Our rigorous curriculum delivers the top-quality instruction and practical learning you need to strengthen your talents and advance into the next level of high-profile management and leadership careers. Courses include case studies, experiential projects, remote collaboration and team-based learning.
Go at your own pace and choose the course load each term that best supports your needs.
48 Credit Hours
9 credits
Develop a solid background in several relevant subject areas. Use the skills and knowledge you gain as building blocks for advanced academic study in the future.
Strategic Design Project - 1 Credit
The strategic design process helps individuals and organizations find new products and business opportunities by analyzing external and internal trends of the existing companies and industries.
It is an effective way to discover and deliver innovative business models by comparing and adopting innovations from cross-industry sectors, bridging the gap in the innovation pipeline.
17 credits
Gain a solid foundation for decision-making in essential areas of management and leadership. The core curriculum of the Purdue Online MBA covers general concepts and traditional management disciplines.
Add a specialization to focus your elective choices to gain greater knowledge in high-demand areas of business, such as Business Analytics Fundamentals, Fundamentals in AI or Marketing Analytics. Not only does a specialization expand your professional skills, it also helps increase your career marketability.
Number of credits will vary by specialization
2-3 credits
Work with a team to assume cross-functional roles to broaden your leadership skills and make strategic business decisions under pressure in a simulated real-life scenario. You’ll use data analytics to assess risk management from qualitative and quantitative perspectives.
Simulation - 2 Credit
Lead a cross-functional team through high-pressure strategic decisions in a data-driven business simulation.
Bring Your Own Project - 3 Credit
Solve a real business challenge at your organization and present a sponsor-backed recommendation to leadership.
20 credits
Tailor your degree to help you achieve your career goals with a variety of electives. Course offerings are subject to change.
This is a sampling of electives and not an exhaustive list; electives are subject to change.
AI experience
Our curriculum provides you with critical AI knowledge and experience. Because AI is a common business practice, all courses integrate AI into their material, either through practice or discussion on how it is changing the specific discipline.
Select a theme for list of specializations
The Finance & Economics theme sharpens your ability to make bold, data-driven decisions in areas like corporate finance, investment management, computational finance and financial economics. Dive into advanced topics like portfolio theory, big data analytics and corporate mergers while mastering econometric techniques. This hands-on, analytical approach transforms your quantitative skills and critical thinking, giving you an edge in solving real-world financial puzzles. With industry-relevant expertise in financial modeling and strategic decision-making, you'll be ready to lead in niche financial markets and thrive amid global challenges.
The Computational Finance Specialization equips students with cutting-edge tools for data-driven financial decision-making. Courses combine investment theory with hands-on projects in portfolio management, asset pricing and advanced analytics. Students gain expertise in database management, cloud-based tools and data mining, while developing AI and modeling skills to meet the demands of modern finance.
| Credits | Course |
|---|---|
| 2 | Investments
Investments This course provides a foundation in investment management and portfolio theory covering topics like trading mechanics, optimal portfolio selection, asset pricing models, derivative securities and trading strategies. With real-world application, the course focuses on common stocks and options encouraging students to follow the financial press. |
| 2 | Database and SQL
Database and SQL This course equips managers with essential database management skills for informed decision-making. It covers conceptual data modeling, ER diagrams, relational data models and SQL enabling efficient data utilization. Practical applications through collaborative group projects reinforce key concepts and techniques preparing participants for modern business challenges. |
| 2 | Big Data Analytics in the Cloud
Big Data Analytics in the Cloud This course equips students with skills to leverage cloud computing and AI for big data analytics. Using Google Cloud Platform (GCP), participants learn to analyze large datasets, apply generative AI and machine learning and develop scalable data pipelines for comprehensive analytics projects. |
| 2 | Data Mining |
The Financial Economics Specialization empowers students to analyze economic forces shaping global financial markets. Coursework spans econometric techniques, trade theories and firm behavior in competitive and regulated markets. Students explore pressing issues like international trade and healthcare economics, building a solid foundation for careers requiring expertise in financial markets and public policy.
| Credits | Course |
|---|---|
| 2 | Financial Econometrics |
| 2 | International Economics |
| 2 | Industrial Economics |
| 2 | Health Economics |
Ready to revolutionize the world’s supply chains? The Supply Chain Management theme arms you with the tools to streamline global networks — from sourcing and production to distribution and sustainability. You'll learn to integrate information, finance and goods flows while mastering strategic sourcing, project management and advanced manufacturing concepts. Get hands-on with cutting-edge tools like machine learning and data visualization to drive efficiency and solve real-world challenges. Courses in ethical and sustainable supply chains ensure you're prepared for the future, while case studies and industry-backed projects connect you with the practical know-how to build resilient systems that thrive in a fast-changing world.
