Masters in Business Administration

The Full-Time Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business is designed for students who want to accelerate their careers, develop advanced management skills, or transition into new business fields. Located in Athens, Georgia, the program combines a rigorous business curriculum with individualized career development, applied learning, and opportunities to build professional connections.

The two-year program provides a broad foundation in business management before allowing students to specialize through concentrations and areas of focus. Students learn from faculty, collaborate with peers, and participate in career preparation activities designed to support internship recruitment and full-time employment.

The curriculum requires 61 credit hours, including a community service requirement, according to the current official curriculum page. Students can pursue one or more of nine concentrations and explore additional areas of focus in Strategy, FinTech, and Social Innovation. The program also offers a combined MBA and Master of Science in Business Analytics pathway that can be completed in two years.

Curriculum Structure

The Full-Time MBA curriculum begins with foundational business courses and then progresses toward specialization, experiential learning, and career-focused development. Before the first semester, students complete academic preparation in areas such as finance, accounting, statistics, marketing, and economics. Orientation also introduces students to the MBA experience, team-building activities, and internship and job-search preparation.

Initial Stage: Core Business Foundations

During the first year, students build knowledge across the principal areas of business management. Core courses include:

• MARK 7150 – Marketing Management: Examines marketing principles, customer needs, and market strategy.

• MGMT 7050 – Organizational Behavior: Explores leadership, teamwork, and behavior within organizations.

• BUSN 7100 – Applied Business Statistics: Develops quantitative skills for interpreting business data.

• ACCT 6000 – Financial Accounting: Builds understanding of financial statements and business reporting.

• FINA 7010 – Financial Management: Covers financial analysis and managerial financial decisions.

• BUSN 7990 – Strategy Execution & Career Success: Supports career planning and professional development.

• ECON 7010 – Economic Analysis for Business Leaders: Explores economic principles relevant to management decisions.

• MGMT 7120 – Operations and Supply Chain Management: Examines operational processes and supply chain performance.

• MGMT 7400 – Strategic Management: Develops skills in business strategy and competitive analysis.

These courses help students understand how financial, operational, marketing, economic, and organizational decisions work together to shape business performance.

Middle Stage: Specialization, Analytics, and Internship Experience

During the second semester and the remainder of the program, students begin exploring electives and developing expertise in their chosen concentration. The curriculum includes an analytics requirement, which students can fulfill through courses such as:

• MIST 7600 – Data Management and Analytics: Introduces data management and SQL programming.

• MIST 7770 – Business Intelligence and Analytics: Develops skills in business intelligence, R programming, and data visualization.

• MIST 7690 – Business Process Management and Analytics: Examines business processes and analytical approaches to improving organizational performance.

• MARK 7980 – Marketing Analytics and Decision-Making: Focuses on using marketing data to support business decisions.

• MARK 7600 – Predictive Analytics: Explores analytical methods for identifying patterns and forecasting outcomes.

A paid summer internship is an important part of the program structure, giving students the opportunity to apply their classroom knowledge in a professional setting and gain experience relevant to their intended career path.

Advanced Stage: Concentrations and Applied Learning

In the second year, students complete remaining core requirements, concentration courses, electives, and applied capstone experiences. The curriculum includes options such as Applied Corporate Strategy, Applied Marketing Projects, Innovation Projects, Lean Six Sigma, and Social Innovation Community Leadership.

Students may also choose an international residency and consulting experience, which can provide exposure to global business challenges and opportunities to work on practical projects. These experiences help students strengthen their problem-solving, collaboration, and presentation skills while applying business knowledge to real organizational needs.

Focus Areas

The Full-Time MBA offers nine concentrations and three additional areas of focus, allowing students to tailor their studies to their career interests.

• Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence: Develop expertise in analytics, predictive modeling, business intelligence, and AI applications in business.

• Entrepreneurship: Explore opportunity identification, business planning, entrepreneurial finance, and venture management.

• Finance: Build skills in valuation, investments, financial analysis, and corporate financial decision-making.

