Courses
Now more than ever, being successful in business means having a solid foundation of quantitative skills, leading to better understanding of data and ways of modeling behavior or business interactions. This course covers basic concepts in mathematics that are crucial for students studying business at the graduate level, including algebra, calculus, statistics and matrix algebra. It is not intended to develop a mastery of these subjects, but simply to familiarize students with or refresh these quantitative skills to prepare for success in Carey’s business programs.
Career and Life Design for Experienced Professionals provides you with an opportunity to learn and develop the necessary skills to engage in lifelong career planning. From clarifying your values and interests, exploring opportunities, and learning about professional branding, to interviewing and job search strategies, this hands-on eight-week course is here to help part-time and dual degree students are any stage of their time at Carey.Please note while this course is asynchronous, there are weekly deadlines to maintain through the term and students report that average time spent on course is about 4 hours/week. Refer to the sample syllabus for more details.
An independent study provides an opportunity for students to study a particular topic of interest in depth. Students who demonstrated competency in a certain area may elect to pursue an independent study project under the supervision of a faculty sponsor with expertise in the selected area.
This course is a leadership-intensive seminar and expedition focused on helping students develop their own leadership capacity, while also emphasizing a conceptual understanding of leadership in diverse settings. The course utilizes the unique opportunity for leadership development embedded in outdoor experiential education, providing students the challenge of serving as a leader. The course combines a thorough academic introduction to leadership development and opportunity for self-assessment with repeated reflection and feedback to help students develop their own path as leaders.<br><br>This is a physically demanding course. Students should be in moderate physical condition. However, no technical outdoor skill or experience required.<br><br>Expedition destination, activities, physical demands, fees, and eligibility requirements vary.
Whether financial collapse, public health emergencies, infrastructure failure, or geopolitical tension, business leaders across all industries face a variety of risks that can quickly evolve into crises. Using recent events in both the United Kingdom and continental Europe as case studies, students in this course will sharpen their skills to manage effectively through a wide variety of challenging business situations. This course includes two pre-departure lectures (accessible remotely), with a week-long travel component in London, United Kingdom (Saturday, July 20—Friday, July 26, 2024). Combining interactive seminars, guest lectures, and site visits to corporate and/or governmental organizations, students will depart with in-depth knowledge and practical leadership skills.
This course aims to develop in-depth knowledge of current trends and skills in sustainable innovation. Innovation is at the heart of economic growth and the lives of millions depend on it in developing countries. At the same time, market expansion in these countries have often brought massive changes that threaten the economic and environmental sustainability of the most vulnerable. Both Carey Business School faculty and professors of local universities will provide classes on the history and current status of innovation in business in Chile and their impacts on sustainability. Of particular importance will be the discussion of how private initiatives can deliver successful business opportunities while contributing to local sustainability. Corporate and government organization visits will complement lectures and case studies to assess how businesses are adjusting to changing business landscapes.
In this global immersion, students will gain insights into European health care models and will analyze similarities and differences with U.S. models. They will explore the diverse landscape of public and private health care models in Europe, understand the regulatory aspects (both at the country and EU levels), and become acquainted with the business dynamics within the health care sector. Drawing from varied perspectives, such as government agencies, corporate businesses, health care providers and clinics, and/or academic institutions, students will develop a well-rounded view of different health care models in Europe. This course includes two pre-departure lectures (accessible remotely), with a week-long travel component in Milan, Italy (including a day-trip to Bologna).
This course is offered to Carey Business School students interested in learning more about European financial markets. The course includes two virtual pre-departure lectures in Baltimore, with a week-long travel component in Frankfurt, Germany. It aims to develop in-depth knowledge of the European financial system through a partnership with the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management (FSFM). Both Carey Business School faculty and FSFM professors will provide classes about the history and current status of the financial system in Europe and compare those systems to the US financial landscape, including contemporary topics such as green finance. Visits to corporate and government organizations, such as the European Central Bank, will complement class sessions.
Does social media make us happier? Are hidden fees exploitative? Can online marketplaces mitigate discrimination? Using a behavioral economics lens, this course will explore how technology platforms impact our wellbeing. Through interactive panels, discussions, and hands-on project work, you will learn to apply insights from behavioral economics to understand and improve technology’s societal implications. We will connect with tech companies, consulting firms, entrepreneurs, and policy leaders; with the UK Behavioural Insights Team – a leading behavioral policy organization – as a key course partner.?Students are expected to actively participate throughout the course, to contribute to a thoughtful learning experience for the class as a whole, and to complete a group project during the trip proposing changes to a product or policy based on behavioral economics principles to enhance societal wellbeing.?This course includes two pre-departure lectures (accessible remotely), with a week-long travel component in London, United Kingdom.
