The transformative Forward Focus MBA curriculum

Ultimately, very few people pursue an MBA to stand firm in the field, company, or role in which they currently serve. By giving you a broad overview of primary business functions, a deeper level of understanding than a bachelor's degree in business, and the chance to focus your skills in one or more areas of business, an MBA helps you create new pathways for yourself that can help shape your entire career.

Ultimately, very few people pursue an MBA to stand firm in the field, company, or role in which they currently serve. By giving you a broad overview of primary business functions, a deeper level of understanding than a bachelor's degree in business, and the chance to focus your skills in one or more areas of business, an MBA helps you create new pathways for yourself that can help shape your entire career.

But that does not mean all MBA programs are created equal. At ASU's W. P. Carey School of Business, the MBA curriculum is constantly reviewed to ensure relevance to both the market and the student: How will this MBA prepare leaders? How can it help companies find or advance competitive advantage? Are we providing our partners and our students the best possible outcomes?

An MBA with a forward focus

To help definitively answer those questions, the W. P. Carey School recently launched a new curriculum for the Full-time MBA program, expanding it to 60 hours to achieve its goals. The key takeaway of the Forward Focus curriculum is self-transformation, an outcome constructed through the eight experiences that shape the program overall.

Some of these concepts are not uncommon in MBA programs, but three of these experiences are unique offerings to W. P. Carey: Intellectual Fusion Learning Labs, Future Forward Leadership, and Executive Connections.

Unique learning opportunities

• Intellectual Fusion Learning Labs pair you with non-business ASU master’s degree students on action-learning projects that deliver cross-functional skills.
• Future Forward Leadership prepares you for ambiguous situations by building skills in design thinking, improvisation, super-flexibility, sense-making, rapid execution, and leading transformative change.
• Executive Connections teams you with senior executives to enhance leadership competencies through experiments in leadership, coaching, mentoring, and career preparation outside of class.

Together, these eight experiences build on and reflect each other, helping you become a business leader who can navigate uncertainty and change. As the world and industries become more volatile and malleable, it will require agile decision-making more than ever before. Through the Forward Focus MBA curriculum, you'll be better prepared for unforeseen challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Take a closer look

Learn more about the the Forward Focus curriculum and the revolutionary Forward Focus scholarship offered through the W. P. Carey Full-time MBA.