Southwestern College Professional Studies

Is a Master of Science in Management for Me?

Southwestern College’s Master of Science in Management (MSM) program focuses on the knowledge and skills necessary for any manager to be successful. Organizations today need very complex and diverse managers and leaders. They are not just expected to be experts in their particular field, but they are expected to understand the many aspects of business as well as how to lead the organization to success. The program seeks to develop leaders for today’s complex and diverse business environments and to prepare them for leading an organization to success.

This program provides learners the necessary skills in important business areas including; project management, human resource management, finance, organizational ethics and statistical analysis. The program also emphasizes relationship management and introduces the learner to a variety of leadership theories and styles, as well as the opportunity to develop personal leadership skills.

The Master of Science in Management program combines courses in business and leadership to provide a strong foundation for any person wishing to make a positive difference in their workplace, church, community or personal life.

The MSM program is available completely online and may be completed in 20 months of continuous study.

Program Outcomes

Southwestern College’s Master of Science in Management (MSM) program focuses on the knowledge and skills necessary for any manager to be successful. Organizations today need very complex and diverse managers and leaders. They are not just expected to be experts in their particular field, but they are expected to understand the many aspects of business as well as how to lead the organization to success. Southwestern College’s Master of Science in Management program is a 39-hour degree program. Courses are six weeks long and are available completely online. The degree may be completed in 20 months of continuous part-time study. The program seeks to develop leaders for today’s complex and diverse business environments and to prepare them for leading an organization to success.

1. Learners demonstrate they have gained breadth and depth of understanding of key organizational management concepts and theories and leadership models and applications.
2. Learners demonstrate that they are recognized by their current employers as excellent employees who contribute to their organizations and are candidates for advancement in their field.
3. Learners demonstrate and exhibit an understanding and appreciation of the ethics in various organizational settings.
4. Learners exhibit poise and confidence in verbal an written communication.
5. Learners demonstrate that they have been and will continue to be a life-long learner.

Required Courses

MGMT 500 Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management
MGMT 505 Project Management Fundamentals
LEAD 500 Leadership Styles and Theories
LEAD 565 Knowledge Based Leadership
MGMT 520 Managing Organizational Change and Conflict OR
LEAD 560 Leading Change in Organizations
MGMT 580 Quality Management and Statistical Analysis
MGMT 560 Ethics in the Global Marketplace OR
LEAD 505 Organizational Leadership and Ethics
MGMT 565 Financial Analysis and Management I
CAPS 600 Graduate Project

Elective Courses (Choose 12 credit hours)

MGMT 510 Financial Accounting
LEAD 510 Leadership in Context
LEAD 515 Leadership Communication and Conflict Resolution
MGMT 515 Managerial Accounting
LEAD 520 Leadership Coaching
MGMT 525 Business Law
MGMT 530 Marketing Strategies
MGMT 575 Financial Analysis and Management II
LEAD 570 Leadership For the Future
LEAD 580 Practical Problem Solving for Today’s Organizations
All classes are 3 credit hours

Course Descriptions

MGMT 500 Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management

Models and theories of behavior, and human resources management concepts and processes as they apply to managing individual and work-group behavior in organizations. Organizational behavior topics include leadership, motivation, and teamwork. Human Resource management topics include human resources strategy, selection, performance evaluation, reward systems, and employee development. Heavy emphasis will be on the strategic implications of these topics.

MGMT 505 Project Management Fundamentals

Concepts, theories, principles and practical application of project management tools will be applied to real business situations. A critical analysis of tools and techniques that are available to aid project managers will be performed, with a view of the potential disconnect between these tools and real-world projects. Specific tools, including the Balanced Scorecard, Monte Carlo simulations, and stop-light charts, will be utilized.

LEAD 500 Leadership Styles and Theories

The course will cover fundamentals of leadership, definitions of leadership, and an introduction to the tools available for research in leadership. Emphasis is on the application of theoretical concepts to actual organizational settings and situations, culminating in the determination of participants’ dominant leadership style and articulation of a personal leadership profile.

LEAD 565 Knowledge Based Leadership

The course will cover the integration and alignment of strategic planning, mission, vision with goals and objectives to position organizations to transition to a knowledge based environment. Participants will develop a plan for capturing tribal knowledge, and using that knowledge to create and communicate a shared vision.

MGMT 520 Managing Organizational Change and Conflict

Techniques for successfully managing and communicating change and conflict in complex organizations. Included will be individual personality, preference and style assessment, interpersonal interaction, and group dynamics. Also covered are implementation strategies for change in organizations as they respond to socioeconomic, technological, ethical,and environmental factors and how to adapt to new competitive conditions. Analyzes forces inducing change; organizational barriers to change; human behavior and demographic diversity; strategies for overcoming resistance to change; and intervention techniques of effective organizational change programs.

LEAD 560 Leading Change in Organizations

Participants will learn to navigate the world of needs assessment tools in order to build an organization’s ability to operate on the consistent generation of information. Systems used to analyze information and implement change resulting from data will be covered through case studies, individual and group exercises. Participants will develop practical tools for engaging people at all levels of an organization through inevitable change.

MGMT 580 Quality Management and Statistical Analysis

This course explores foundations of quality management. Included are tools and methods for analytic study including basic probability and statistics. Models of quality management are utilized through practical case study application. Students will have the opportunity to apply quality management and statistical analysis to a real-world project of their choice. Special emphasis will be placed not only on the content and statistics of their project but also on how to effectively communicate the value of their project to a variety of organizational stakeholders.

