Online MBA in Strategic Leadership

In this course, students integrate knowledge from different functional areas and evaluate strategic decisions in a corporate context. This case-based course emphasizes the analysis of the drivers of value creation and value destruction in corporate tools such as mergers and acquisitions, alliances and informal inter-organizational networks. Students will learn to apply a set of tools that help them make better corporate-level decisions addressing diversification, integration and internal development issues facing modern multi-business firms. The coursework includes a team project.

Prerequisite(s): MGMT 6000 or 6030

Maintaining or creating a competitive advantage requires innovation in process and product technologies. In many industries, top companies in one decade are struggling or absent in the next due to an inability to deal effectively with innovation development. In many cases, top companies fade from prominence due to an inability to anticipate or adjust to the introduction of disruptive technologies by other firms. In this course, frameworks and tools for managing technology advancement are introduced.

Managing for Success is an intensive course aimed at developing fundamental leadership and management skills. No matter their general mental ability, experience or drive, managers at any level need core skills to be effective. These skills include:

• Self-awareness: Understanding your behavior’s impact on organizational outcomes
• Communication: Effectively communicating goals and inspiring trust
• Influence: Being comfortable at persuading, promoting and delegating
• Learning agility: Knowing when to change course and helping others to do so
• Feedback: Effectively delivering feedback and conducting performance feedback sessions

Along with the development of fundamental skills for managing others, leaders need to know how to establish an organizational climate for success. In this course, students will learn how to create the environment for success, immerse themselves in development, adapt these skills to their own leadership and management contexts, participate with peers in learning and share ideas on how to apply their lessons learned to the workplace.

This course introduces basic concepts underlying the reporting of economic activities to external users. It emphasizes the concepts and relationships underlying the income statement, balance sheet, statement of cash flows and statement of changes in shareholders’ equity.

The course covers ESG accounting standards, and it builds the accounting skills necessary to help understand and value firms, assess performance and effectively engage in the capital markets.

Managerial accounting is concerned with providing information to managers for use within the organization. Managerial accounting is a company’s internal language and is used for planning, directing, controlling and decision-making activities in the organization. The course covers topics like cost-volume-profit analysis, budgeting, variance analysis, performance measurement and differential analysis.

This course focuses on the economic principles and knowledge necessary for effective enterprise management in the modern business environment. The course is divided into two modules, one focused on applied microeconomics, the other focused on the macroeconomic foundations of the U.S. and world economy. The microeconomic module applies the economic theory of the firm and consumer behavior to analyze household and firm behavior. Applications include market demand analysis and marketing strategy, production and cost efficiency, pricing, product quality and other competitive strategies. The macroeconomic module examines the U.S. and world economy in relation to national income, international trade and patterns of investment. Topics include the determination of interest rates, inflation, investment, wage levels, real output growth, exchange rates and international trade and investment patterns. Also included is a study of the role of financial and governmental institutions in domestic and world commerce.

This course provides an introduction to the discipline of finance and gives students the tools they need to make capital budgeting decisions for firms. It begins with the study of the time value of money and how to value stocks and bonds. From there, it moves into capital budgeting techniques including net present value and internal rate of return. Students will learn how to evaluate an asset’s risk and expected return within the context of a portfolio, leading to the fundamentals of asset pricing theory. Cash flow analysis, inflation and a firm’s cost of capital are all topics that are covered. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with the basic tools used to analyze the investment and financing decisions made within firms.

This course introduces the basic concepts of contracts, labor laws, discrimination, torts, partnership, corporations, securities and bankruptcy, and gives students an understanding of the relationships between parties in a typical business setting. Tax consequences relative to various entities used in business transactions are also examined.

A successful manager must analyze communication situations, develop communication strategies and demonstrate appropriate behavior leading to intelligent, flexible decisions. Specifically, students evaluate communication issues in both internal and external environments and communicate orally and in writing. In addition, the course examines corporate communication issues such as communication management, corporate image, identity, reputation, media relations and crisis communication. Topics such as data protection and privacy, employee engagement and community relations are covered.

This course is designed to teach students the vocabulary, framework and critical thinking skills to help them understand and manage individuals’ behavior in organizations. The content and process aspects of this course should be helpful to students as they plan their careers, manage relationships with others and work to achieve goals in dynamic organizational settings. As the result of this course, students should 1) gain an understanding of key concepts and frameworks for understanding individuals and teams in organizations, 2) apply these frameworks to diagnose work situations, evaluate options and propose solutions to organizational problems and 3) effectively communicate observations about organizational behavior in both oral and written form. Topics such as workforce diversity and employee engagement are covered.

