I would like to take the time to reveal a few of the characteristics of the Business/Management program at Kaplan.  While I cannot speak for other schools that I have not attended, I wanted to take this occasion to point out my thoughts on the final two years of my undergraduate degree.
 
This probably isn’t the same curriculum one might see at an Ivy League institution, but it is never marketed as such.  Online education is geared toward adult learners who have several years of work experience, or are going back to school for the first time in a while.  What Kaplan has succeeded in doing is putting together a package that provides what I feel was a complex, well-rounded foundation for those looking to get a degree.  My degree is in Management, and you can see how the courses below fit into that mindset.

I don’t want anyone to get the idea that just because these classes provide a good, basic foundation for business that they are easy in any way.  I have spent a lot of time in the business world managing people and processes.  I was lucky to have the knowledge that I brought with me into the degree program.  It helped me a lot.

With that said, I can attest to the fact that these classes were complex, challenging, and downright difficult at times.  So don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.  You will be challenged.  Even with my previous experience, I learned a lot in every class.  In classes that might have been easy for me based on my previous experiences, I was able to help others in the class.  That was a great opportunity.

Keep in mind that all of these classes were taken after I earned my A.A.S. from Kaplan in Computer Information Systems.  For those thinking about signing up at Kaplan and diving into the B.S.M. program, this post is designed to give you a heads up as to what you might expect.  Also keep in mind that some of these classes are my own electives (I had 6 electives in various subjects).  Also keep in mind that the curriculum is subject to change at any time without notice.

So here it is.  Enjoy.

Introduction to Management - This course examines how management functions and processes apply to work in organizations and with individuals in those organizations, introducing key management thinkers and schools of thought. Students will examine what management professionals as well as theorists and social scientists have to say about motivation, leadership, organization, and planning. Students will also look at business challenges from the perspectives of contemporary leadership theory and business ethics.

Introduction to Web Design - An essential first step for any Web designer, this course contains a comprehensive look at HTML, the language used to create Web pages. More specifically, this course covers the creation and formatting of HTML documents, including the incorporation of graphics, multimedia, forms, and tables. Students learn how to use layout and design principles and HTML scripting.

College Algebra - This course covers topics of algebra, including linear functions, equations, and inequalities, systems of equations in two variables, polynomial functions, rational and radical equations and inequalities, exponential and logarithmic functions, ratios, proportions, variation, and graphing.

Effective Writing II - This course helps students apply research and critical thinking skills to develop effective arguments. Students will create professional writings, incorporating post-draft revision strategies, working constructively with colleagues.

Accounting I - This course reviews the complete accounting cycle and the creation and management of accounting information for business entities. Particular emphasis will be placed on the fundamental principles and skills of the accounting profession, including recording of transactions, financial presentation of accounting data, and the uses of accounting information.

Organizational Behavior - This course explores human behavior in organizations. Students examine individual behavior, attitudes, personality, values, perception, and emotions and how these affect organization outcomes. The course also looks at the theories, concepts, and application of motivation as well as the importance of stress management and professional ethics and etiquette. Students gain an appreciation for communication processes, channels, and styles along with a set of organizational design tools.

Management of Information Systems - This course provides students with an understanding of the role of computer-based information systems in business organizations. Emphasis is placed on management and technical concepts essential to business application and management control of information systems. Procedures and controls used in maintaining communication channels are studied.

Conflict Resolution and Team Dynamics - This course addresses the dynamics of organizations in the increasingly complex work environment. Students examine group behavior, team building, and decision making. This course also looks at the theories and issues of leadership as well as the implications of power, politics, and conflict in the workplace. Students develop a better understanding of individual and group interactions and learn the components and styles of effective negotiation. Students gain an appreciation of organizational culture, diversity, and the role of human resource practices along with an understanding of managing organizational change.

Ethics and the Legal Environment - Students apply ethical theories to business situations and evaluate the effects various decisions have on stakeholders. Topics include the foundations of moral development and ethical decision making; business ethics; corporate social responsibility and stakeholder management; and the responsibilities of business to employees, the environment, community, customers, and shareholders.