In this global immersion, students will gain insights into issues of international business and social and environmental impact, aligning with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The course aims to empower students to create positive changes in local businesses and communities while examining the role of social impact work in Peru. Students from Johns Hopkins Carey Business School will attend two synchronous, virtual pre-departure lecture sessions to teamwork practice to begin working together on team projects related to business, community and social impact. Then they will travel to Lima, Peru, between Sunday, 3 August, to Saturday, 9 August 2025, to continue their project group work in person and to attend lectures with faculty from CENTRUM Pontificia Universidad Católica Del Perú (PUCP) Graduate Business School. They will also gain varied perspectives through site visits and presentations from government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and local businesses.
This course offers students an immersive experience in India, a dynamic and rapidly growing economy. Students will explore the Indian innovation ecosystem, gaining insights into the unique consumer preferences, cultural nuances, and business practices that drive success in this diverse market. Through incubator and customer visits, guest lectures, and hands-on activities, students will deepen their understanding of how to navigate the complexities of doing business in India. The course culminates in an entrepreneurship challenge where students will pitch a startup idea—either a novel concept or an adaptation of a successful US model tailored to the Indian market. This experience will equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to thrive in a global business environment, particularly within the context of emerging markets.
Innovation for Humanity draws upon the disciplinary knowledge and qualitative/quantitative analytic skills acquired in the MBA to provide a learning experience focused on the challenges of building socially impactful and profitable businesses in emerging economies. The course aims to create in each student an appreciation for the opportunities in critical sectors of human need in complex, resource-constrained markets that are plagued by fragmented infrastructure and underdeveloped institutions. Students will learn first-hand how the create business that serve these needs while creating positive spillovers to the community. Success in the course requires students to work collaboratively, communicate with project sponsors and partners in distant markets, and function flexibly and adaptively to meet project goals in unstructured environments.
Prerequisite(s): ( BU.410.620 OR BU.911.610 OR BU.920.605 ) AND ( BU.920.602 OR BU.910.611 OR BU.210.620 ) AND ( BU.680.620 OR BU.520.601 OR BU.920.606)
Corequisite(s): Must be taken with BU.003.915
This course is offered to Carey Business School students interested in learning more about European financial markets, including the local fintech industry. The course series begins online with two virtual, synchronous pre-departure sessions (during Spring 2 term) and concludes with a week-long visit to Frankfurt, Germany from 17-23 May, 2025 (during Summer term). It aims to develop in-depth knowledge of the European financial system through a partnership with the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management (FSFM). Both Carey Business School faculty and FSFM professors will provide classes on the history and current status of the financial system in Europe and compare those systems to the U.S. financial landscape. Activities will also be aimed at local fintech and startup industries. Corporate and government organization visits will complement lectures and case studies. Please see the distributed agenda for residency fees and other details and discuss with your advisor. You must attend all sessions in Germany.<p>This course is a co-requisite and must be taken with BU.003.916 in the summer term.
Innovation for Humanity draws upon the disciplinary knowledge and qualitative/quantitative analytic skills acquired in the MBA to provide a learning experience focused on the challenges of building socially impactful and profitable businesses in emerging economies. The course aims to create in each student an appreciation for the opportunities in critical sectors of human need in complex, resource-constrained markets that are plagued by fragmented infrastructure and underdeveloped institutions. Students will learn first-hand how the create business that serve these needs while creating positive spillovers to the community. Success in the course requires students to work collaboratively, communicate with project sponsors and partners in distant markets, and function flexibly and adaptively to meet project goals in unstructured environments.
Corequisite(s): Must be taken with BU.003.910
This course is offered to Carey Business School students interested in learning more about European financial markets, including the local fintech industry. The course series begins online with two virtual, synchronous pre-departure sessions (during Spring 2 term) and concludes with a week-long visit to Frankfurt, Germany from 17-23 May, 2025 (during Summer term). It aims to develop in-depth knowledge of the European financial system through a partnership with the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management (FSFM). Both Carey Business School faculty and FSFM professors will provide classes on the history and current status of the financial system in Europe and compare those systems to the U.S. financial landscape. Activities will also be aimed at local fintech and startup industries. Corporate and government organization visits will complement lectures and case studies. Please see the distributed agenda for residency fees and other details and discuss with your advisor. You must attend all sessions in Germany.<p>This course is a co-requisite and must be taken with BU.003.911 in the Spring 2 term.