MGMT 560 Ethics in the Global Marketplace

Explores the role of business in society. Critical managerial issues from historical, theoretical, and social/ethical perspectives. Coverage of company values, actions, and outcomes that affect employees, investors, business partners, communities, and the natural environment. Examines business ethics in these relationships and ways that leaders can improve corporate citizenship. Special emphasis is placed on understanding the role of ethics in multi-national corporations.

LEAD 505 Organizational Leadership and Ethics

The course will provide an understanding of the distinction between leadership and management in organizations. Theory is mixed with contemporary examples of the ethical challenges facing today’s leaders. Participants consider ethical frameworks (e.g., individual ethical competency, organizational system as an ethical agent) in organizational decision making.

MGMT 565 Financial Analysis and Management I

Introduces and covers a broad range of financial topics of interest to managers. Included are differentiation between accounting and finance; time value of money; macroeconomics, including supply and demand; forecasting techniques, capital budgeting and investment decisions.

CAPS 600 Graduate Project

All learners in graduate MBA, Management and Leadership programs will be required to submit a professional electronic capstone portfolio as a graduate requirement in this course. This course includes an applied leadership project designed to demonstrate how to plan, implement, and integrate progressive initiatives for highly successful organizations by using the five practices of exemplary leadership based on Kouzes & Posner’s international research on leadership. Learners’ projects from this course are included in the final capstone portfolio submitted. The capstone portfolio is a tool for learners to document and demonstrate they have met specific institutional and program learning outcomes. ‘Prerequisite: Completion of all courses in the learners’ program.’

Elective Courses

MGMT 510 Financial Accounting

Concentrates on interpreting financial statement information, using accounting information for decision making and evaluation, and examining current trends in accounting of importance to the manager.

LEAD 510 Leadership in Context

Participants will be able to demonstrate an understanding of how economic, social and/or political events and relationships, whether local, national or worldwide, affect organizations as well as their impact on culture and community. Participants will develop a plan of action for dealing with that impact.

LEAD 515 Leadership Communication and Conflict Resolution

The course will teach leaders to hone and refine important communication and conflict resolution skills including interpersonal and small group communication, persuasion, media communication, and crisis communication.

MGMT 515 Managerial Accounting

Examines the use of accounting information to assist management in planning, analyzing, and implementing business decisions and activities. Focuses on strategic and operational performance analysis and evaluation.

LEAD 520 Leadership Coaching

The course will help learners coach, mentor and empower future leaders. The course will review coaching theories and models as well as the theoretical and applied aspects of teamwork. Participants will focus on building the skills of collaboration. Participants will articulate a personal leadership development plan.

MGMT 525 Business Law

This course is a study of legal concepts applicable to business, including forms of business organization, legal aspects of organizing and operating a business, the Uniform Commercial Code, contracts, commercial paper, secured transactions, bankruptcy, securities regulations, antitrust law, consumer protection, torts, criminal business law, social and political influences, management rights, powers, and responsibilities, ethical considerations, and a brief overview of the structure of the judicial system.

MGMT 530 Marketing Strategies

Explores various marketing concepts of importance to managers, including product development and brand management, price determination, distribution strategy, and advertising/promotion management. Emphasis will be on strategic implications of these topics, rather than the theories themselves. Students will be required to exhibit mastery of the topics through the development of a complete, case-based integrated marketing strategy, which will include a variety of important communication techniques.

MGMT 575 Financial Analysis and Management II

Applies complex financial analysis tools and their role in managerial decision-making. The student will utilize the techniques learned in Financial Analysis I in practical case studies. Specifically covered are risk measurement, opportunity cost of capital, short and long-term financial decisions, corporate financing alternatives, and financial analysis and planning. Students will be expected to perform hands-on modeling projects in Excel. This course will assume prior familiarity with spreadsheet software such as Excel or Lotus. Prerequisite: Successful Completion of MGMT 565.

LEAD 570 Leadership for the Future

Participants will learn to identify trends, implement change initiatives, maximize resources, and develop a response to changing workforce dynamics. This course provides a thorough foundation in the methods used when leading project initiatives. h3. LEAD 580 Practical Problem Solving for Today’s Organizations Working from current and relevant case studies, learners will develop the skills to make real world, real time decisions.

Admission Requirements

To be admitted into the Master of Science in Management program, candidates must submit the following:

Southwestern College Professional Studies Graduate Program Application form – Application forms are accepted on an ongoing basis. No application admission fee is charged. Complete the online application.

Official transcripts of all prior college/university coursework – Applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a grade point average of 2.5 or higher (on a 4.0 scale).

Print a copy of the transcript request form and mail the request to the institution which awarded your bachelor’s degree.

Two confidential letters of recommendation – using the Graduate Recommendation Form (at least one from a current or former employer).

A one page Admissions Essay – submit your written statement electronically to graduate@sckans.edu or via mail or fax to 316.688.5218.

Resume- Applicants should have at least three years of professional work experience.

All international learners must show evidence of their English language ability by providing the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) report. A score of 550 (paper test) or 213 (computer-based test) on the TOEFL is considered the minimum acceptable for admission to the MSL program.

Applicants who hold bachelor’s degrees from a U.S. institution or from an institution in another English-only speaking country will receive a waiver of the TOEFL. Applicants who are from native English speaking countries are not required to take the TOEFL.

Admission requirements may differ for international learners, or for learners whose undergraduate degrees were awarded outside of the United States. Please contact an admissions counselor for more details.

In addition to the above, it is recommended that candidates have a working knowledge of word processing and presentation software.

A candidate’s file must be complete before an admissions decision may be made. It is the responsibility of each candidate to provide all of the information requested above. Candidates will receive a letter of admission to the program.

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