The Supply Chain Strategy Specialization develops leaders who can design resilient, sustainable supply chains. Using analytical tools, students master production optimization, sourcing strategies, risk management and sustainability. Real-world cases and experiential projects hone their ability to lead initiatives that drive innovation and efficiency across global supply chains.
| Credits | Course |
|---|---|
| Advanced Manufacturing
Advanced Manufacturing Manufacturing drives the global economy, with recent advancements from Industry 4.0 emphasizing analytics in management. This course introduces key concepts, techniques and models for designing and improving production processes and quality, covering process management, multiproduct management, lean manufacturing, predictive maintenance and trends like individualized manufacturing and output optimization. |
|
| 2 | Strategic Sourcing and Procurement |
| 2 | Global Supply Chain Management |
| 2 | Ethical and Sustainable Supply Chain |
| 2 | Project Management |
| 2 | Change Management
Change Management This course on change management equips individuals, managers and leaders with practical tools to implement and sustain organizational changes. It covers frameworks, models and challenges associated with change, promoting sustained change through experiential assignments. Online videos complement readings, focusing on key principles for real-world change initiatives in a flexible format. |
The Supply Chain Analytics Specialization trains students in data-driven decision-making for complex global networks. They build expertise in predictive analytics, machine learning and data visualization using tools like Tableau. Through hands-on projects, students learn to communicate insights effectively, optimize operations and influence strategic decisions in supply chain management.
| Credits | Course |
|---|---|
| 2 | Global Supply Chain Management |
| Advanced Manufacturing
Advanced Manufacturing Manufacturing drives the global economy, with recent advancements from Industry 4.0 emphasizing analytics in management. This course introduces key concepts, techniques and models for designing and improving production processes and quality, covering process management, multiproduct management, lean manufacturing, predictive maintenance and trends like individualized manufacturing and output optimization. |
|
| 2 | Strategic Sourcing and Procurement |
| 2 | Project Management |
| 2 | Statistical and Machine Learning |
| 2 | Visualization and Persuasion
Visualization and Persuasion This course focuses on using Tableau to create persuasive visuals for solving business problems through storytelling. Students will learn to align their subject knowledge with the mental accounting of the audience, selecting visuals that effectively communicate their narrative to convince decision-makers, such as CEOs and board members. |
Great leaders aren't born — they're developed. The Leadership theme is your launchpad to inspire teams, spark innovation and navigate complex business challenges. Through self-awareness exercises, emotional intelligence training and ethical decision-making scenarios, you’ll uncover your unique leadership style. Focused tracks like Leading Change and Innovation give you the skills to manage organizational transformation and build collaborative, forward-thinking cultures. Interested in leading technical teams? Learn executive presence, project management and tech strategy to guide teams with confidence. Whether you're driving change or inspiring innovation, this pathway equips you to excel in leadership roles across industries.
The Leadership Fundamentals Specialization prepares students to thrive in dynamic business environments. Courses focus on negotiation, leadership strategies and driving organizational change. Experiential learning, case studies and personal assessments help students build resilience, refine their leadership style and confidently tackle complex challenges.
| Credits | Course |
|---|---|
| 2 | Leadership |
| 2 | Negotiations in Organizations |
| 2 | Change Management
Change Management This course on change management equips individuals, managers and leaders with practical tools to implement and sustain organizational changes. It covers frameworks, models and challenges associated with change, promoting sustained change through experiential assignments. Online videos complement readings, focusing on key principles for real-world change initiatives in a flexible format. |
The Leading Change and Innovation Specialization equips students to spearhead transformation and inspire collaboration. Topics include managing mergers and acquisitions, aligning HR with strategic goals and applying consulting frameworks to solve business problems. Students leave ready to lead cross-functional teams and drive organizational growth in fast-changing industries.
