MS in Administrative Studies

The Master of Science (MS) in Administrative Studies is a multidisciplinary program designed to provide the opportunity for focused graduate study in the specialized, industry-specific area of Innovation & Technology. Students develop creativity, global awareness, communication skills, and the ability to use technology to increase productivity and efficiency. Degree candidates have six years from the date of their first course to complete the program.

The MS in Administrative Studies concentration in Innovation & Technology focuses on unique aspects of technological and innovative firms ranging from start-ups to large multinational companies. Students are exposed to concepts needed to be effective managers in a wide variety of roles (from marketing to product development to project management to human resources) in high-tech and biotech companies as well as in more traditional environments such as consumer electronics and manufacturing, retail, healthcare, and financial services. Emphasis is placed on the challenges of rapidly changing markets and industries, high research and development costs, international competition, and highly mobile professional employees.

Learning Outcomes

• An understanding of critical and innovative thinking, a global business perspective, enhanced communication skills, as well as the technical tools and techniques necessary for business decision-making.
• The development of design thinking and open innovation skills to create innovative business models and administer such resources.
• The practice of purposeful innovation and the use of appropriate technologies to develop business models to further a business or idea.
• The ability to understand and apply the directly relevant concepts and typologies describing: a) varieties of innovation, and the particular “commercialization” process; b) types of contexts and their implications, i.e., the effect of institutional settings and organizational value networks (financial and cultural norms) on the innovation process; c) methods of strategic, entrepreneurial, and marketing analysis; d) the changing basis of competitive advantage over time and dimensions for describing this factor; e) modern approaches to adding value to products and services such as interorganizational alliances and attention to user interfaces, user experience, and consumer branding; and f) the organizational roles such as business and channel developers that relate to these processes.
• The ability to apply research-based concepts concerning innovation to analyze and manage/facilitate the commercial development and improvement of products, services, and processes that add value for stakeholders. Students will be able to accomplish this in a range of settings such as established companies and smaller or new ventures.

Admissions Information

For current admissions information, please visit the Metropolitan College website.

Degree Requirements

A total of 48 units is required.

All students must satisfy the degree core courses, concentration requirements, concentration electives, and free electives as indicated. Waived courses from core or concentration areas must be replaced by an elective course in order to meet the 48-unit-hour requirement.

Degree Core Courses (five courses/20 units)

• MET AD 632 Financial Concepts
• MET AD 642 Project Management
• MET AD 648 Ecommerce
• MET AD 655 International Business, Economics, and Cultures
• MET AD 741 The Innovation Process: Developing New Products and Services

Concentration Requirements (four courses/16 units)

• MET AD 667 Innovation, Global Competitiveness, and National Economic Development
• MET AD 737 Innovative Marketing Techniques
• MET AD 740 Planning and Operating New Ventures
• MET AD 746 Business Law and Regulation in a Global Environment

Concentration Electives (select two courses/8 units)

• MET AD 571 Business Analytics Foundations (prerequisite: AD 100 Pre-Analytics Lab)
• MET AD 605 Operations Management: Business Process Fundamentals
• MET AD 610 Enterprise Risk Management
• MET AD 654 Marketing Analytics
• MET AD 673 Corporate and Global Responsibility
• MET AD 680 Global Supply Chains
• MET AD 690 Strategic Logistics Management
• MET AD 715 Quantitative and Qualitative Decision-Making
• MET AD 725 Negotiations and Organizational Conflict Resolution
• MET AD 733 Leadership in Management
• MET AD 745 Global Competitiveness
• MET AD 747 Service: Quality, Delivery, and Productivity
• MET AD 760 International Trade and Logistics
• MET AD 856 Market and Economic Research and Analysis

Elective (select one graduate-level course/4 units)

Students are encouraged to use this graduate-level course to broaden their understanding of business innovation and technology. This course can be selected from other Administrative Sciences department offerings or Metropolitan College departments as well as from other schools and colleges within Boston University, with an advisor’s approval.

Second Master’s Degree Option

In appreciation of the converging needs of management and technology, the departments of Actuarial Science, Administrative Sciences, and Computer Science collaborate to offer a unique opportunity to students currently enrolled in their degree programs as well as alumni of those programs. Learn more.