Department of Management

Stephens Hall 116
Phone: 410-704-2934
Fax: 410-704-3236

Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Management is to provide graduates with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be successful managers in a variety of organizational settings. We seek to develop graduates with leadership skills, managerial aptitude, global perspectives, ethical grounding, technological competency, entrepreneurial skills, and a desire for lifelong learning.

Programs of the Department of Management

The Department of Management offers the following programs:

  • Major in Business Administration with concentrations in:
    • Leadership and Management 
    • Entrepreneurship 
    • Human Resource Management 
    • International Business 
  • Certificate in Entrepreneurship 
  • Minor in Entrepreneurship 

Why Study Management?

The rapid and continuous changes taking place in our global economy require skilled managers and leaders to ensure effective performance of their organizations. Organizations of all sizes in all sectors of our economy face unprecedented challenges that demand informed strategic decision-making and principled leadership.

The programs of study in management are designed to allow students to develop the critical skills required for success in today's economy and marketable abilities expected by employers. Courses and programs of study within the Department of Management emphasize the development of leadership skills, entrepreneurial abilities, global awareness, ethical decision-making, human resource management skills, technological competency, and critical thinking. Ongoing curricula development ensures that course offerings and content reflect the current practices and various challenges faced by organizations. Because management is a broad field, the concentrations in Leadership and Management, Entrepreneurship, Human Resource Management, and International Business offer students a choice of a program that meets their specific career objectives.

Regardless of the concentration area, all students will find several recurring themes in their course work:

  • the impact of technology on management practices;
  • awareness and understanding of the global environment in which organizations operate and managers make decisions;
  • legal and ethical dilemmas faced by managers in carrying out their responsibilities.

Please browse our websites to gather more information about our programs, concentrations, minors, and certificates. You are also welcome to contact us (tumngt@towson.edu) for more information, or come visit us in Stephens Hall, suite 116.

Requirements for Admission to the Business Administration Major

Students are admitted to the major in Business Administration (BUAD) after first being admitted to Towson University. Admission to TU does not guarantee admission to the major. In order to be admitted, students must satisfy the following requirements:

  1. Cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher for all course work.
  2. Successful completion of each of the courses required for admission to the major with a grade of C or higher. Required courses can be viewed on each concentration page within the requirements section. 

Degree candidates intending to major in Business Administration are designated as “pre-Business Administration” (PBUA) until admission into the BUAD major. Students are required to meet each term with their assigned faculty adviser to evaluate their progress toward completing the requirements for admission to the major and the degree.

At the start of each term and before registration, the CBE Student Academic and Career Services office will notify PBUA students of their admission status by email to their TU email addresses. Students will not be allowed to take upper-level “majors-only” CBE courses until being admitted to the Business Administration major.

Courses

ENTR 110 CREATIVITY AND IDEA DEVELOPMENT (3)

Focuses on creativity and thinking creatively. Topics include developing creative abilities, opportunity recognition, creating a new product/service, and pitches for the new product/service. Prerequisites: BUAD major or ENTR minor.

ENTR 215 START-UP BASICS FOR NON-BUSINESS MAJORS (3)

Introduces students to important business concepts that will help them to run a business. Helps to prepare non-business major students with knowledge and skills needed for upper level courses in entrepreneurship. Topics covered include economics, understanding business financial measures, types of financing available to entrepreneurs and data analyses. Prerequisite: ENTR Minor.

ENTR 305 DESIGN THINKING FOR INNOVATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING (3)

Focuses on human-centered design tools and techniques used by successful entrepreneurs to create innovative products and services. Topics include connecting insights to inspiration, identifying opportunities, building empathy for people designed for, and pursuing actions to bring solutions to market. Prerequisites: BUAD major or ENTR Minor or ENTR Certificate.

ENTR 310 WILL YOUR BUSINESS WORK? (3)

Understand how to identify and assess new venture opportunities. Overview of the entrepreneurial process that addresses the issues, decisions, and problems that entrepreneurs face while creating or managing new or small enterprises. This course covers topics such as financial measures, types of financing available and data analyses. Prerequisite: BUAD major or ENTR minor or ENTR certificate.

ENTR 345 ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SOCIETY (3)

Entrepreneurship and the creation of new ventures continue to have an amazing impact on economies and societies. Discover why and how this is happening by examining how entrepreneurship has evolved, by historical examples in multiple cultures, and how the past shapes entrepreneurship today. Prerequisites: BUAD major or ENTR minor; junior standing.

