CORE THEMES 
Excellence in Business, Excellence in Your Career
There are four core themes that make up the Curry College MBA Program. Examined singly, each theme centers on a critical aspect of success in business; viewed as a whole, all four themes make up the building blocks of a model of business excellence that is unique to the Curry College program:

1. Leadership and Ethics
   The qualities of strong leadership in our constantly changing global world are far more complex than they were just a decade ago. The Curry College MBA Program is built on a definition of leadership that encompasses more than the basic textbook philosophies of leadership and management. This theme teaches the fundamentals and requisite skill sets of effective leadership in a global environment and does so within an over-arching framework of social responsibility.
2. Strategic Planning
   Visionary leaders see the big picture, the end-results, well before they implement a business plan.  They know how to communicate and structure their ideas into logical steps that utilize their resources, respect social and cultural boundaries, and establish best practices with colleagues, customers, and suppliers. The goal of this theme is to teach students how to think strategically in a global environment – how to recognize opportunity, how to establish what needs to be done, how to determine who needs to be involved, how to manage effectively, and how to honor cultural differences. 
3. Decision-Making Tools
   Although technology has opened up world-wide business possibilities, the fact that it is constantly changing often forces global managers to make decisions based on uncertainty. Therefore, to reduce the risk of failure, it is essential, particularly in a global marketplace, to have a well-rounded understanding and knowledge of all elements involved.  This theme examines decision-making tools in the context of e-commerce, customer service, and global business issues in an effort to empower analytical thinking and reasoning skills.
4. Problem Solving
   Effective global managers are problem sharp-shooters.  Problem solving skills result from a firm understanding of the basic tenets of global business practices and are further refined through exposure to actual problem solving strategies.  This theme relies on a mix of case studies as well as on real-life problems presented by global managers of successful area businesses. 

COURSE MODULES
Business Merger: Theory meets Practice
One of the most unique features of the Curry College MBA Program is its structure. The courses are designed as modular course “pairs” where one course is more theoretical, paired with a course that focuses on the practical application of those theories.  At the conclusion of each module, a team-taught seminar will help students reflect on and demonstrate their understanding of the key concepts and skills from that module.   The modules carefully build toward the capstone project.

COHORT GROUPS
Colleagues and Learning Partners
As a student in the Curry College MBA Program, you will be part of a cohort group.  That means that the same students will be in all of your classes for the entire two years, start to finish.  Cohort group learning has proven to be very effective for adult learners because it creates a community of professionals who can study together, provide support, and offer networking opportunities.  From the perspective of learning about business, working with your cohort group prepares you for effective teamwork with colleagues.

REFLECTIVE THINKING SKILLS
Individual “Coaching” to Help You Achieve Your Potential
Since its founding in 1879, Curry College has emphasized individual education and personal development.  Throughout the MBA Program, students are offered a series of workshops and reflective seminars.  Both are opportunities to enhance your understanding of the program content, but on a broader scale, they are the training ground for reflective thinking.  The ability to think reflectively is at the very heart of leadership in the 21st Century as it provides the foundation for strategic thinking, decision-making, and problem solving.

TIES WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
Real-life, Hands-on Learning
The Curry College MBA Program is dynamic. Curry’s partnership with the local business community is a source of constant input from senior global managers who have their fingers on the pulse of changing issues and new developments.  Many of them serve as guest speakers in the program discussing actual business problems and solutions as well as providing support and assistance to students developing their strategic planning capstone projects and presentations.

THE CAPSTONE COURSE
Your Return on Investment
Your Curry College MBA Program will culminate in a capstone course where you will work with a faculty mentor and a sponsoring organization to define, analyze, and offer solutions to a major business issue facing the sponsoring organization or to develop a complete strategic plan for a new business venture.  Not only will your project demonstrate your knowledge of all four core program themes, but also it will illustrate your ability to integrate those themes into a model for business excellence that embraces social and ethical responsibility.  This model will form the foundation for excellence in your career.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
John Bresnahan, Director of Graduate Enrollment and Student Services 617-333-2243
jbresnah0104@curry.edu