This course introduces a toolkit of analytical approaches and theoretical concepts that can help managers better understand the nature of the competition that their company faces as well as inform their choice and execution of strategy. We will explore how firms achieve competitive advantage in a dynamic and complex environment. The course is organized around frameworks that will assist you in analyzing a wide range of strategic issues facing companies, including: 1) theories for in-depth industry and competitor analysis as well as for anticipating and predicting future industry developments, 2) an examination of the economic underpinnings of competitive advantage, and the conditions that allow firms to conceive, develop and sustain advantageous strategic positions and 3) an examination of both business strategy and corporate strategy issues and how to implement strategies.

Strategies to achieve greater climate and social sustainability are covered in this course.

This course is designed to equip students with a basic understanding of business problems, data analysis tools and mathematical techniques. Students master essential statistics concepts, spreadsheet functions, build descriptive business data measures and develop their aptitude for data modeling. They’ll also explore basic probability concepts, including measuring and modeling uncertainty, using various data distributions and the Linear/Multiple Regression Model to analyze and inform business decisions. The overarching goal is to teach students to use statistics and spreadsheets to analyze models and data for integrated decision-making across multiple domains, including finance, marketing, accounting, strategy and operations.

Business analytics refers to the skills, technologies and practices for continuous iterative exploration and investigation of past business performance to gain insight and drive business planning. Business analytics focuses on developing new insights and understanding of business performance based on data and statistical methods.

Business analytics has been widely adopted in different functional areas (i.e., accounting, finance, operations, marketing and human resources) as well as a wide range of different industries (energy, healthcare, sports, government, etc.). For example, banks, such as Capital One, use analytics to segment customers based on credit risk, usage behavior and other characteristics and then to match customer characteristics with appropriate product offerings. Harrah’s, the gaming firm, uses analytics based on tracking the consumer behavior to improve its customer loyalty programs.

This course provides students with the fundamental concepts, techniques and applications needed to understand the emerging role of business analytics in organizations, and ability to communicate with analytics professionals to effectively use and interpret analytics models and results for making better business decisions. This course will also familiarize students with R (analyses software) and Tableau (visualization software) which are widely used in the industry.

Corequisites: Introduction to Business Statistics

To achieve a competitive advantage, firms must thoroughly understand the complex processes underlying the manufacturing of products as well as the delivery of services. This course provides students with concepts, tools and techniques to design, analyze and improve the operational capabilities of organizations and supply chains. We will look at the operations function in both manufacturing and service industries and investigate how it can provide a competitive advantage along the dimensions of cost, quality, delivery and flexibility. We will then look more broadly at the importance of coordination and risk mitigation for supply chains. The course will introduce several key topics in operations and supply chain management that are essential to any organization.

Operations management is largely based on statistics. Consequently, we will devote a substantial amount of time to mastering analytical methods. The deeper issues surrounding operations and supply chain strategy and ESG implications, however, must be addressed through a broad and conceptual approach. Hence, this course will provide a mix of quantitative and qualitative treatments of the subject using lectures, case discussions, articles, instructional games and exercises.

Pre-requisites: Introduction to Business Statistics

This course is designed as a graduate-level introduction to the basic principles and concepts in marketing. The goal is to expose you to these concepts as they are used in a wide variety of business settings. The course will provide you with a framework that can help you make effective marketing decisions. This framework includes elements of a market situation analysis (company, customer, competition, collaborators, context), marketing strategy formulation (segmentation, targeting, positioning) and the marketing mix (product, price, placement/distribution, promotion) as the tactical implementation of a marketing strategy. Students will combine quantitative and qualitative analyses in applying the principles you learn in class to a variety of real-world marketing issues.

The course covers what societal marketing is and how marketers can contribute more than just product or service value.

This course is designed to expose students to the concepts integral to entrepreneurship and the identification of entrepreneurial opportunities. Students will develop their knowledge about the role of entrepreneurship in dynamic market economies and the particular challenges that come with new venture creation. This highly experiential course provides students with the opportunity to practice the basic tools of business discovery and validation, both as an instrument for new venture formation and as a core capability for addressing challenges in competitive landscapes. It also reviews the key conceptual and theoretical antecedents that underpin opportunity recognition. By the conclusion of this class, students should have a clear idea of how to take an entrepreneurial idea and engage in a series of iterative tests to determine its potential and viability in the market through the formation of a tractable business model.

