As part of the UIC College of Business Administration, students of the CMBA Program have both corporate and academic advantages. Chicago has been rated among the top ten global cities across five dimensions: business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience, and political engagement.*

Students have access to UIC’s close ties with major financial and corporate resources within walking distance from campus. These include the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the downtown “Loop,” home to major banks and multinational corporations, as well as nearby world-renowned medical centers such as Rush University, Northwestern Medicine, and the University of Chicago Medicine. Chicago is also recognized as a major logistics hub, boasting one of the best transportation, distribution, and logistics ecosystems in the world.

Students also benefit from close collaboration with renowned UIC faculty. Learn more about Life at UIC.

*A.T. Kearney 2021 Global Cities Report.

The CMBA program offers a world-class education in a world-class city. We welcome your interest and look forward to receiving your application.

Track-based. Students enter the program with other students in their selected track. All students in a given track take the same courses at the same time throughout the program. The academic plan for each track is constructed by the CMBA Office. Students also have the opportunity to take classes with their American counterparts in some shared MBA courses.
There are five tracks a student can choose from: Strategic and International Business Management (SIM), Financial Markets and Asset Management (FMAM), Management of Healthcare (MOH), Commodities, Exchanges and Derivatives (CED) or Business Analytics (BA).

Time efficient. The relatively shorter time frame of this program is achieved by making the program somewhat more intensive than the traditional two-year, full-time MBA programs.
Care is taken to make sure students in each track can take the full range of core and area of focus coursework within one calendar year to fulfill their degree requirements. We utilize the entire summer to achieve this goal, as well as the regular spring and fall terms.

Solid Quality. All five tracks require 54 credit hours of coursework, including MBA core courses (visit the BusinessConnect website for a list of core courses), industry exposure courses and track-specific courses. Students will gain a combination of core business skills and specialized expertise.

Strategic and International Business Management (SIM)

Strategic and International Business Management seeks to foster an understanding of international business practices and culture together with knowledge of the core functional areas of business and to allow students to develop their judgment and ability in applying this knowledge in a global business environment.

Representative track-specific courses include but are not limited to:

• Corporate Strategy
• Supply Chain Management
• Marketing Strategy
• Negotiations
• Product Development
• Global Strategy
• Business Visualization
• Global Innovation Leadership

Financial Markets and Asset Management (FMAM)

Financial Markets and Asset Management is designed to further careers of financial professionals by enhancing their understanding of financial markets, asset management, and the operation of financial institutions in the dynamic global economy. Drawing on the resources of the financial community of Chicago, the track provides up-to-date knowledge in the theory and practice of financial markets and asset management.

Representative track-specific courses include but are not limited to:

• Investments
• Portfolio Analysis
• Statistics for Financial Markets
• Fixed Income
• Chicago Exchanges
• Alternative Investments
• Quantitative Investing
• Money and Banking

Management of Healthcare (MOH)

Management of Healthcare is designed to further the careers of healthcare professionals by encouraging the development of contemporary management skills and cultural awareness necessary to deliver innovative health care services in the twenty-first century. The track further develops international students’ understanding of general business management and healthcare management by enhancing their understanding of the U.S. public health policies, administration, services, and management practices. It strives to empower students to utilize their existing knowledge base with those developed in the track to construct a truly integrated health care system.

In addition to the track’s coursework, students are encouraged to take advantage of the variety of lectures, grand rounds, and other opportunities in healthcare on campus and in the community.

Representative track-specific courses include but are not limited to:

• Human Resources Management in Healthcare
• Strategic Management
• Healthcare Economics
• Public Health Management
• American Healthcare Institutions
• Healthcare Informatics
• Operations of Public Hospitals
• Business Data Visualization

Commodities, Exchanges and Derivatives (CED)

Commodities, Exchanges and Derivatives derives a unique advantage from its prime location in the city of Chicago, which is home to the world’s largest futures exchanges, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group; and the world’s largest options exchange, the Chicago Board Options Exchange. Chicago is the origination and global center of the commodities, exchanges and financial derivatives. In addition to these institutions, many large multinational securities and futures firms have offices in the city. This environment provides students with many opportunities to interact with leading experts in the industry and to become acquainted with the most advanced technology in the field.

Representative track-specific courses include but are not limited to:

• Money and Banking
• Chicago Exchanges
• Quantitative Methods for Finance
• Investments
• Commodities and Asset Pricing
• Futures and Options
• Futures and Options, Advanced
• Introduction to Quantamental Investing

Business Analytics (BA)

Business Analytics equips students with the business knowledge and analytics skills required for evidence-based and data-driven decisions to achieve efficient business operations, superior organizational performance, and effective management in industry. The cutting-edge curriculum seamlessly integrates core courses in functional areas of business with advanced courses in data visualization, statistical modeling, data mining, and analytics strategies and practices.

Representative track-specific courses include but are not limited to:

• Programming for Data Science in Business
• Business Database Technology
• Statistics for Business
• Data Mining for Business
• Social Media and Network Analysis
• Analytics for Big Data
• Business Data Visualization
• Advanced Text Analytics for Business

Criteria for Candidates

Ideal candidates for the CMBA Program are young professionals who want to advance their career with an MBA but find it difficult to be away from the workplace for more than one year, or recent graduates and are looking for a quality program to enhance their skills and career potential. To be considered for admission to the program, individuals should have:

• A bachelor’s degree with satisfactory grades
• Strong English language skills
• Analytical and quantitative skills and/or professional experience are preferred.
• For the FMAM and CED focuses, prior study of calculus and statistics is highly recommended.
• For the BA focus, prior study and/or work experience in business, science, engineering, technology, or related fields are preferred.

These minimum criteria only qualify a candidate for consideration and do not guarantee an offer of admission.​