University at Buffalo (UB)
AI Mini MBA Program
Turn AI into a practical tool for leadership, decision-making and performance.
The AI Mini MBA is a hands-on, non-credit program for managers preparing to take on broader leadership responsibilities. You will learn how key business functions connect and how AI can be used as a practical tool for analysis, decision-making and execution.
Program Features
- Seven two-week modules
- Eight hours of self-paced learning per module
- Optional two hours of live online review sessions per module
- Flexible format for working professionals
- Planned launch in January 2027
Contact Us
If you are an experienced professional looking to broaden your business perspective, strengthen your leadership capabilities, and use AI as a practical management tool, the AI Mini MBA is for you.
This program is a strong fit for:
- Experienced middle managers preparing for senior leadership
You are looking to move beyond functional expertise and develop the broader business understanding needed to contribute at a senior-management level. - Functional leaders seeking a cross-functional perspective
You lead a department or area of responsibility and would like a stronger understanding of how operations, people, accounting, marketing, finance and strategy work together to drive organizational performance. - Managers leading cross-functional initiatives
You coordinate work across teams and functions and wish to improve your ability to evaluate tradeoffs, align priorities and make more integrated business decisions. - Professionals responsible for business performance and execution
You are accountable for delivering results and want to use AI to support better analysis and decision-making. - Leaders who want practical AI fluency
You are not interested in becoming a technical AI specialist, but would like to confidently use AI to analyze information, test assumptions, communicate recommendations and lead effectively in an AI-enabled organization.
Move from personal productivity to organizational impact. Discover how AI fits into modern workflows, data systems and team collaboration. You’ll learn how to improve information quality, redesign processes and manage work in digitally enabled environments where AI plays a central role.
Your key takeaways:
- A clear understanding of how AI integrates into team workflows and systems
- Tools to improve data use and decision quality
- A framework for redesigning work processes with AI in mind
- Practical approaches for managing AI-enabled teams and coordination
Navigate complexity across the supply chain with greater clarity and precision. Explore how AI can support sourcing, logistics, inventory and coordination decisions. You’ll learn to analyze tradeoffs, model scenarios and improve responsiveness in increasingly dynamic supply networks.
Your key takeaways:
- A structured approach to supply chain decision-making using AI
- Tools to analyze tradeoffs across sourcing, inventory and logistics
- The ability to model disruptions and evaluate alternative actions
- Clear ways to communicate supply chain insights and recommendations
Lead people effectively in an AI-enabled workplace. Gain insights into how AI is reshaping hiring, talent development and team performance. You’ll learn how to use AI responsibly in people-related decisions while balancing efficiency with judgment, fairness and human insight.
Your key takeaways:
- Practical ways to use AI in hiring, performance and development
- A framework for responsible and fair use of AI in people decisions
- Tools to improve team support, learning and productivity
- Greater confidence in managing people in an AI-enabled environment
Harness the power of AI to transform accounting from a transactional function into a strategic advantage. Grasp how to use AI to streamline accounting processes, analyze financial information and improve accuracy while maintaining professional judgment and compliance standards.
Your key takeaways:
- The ability to use AI to automate routine accounting tasks and improve efficiency
- Techniques for analyzing financial records, identifying anomalies and enhancing accuracy
- Practical approaches to generating reports and accounting insights with AI
- Greater confidence in applying AI responsibly within accounting workflows
Reimagine how marketing works in the age of AI. Learn how to use AI tools to uncover customer insights, refine segmentation and generate high-impact campaigns. You'll distinguish between efficiency gains and true competitive advantage, enabling smarter marketing decisions.
Your key takeaways:
- AI-driven approaches to customer insight, segmentation and positioning
- The ability to generate and evaluate marketing ideas quickly
- A clearer view of where AI creates real differentiation versus efficiency gains
- A set of practical prompts for campaign design and analysis
Make better financial decisions with AI as your analytical partner. Determine how to use AI to build business cases and interpret financial data. You’ll gain confidence in linking managerial decisions to financial outcomes, even without deep finance expertise.
Your key takeaways:
- The ability to build and stress-test business cases using AI
- Tools to interpret financial data and connect it to decisions
- A structured approach to evaluating investments and tradeoffs
- Greater confidence in managing financial conversations and decisions
Think more strategically with AI as your analytical edge. Acquire the skills to help you evaluate industries and opportunities using AI-powered tools. You’ll learn how to identify where AI creates real value and how to apply strategic thinking in rapidly evolving business environments.
Your key takeaways:
- A framework for analyzing industries and competitors with AI
- The ability to identify high-value AI opportunities strategically
- Tools to support faster, more informed strategic thinking
- Stronger judgment in interpreting and applying AI-generated insights
- You will create an integrative project, bringing content together with a two-page written deliverable due within two weeks of program completion.
Integrative Leadership Project
Conclude with an integrative leadership project. Drawing on insights from operations, people, accounting, marketing, finance and strategy, you'll develop an integrated, AI-enabled recommendation accompanied by an implementation plan for a business challenge within your organization. Your final output may take the form of an AI-enabled business proposal, cross-functional decision brief, implementation roadmap or leadership presentation. The project serves as the program’s culminating assessment, requiring you to synthesize learning from all seven modules into a coherent managerial solution.
By the end of this program, you'll be able to:
- Connect operational, people, customer, accounting, financial and strategic considerations in managerial decisions
- Use AI to analyze business information, generate alternatives, test assumptions and communicate recommendations
- Evaluate where AI can improve productivity, decision quality, responsiveness and competitive advantage
- Exercise sound judgement when AI outputs are incomplete, biased, uncertain or inappropriate for the decision
- Lead cross-functional work and contribute with greater confidence to senior-management decisions
A high-impact, career-ready investment in practical AI for today’s managers.
$3,500
Full program cost for all seven modules.
For UB department-funded discount pricing or corporate volume discounts, contact mgt-epe@buffalo.edu.