Organizational Communication - This course focuses on the study and implementation of effective organizational communication. Different theories will be identified, discussed and critiqued. Students will study the major components of organizational communication including leadership, conflict, and ethics. Additionally, students will read and critique case studies showing organizational communication in professional applications.

Research and Presentation - This course provides hands-on study and evaluation of research methods used in a management/technological environment, including an overview of statistical analysis for reporting and decision making. Students prepare research critiques of journal articles and develop a framework for specific research projects. Students learn to report and present findings in a manner that stimulates critical thinking and ideas, and look at the impact of technology in the management setting.

Marketing Research - This course explores how an organization collects and interprets information about the marketplace to develop effective strategies. It covers the use of statistical and analytical techniques used to measure and predict consumer behavior, assist product and service developers, guide sales or service management decisions, and evaluate marketing initiatives. The use of the Internet in marketing research is an integral part of the course.

American Business History - This course will explore the growth of business in the American economy. The course will look at the evolution of the business firm through four distinct phases. These stages include: the merchants and artisans in the pre-industrial era, the rise of manufacturing enterprises in the nineteenth century concentrating on bureaucratic centralized corporations, the twentieth century reorganization of enterprises focusing on decentralized management and diversified product lines, and finally the late twentieth century business community that endured international competition, downsized and changed its focus from manufacturing to service. Additionally, the course will survey the changing role and relationship of the American government with the business community. Finally, students will understand the impact and influence of technology, transportation, communication, managerial practices, the economy, and marketing practices on the evolution of the American business community.

Operations Management - This course focuses on the importance of the operations function in organizations. Students examine the fundamental issues of facilities location, output planning, inventory control, scheduling, and quality control. The course emphasizes quality and its impact in securing a strategic advantage for manufacturing and service entities.

Managing Technological Innovation - In this course, students will observe how business leaders manage the adoption and/or application of technological innovation. Students will be introduced to the technology adoption life cycle, several methods of technology forecasting, and the fostering/hindering effects of internal company culture. Finally, students will trace the technology life cycle of a specific technology of their own choosing, discuss how the innovation has affected business, and prepare a projection of its use in industry for the foreseeable future.

Management Policy and Strategy - This course demonstrates how to create a strategic business plan. Students learn how to craft, communicate, implement, and monitor a strategic plan, reformulating it as the need arises.

Project Management - This course explores the concepts utilized for effective information technology project management. Students learn about project management knowledge areas and process groups, as well as the use of project management software. Case studies are used to further demonstrate information technology project concepts.

Critical Thinking - This course will help students apply tools of informal logic and critical thinking to practical situations that students encounter in their own lives. The course has four main objectives. First, students will learn how to use methods of critical thinking to evaluate rationally many kinds of arguments and claims. Second, students will learn sound strategies for constructing good arguments of their own. Third, students will learn how to identify and respond to fallacies, biases, ambiguities, and other aspects of bad reasoning. Fourth, students will learn how to apply these concepts to real-world cases of personal significance to them.

Web Marketing and E-Commerce - Students learn the steps needed to develop and integrate Internet communication strategies. Starting with marketing basics, they learn to plan and target a Web marketing effort. The practical logistics of establishing and maintaining an e-commerce site, including legal and regulatory issues, are also explored.

Advanced Career Development Strategies - This course will assist students in constructing short- and long-term career development strategies and goals that emphasize the importance of life-long learning and flexibility as they maneuver the global, high-tech workplace. Emphasis will be placed on maintaining career marketability, anticipating change, and preparing career contingency plans. Exploration will center on students’ assessing and understanding themselves, identifying organizational cultures and determining personal fit, managing and embracing change, and networking. Through the use of a career development portfolio, students will conduct organizational research, prepare job-search documents, practice interview and follow up skills, and negotiate the job offer for positions in their chosen profession.

Bachelors Capstone in Management - This senior-level course builds on the concepts of all the courses taken within the program of study. The capstone course provides graduating students with an opportunity to integrate their previous coursework in a meaningful review of their learning and to assess their level of mastery of the stated outcomes of their degree program.