Specialization Tracks

MBA Program

College of Business Administration

University of Nevada, Reno

Our MBA program offers specialization tracks in accounting, finance, gaming management, information technology, and supply chain management.  You need a total of 9 credits for either a specialization track or general electives in the MBA Program at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Note that MBA students can also pursue other specialization tracks by taking graduate courses of their choice outside of the College of Business Administration. For additional information on developing an area of specialization in an area other than business, please contact the MBA Office.

Also note that BADM 792 (field project, also called internship) and BADM 793 (independent study) are among available courses to MBA students as either electives or as courses for specialization tracks.  For both BADM 792 and 793, you need to have a faculty advisor from the College of Business Administration. Prior to register in BADM 792 or 793, you should contact the MBA Office to discuss the details of the work involved and to get the contact information of a faculty advisor.  Once the scope of the work for BADM 792 or 793 is worked out, the MBA Office will provide you with the information on how to register in the course.

There are two accounting tracks in the MBA Program: Financial and Tax.

Financial Track

The study of financial accounting concerns the rules, practices, and conventions, referred to as Generally Accepted Accounting Practices (GAAP). GAAP is the standard used by companies who report their financial results to external parties including financial institutions, regulators, and shareholders. A solid understanding of GAAP is helpful for a career in the areas of finance, administration, and accounting. The 3-course financial track will give you a solid understanding of current GAAP.

Advisor: Professor Richard Mason
E-mail:  mason@unr.edu

ACC 602 - Intermediate Accounting I (Prerequisite: BADM 710)
ACC 602 - Intermediate Accounting II (Prerequisite: ACC 601)
ACC 603 - Intermediate Accounting III (Prerequisite: ACC 602)

Tax Track

The 3-course tax track offers the MBA student both a thorough grounding in the Federal income tax regulations governing individuals and business entities and an analytical framework through which to analyze decisions with tax implications.

Faculty Advisor: Professor Richard Mason

E-mail: mason@unr.edu

ACC 610 - Federal Taxation (Prerequisite: BADM 710)
ACC 611 - Taxation of Business Entities (Prerequisite: ACC 610)
ACC 789 - Federal Income Taxation: Policy Issues (Prerequisite: ACC 610)

The general areas of study in finance are: corporate finance, investments, and financial institutions. The areas, respectively, involve decisions within the firm, analysis of a wide range of securities for inclusion in an individual or institutional portfolio, and an understanding of the types of markets securities trade in and their regulation. The finance track offers courses in each of these areas and specialization in Corporate Finance (BADM 745, BADM 746, BADM 749, BADM 792, BADM 793, and FIN 604) and Investments (BADM 743, BADM 744, and FIN 610).

Faculty Advisor: Professor Sheri Faircloth

E-mail: fairclos@unr.nevada.edu

FIN 604 - Financial Management Theory and Practice (Pre-requisite: BADM 741)
FIN 610 - Financial Derivatives (Pre-requisite: BADM 741)
BADM 742 – Research Methods of Finance (Pre-requisite: BADM 741)
BADM 743 - Investment Management (Pre-requisite: BADM 741)
BADM 744 - Securities Analysis and Portfolio Management (Pre-requisite: BADM 741)
BADM 745 – Commercial bank Management (Pre-requisite: BADM 741)
BADM 746 – Corporate Treasury Management (Pre-requisite: BADM 741)
BADM 749 - Seminar in Finance (Pre-requisite: BADM 741)
BADM 792 - Field Project (internship) in finance (Pre-requisite: Approval of Faculty Advisor and the MBA Office)
BADM 793 - Independent Study in finance (Pre-requisite: Approval of Faculty Advisor and the MBA Office)

The 3-course Gaming Management track offers the MBA student an opportunity to gain greater insight into operational and policy issues confronting the casino industry and other commercial gaming industries in the United States and abroad. The courses address management, economic, regulatory, social and political dimensions affecting gaming industries from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.

Faculty Advisor: Professor William R. Eadington
E-mail: eading@unr.nevada.edu

ECON 611 - Economic and Social Aspects of Gaming and Gambling
GAM 615 – Commercial Gaming Law or ECON 650 Casino Industry Regulation
GAM 630 – Casino Management or GAM 670 – Quantitative Methods and Applications in Casino Management
BADM 792 - Field Project (internship) in gaming management (Pre-requisite: Approval of Faculty Advisor and the MBA Office )
BADM 793 - Independent Study in gaming management (Pre-requisite: Approval of Faculty Advisor and the

New applications of information technology (IT) strike at the heart of what business managers do, how organizations are structured, and why some companies thrive while others die. IT is no longer a way to computerize or automate what was done manually, but instead serves as a way to transform organizations with completely new and innovative processes.  These applications have moved beyond processing business transactions and into the realm of creating new business, governmental and societal structures. In light of these trends, it is not surprising to find that U.S. companies now invest one out of every two capital-spending dollars in information technology.  At the employment level, the application of information technology is redefining the nature of work.  Learning how to best to use IT is a challenging and exciting field of study, and even non-technical managers today need to understand IT terminology, strategic uses, implementation, and methods for integrating, maintaining, and upgrading computerized systems.  The objectives of the information systems track within the MBA program are to study these initiatives in depth and to familiarize students with these subjects. 

Faculty Advisor: Professor Mark Simkin
E-mail: simkin@unr.edu

IS 645 – Project Management: Principles and Practice (Pre-requisite: BADM 750)
IS 670 – Computer Security, Controls, and Information Assurance (Pre-requisite: IS 350)
IS 746 – Project Management: Advanced Topics (Pre-requisite: IS 645)
IS 752 – Issues in the Current Technical Environmental (Pre-requisite: BADM 750)
IS 788 – Issues in Change Management (Pre-requisite: IS 301 or BADM 750) 
BADM 792 –  Field Project (internship) in information systems (Pre-requisite: Approval of Faculty Advisor and the MBA Office)
BADM 793 –  Independent Study in information systems (Pre-requisite: Approval of Faculty Advisor and the
MBA Office)

Supply chain management is the integration of key business processes from end user through original suppliers, that provides products, services, and information that add value for customers and other stakeholders. The supply chain management track is designed to offer MBA students a clear understanding of how firms executes the development, sourcing, manufacture, and distribution of products and products components throughout the supply chain.

Faculty Advisor: Professor Dale Rogers
E-mail: mickey@unr.edu

SCM 657 - Logistics Modeling Methods (Pre-requisite: BADM 701)
SCM 677 - Logistics Management (Pre-requisite: BADM 701)
SCM 658 - International Logistics (Pre-requisite: BADM 701 and SCM 677)
SCM 659 - Analysis and Design of Logistical Systems (Pre-requisite: BADM 701 and SCM 677)
SCM 663 - Inventory Management (Pre-requisite: BADM 701)
SCM 673 - Supply Chain management (Pre-requisite: BADM 701)
BADM 779 - Seminar in Logistics and Supply Chain Management (Pre-requisite: BADM 701)
BADM 792 - Field Project (internship) in supply chain management (Pre-requisite: Approval of Faculty Advisor and the MBA Office)
BADM 793 - Independent Study in supply chain management (Pre-requisite: Approval of Faculty Advisor and the MBA Office)