Prerequisite(s): BU.003.911
In this eight-week, Virtual Global Immersion, graduate students from both Carey and CENTRUM Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP) will work together in cross-cultural teams on an international business challenge. At the start the course, the students from each school are introduced to their teammates and learn about the scope of the real-world business challenges they will tackle together. In preparation for their collaboration, the students are guided through effective multicultural team-building principles to create a team contract and develop their project work plan. Over the following weeks the students explore the variances between their respective countries’ business environments and share their own perspectives about the project topic. Lectures are delivered by faculty from each academic institution. Weekly synchronous class sessions include virtual business site visits, workshops, expert panels, and cultural enrichment activities to complement the intensive team project work.
Offered for the first four weeks of Spring II 2025, this course is intended to deal with the nexus and interactions between inflation, interest rates, and stock prices. Inflation has been such a big issue in recent years. Central banks employ interest rates as monetary policy for controlling inflation, such as Federal Funds Rate by the Federal Reserve. Inflation is a significant risk factor with asset pricing implications. Stock prices are sensitive to discount rates for future earnings, hence to interest rates and inflation. Nominal and real interest rates have seemingly different characteristics. Investment decisions are affected by expected inflation, which is difficult to predict. It is deemed that finance students will much benefit from learning how inflation, interest rates, and stock prices are affecting each other through conducting statistical exercises as well as reviewing existing studies. The desired learning outcome will include not only conceptual learning but also experiential learning through empirical investigation using real-life data. In that light, student learning progress will be assessed based on their performance on written assignments, computer exercises, and participation in discussions.
Corequisite(s): Must take with BU.004.702
The monetary policies of the U.S. Federal Reserve have gone through tremendous evolutions in recent decades, especially since the 2008 global financial crisis. In particular, it has intervened in most asset markets directly, and now plays a key and unprecedented role in these markets regularly. In this short course, we will provide an account of the interplay between the U.S. Federal Reserve and financial markets. We first examine the key structure, functions, and entities of the Federal Reserve System. We then discuss the objective, strategy, and tools of the U.S. monetary policies. We finally study how the Federal Reserve interacted, in its policy implementations, with different investors in various financial markets. This qualitative course aims to build the students’ knowledge set of how the Federal Reserve works, how the monetary policy decision is made, and how the policy implementation affects financial markets in general. We shall pay special attention to the current events, e.g., the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes to fight against high inflation since late 2021.
Corequisite(s): Must take with BU.004.701
In this 4-week pop up course we will critically examine the sports industry through the lens of microeconomic principles. The course will mainly focus on the economic impacts associated with the four Major US Sports leagues and the NCAA. The course will address current events, such as the economic impacts of the Paris Olympics, the Name, Image, and Likeness rules in the NCAA, and using public financing for stadiums. Other topics covered, as time permits, will include the structure of sports leagues, revenue sharing, ticket pricing, salary negotiations, broadcast contracts, and cheating. Through studies (both case and academic), current data analysis, and critical discussions, students will learn the economic significance, and their complexities, of various issues in the sports world.
Corequisite(s): Must take with BU.004.704
In this 4-week pop up course, we will explore the economic underpinnings of antitrust regulations in the United States, emphasizing current events and real-world applications. Students will learn the economic principles underlying antitrust laws and analyze how these regulations affect markets, businesses, and consumers. Recent developments in antitrust policy and enforcement will also be examined.
Prerequisite(s): BU.220.620 OR BU.920.603
Corequisite(s): Must take with BU.004.703
In today’s businesses, teams are a basic organizational building block. Teaming is perennially listed as one of the top skills that recruiters look for in graduating MBAs. This course conveys knowledge and practical tools that help students become more productive team members and leaders. Topics include the characteristics of high performing teams, leadership strategies for creating performing teams, strategies for avoiding dysfunctional team dynamics, and best practices for managing diverse and virtual teams.
This course is an intensive, experiential-learning opportunity focused on honing students’ leadership and decision-making in the kinds of uncertain, dynamic, and complex environments facing modern organizations. Centered around a multi-day “leadership challenge” simulation, students will be thrust into a developing crisis scenario and work in multidisciplinary teams to deliver an innovative solution while experiencing first-hand the challenges of adapting leadership to a dynamic, evolving environment where little is certain. This high-impact experience allows students to focus on developing their empathy, competence, and agility as they are asked to meet the needs of different stakeholders and address tensions and trade-offs that arise during the challenge. Focused debriefs, guest lectures, and class sessions allow students to reflect on the lessons of this experience and walk away with strategies for their own leadership in uncertain times.