| Credits | Course |
|---|---|
| Leadership: Historical Perspectives | |
| 2 | Collaborative Innovation
Collaborative Innovation This course explores innovation as a collaborative phenomenon across organizational boundaries. Learners will acquire skills to design and facilitate conversations, platforms and ecosystems for shared-value innovation. Integrating theories from management, psychology and social science, the course emphasizes collaborative innovation processes as essential skills for the 21st-century open economy. |
| 2 | Merger, Acquisition and Corporate Control |
| 2 | HR Strategy |
| 2 | Consulting Tools and Skills
Consulting Tools and Skills This consulting course emphasizes critical thinking and structured problem-solving, essential for addressing client challenges. It covers the consulting process common across firms, integrating multifunctional tools. Students will gain insights into the consulting industry, client management and skill development, enabling them to assess their fit within consulting careers effectively. |
The Leading Technical Teams Specialization focuses on managing high-performing teams in technology-driven fields. Students develop skills in guiding technical projects, safeguarding intellectual property and bringing innovations to market. This specialization emphasizes leadership, team management and strategic problem-solving to prepare graduates for success in tech-focused environments.
| Credits | Course |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Executive Presence
Executive Presence At Daniels, the Communication faculty in Law, Communication and Ethics help students enhance their speaking, writing and interpersonal skills for business settings. This course offers online master’s students the chance to develop and practice their executive presence, improving their effectiveness in interactions with clients, colleagues and stakeholders. |
| 2 | Project Management |
| 2 | Tech Strategy
Tech Strategy This master’s course examines the impact of technological innovation on market competition and how firms can strategically navigate these dynamics. It introduces tools, concepts and analytical frameworks to enhance students' abilities to define and analyze strategic problems arising from innovation, identifying competitive advantages at both industry and firm levels. |
| 1 | Intellectual Property Strategies
Intellectual Property Strategies This course explores intellectual property, including copyrights, patents, trademarks and trade secrets. It consists of two modules: the first focuses on identifying and understanding each type of intellectual property, while the second applies strategy through team-based IP audits, allowing students to practice their knowledge on real companies. |
| 2 | Tech Commercialization
Tech Commercialization This course focuses on the commercialization of innovations, products and services, crucial for entrepreneurial success. With only 5% of early-stage innovations reaching the market, students will learn a comprehensive framework for navigating the technology commercialization process, gaining insights into strategies, methodologies and best practices from idea inception to market introduction. |
Turn data into actionable insights with the Analytics theme. From predictive modeling to cloud-based big data analytics, this program equips you with the cutting-edge tools to solve complex business problems. Specialize in business or marketing analytics while mastering platforms like R, Python and Tableau. You’ll gain hands-on experience designing predictive models, creating stunning visualizations and exploring the game-changing impact of AI. With expertise that spans statistical programming, machine learning and digital marketing analytics, you'll be ready to interpret data and shape strategy in fields like finance, healthcare, operations and beyond.
The Business Analytics Fundamentals Specialization provides students with a strong foundation in data analysis and management. They learn advanced topics like machine learning, deep learning and statistical modeling. Practical applications in tools like R, Tableau and Excel equip students to leverage analytics and AI for solving complex business problems and creating high-impact data visualizations.
