Department of Management

Graduate Assessment Plans

 

I. Assessment Procedures

III. Changes to Procedures or Curriculum Based on Assessment

II. Achievement of Departmental Student Learning Objectives

  1. Undergraduate
  2. Graduate

IV.Changes in Department’s Assessment Goals

 

 

Master of Science

 

The specialized master's programs provide an incomparable array of choices for in-depth focus on a particular business discipline.  Designed particularly for students who already have an undergraduate degree in business administration and wish to study one of the disciplines in which a major is offered in greater depth.  Students who do not have an undergraduate background in business but have already established a career in a field related to one of the M.S. majors may find that the specialized degree can be tailored to fit career needs.  Specialized programs are also well suited for those who intend to pursue doctoral studies.

 

MS with a Major in Management

The Master of Science with a major in management is designed to allow graduate students in business administration to study in depth a particular facet of management while still demonstrating basic competencies in all functional business areas.  There are four areas of specialization available for management majors:

Business Analysis
The business analysis concentration provides expertise for analytically oriented careers in business with an emphasis on applications of information technology. Potential career paths include business development, market analysis and research, financial planning, data analysis, and strategic planning.

Human Resource Management
The human resource management concentration prepares students in the functional areas of the field such as selection, compensation, and employment law. A variety of educational experiences both in the classroom and the business community are offered.

Operations Management
The operations management concentration is designed to provide students with the knowledge necessary to assess the operations function of both goods-producing and service-rendering organizations, to diagnose current operating systems, and to prescribe and implement improvements.

Organizational Change
The organizational change concentration is designed for individuals who wish to increase their understanding of people in organizations and their ability to effect change, either as managers or as internal or external consultants. Topics include leadership, negotiation, organizational change, and consulting

 

MS with a Major in Business Analysis

 

The Master of Science degree is designed for students who wish to work as Business Analysis practitioners.  A typical student would have an undergraduate business degree, strong functional experience, or extraordinary interest in Business Analysis.  The program blends the elements of the Business Analysis (problem solving, information technology and analytical methods) so that every graduate will have a foundation in the Business Analysis discipline.  While not required, four specialized areas of study are available: Decision Support Systems, Analytical Methods and Data Analysis, Quality Assurance and Mathematical Statistics.  Graduates of the program will ideally enter one of three career paths:

 

§         Decision Support Specialist with analytical skills,

§         Data Analyst with decision support skills, or

§         Quality Assurance with decision support and data analysis skills.

 

MS with a Major in Business Analysis

 

The Master of Science degree is designed for students who wish to work as Business Analysis practitioners.  A typical student would have an undergraduate business degree, strong functional experience, or exceptional interest in Business Analysis.  The program blends the elements of the Business Analysis (problem solving, information technology and analytical methods) so that every graduate will have a foundation in the Business Analysis discipline.  Students will gain expertise in the following areas:

  • Business Intelligence and Decision Support Systems
  • Analytical Methods and Data Mining
  • Problem Solving and Risk Analysis 

Graduates of the program will ideally enter a career path requiring analysis and decision support in any functional area of business, or across functional areas.

 

     Learning Outcome # 1

 

Statement:  Students are able to build mathematical models to analyze a business situation, incorporate forecasting techniques, and provide recommendations for decision making.

 

Assessment Procedures: Final projects in MGS 8150 (Business Modeling) will be assessed for the above elements.

 

      Learning Outcome # 2

 

Statement: Students are able to apply advanced multivariate statistical and heuristic techniques to analyze large datasets and demonstrate how the results can be applied in practice to improve the quality of decisions.

 

Assessment Procedures: Final Projects in MGS 8110 (Regression and Forecasting), MGS 8040 (Data Mining) and MGS 8170 (Statistical Modeling) will be assessed for all of the above elements.

 

      Learning Outcome # 3

 

Statement: Students understand the process of individual and group problem solving. They demonstrate the ability to analyze risk using decision trees.

 

Assessment Procedures: Exams/Projects in MGS 8130 (Problem Solving) and MGS 8160 (Risk Benefit Analysis) will be assessed.

 

 

MS in Human Resource Management

 

The mission of the Master of Science program in human resource management in the Beebe Institute is to prepare students primarily in the functional areas of human resources to take professional positions in human resource management by helping them gain knowledge in employment law and knowledge and skills in collective bargaining, recruitment and selection, and compensation.  This mission is achieved by providing a variety of educational experiences both in the classroom and the business community.

 

       Learning Outcome # 1

 

Statement   Students will be able to know and understand the basic principles, laws, practices, and concepts of the HRM field, be able to apply HRM laws, concepts, practices, and principles to business settings, and be able to read, understand, and express an informed opinion about HRM research activities.

 

Assessment Procedures   (1) Standardized objective pre-post test in MGS 8300 (scope and systems knowledge assessment) and MGS 8320. (2) Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Certification exam results. (3) survey of students after graduation.

 

Learning Outcome # 2

 

Statement   Students will be able to understand the basic concepts and developments in the compensation management field and be able to apply these concepts and techniques to produce a high-quality compensation plan for an organization.