After a strategy is developed and it receives the required approvals, what happens next? CEOs often state that strategy execution is critical to the success of the firm, yet this is often an overlooked capability in many organizations. In this course, we address the approaches and capabilities needed to execute strategies for long-term success. Whether the strategy calls for acquisitions, digital transformation, organic growth, international expansion, or other shifts, we will cover the essential elements needed for managers at all levels. This course emphasizes the application of theory and research to real world challenges in business today.
Prerequisite(s): BU.150.620 OR BU.920.607
Business organizations and other critical organizations operate in both a market and nonmarket environment. A major focus of the course is examining contextually global diversity, inclusion, and multicultural issues through the lens of multiple dimensions. Successful, globally minded managers align the firm’s capabilities with the demands of both its market and nonmarket environment. This course examines political, regulatory and societal factors of influence. Students learn to analyze the motives for focused intervention to better judge when and how political developments may affect business or organization interest. It explores the rise of “private politics” (activists, civil society networks, and NGOs), which are increasingly complementing conventional “public politics.” This new plurality also opens exciting new nonmarket strategic opportunities for profit and socially driven business, providing it with new potential allies. This course stresses collective moral agency and the ethical dimensions of business and management in such a global political economy. Students explore cross-cultural perspectives on economics and business culture, and how to analyze and proactively manage the nonmarket environment through integrated market and nonmarket strategies. Cumulatively through class interaction and team activities students develop strategies for managing aspects of global diversity and inclusion within the context of a real organization opportunity.
This course teaches the process of bringing biomedical discoveries to market. Students learn about innovation and invention processes, how to identify opportunities and assess when ideas are inventions, the steps required to bring the product to market (including intellectual property protection and regulatory processes), and strategies to license early-stage inventions to third parties for further development. Students work in small teams on early-stage invention projects that are patented or patent pending, sourced by the instructor from university and government technology transfer offices. Students will analyze the feasibility of commercializing the invention so that it can be licensed to a third party that can pursue entrepreneurial funding and development.Students must complete at least one semester at Carey Business School prior to enrolling in this course.
This course is the second part of a two part course. This course teaches the process of bringing biomedical discoveries to market. Students learn about innovation and invention processes, how to identify opportunities and assess when ideas are inventions, the steps required to bring the product to market (including intellectual property protection and regulatory processes), and strategies to license early-stage inventions to third parties for further development. Students work in small teams on early-stage invention projects that are patented or patent pending, sourced by the instructor from university and government technology transfer offices. Students will analyze the feasibility of commercializing the invention so that it can be licensed to a third party that can pursue entrepreneurial funding and development.Students must complete at least one semester at Carey Business School prior to enrolling in this course.
Prerequisite(s): BU.150.710
This course is concerned with the formulation and analysis of corporate strategy. Corporate strategy asks the question, ‘In what industries should a firm compete?’ These are the objectives and policies that collectively determine how a business positions itself to increase its returns and create economic value for its owners and stakeholders. In this course, students learn analytical techniques for diagnosing the industrial landscape of a business, a firm’s overall portfolio, and identifying and analyzing specific business options. These concepts and frameworks will help you to learn to put structure on complex and unstructured problems in corporate strategy to provide a solid foundation for managerial decision making.
Prerequisite(s): BU.150.620 OR BU.920.607
The purpose of this course is to immerse you in issues and dynamics related to power and politics in organizations. We seek to make power and politics discussable, recognizable, and usable. In other words, this course is designed to fuel learning of concepts that are useful for understanding, analyzing, and harnessing power and political processes. But beyond discovering ways to extend your own power, influence, and political skill, we will also uncover lessons about ways in which power and politics can blind and deceive you, and how you might better navigate situations in which you are up against relatively more powerful people or forces. We will use a range of learning methods including theoretical and business articles, cases, exercises, assessments, and simulations. We will cover a variety of topics ranging from political skills, bases of power and influence, dangers of power, power and change, and leading with power.
This course focuses on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enable entrepreneurs to pursue opportunities in business development. Students form teams to experience each step of the entrepreneurial process. The end result is an opportunity assessment of a business idea. Emphasis is placed on a hands-on approach with learning supplemented by cases appropriate to each phase of the course. Students are exposed to real entrepreneurial operations and businesses, via final project and presentations.<br/>Before registering, please note that this course is graded on a team-based term project involving field work. You should be prepared to spend 15 hours per week, in addition to the time for readings, quizzes and case studies. If you anticipate heavy travel, work or family commitments, please consider registering at a future semester.