The focus of the course is on the firm’s financing activities, both long-term and short term. Long-term financing includes raising cash through issuance of debt, equity, preferred stock and convertible bonds. For short-term finance, the course investigates working capital management, including bank loan, cash, credit and inventory management. The course concludes by discussing techniques for firms to maximize value by minimizing their cost of capital through appropriate financial structure policies.

Tulane’s Online MBA in strategic leadership prepares you for senior-level roles where vision, people skills and operational acumen intersect. Our graduates excel at leading teams through change, driving organizational strategy and making decisions that shape the direction of their companies.

Graduates can pursue roles such as:

• Director of Strategy ($148,443) – Shape long-term organizational goals, lead cross-functional planning initiatives and advise senior leadership on competitive positioning.
• Operations Manager ($76,986) – Oversee day-to-day business functions, streamline processes and ensure teams meet performance and efficiency targets.
• Management Consultant ($103,716) – Analyze organizational challenges, develop data-driven recommendations and guide clients through complex business decisions.
• Chief of Staff ($123, 886) – Support executive leadership, coordinate high-priority initiatives and serve as a strategic liaison across departments.
• Human Resources Director ($101,983) – Lead HR strategy, oversee talent acquisition and development and ensure organizational policies align with workforce goals.
• General Manager ($75,743) – Direct overall business operations, manage cross-departmental teams and drive performance across revenue and operational goals.
• Business Development Manager ($86,665) – Identify growth opportunities, build strategic partnerships and develop new revenue streams to advance organizational goals.

No, you don’t need to select a concentration when you apply. You have the flexibility to explore core courses first, then decide if you want to earn a concentration in strategic leadership, business analytics, finance and/or marketing.

Prefer to chart your own course? Our Freeman team can help you design an elective track aligned with your career goals.

It depends where you want to take your career. A general MBA builds broad business leadership skills across finance, marketing and operations, and is ideal for those seeking versatility or leadership roles across specific functions.

An MBA in strategic leadership is built for professionals who want to dedicate extra effort into sharpening their ability to lead organizations through growth and complexity, and it prepares them to lead at the highest level in their organizations.

Choose an MBA in strategic leadership if you want to:

• Lead organizational transformation and culture change
• Move into senior management or executive-track roles
• Sharpen your ability to motivate teams and align stakeholders
• Gain hands-on experience with tools like SQL, Tableau and predictive modeling
• Develop a strategic mindset grounded in real-world business frameworks
• Position yourself for roles in consulting, operations or people leadership

Both degrees strengthen your leadership capabilities, but the MBA is built for experienced professionals who want to pair those skills with the enterprise-level business acumen to lead at scale.

Choose an MBA in strategic leadership if you want to:

• Combine leadership depth with a full foundation in finance, marketing, accounting and operations
• Seek executive leadership roles across business functions or career pivots

Choose a master’s in strategic leadership if you want to:

• Obtain a specialized degree focused on leadership theory, organizational behavior and people management
• Deepen your expertise in a specific area without the broader business curriculum

Students applying for admission to the Online MBA program from the Freeman School of Business at Tulane University will need the following:

• Online application form
• Start your application here.
• Official transcripts
• Required from all institutions upon admittance, official transcripts must be sent directly from the institution’s office of the registrar to Tulane University by secure email (preferred) at freeman_etrans@tulane.edu.
• Alternatively, they can be sent to our mailing address:
Tulane University
Online MBA #1564
6823 St. Charles Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70118
• Resumé
• Include details on your education, as well as your professional experience and accomplishments.
• Two letters of recommendation
• These required recommendations should come from a professional source and should highlight the strengths, achievements and reasons why you would be a good candidate for Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business.
• Note: You will be able to add and/or update your recommenders after submitting your application.
• Personal statement
• In no more than 250 words, describe why you are choosing to attend the Tulane University’s Online MBA; including your motivation and understanding of the commitment and time management of an online program.
• International students must also submit:
• TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic or the Duolingo English Test for all applicants who are not citizens of countries where English is the official language. Exceptions may apply.