| Credits | Course |
|---|---|
| 2 | Big Data Analytics in the Cloud
Big Data Analytics in the Cloud This course equips students with skills to leverage cloud computing and AI for big data analytics. Using Google Cloud Platform (GCP), participants learn to analyze large datasets, apply generative AI and machine learning and develop scalable data pipelines for comprehensive analytics projects. |
| 2 | Data Mining |
| 2 | Database and SQL
Database and SQL This course equips managers with essential database management skills for informed decision-making. It covers conceptual data modeling, ER diagrams, relational data models and SQL enabling efficient data utilization. Practical applications through collaborative group projects reinforce key concepts and techniques preparing participants for modern business challenges. |
| 2 | Deep Learning
Deep Learning This course offers a systematic introduction to recent developments in machine learning, focusing on deep learning and its business applications. Students will gain hands-on experience with modern frameworks while exploring concepts like neural networks, convolutional networks, recurrent networks, deep generative models and deep reinforcement learning, reflecting advancements in the field. |
| 1 | Frontiers in AI
Frontiers in AI This self-paced course provides a high-level overview of artificial intelligence technologies and their current state. It explores AI's impact on three industries—Agriculture, Medical and Marketing—through expert perspectives. Weekly readings and videos will cover material, showcasing how AI is driving disruptive changes in these sectors. |
| 2 | Statistical and Machine Learning |
| 2 | Machine Learning II
Machine Learning II This second course in machine learning builds on fundamental concepts from Machine Learning I. It covers advanced topics such as support vector machines, deep learning, neural networks and principal components analysis. Students will extensively use R and its packages to implement various learning methods throughout the course. |
| 2 | Spreadsheet Modeling and Simulation |
| 2 | Using R for Analytics
Using R for Analytics This course introduces R programming using RStudio for data analytics. Students will learn popular R packages, reinforced by a free DataCamp subscription. Assignments include conceptual and hands-on exercises, culminating in a team project to develop a YouTube video showcasing a Shiny app addressing a business problem. |
| 2 | Visualization and Persuasion
Visualization and Persuasion This course focuses on using Tableau to create persuasive visuals for solving business problems through storytelling. Students will learn to align their subject knowledge with the mental accounting of the audience, selecting visuals that effectively communicate their narrative to convince decision-makers, such as CEOs and board members. |
| 2 | Web Data Analytics
Web Data Analytics This course trains leaders in algorithmic problem-solving using web data across industries. Students will learn to collect, analyze and communicate insights from large datasets, emphasizing clickstream analysis and experimentation. The hands-on approach includes group projects, readings and case discussions, reinforcing data-driven decision-making in a modern business environment. |
The Marketing Analytics Specialization prepares students to harness data and AI to optimize marketing strategies. Coursework focuses on customer behavior analysis, market segmentation and performance measurement. Students apply analytics and AI to optimize strategies and measure performance. With hands-on experience in visualization tools like Tableau, they gain the skills to drive business results and effectively communicate insights.
| Credits | Course |
|---|---|
| 2 | Digital Marketing
Digital Marketing The Digital Marketing course explores how customers create and engage with digital content, posing challenges and opportunities for marketers. It covers strategies for leveraging digital media, including online advertising, analytics and social network analysis. Through lectures, case studies and projects, students will learn to develop effective digital marketing strategies. |
| 2 | Marketing Analytics |
| 2 | Visualization and Persuasion
Visualization and Persuasion This course focuses on using Tableau to create persuasive visuals for solving business problems through storytelling. Students will learn to align their subject knowledge with the mental accounting of the audience, selecting visuals that effectively communicate their narrative to convince decision-makers, such as CEOs and board members. |
| 2 | Python Programming |
| 1 | Frontiers in AI
Frontiers in AI This self-paced course provides a high-level overview of artificial intelligence technologies and their current state. It explores AI's impact on three industries—Agriculture, Medical and Marketing—through expert perspectives. Weekly readings and videos will cover material, showcasing how AI is driving disruptive changes in these sectors. |
Enhance your presentation skills beyond filler words and fidgeting. Students will gain confidence in leading through effective communication. This immersive course experience caters to professionals seeking improved communication across diverse audiences to strengthen their credibility and leadership abilities through hands-on practice and attentive listening.
Offered during the summer months, students will attend virtually for the majority of the semester while completing their coursework over a weekend at the end of the term on-campus in West Lafayette. While on campus, students will also experience peer networking, campus tours, Purdue traditions and more with Daniels Online Programs.
I’m a storyteller and love to make cross-cultural communication theory come to life through my business experience. I have managed and been part of global teams that brought together professionals from Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia and the U.S. I’m looking forward to sharing my experience and learning from that of the participants as well.
A. Laura Stef-Praun, PhD
Lecturer — Law, Communication, and Ethics
Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue University
Make your career goals a reality with Purdue University's Online Master of Business Administration.
Call 877-491-0224 to speak with an Enrollment Specialist or request more information.
If you would like to receive more information about the online Master of Business Administration program at Purdue, please fill out the form and a Program Specialist will be in touch.
We also have availability to meet with you virtually to discuss how your goals align with our curriculum, community, student experiences, and outcomes to determine if Purdue is the right fit for you!