ENTR 355 ENTREPRENEURSHIP FOUNDATIONS AND PATHWAYS (3)

Introduces the entrepreneurial process including a focus on the identification and evaluation of opportunities. Discusses the importance of innovation, creating a business concept and business models. Develop business ideas and evaluate them for potential formation of a new venture. Prerequisite: open to undergraduate students only.

ENTR 380 SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP (3)

Interest in Social Entrepreneurship (SE) has been growing both domestically and internationally. Many people have a desire to make the world a better place and are utilizing SE to create mission-driven ventures. Social entrepreneurs expand the role of entrepreneurship beyond mere innovation and profit. This course helps students understand how SE uses traditional entrepreneurship practices of innovation, adaptability and opportunity exploration to address social needs. Prerequisite: BUAD major or ENTR minor.

ENTR 401 CONSULTING WORKSHOP (3)

Series of modules that addresses various aspects of the consulting experience and involves actual consulting interventions. Prerequisites: ENTR 355; major in ACCT, BUAD, EBUS, or ECON; minor in ENTR; junior/senior standing.

ENTR 402 FAMILY BUSINESS MANAGEMENT (3)

Distinctive strategies, structures, and skills required to lead closely-held and family firms through change and growth. The agency relationship between ownership and management has specific dynamics and strategic challenges when facing change and growth. Prerequisites: ENTR 355; major in ACCT, BUAD, EBUS, or ECON, or minor in ENTR; junior/senior standing.

ENTR 403 INTERNATIONAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP (3)

Focuses on expanding the students' knowledge of entrepreneurship by applying it in an international context. Students will be exposed to the processes and challenges associated with a business entering foreign markets. Students will learn to identify the differences between domestic and international entrepreneurship, identify and evaluate the opportunities for international ventures, develop a persuasive business plan pertaining not only to foreign market entry or international entrepreneurship, but also to born-globals and international corporate venturing. Through working through real business problems, students will develop the skills necessary to implement appropriate marketing/R&D/innovation strategies for international entrepreneurial success. The course also addresses various topics related to the broader field of entrepreneurship, such as international consulting, as well as managing a family business in the process of internationalization. Prerequisites: major in ACCT, BUAD, EBUS, or ECON; minor in ENTR; junior/senior standing.

ENTR 410 BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION (3)

Focuses on developing a business plan for a successful new venture. Topics include opportunity evaluation, feasibility analysis, creating persuasive pitches for the business idea, competitive analysis, profiling the target market, developing financial forecasts and presentation of a business plan in a competitive style format. Prerequisites: ENTR 355; and BUAD major, ENTR minor or Certificate in Entrepreneurship.

ENTR 470 SPECIAL TOPICS (3)

Course content varies with each topic. In-depth study of contemporary business issues and how they affect current entrepreneurship practices. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 units provided a different topic is covered. Prerequisites: BUAD major or ENTR minor; sophomore/junior/senior standing.

ENTR 498 ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND NEW VENTURE MANAGEMENT (3)

Provides students the opportunity to apply concepts, research techniques, analytical thinking, report writing, and negotiation skills. The course is case-based in which the students will consider problems from the perspective of entrepreneurs, small business managers and consultants. The cases, based on actual organizations, will contain complex problems relevant to entrepreneurship. Prerequisites: ENTR 355; major in BUAD or minor in ENTR; sophomore standing or higher.

MNGT 282 BUSINESS ETHICS AND SUSTAINABILITY (3)

Intended to help students understand different perspectives on ethical problems and to introduce students to different processes and techniques that will be helpful in reaching sound judgments. Course topics will include ethical reasoning, stakeholder analysis, corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability. Core: Ethical Issues & Perspectives.

MNGT 361 LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT (3)

Experience how leadership impacts organizational culture, strategy, and performance. Topics include making strategic decisions; leading and motivating; building and managing teams; managing communication, conflict, and power dynamics; human resource management; entrepreneurship; international business. Prerequisite: sophomore/junior/senior major standing.