Prerequisite(s): ( BU.210.620 OR BU.210.610 OR BU.910.610 OR BU.920.602 ) AND ( BU.410.620 OR BU.911.610 OR BU.920.605 )
This virtual course pairs student teams with business clients to solve complex problems. Student teams will have the opportunity to choose from a diverse selection of business clients, ranging from large companies and organizations to smaller local start-ups. The course challenges students to ask, “How should this business compete?” and “What strategic, innovative, and inclusive responses make the most sense?" Students identify and navigate resources, adapt products and services to best reach consumers, and create business strategies to help these companies pivot, sustain, and thrive.
For the first time in history, humans are an urban species; the livability of cities now determines the future of humanity and the planet. CityLab is an urban innovation platform engaging students in a global experiment of reinventing cities by revitalizing urban neighborhoods from within. The CityLab Toolkit immerses you in the concrete context of people and places dealing with the disruptive uncertainty and frustration of livability challenges that threaten the environment, human health, social cohesion, civic order, and prosperity of cities. It introduces strategies, tools, and practices for tackling these challenges as opportunities to co-create value for the flourishing of humanity and the planet. This course is a hands-on, active learning experience requiring a high degree of individual commitment, initiative, self-discipline, adaptability, and collaboration. PREREQUISITES: This course is open to graduate students throughout the University who have completed at least four courses of their graduate program prior to enrolling.
The CityLab Practicum puts the CityLab Toolkit knowledge and skills to work on a social impact project sponsored by a neighborhood entrepreneur, business, or organization. The Practicum is an opportunity to solidify your skills, demonstrate your expertise, deepen your network, and position yourself as an innovative social impact leader. This course is a hands-on, active learning experience requiring a high degree of individual commitment, initiative, self-discipline, adaptability, and collaboration.
Prerequisite(s): BU.152.740
Did a new compensation scheme motivate employees to work harder or stay with the organization longer? Do larger subsidies for health insurance lead to improved employee health and productivity? Did a new website format increase user activity on the site? Did a charitable organization’s program to train community leaders lead to positive changes in the community? Cause and effect questions like these are crucial to developing evidence-based practice in business, nonprofits and governments. Yet answering these questions is difficult when new ideas are not implemented with the explicit intent of measuring their impacts. In other words, developing evidence requires a scientific approach to business and policy.<br></br>This class aims to teach students to develop empirical evidence about the best ways to achieve their aims, whether these aims are to increase profits or to address social problems. The use of randomized controlled trials to test program impacts is becoming increasingly popular in businesses and government. An employee estimated that the average Facebook user is a participant in about 10 randomized controlled trials at any point in time. The U.S. government recently created a “Nudge Squad” that works with federal agencies to test new ideas through randomized controlled field trials. Experiments are an integral part of the ‘big data’ revolution going on in business, nonprofits and government. Importantly, they do not require advanced statistics or powerful computers to implement and interpret. <br></br>The course will blend lectures, group discussions, readings, homework, a group project, and guest speakers from private industry, nonprofits and government agencies. I am a firm believer that the most fundamental principles can be stated in plain English. Thus the course stresses intuition (in English) over math and mechanics. Nevertheless, there will be math and mechanics in the course.
Prerequisite(s): BU.510.601 OR BU.914.610 OR BU.920.621 OR PH.140.611 OR PH.140.621 OR AS.440.605 OR AS.410.645
This exam affords students the opportunity to confirm proficiency in Statistical Analysis. Students who successfully complete the waiver exam will be granted a waiver with replacement for BU.510.601. Please note: Waiver exams may only be taken once per student, in the first or second semester of registration in a new program. The exam will be completed online in Blackboard within the timeframe stipulated listed within this course description. Students will be required to use Remote Proctor for the actual completion of the exam.
This course provides an introduction to the formal principles and practices of modern COSO- and ISO-style enterprise risk management (ERM). The course provides a framework that integrates the core, foundational, and elective courses in the school’s Enterprise Risk Management Curriculum. A combination of didactic lectures, group conversation, and student presentations will be used to impart the material and bring it alive.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making substantial inroads into our everyday lives, demonstrating tremendous potential across numerous domains, including business and healthcare. This course aims to impart learners with crucial understanding of AI's core technologies, such as neural networks, deep learning, computer vision, natural language processing, and generative AI. We will also provide a succinct introduction to the burgeoning areas within AI. This course takes a hands-on, experiential learning approach, making use of the latest cloud computing platforms to provide practical understanding and application. Through this course, students will establish a robust comprehension of vital AI technologies, equipping themselves with the working knowledge required to harness these technologies in driving business growth and creating value.