Strategic Management, M.S.S.M.

While an MBA is designed to provide a broad overview across many business functions, a master’s in strategic management offers a deeper dive into business strategy and effective ways to manage resources, people, organizations, and change. This online management master’s degree from Oakland City University can help you enhance and refine your leadership skills and develop strategies for organizational and professional success.

As a student in OCU’s online Master of Science in Strategic Management program, you’ll cover many of the same topics featured in the online MBA curriculum. However, the MS in Strategic Management allows you the opportunity to specialize in a particular business area, such as quality systems or logistics, or in a specific leadership role, including management and criminal justice administration.

Read on for an overview of Oakland City University’s online MS in Strategic Management program—including specializations, learning objectives, and curriculum—or complete and submit the form above to request more information.

Students working toward a master’s in strategic management will complete a number of core courses that are common to all four concentrations. They will build on that foundation by choosing a specialization that aligns with their professional goals and interests.

The four emphasis options within the MS in Strategic Management program include:

• Management: Those who opt for the management track will study effective communication strategies as well as best practices in change management. Students will also create a professional portfolio that includes a résumé, research papers, co-authored projects, case study analyses, and presentations.

• Quality Systems: Individuals who opt for this specialization will learn how a quality management system (QMS) can help support continuous improvement, quality and process control, customer satisfaction, and perceived quality. In addition, students will discover how to use Six Sigma tools and techniques to enhance business processes.

• Logistics and Product Distribution: Students who enroll in this concentration will learn how to optimize all phases of the supply chain, from sourcing and procurement to logistics and distribution. Implementing effective supply chain management strategies can help organizations achieve greater efficiency and cost savings.

• Criminal Justice Administration: This track is designed for those who hold or aspire to leadership roles within the criminal justice system. Students will examine management duties and dynamics, analyze public policy, and learn how to create and manage budgets for criminal justice agencies.

OCU’s School of Business integrates five broad-based learning goals across all graduate and undergraduate degrees. These include professional capabilities, information technology and literacy, disciplined inquiry, communication skills, and ethics and morality. Six additional learning outcomes apply to the MS in Strategic Management and MBA programs.

Graduates of OCU’s online MS in Strategic Management program should be able to:

• Write clear, well-researched reports that incorporate major business concepts, theories, and strategies and use those materials to guide organizational decision making.

• Uncover and address ethical problems and embrace Christian-based values as the foundation for important business decisions.

• Apply quantitative methods and technological tools to conduct data-driven analyses and identify promising solutions to managerial challenges.

• Use research, technology, and visual aids to create effective presentations in both narrative and persuasive formats.

• Demonstrate well-developed leadership, teamwork, and organizational skills and leverage these abilities to enhance problem solving and strategic planning.

• Evaluate organizational issues from diverse perspectives and propose recommended solutions.

Degree candidates in OCU’s online master’s in strategic management program must complete 33 credit hours of graduate-level coursework. The core MS in Strategic Management curriculum consists of eight courses (24 credit hours) of business management courses, rounded out by a three-course (9-credit) concentration. Students whose undergraduate/transfer transcripts do not list finance and/or statistics courses must complete college-level classes or Peregrine Academic Leveling Courses in these subjects before enrolling in OCU’s online management master’s degree program.