MNGT 375 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS: THEORY AND PRACTICE (3)

The global dimensions and interdependencies of business: political environments, cultural context, international firms' strategies and market entry. Elements of international finance including international monetary systems, foreign exchange and global trade theory. Prerequisites: major in ACCT, BUAD, EBUS, PBUA, ECON or INST; junior standing.

MNGT 381 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (3)

Techniques and issues in acquiring, developing, motivating, and maintaining a competent work force. Topics include equal employment opportunity, human resource planning, recruitment and selection, training and development, performance evaluations, motivation, compensation and benefits, labor relations, and safety and health. Prerequisites: MNGT 361; major in ACCT, BUAD, EBUS, ECON, or MUSE; junior standing.

MNGT 391 DEVELOPING MANAGEMENT AND TEAM BUILDING SKILLS (3)

Essential managerial and team building skills needed for success in organizations. Designed to help students master skills using a five-step active learning model containing steps of skill assessment, skill learning, skill analysis, skill practice, and skill application. Topics include creating a team, planning and communicating in a team, leading a team, gaining power and influence, developing self-awareness, managing stress, creative problem-solving, motivation, and effective team performance. Not open to students who have successfully completed MNGT 415. Prerequisites: MNGT 361, junior and BUAD major standing.

MNGT 395 MANAGEMENT OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR (3)

Organizational behavior as a means to understand, explain, and improve human behavior and interactions: job performance, work motivation, job attitudes, trust and justice, work teams, power/politics and influence, leadership stress/ well-being at work, career management, decision making, and organizational effectiveness. Students who have successfully completed MNGT 421 would not receive additional credit for MNGT 395. Prerequisites: MNGT 361; junior/senior major standing.

MNGT 425 ORGANIZATION THEORY AND DEVELOPMENT (3)

Analysis and design of learning organizations emphasizing real life situations, including internal and external organizational environments, knowledge management, innovation and change, organizational growth and life cycles, size and complexity, intergroup relations and conflict, values and culture, and decision making processes. Prerequisites: senior major standing, MNGT 361.

MNGT 430 MANAGING DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN THE WORKPLACE (3)

Experience how diverse perspectives and inclusive mindsets benefit employees and organizations when differences are viewed as a competitive advantage. Topics include examining diversity self-awareness; understanding diversity identities as well as microaggressions and allyship; evaluating diversity, equity, and inclusion management practice successes and challenges; and practicing how to engage in constructive dialogue about complex subjects. Prerequisites: MNGT 361; major in BUAD; junior standing.

MNGT 433 COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS (3)

The role of compensation administration in HRM, including procedures for designing and administering a compensation system, the special aspects of pay-for-performance systems as well as indirect compensation (benefits). Prerequisites: senior major standing, MNGT 381.

MNGT 435 TALENT MANAGEMENT (3)

An in-depth coverage of key functional areas of human resource management including talent management, development, and performance management from strategic perspectives. Students will learn how to sustain a competitive advantage by managing an organization's people, rather than its product or technology. The content includes: review of theoretical frameworks, review of empirical researches, development and implementation of programs, and other contemporary issues in training, development and performance management. Prerequisites: MNGT 361 and MNGT 381; major in BUAD; senior standing.

MNGT 438 MULTINATIONAL MANAGEMENT (3)

Focuses on the strategic and organizational aspects of international management. Topics covered in the course include the international environment and interdependence of international business, management in developing countries and transition economies, international corporate strategy formulation and implementation, global strategic alliances, organizational design for multinational management, regional strategy for MNCs, and functional strategic issues (HRM, global management cadre, international organized labor). Prerequisites: MNGT 361 and MNGT 375; major in ACCT, BUAD, EBUS or INST; senior standing.

MNGT 452 TALENT ACQUISITION AND RETENTION (3)

Recruitment, selection, and retention process in organizations, including job analysis, legal compliance, recruitment, selection, matching the person with the organization, and retaining valuable employees. Prerequisites: senior major standing; MNGT 361; MNGT 381.

MNGT 453 CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN BUSINESS (3)

Resolving disputes in business operations through negotiation, mediation, and arbitration as alternatives to litigation. Buyer/seller disputes, management salary negotiations, service contractor disputes, and real estate issues. Prerequisites: MNGT 361; junior/senior major standing.

MNGT 463 ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP (3)

An array of leadership theories, research findings and practical applications covering participatory leadership, followership, power and influence, contingency perspectives, and leadership in decision making groups, charismatic and strategic leadership in organizations. Prerequisites: MNGT 361; junior/senior major standing.