• Healthcare Management: Study healthcare policy, organizational management, financial considerations, and risk in healthcare settings.

• Human Resources: Focus on leadership, recruitment, employee development, compensation, and workforce management.

• Marketing: Develop expertise in marketing strategy, consumer insights, market research, and customer-focused decision-making.

• Operations and Supply Chain Management: Learn about supply chain design, project management, service operations, and process improvement.

• Real Estate: Explore real estate investment analysis, development, finance, and valuation.

• Risk Management: Develop the analytical skills needed to identify, evaluate, and manage financial and operational risks.

Students can complement a concentration with one of three areas of focus:

• Strategy: Develop consulting-oriented analytical, strategic, and problem-solving skills.

• FinTech: Explore the intersection of financial services, technology, data, and innovation.

• Social Innovation: Examine creative approaches to challenges affecting business and society.

The program's flexible structure may allow students to combine concentrations or add an area of focus, subject to course requirements and availability.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the Full-Time MBA can develop the ability to:

• Analyze business problems using financial, quantitative, and strategic frameworks.

• Make evidence-based decisions using business data and analytical tools.

• Lead teams, manage organizational change, and communicate effectively with stakeholders.

• Develop business strategies that respond to competitive pressures and changing market conditions.

• Apply marketing, finance, accounting, operations, and management knowledge to complex organizational challenges.

• Build specialized expertise through concentrations and elective coursework.

• Apply classroom learning to practical business challenges through internships, capstone projects, and consulting experiences.

• Evaluate business opportunities and develop solutions that support organizational performance and growth.

• Collaborate effectively with classmates, faculty, employers, and professionals from different industries.

The combination of core business education, specialization, and practical experience helps students prepare for leadership positions and career transitions across a variety of sectors.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

The Terry College of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International). The college has maintained continuous accreditation since 1926, reflecting its commitment to academic quality, curriculum development, faculty standards, and student learning.

The Full-Time MBA integrates general management education with specialized training, analytical coursework, and applied business projects. Students can further develop their professional capabilities through concentrations, consulting experiences, and career-focused activities.

The program also offers a STEM-certified MBA–MSBA track for students seeking to combine business administration with advanced business analytics. STEM designation may be relevant to eligible international students seeking an extension of Optional Practical Training in the United States, subject to applicable immigration requirements and individual eligibility.

AACSB accreditation and STEM designation serve different purposes. Accreditation relates to the quality standards of the business school, while STEM designation relates to the classification of the relevant academic program for applicable educational and immigration purposes.

Reputation and Employability

The University of Georgia's Terry College of Business offers students access to a large alumni network, employer engagement opportunities, and a dedicated Career Management Center. Students can participate in employer showcases, case competitions, networking events, internship panels, and career fairs while receiving support with internship recruitment and full-time job searches.

The university highlights several indicators of the program's reputation and career outcomes:

• No. 1 globally for value for money: Financial Times 2026 ranking, as reported by Terry College.

• 8th among public full-time MBA programs: Bloomberg Businessweek 2026, as reported by Terry College.

• 92% employed within three months after graduation: A program-level employment outcome reported on the official Full-Time MBA page.

• More than 85,000 Terry alumni: A professional network spanning industries and locations worldwide.

Potential career pathways include:

• Management Consultant

• Business Strategy Analyst

• Financial Analyst or Finance Manager

• Marketing Manager

• Business Analytics Consultant

• Operations Manager

• Supply Chain Manager

• Product Manager

• Healthcare Management Professional

• Risk Management Specialist

• Corporate Strategy Manager

• Entrepreneur or Business Owner

These are potential career directions rather than guaranteed outcomes. Individual results depend on previous work experience, concentration, internship performance, networking, and employer requirements.

For students seeking a comprehensive business education with opportunities to specialize, gain practical experience, and receive structured career support, the University of Georgia's Full-Time MBA offers a strong foundation for professional growth and leadership development.