 

Assessment Procedures   (1) Standardized pre-post test in MGS 8390; (2) Results of SHRM and WorldatWork certification exams; (3) Survey of  Beebe graduates; (4) Sample of student projects.

 

      Learning Outcome # 3

 

Statement   Students will be able to apply HR practices and techniques to real business organizations, identify and use various legitimate sources of HR information,  demonstrate proficiency in HR research methodology, and use analytical and critical thinking skills to synthesize information and make recommendations for implementation of HR practices..

 

Assessment Procedures   Students in MGS 8395 work on solutions to problems defined by their corporate sponsors.  Each team designs, implements, and reports orally and in writing to executives of the sponsoring corporation and the instructor the results of their study.  This learning objective will be evaluated by clients’ and faculty members’ judgment of knowledge and application of skills via the oral report and the written report.  A rating system for judging projects will be completed by clients and instructors.

 

Learning Outcome # 4

 

Statement   Students will be able to recognize and apply concepts of recruitment and selection, and use the recruitment and selection concepts to develop a recruitment and selection plan.

.

Assessment Procedures    (1) Pre-post test of students taking MGS 8360; (2) SHRM certification exam results; (3) survey of recent Beebe graduates.

 

 

 

MS in Management with a Specialization in Production/Operations Management

 

Learning Outcome # 1

 

Statement   The student should be able to demonstrate the knowledge necessary to analyze and evaluate alternative operations strategies for a given business environment and to identify the appropriate facility location, design and technology choices as related to the operations function of the organization.

 

Assessment Procedures   Assessment by comprehensive examination during the capstone course.

 

Learning Outcome # 2

 

Statement   The student should be able to identify critical success factors of the operations planning and control system for a organization, describe key elements of widely used operations planning and control systems and techniques, identify the critical success factors of designing and implementing a total quality management program, and describe the key elements required in planning and controlling projects to succeed with respect to quality, duration and cost.

 

Assessment Procedures  Assessment by comprehensive examination during the capstone course.

 

Learning Outcome # 3

 

Statement   The student should secure a position in operations management within one year after graduation and should succeed as evidenced by increasing responsibility, promotions, and salary increases over a period of five years after graduation.

 

Assessment Procedures   Assessment by alumni survey one and five years after graduation, on a sampled basis.

 

 

MS in Management with a Specialization in Organizational Behavior and Change

 

Learning Outcome # 1

 

Statement   The student should be able to assess an organization’s design and determine whether it is appropriate for the organization’s environment and goals.

 

Assessment Procedures   Course-level feedback and comments on the course content relevance at the end of the courses, program-wide feedback and comment survey upon graduation, and in a survey of alumni taken five years after graduation.

 

Learning Outcome # 2

 

Statement   Students should be able to identify situational characteristics and be able utilize leadership behaviors to aid individual and organizational functioning in those situation.

 

Assessment Procedures   Course-level feedback and comments on the course content relevance at the end of the courses, program-wide feedback and comment survey upon graduation, and in a survey of alumni taken five years after graduation.

 

Learning Outcome # 3

 

Statement   Students should be able to Recognize the opportunities and problems caused by political realities in organizations.

 

Assessment Procedures   Course-level feedback and comments on the course content relevance at the end of the courses, program-wide feedback and comment survey upon graduation, and in a survey of alumni taken five years after graduation.

 

Learning Outcome # 4

 

Statement   Students should be able to act as an organizational change agent or project manager. In this role the students should be able to plan and organize a change project, defend the change project orally and in writing, mobilize support for a project, negotiating with relevant constituencies resolve disagreements among project participants, and assess the effectiveness of a change effort.

 

Assessment Procedures   Course-level feedback and comments on the course content relevance at the end of the courses, program-wide feedback and comment survey upon graduation, and in a survey of alumni taken five years after graduation.

 

 

 

 

Doctor of Philosophy

 

PhD in Management

 

Learning Outcome # 1

 

Statement   Train students in their respective field so that they can successfully pass their written field examinations in three years.

 

Assessment Procedures   At the end of each academic year each student will be individually reviewed and evaluated by the faculty.  This review will identify each student’s progress and identify any weaknesses in the student’s development of theoretical or empirical capabilities that could prevent passing their field exam on time.  These observations will be clearly communicated to the student along with specific recommendations and requirements that the student must fulfill in order to have knowledge and skills that will enable the student to pass their exam on time.

 

Learning Outcome # 2

 

Statement   Have students complete their dissertations within five years of admission.

 

Assessment Procedures   At the end of each academic year each student will be individually reviewed and evaluated by the faculty.  This review will identify each student’s progress and identify any weaknesses in the student’s development of theoretical or empirical capabilities that may prevent the completion of their dissertation on time.  These observations will be clearly communicated to the student along with specific recommendations and requirements that the student must fulfill in order to have knowledge and skills that will enable the student to complete their dissertation on time

 

Learning Outcome # 3

 

Statement   Have students capable of obtaining tenure at a school within ten years of leaving Georgia State University.

 

Assessment Procedures   This will be monitored by the faculty and the alumni office.  The department will annually compile a record of PhD students’ progress that will include all graduates of the program