MNGT 465 LEADERSHIP, LEARNING, AND CHANGE (3)

Focuses on how transformational leaders initiate and enact change-oriented strategies in order to stimulate and inspire innovation and creativity in organizations. Readings, multimedia assignments, web-forum interactions, and creative use of technologies are designed to instigate self-reflection and gain feedback on how our identity shapes creative use of design-thinking to inspire innovation, influence, and impression-management techniques. Prerequisites: MNGT 395; senior major standing.

MNGT 466 LEADING ACROSS INTERNATIONAL CULTURES (3)

Focuses on developing the students' knowledge and skills necessary to be successful leaders in multinational/multicultural organizations. Students will learn effective identification and management of the cultural components of organizational and business dynamics, practice cross-cultural communication with an emphasis on cross-cultural negotiations, analyze the process of developing and motivating a globally competent workforce, and advance other relevant cross-cultural leadership skills. Prerequisites: MNGT 361; major in ACCT, BUAD or EBUS; senior standing.

MNGT 470 SPECIAL TOPICS IN MANAGEMENT (3)

Course content varies with each topic. In-depth study of contemporary business issues as they affect current management practices. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 units provided a different topic is covered. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Special permit only.

MNGT 481 STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT (3)

Business Policy and Strategy Capstone. Develops strategic thinking skills that integrate and build on the concepts and practices from functional business courses. Students will practice in-depth analysis of industries and competitors, and work to understand how managers must develop and implement strategies that generate sustainable value for all stakeholders by positioning the organization successfully in its competitive environment. Features a signature CBE experiential Live Strategy Case Competition with corporate partners. Must be taken at TU. Prerequisite: BUSX 301; FIN 331, MKTG 341, MNGT 361 and either EBTM 337 or ACCT 300; major in ACCT, BUAD, or EBUS; senior standing.

MNGT 483 STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (3)

The critical role of human resource management in achieving an organization's strategic objectives. Techniques for developing a holistic, integrated approach towards the various human resource functions aligned with the organization's strategy, and comparison and contrast of traditional human resource management models. Prerequisites: MNGT 381; senior standing; major in BUAD.

MNGT 491 DIRECTED READINGS-MANAGEMENT (1-3)

Assigned readings in selected areas of management. A total of 6 units for any combination of Directed Readings, Independent Study, and Internship is allowed in the Management area of study. Prerequisites: consent of the instructor, a minimum of 3.00 cumulative GPA, completion of all 200- and 300-level management core requirements, and a special permit.

MNGT 494 STUDY ABROAD IN MANAGEMENT (3)

Student must be a BUAD major and have junior standing. Student must be registered in an approved study abroad program and obtain consent of the department chair.

MNGT 495 INDEPENDENT RESEARCH-MANAGEMENT (1-3)

Directed research in specific areas of management. A total of 6 units for any combination of Directed Readings, Independent Study, and Internship is allowed in the Management area of study. Prerequisites: consent of the instructor, a minimum of 3.00 cumulative GPA, completion of all 200- and 300-level management core requirements, and a special permit.

MNGT 497 MANAGEMENT INTERNSHIP (1-3)

Students are required to work in government or industry for a minimum of 120 hours to gain practical experience in the application of management concepts. All positions have been reviewed and approved by management faculty. A total of 6 units for any combination of Directed Readings, Independent Study, and Internship is allowed in the Management area of study. Prerequisites: consent of the instructor, a minimum 3.00 cumulative GPA, completion of MKTG 341/MKTG 342, MNGT 361 and FIN 331, and special permit.

MNGT 498 PRACTICUM IN MANAGEMENT (3)

Synthesis of Management knowledge, skills and attitudes through professional responsibilities in employment, internship or comparable experience. Prerequisite: senior standing.

Faculty

Professors: Jan Baum, David Brannon, Bart Debicki (Chairperson), Nhung Hendy, Shanshan Qian, Douglas Sanford

Associate Professors: Justin Ji, Mariana Lebron

Assistant Professors: Seyed Abootorabi, Tanja Darden, Koushikee Dutta, Nishant Kathuria, Jianan Li, Sasha Pustovit, Ashley Robinson

Lecturers: Mark Flores, Joseph Zuccaro