Approved Graduate "Interdisciplinary" Courses (BUS, EDU, MFT, ORG)

Courses offered by other SPU graduate programs which are recommended to satisfy interdisciplinary course requirements in SPS degree programs. If registration is not available through Banner, email the ADGS who will contact the program coordinator for the appropriate graduate program. This is not an exhaustive list of approved interdisciplinary courses.

BUS 6110 Macroeconomics for Managers (3 cr.):

Analyzes aggregate demand, national income, employment and price level, and describes fiscal and monetary policy. Particular emphasis is given to the application of macroeconomic theory to the analysis and forecasting of economic trends and cycles, business condition analysis and strategic planning in the firm. Examines current economic conditions and economic systems. Considers Christian understandings of money, wealth, economic justice, and human well-being.

BUS 6120 Managerial Finance (3 cr.):

Prerequisites: BUS 6132. Develops a working knowledge of basic corporate financial concepts and tools, organized around four key functional areas of the financial manager: valuation decisions, financial planning, asset structure decisions and ownership structure decisions.

BUS 6130 Financial Accounting (3 cr.):

Covers the principles, concepts and procedures underlying the preparation and interpretation of financial statements.

BUS 6132 Managerial Accounting (3 cr.):

Prerequisite: BUS 6130. Completes certain financial accounting topics not covered in BUS 6130 and introduces the principles of managerial accounting. Describes the development and use of accounting for management planning, control and decision making.

BUS 6140 Legal Environment of Business (3 cr.):

Studies the legal environment in which businesses operate. Includes topics such as corporate law, partnership law, agency law, federal regulation of business (e.g., anti-trust and consumer protection), and business torts and crimes.

BUS 6150 Managerial Marketing (3 cr.):

Explores the role of marketing in the economy and examines marketing concepts and their application in domestic, global marketing and e-business contexts. Students apply learning to cases and by preparing marketing plans.

BUS 6164 Operations Management (3 cr.):

Presents a systems-based orientation to production/operations processes and process improvement. Uses an application approach to developing understanding, analysis, and revision of operations activities. Applies project management and other analytical tools relevant to production/operations processes.

BUS 6201 Christian Values and the Marketplace (3 cr.):

Surveys basic biblical and Christian concepts of morality with application to issues of the business community. Analyzes the elements of moral development and ethical decision making and their application to representative moral dilemmas. Must be completed as one of the first five courses in the program.

BUS 6202 Business Ethics: Current Issues and Moral Leadership (3 cr.):

Prerequisite: BUS 6201. Covers ethical reasoning as it applies to business situations. Specific topics include corporate social responsibility, affirmative action, dispute resolution, consumer protection, employee rights, advertising ethics, and economic justice and issues arising from the use of information technology. Must be completed as one of the first five courses in the program.

BUS 6266 Leadership in Organizations (3 cr.):

Develops leadership skills needed for effectiveness in organizations. Introduces theory and research directed at the problems of understanding, predicting and influencing individual and group behavior in the context of a diverse workforce. Covers effectiveness in leading and stewarding the human capital in organizations. Includes topics such as leadership, motivation and behavioral change, decision making, strategic vision, group dynamics, team building, communication processes, power, conflict and stress management. Integrates self-assessment of leadership skills.

BUS 6312 Business and Stewardship for Global Sustainability (3 cr.):

Prerequisites: BUS 6110, 6130, 6150, 6164, 6201. Explores the role of business and business strategies for addressing global economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Informed by Christian theological understandings of creation care, stewardship, justice, human well-being and restoration. Topics include environmental management, clean technologies, social performance, and globalization.

BUS 6313 Business as Community of Work (3 cr.):

Prerequisites: BUS 6164, 6201. Explores the role of business and sustainable business strategies for providing meaningful and creative work. Informed by Christian theological understandings of work, vocation, Sabbath, community, and restoration. Topics include work as vocation, job and organizational design, organizational culture, managing employees, and strategies for community formation in organizations.

BUS 6314 Business and Global Poverty (3 cr.):

Prerequisites: BUS 6110; 6130; 6150; 6164; 6201. Explores the role of business and sustainable business strategies for addressing global poverty. Informed by Christian theological understandings of justice, community and economic development, wealth and poverty, human well-being and restoration. Topics include microfinance, microenterprise and community development, social enterprise and other sustainable business models for creating economic and social value and alleviating poverty.

BUS 6917 Spirituality in Management (1-3 cr.):

Prerequisite: BUS 6201. This seminar course provides in-depth study of issues related primarily to Christian spirituality and management and their application across business discipline areas. The same topic cannot be taken for credit more than once. May be repeated for credit up to six credits.

EDU 6085 Moral Issues in Education (3 cr.):

Assists students in developing a theologically, philosophically, historically, and politically informed understanding of how religious and other moral considerations are properly addressed in schools. Specific attention is also paid to how Christian ideas and commitments can shape the theory and practice of education.

MFT 6100 Social Ecology of Family (3 cr.):

Develops a broad knowledge base of the dynamics and functioning of different family forms: nuclear, post-divorce, remarriage, and intergenerational families and alternative family groups. Covers the life cycle of the family and the process and modification of family structures over time (e.g., birth of the first child, adolescent development, leaving home). Integrates findings regarding individual development from birth to death. Contextual issues (e.g., culture, gender, socioeconomics) will inform discussions of the family as well.

MFT 6110 Human Sexuality (3 cr.):

Examines the place of sexuality in human life including developmental, cultural, psychological, biological, relational, and spiritual factors. Pays special attention to the issues of gender, intimacy, sexual functioning and sexual dysfunction from a psychotherapeutic perspective.

