STEM Designation
The MSM is a graduate degree program with a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) designation. Due to the demand of graduates with expertise in STEM fields, the Department of Homeland Security permits international students graduating from STEM programs to apply for a 24 month extension of their initial year of Optional Practical Training (OPT). For more detailed information, please visit the ISSO webpage.
Curriculum
11-13 Courses
31-37 Credits
Program Length
Full-time in as few as 9 months
Part-time in as few as 16 months
Required Introductory Course (1 credit)
Must be taken on campus in first semester of program.
| SBS-700 | Unlocking Your Professional Potential | 1 |
Prerequisite Courses (6 credits)
MBA-660 may be waived:
| MBA-660 | Marketing: the Challenge of Managing Value | 3 |
| ISOM-631 | Data Analytics with SAS Base | 3 |
Marketing Core Courses (9 credits)
MKT-810 may be waived with MSM elective substitution.
| MKT-810 | Marketing Research for Managers | 3 |
| MKT-814 | Strategic Marketing | 3 |
| MKIB-819 | Global Perspectives in Consumer Marketing | 3 |
Advanced Marketing Core Courses (6 credits)
| MKT-860 | Qualitative Methods and Customer Insights | 3 |
| MKT-870 | Advanced Marketing Analytics With R | 3 |
Marketing Internship (3 credits)
This course is required for students with no prior relevant work experience, and may possibly be used as an elective for all other students.
May be waived.
Capstone Course (3 credits)
Should be taken as late in the program as possible.
Choose one.
Approved Electives by Discipline (9 Credits)
Students must complete nine (9) credits of electives, 800-level or higher (exception MBA 740), within the Sawyer Business School and from the approved MSM electives list. All courses listed within each of the concentrations, in addition to select electives, will meet the electives requirement.
Marketing
| MKIB-812 | Global Branding and Communication Strategies | 3 |
| MKIB-816 | Managing Relationships in the Global Supply Chain | 3 |
| MKIB-817 | International Marketing | 3 |
| MKT-818 | Global Product Innovation | 3 |
| MKT-820 | Sales Management | 3 |
| MKT-845 | Advanced Digital Analytics | 3 |
| MKT-846 | Marketing in the Age of Exponential Technology | 3 |
| MKT-854 | Biotech Industry & Marketing Application | 3 |
| MKT-855 | Digital Marketing Challenges | 3 |
| MKT-877 | Customer Experience: a Neuromarketing Perspective | 3 |
| MKT-920 | Marketing Internship | 3 |
Accounting
Information Systems and Operations Management
| ISOM-801 | Solving Business Problems Using Advanced Excel | 3 |
| ISOM-821 | Data Management and Modeling | 3 |
| ISOM-835 | Predictive Analytics | 3 |
| ISOM-839 | Prescriptive Analytics: Modeling & Optimization | 3 |
| ISOM-840 | Security and Privacy | 3 |
| ISOM-845 | Business Intelligence, Data Visualization, and Storytelling | 3 |
| ISOM-851 | Supply Chain Management | 3 |
| ISOM-861 | Project Management: Gaining Competitive Advantage | 3 |
International Business
Management & Entrepreneurship
| MBA-920 | MBA Student Business Clinic | 3 |
| MGES-842 | Global Innovation & New Product Development in Virtual Team | 3 |
Organizational Behavior
Strategy
Concentrations
Three electives must be taken within the Sawyer Business School and be 800 level or above (exception MBA 740). If a concentration is declared, three electives must be completed in one concentration area. Concentrations include: Global Marketing, Market Research and Customer Insights, or Product Management. The schedule of when courses within a concentration are offered vary by semester.
Students who declare a concentration must submit an SBS Graduate Program Concentration Request Form. Students are encouraged to meet with their advisor before they declare a concentration.
The concentration appears on the transcript, not the diploma.
Global Marketing Concentration
Learn how to assess foreign market attractiveness, formulate marketing plans for global market entry and expansion, and devise marketing strategies in multiple areas of the world. Experience global marketing first-hand through an international travel course to cap off your MSM program.
Electives for Global Marketing (3 courses, 9 credits)
Choose three (3) from the following:
| MBA-740 | Immerse- Travel Seminar | 3 |
| MGES-842 | Global Innovation & New Product Development in Virtual Team | 3 |
| MKIB-812 | Global Branding and Communication Strategies | 3 |
| MKIB-817 | International Marketing | 3 |
| MKT-818 | Global Product Innovation | 3 |
| MKT-845 | Advanced Digital Analytics | 3 |
| MKT-846 | Marketing in the Age of Exponential Technology | 3 |
| MKT-854 | Biotech Industry & Marketing Application | 3 |
| MKT-920 | Marketing Internship | 3 |
| ISOM-840 | Security and Privacy | 3 |
| MGOB-835 | Managing Difficult People at Work | 3 |
Market Research and Customer Insights Concentration
Demand for market research and analytic skills is high in most industries today. You will develop knowledge and skills to design and implement qualitative and/or quantitative research studies, analyze data, and extract insights to inform high-quality strategic marketing decision-making.
