Skip to content Skip to Programs Navigation
Curriculum

Curriculum

Strengthen your business foundation with core courses.

Core courses will strengthen your business acumen with material that is relevant across functions and industries, exposing you to a broad set of business concepts and developing your strategic and tactical skills. Core courses are designed to both cover theory and incorporate real-life situations — including your on-the-job business challenges. The skills you learn through the core will have an immediate impact on your job today — and your future career.

Leadership courses are integrated into the core curriculum, and additional leadership courses, assessments, and development opportunities are woven throughout the program experience. The leadership curriculum is specifically designed for mid- and senior-level executives with high potential careers and is designed to help you refine, improve, and strengthen your personal leadership style.

Tailor your degree with electives.

During your second year in the program, you will take 12 to 13 electives from several dozen course options, including experiential opportunities such as the Global Entrepreneurship Lab (GEL), Global Immersion Electives (GIEs) and STAR consulting projects. Executive MBA electives are offered in a variety of scheduling options, including some virtual spaces and course options, giving you significant flexibility to pursue courses that best align with your career objectives and interests.

Select courses that will help you climb the corporate ladder, shift to a new career focus or build a business – in topics that range from managerial decision making, to negotiations, to entrepreneurial finance, to brand strategy. Few top executive MBA programs offer more curriculum flexibility or this many elective options.

Focus your skillset with a concentration.

As an Executive MBA student, you’ll also have the opportunity to select from six concentrations that help you build knowledge in a particular focus area to support your career goals. To complete a concentration, you’ll take a minimum of five of the seven courses offered in each area. You can also choose to combine two concentrations that align with your personal and professional focus.

Concentrations are optional, and you have the opportunity to take electives in any discipline to create a custom curriculum, if preferred.  The concentrations offered in our Evening Executive MBA program are:

Data Analysis and Decision Making: Topics explored include: communicating with data, analytics for decision making, consulting skills and frameworks, and operations strategy.

Entrepreneurship: Topics explored include: strategy and business innovation, entrepreneurial finance, entrepreneurship – launch and discovery, and negotiations.

Finance: Topics explored include: corporate financial strategy, mergers and acquisitions, global financial markets, and investments.

Leading People and Organizations: Topics explored include: leading diverse and inclusive organizations, people analytics, storytelling to influence and inspire, and leading in the middle.

Customers and Markets: Topics explored include: marketing strategy, marketing analytics, global brand strategy, pricing, and sales.

Strategy: Topics explored include: strategy and business innovation, consulting skills and frameworks, strategic operations, and industry-intensive topics (such as strategy in high velocity markets).

Core Courses

During the Executive MBA program core, each term has an outcomes-based theme, ensuring you build a relevant and deep skillset that will act as the foundation of your MBA experience.
*Course sequence is subject to change.

Elective courses

*Courses are subject to change

Electives after graduation

As an alumni, you can keep your skills current by taking MBA elective courses in Chapel Hill for a nominal fee. This benefit is offered throughout your career and many of our alumni use it to strengthen their skills in a particular area to prepare for a new role or career transition.

Learn more

I’m interested.

Complete the fields below and we’ll be in touch with more information.  Fields marked with “*” are required.