MFT 6200 History, Systems and Christian Perspectives: (3 cr.):

Traces historical developments in formal and informal human services, historical developments in Christian thought, and how the two interrelate. Particularly important are theological and epistemological bases for human services vis-à-vis social ecology and systems thinking.

MFT 6201 Christian Perspectives of Psychotherapy (2 cr.):

Recommended prerequisite: MFT 6200. Focuses on the dynamic relationship between Christianity and the art and science of psychotherapy, particularly related to clinical problems. Consider how various Christian perspectives relate to clinical practices, ethics, treatment models, and social issues which particularly influence psychotherapy.

MFT 6210 Multicultural Issues in Family Therapy (2 cr.):

Focuses on how ethnic, cross-cultural, multiracial and socioeconomic issues influence theories and practices of marriage and family therapy. Analyzes strengths and limitations of major modalities. Students will consider influences of their own cultural backgrounds upon their practice of marriage and family therapy.

MFT 6220 Gender Perspectives and Family Therapy (3 cr.):

Acquaints family therapy students with the MFT literature pertaining to gender. Through readings, videos, and class discussions, students will learn the many ways that gender impacts self and relationships on the personal as well as socio-cultural levels. Implications for therapeutic practice will be a major focus.

MFT 6411 Premarital Education (2 cr.):

Provides a practical overview of the theory, research, and practice of premarital and premarital therapy. Reviews goals, topics, and formats of premarital therapy within various contexts and settings. Examines issues related to culture, gender, diversity and special populations. Class sessions will be divided between lectures, discussions and practical applications. Students will be able to design a premarital program in a setting of interest to them.

MFT 6600 Psychopathology and Family Systems (3 cr.):

Introduces the concepts of psychopathology from a systems perspective with special attention paid to the role families play in the development and treatment of pathology. Uses the DSM-IV-TR as the organizing format for the class with special attention paid to the understanding of etiology, diagnosis and treatment using the DSM nosology in a family systems context.

MFT 6610 Treatment of Abusive Systems (3 cr.):

Examines the dynamics and treatment of abusive cycles and systems, with particular focus on substance abuse, sexual abuse, child abuse, domestic violence, and eating disorders. This didactic and experiential course highlights the effects of abuse on recipients, abusers and others within the contexts of culture, gender and spirituality.

MFT 6641 Treatment of Young Children and Families (1 cr.):

Provides a didactic and experiential format in which to explore issues around therapeutic work with young children and their families. Explores developmental and family systems issues in the light of working with young children and their families.

MFT 6642 Treatment of Adolescents and Families (1 cr.):

Provides a didactic and experiential format in which to explore issues around therapeutic work with adolescents and their families. Explores developmental and family systems issues in the light of working with adolescents and their families.

MFT 6643 Parenting and Treatment of Families (1 cr.):

Provides a didactic and experiential format in which to explore issues around therapeutic work with children, adolescents and their families. Explores parenting, developmental and family systems issues in the light of working with children, adolescents and their families in various therapeutic contexts.

MFT 6651: Spirituality and Health (1 cr.):

This seminar will explore research regarding spirituality and health, encouraging a biopsychosocial-spiritual paradigm of healthcare practice. The impacts of prayer, meditative and other spiritual practices as well as spiritual communities/professionals will be examined within the contexts of health and longevity outcomes, mental health, stress-related diseases, substance abuse and management of chronic illnesses. Ethical and culturally-sensitive interventions will be highlighted.

ORG 6100 Organizational Behavior (4 cr.):

Introduces the literature addressing human behavior in organizational and community contexts. Examines interactions between people and systems in which they function from individual, group, and organizational levels of analysis. Topics include: individual differences, leadership, work motivation, perception, communication, decision making, power and politics, group development, performance, individual and work team effectiveness, conflict, organizational culture, organizational systems theory, and managing diversity.

ORG 6101 Organizational Development and Consultation 1 (4 cr.):

Introduces major theories, models and methods for evaluating the effects of interventions on groups and organizations. Explores the foundations in organizational development and the contributions made by other disciplines, theorists, and practitioners. Special focus on organizational entry, data collection, organizational diagnosis, development of interventions, evaluation, and contract termination. Also explores the role of consultant as internal/external facilitator in the organizational change process.

ORG 6105 Motivation (4 cr.):

What motivates people to do the things that they do and what strategies can they adopt to navigate successfully through the challenges they face at work and in life? This class will explore motivation theory, research, and practice in Industrial/Organizational psychology with a focus on the implications for individuals, the groups they belong to, and the organizations where they work. May be repeated for credit 2 times.

ORG 6240 Social Psychology (4 cr.):

Examines the social bases of behavior, exploring the major theories, concepts and research topics in social psychology. Studies the social and interpersonal determinants and consequences of individual behavior, with special reference to social dynamics that shape attitudes, emotions, perception and behavior.

ORG 6300 Leadership and Team Development (4 cr.):

Prerequisite: ORG 6100. Introduces theoretical frameworks on leadership and team development. Highlights cutting edge tools and practices for selecting and developing leadership capacity within organizational settings as well as the interpersonal and structural dynamics that characterize effective groups. Explores systemic approaches to leadership in the context of organizational culture and interpersonal factors such as leadership ethics, purpose, motivation, power and communication. [Note: This course satisfies the same MDiv degree requirement as THEO 6744 Ministerial leadership.]

ORG 6310 Not for Profit Leadership (4 cr.):

Examines the unique opportunities and challenges of working with and changing human service, non-profit, and community-based organizations such as social service agencies, hospitals, schools, family service agencies, local governments, and faith-based organizations. Explores issues related to board governance, leadership of a volunteer workforce, burnout, vocational calling, and sense of purpose along with theoretical models for change in human service organizations.