Exploring Eller MBA Concentrations

Gain a competitive edge by enhancing the breadth of the MBA with the depth of a concentration. You can choose one of these concentrations—Entrepreneurship, Accounting/Finance, Health Care Management, Healthcare Informatics, Privacy & Security, Management, or Marketing. Not interested in a narrow focus? Choose multiple elective courses to complement your studies and meet your goals.

Earn a resume-boosting concentration by taking designated electives. MBA concentrations are available in:

• Entrepreneurship: Expand your entrepreneurial skills with this self-declared concentration. Whether your goal is to apply skills within a corporation or launch your own venture, these courses will help bring your best ideas to fruition. Expand your knowledge with tech ventures, customer-focused leadership, and leading change for innovation.
• Finance: With an emphasis on advanced analytical and technical skills, you will complete electives that further your understanding of the Finance core. With investment analysis, financial modeling, and statement analysis topics, you will conduct in-depth research to build your professional acumen.
• *NEW* Healthcare Informatics: Analyze concepts and practices of our healthcare information systems by visualizing data to hypothesize trends, formulate stores, and convey findings. Explore advanced research methodologies, strategic modeling, and simulations while applying them in real life. This cutting-edge concentration combines elements of MIS to convey data reporting through the lens of healthcare information systems.
• Healthcare Management: Learn from the faculty who know the healthcare industry inside and out. Along with a diverse healthcare course list, you will explore health economics, quality and reliability, and leadership topics. Explore ethical and legal concerns in an ever-changing environment and identify entrepreneurial solutions.
• Management and Organizations: Collaborate with your peers to examine the design and leadership of task-performing teams in a formal organizational setting. By utilizing knowledge of business law, you will be exposed to cutting-edge issues as well as negotiations.
• Marketing: Fine-tune your skills in any business or industry with subjects such as pricing strategies, product innovation, integrated marketing communication, social media marketing, and market research. With small class sizes, you will cover every angle of marketing.
• Privacy and Security: This concentration covers a broad spectrum of current and emerging information systems security, information assurance, risk management, and privacy and security implications of various technologies. You’ll learn about risk assessment principles, cyber law, security planning, techniques for assessing risks, and privacy and security issues in the world of big data.

5 Tips for Choosing the Best MBA Specialization for You

1. Do your research – Which specializations/concentrations are offered in the MBA program that you selected and which classes are required to complete each one? Do these interest you, or do you want to forego the concentration and choose electives from different fields instead?
2. Be strategic – Think about why you’d like a concentration. Are you looking to move up in your current field/function or switch to something new? Select a concentration that would give you the knowledge and skills and help build your résumé for your next endeavor. 
3. Check your logic – Talk to the experts when selecting a concentration to advance your career. See if people already working in your field/function of interest value what the concentration has to offer. Or do they recommend a different selection?
4. Be flexible – Studying for an MBA is a great time to explore. If you discover that another concentration interests you, be willing to follow your passion. You might discover a new career!
5. Jump in and get started – As soon as you have completed your core courses, begin your electives. You want to give yourself plenty of time to complete the concentration – or maybe two?

When Do I Pick an MBA Specialization or Concentration?

You can begin your concentration after you have completed the foundational or core courses of the MBA, which is usually after the first two semesters. Completing core courses first ensures that you will be successful by knowing the basics in each field before taking on more advanced material. Use this prep time to reflect on where you have excelled and which core courses you enjoy. You may discover an entirely new career path for yourself!