq enrollment in the MBA program. Data processing organization; operations, application development, computer selection, management of computer personnel and systems.
582 Systems Analysis and Design 3 Prereq admission to MBA program. Research on and application of systems analysis, design, development and management of information systems; systems development life cycle.
596 Doctoral Topics 3 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 9 hours. Prereq graduate standing. Advanced topics in management information systems.
600 Special Projects or Independent Study Variable credit. S, F grading.
800 Doctoral Research, Dissertation, and/or Examination Variable credit. S, F grading
Marketing
505 Survey of Marketing 3 Marketing management; relevance of marketing to company profitability and consumer satisfaction; decision regarding price, product, promotion, and distribution.
506 Marketing Management and Administrative Policy 3 Marketing management and administrative policies as they relate to concepts, strategies, and decision making.
560 Research Methodology 3 Prereq Dec S 215. Types of data needed and available, collection and analysis of data as they relate to decisional research.
561 Technology and New Product Marketing 3 Prereq Mktg 360. Introduction of new products that are based on new technology, ex-pl oration of actual products in the market.
565 Seminar in Marketing 3 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 9 hours. Marketing structure and behavior from economic and behavioral perspectives; social evaluation and behavioral implications of marketing strategy.
567 Consumer Behavior Theory 3 Prereq Mktg 505. Theory in consumer and buyer behavior; conceptual and empirical research role of purchase and consumption behavior on society and marketing.
590 Seminar in Consumer Behavior 3 Advanced, doctoral-level topics in consumer behavior.
591 Seminar in Marketing Management 3 Advanced, doctoral-level topics in marketing management.
592 Seminar in Marketing Theory 3 Advanced, doctoral-level topics in marketing theory.
593 Seminar in Research Design 3 Advanced, doctoral-level topics in research design.
594 Seminar in Research Techniques 3 Advanced, doctoral-level topics in research techniques.
596 Doctoral Topics 3 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 15 hours. Advanced topics in marketing.
600 Special Projects or Independent study Variable credit. S, F grading.
702 Master's Special Problems, Directed Study, and/or Examination Variable credit. S, F grading.
800 Doctoral Research, Dissertation, and/or Examination Variable credit. S, F grading.
Real Estate
522 Advanced Topics in Real Estate 3 Basic forces that motivate and affect investors in their use and possession of real estate.
600 Special Projects or Independent Study Variable credit. S, F grading.
702 Master's Special Problems, Directed Study, and/or Examination Variable credit. S, F grading.
Hospitality Business Management
535 International Tourism Strategy and Planning 3 Tourism components; social, economic, and cultural effects on societies; the management of tourism businesses.
580 Hospitality Services Marketing 3 Prereq Mktg 505. Services marketing concepts and principles applied to hospitality organizations; strategies to market services and control quality.
581 Hospitality Services Management 3 Prereq enrollment in the MBA program. Design and management of service systems in hospitality operations; control of customer interaction, personnel activities and inventory.
597 Special Topics 3 Strategic business policy, concepts, and practices in hospitality management.
600 Special Projects or Independent Study Variable credit. S, F grading.