Planning to study for an MBA but unsure of your basic math skills? All MBA programs require some math, particularly on quantitative subjects such as Accounting, Economics and Finance. You’ll need it to do analysis in a number of other courses but it won't be intensive. So for all purposes, you have to be prepared to be in the thick of numbers and equations for three out of about 20 courses.
About the course
In this mathematics course, you will learn the fundamental business math skills needed to succeed in your MBA study. These math skills will also give you an edge in the workplace, enabling you to apply greater analytical skill to your decision making.
You will learn how to evaluate and manipulate the types of formulae that appear in an accounting syllabus, how to perform the calculus required to solve optimization problems in economics and how to apply the concept of geometric series to solving finance-related problems such as calculating compound interest payments.
This course assumes no prior knowledge of business math. Concepts are explained clearly and regular activities give you the opportunity to practice your skills and improve your confidence.
What you will learn
By the end of this course, you will know:
- How to evaluate, manipulate and graph the types of linear equations that appear throughout an MBA syllabus;
- How to evaluate and manipulate the complex relationships that appear (for example, those that are represented as quadratic or exponential equations);
- How calculus is used to solve optimization problems, such as finding the quantity of sales that maximizes a firm’s profit;
- How tools relating to mathematical series and sequences are adopted on an MBA program to calculate concepts such as net present value and compound interest.
About the instructor
Dr. Lefevre is the Director of the EdTech Lab at Imperial College Business School (UK). He is also the course leader on the Business School’s Pre-study module in Math. David holds an MSc in Computing Science and a PhD in the field of instructional systems from Imperial College London and, perhaps most importantly, a BSc in Mathematics from the University of East Anglia (UEA).
David and his EdTech Lab team launched the Global Online MBA program in 2015 and have received awards along the way including a Gold award at the IMS Learning Impact awards in 2010 and an Effective Practice Award at the Sloan-C Blended Learning Conference in 2011.
Duration: 6 weeks, 2-5 hours per week
Language: English
Instructor: David Lefevre
Institution: Imperial College London
