Professional MBA students can tailor their education to fit their career aspirations by gaining expertise in a particular subject through a specialization. To complete a specialization, students must take a minimum of four of their electives in a single area.
A specialization appears on the student's transcript but not the diploma. It is recommended that students add their functional specialization to the education section of their resume. Fill out a specialization form.
This page provides information on the courses that are expected to be offered in PMBA format for each specialization in the near future. All course descriptions and official details for each specialization can be found in the USC Academic Bulletin.
The finance specialization prepares students for positions in financial services such as banking and investment management as well as corporate finance. Finance courses provide a core set of skills in financial modeling, valuation, mergers and acquisitions, risk management, financial reporting and analysis.
REQUIRED
- FINA 761: Advanced Financial Management
- FINA 762: Investment Management
SELECT TWO
- FINA 737: Derivative Products and Analysis
- FINA 746: Risk Management
- FINA 756: Financial Statement Analysis
- FINA 767: Real Estate Finance
- FINA 773: Project Finance
- FINA/MGMT 780: Entrepreneurial Finance and the Dynamics of Emerging Ventures
- IBUS 701: International Finance Management
- IBUS 735: International Mergers and Acquisitions
The innovation/entrepreneurship specialization develops skills in creating/launching new ventures, managing/funding small businesses and scalable new ventures, and directing the development of new products and services, and ensuring that appropriate strategies are in place to protect/appropriate the value associated with these new ideas and initiatives.
SELECT FOUR
- IBUS 709: International Intellectual Property Management
- IBUS 720: International Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- MGMT 733: Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation
- MGMT 775: Strategic Analysis and Application of Innovation
- MGMT 776: Strategic Innovation Planning and Processes
- MGMT 777: Innovation and New Venture Analysis
- MGMT 778: Small Business Management
- MGMT/FINA 780: Entrepreneurial Finance and the Dynamics of Emerging Ventures
- MGSC 772: Project Management
- MGSC 779: Innovation and Design
The international business specialization develops skills in doing business across national boundaries and diverse cultures. To complete the international business concentration, students are required to take four of their seven electives in international business. One of these electives must be IBUS 750*, a course which requires travel and study abroad. an offshore learning experience.
*Note: Only one IBUS 750 course will count towards this specialization, but you are allowed to take up to two for elective credit.
- IBUS 700: Survey of International Business
- IBUS 701: International Financial Management
- IBUS 704: Comparative Corporate Governance
- IBUS 705: Global Business Management
- IBUS 708: International Business Legal Environments
- IBUS 709: International Intellectual Property Management
- IBUS 711: Global Corporate Valuation
- IBUS 719: Social Networks and Global Leadership
- IBUS 720: International Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- IBUS 735: International Mergers and Acquisitions
- IBUS 742: Organizational Misconduct
- IBUS 750: Exploring Global Business
- IBUS 790: Doing Business in Asia
- MGMT 701: Human Resource and the Global Firm
- MGSC 771: Global Sourcing: Strategies and Applications
The marketing specialization develops skills in marketing strategy, research and consumer behavior and is based on the perspective that marketing managers must view customers, products and services as assets. Courses in customer relationship management/data-mining and internet marketing are also offered.
SELECT FOUR
- MKTG 704: Consumer Behavior
- MKTG 708: Customer Relationship Management and Data Mining
- MKTG 712: Topics in Marketing Thought and Practice
- MKTG 717: Fundamentals of Marketing Analytics
- MKTG: 718: Social and Digital Media Strategies for Businesses
- MKTG 719: Business to Business Marketing
- MKTG 720: Sales: Process, People and Performance
- MKTG 723: Marketing Analytics
The human resource management specialization provides students with knowledge in areas critical to working in human resources management, including human resources functional area knowledge, implementations in international contexts and process knowledge on such topics as negotiations, team management and leadership.
SELECT FOUR
- ACCT 741: Special Legal Issues in the Workplace
- BADM 790: Special Topics in Business (If special topics course focuses on human resources; when in doubt, students should check with PMBA student services.)
- IBUS 742: Organizational Misconduct
- MGMT 701: Human Resources and the Global Firm
or IBUS 717: Managing Cross-border Teams - MGMT 726: Human Resource and Business Strategy
- MGMT 731: Negotiations
The operations and supply chain management specialization develops core skills in the areas of process design and improvement, forecasting and demand management, capacity planning, inventory management, global sourcing, supplier management, and supply chain risk management. Additionally, through elective courses, students have the option of further developing skills in project management, innovation, and service operations.
REQUIRED
- MGSC 771: Global Sourcing: Strategies and Applications
- MGSC 776: Supply Chain Modeling
SELECT TWO
- MGSC 772: Project Management
- MGSC 778: Revenue Management
- MGSC 779: Innovation and Design
- MGSC 873: Service Operations Management