Electives for Market Research and Customer Insights (3 courses, 9 credits)
Choose three (3) from the following:
| ISOM-801 | Solving Business Problems Using Advanced Excel | 3 |
| ISOM-821 | Data Management and Modeling | 3 |
| ISOM-835 | Predictive Analytics | 3 |
| ISOM-839 | Prescriptive Analytics: Modeling & Optimization | 3 |
| ISOM-840 | Security and Privacy | 3 |
| ISOM-845 | Business Intelligence, Data Visualization, and Storytelling | 3 |
| ISOM-851 | Supply Chain Management | 3 |
| ISOM-861 | Project Management: Gaining Competitive Advantage | 3 |
| MGOB-835 | Managing Difficult People at Work | 3 |
| MKT-818 | Global Product Innovation | 3 |
| MKT-820 | Sales Management | 3 |
| MKT-845 | Advanced Digital Analytics | 3 |
| MKT-846 | Marketing in the Age of Exponential Technology | 3 |
| MKT-855 | Digital Marketing Challenges | 3 |
| MKT-877 | Customer Experience: a Neuromarketing Perspective | 3 |
Product Management Concentration
Gain broad understanding about marketing management in terms of product/service development and delivery, brand strategy, pricing decisions, sales forecasting, and innovative ways in which to communicate and engage with customers.
Electives for Product Management (3 courses, 9 credits)
Choose three (3) from the following:
| ACCT-804 | Cost and Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| ISOM-840 | Security and Privacy | 3 |
| MGES-842 | Global Innovation & New Product Development in Virtual Team | 3 |
| MGOB-835 | Managing Difficult People at Work | 3 |
| MGOB-855 | Conflict & Negotiation | 3 |
| MGSM-833 | Corporate Innovation | 3 |
| MKIB-812 | Global Branding and Communication Strategies | 3 |
| MKT-818 | Global Product Innovation | 3 |
| MKT-820 | Sales Management | 3 |
| MKT-845 | Advanced Digital Analytics | 3 |
| MKT-846 | Marketing in the Age of Exponential Technology | 3 |
| MKT-854 | Biotech Industry & Marketing Application | 3 |
| MKT-855 | Digital Marketing Challenges | 3 |
| MKT-877 | Customer Experience: a Neuromarketing Perspective | 3 |
Learning Goals and Objectives
| Learning Goals |
Learning Objectives |
| Demonstrate ability to apply analytical reasoning skills to marketing problems. (Analytical Reasoning) |
1. Identify the problem and related issues.
2. Identify key assumptions.
3. Generate salient alternatives.
4. Examine the evidence and source of evidence.
5. Identify conclusions, implications, and consequences. |
| Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of marketing principles, concepts, theories and frameworks and the role of marketing in business and society. (Depth of Knowledge) |
1. Understand and apply the marketing concept to evaluate marketing projects/programs.
2. Understand the social science research process and utilize research methods/skills/technologies to solve marketing problems.
3. Gain a holistic view of strategy and tactics in major areas including global marketing and product management.
4. Gain an understanding of ethical issues in marketing. |
| Demonstrate effective oral communication skills. (Oral Communication) |
1. Organize the presentation effectively.
2. Deliver the presentation with attention to volume, clarity, grammatical correctness and precision.
3. Communicate with the audience.
5. Use appropriate technology/communication aids effectively. |
| Demonstrate effective written communication about marketing information. (Written Communication) |
1. Develop a topic with supporting details.
2. Organize written communication effectively and logically.
3. Use correct word choice and effective sentence structure.
4. Employ normal conventions of spelling and grammar.
5. Provide examples and supporting evidence.
6. Communicate quantitative information in narrative form and with visual displays. |
Waiver Policy
MBA-660 and MKT-920 may be waived. If waived, MKT-810 needs to be substituted with an approved MSM elective. All waiver requests are evaluated upon a student's acceptance into the MSM Program and are waived during the student's first semester.
To waive a course, a student must have successfully completed equivalent academic coursework at the undergraduate/graduate level in the seven (7) years prior to MSM matriculation, and earned a grade of "B" or better. To substitute an approved elective for MKT-810, a student must have successfully completed equivalent academic coursework at the undergraduate/graduate level in the seven (7) year prior to MSM matriculation, and earned a grade of "B" or better. Official transcripts must be provided (with English translation, if applicable).
All MSM students must complete a minimum of 31 graduate credits (10 courses and SBS-700) in the Sawyer Business School.
Transfer Policy
Any candidate seeking transfer credits, taken at the graduate level from an AACB accredited graduate program in business, will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. These credits may be considered for transfer if the credits do not apply to a previously completed degree.
Transfer credits must have earned a grade of "B" or better and be taken within seven (7) years prior to entering the Suffolk MSM program. However, at the discretion of the MSM program director, MSM required core courses may not be transferred if the subject material has changed significantly since completion. A maximum of six (6) credits of prerequisite, marketing core courses, electives may be considered for transfer.
Transfer Credits from the Moakley Center for Public Management's Certificate Programs
Students who have completed a certificate program through the Suffolk University Moakley Center for Public Management may have an opportunity to reduce credit requirements to an SBS graduate degree program (MBA, MMOL, MSA, MST, MHA, MSBA, or MSM). All course waivers and/or transfers vary by program and are reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the respective SBS Graduate Programs Office.
In order for a course to be considered, it must have an SBS graduate program course equivalent, the student must have earned a grade of B or better, and the student must have successfully completed the certificate prior to enrolling in the SBS graduate degree program.
Applicants must also meet the admission standards for the SBS Graduate degree program to which they are applying.
Students Who Leave Boston Before their Degree is Complete
Occasionally, Suffolk MSM students must leave the Boston area having not yet completed their degree. You may be able to transfer in six credits of elective courses from an AACSB-accredited MSM close to your new place of residence. Courses must be pre-approved by Suffolk’s assistant dean of graduate programs and have a grade of "B" or better.