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Within just two years, MBA students take a variety of courses that give them a strong foundation for a business career. Some of these courses are vital, while others may serve merely as a pre-requisite.

Paolo Fornasini, Co-Founder of Keye and an MBA grad from The Wharton School, recently highlighted a few MBA courses that he says changed his perspective for the better.

MANAGERIAL DECISION MAKING — JOSEPH SIMMONS

In “Managerial Decision Making,” students master the art and science of critical thinking. Fornasini says this class is “about as close as you can be to predicting the future.”

The course is taught by Joseph Simmons, who has spent the past 12 years analyzing research methods.

“Joe (as he’ll ask you to call him) will teach you why so much of popular statistics is wrong, and help you separate bias from noise — a much needed skill in a world full of AI-generated content and disinformation,” Fornasini says.

CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT: MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS — EMILIE FELDMAN

Most MBAs deal with M&A at some point in their careers. But most don’t understand how it really works. Feldman’s course gives students a thorough understanding of the M&A process, from start to finish.

“I was blown away by the myth-busting pragmatism Emilie Feldman delivered in this class, and the way she unravels convoluted mergers into straightforward takeaways applicable to many lines of business,” Fornasini says. “The cases are fascinating, and Prof. Feldman does a great job making it all intuitive — from the financials, to corporate culture.”

ADVANCED GLOBAL STRATEGY — ZEKE HERNANDEZ

In “Advanced Global Strategy,” students study the changing population patterns around the world and its impact on business. Zeke Hernandez’s research focuses primarily on immigration, economic growth, and corporate strategy. Hernandez is also one of the highest rated teachers at Wharton.

“Most companies don’t have a consistent framework for thinking about global growth and competition — but Zeke does,” Fornasini says.“I found the pace and flow of the class refreshing, and the toolkit you develop will help you structure and quantify approaches to the thorniest of challenges. If you like thinking about geopolitics, the future, and how to win at global scale, take this class and get Prof. Hernandez’s Zekrets as a bonus.”

Sources: Medium, P&Q

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