MBA Reseach and Curriculum Center

What MBA Reseach and Curriculum Center does

MBA Research and Curriculum Center is a 501(c)-style nonprofit educational consortium founded in 1970 and headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. It is governed as a consortium of 25-plus U.S. state education departments and serves high school and middle school business educators, state education administrators, and partner student organizations. Its mission is to provide industry-validated business education curriculum, assessments, and professional development to prepare students for careers in business.

The company's core product is the Learning Center, a Canvas LMS-hosted curriculum management platform containing 300-plus research-based instructional modules (Learning Activity Packages), course guides for 19+ business disciplines, the High School of Business™ accelerated program, A*S*K certification exams, five-level digital badges, end-of-course and end-of-program assessments, and rubrics. Supporting lines include ethics curriculum co-developed with the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative, AI literacy resources, project-management materials funded by PMIEF, personal finance curriculum, the State's Connection portal for member-state teachers, and the Gray Zone interactive ethics video series.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid model: annual Learning Center subscriptions ($695/year member, $995/year non-member for up to five teachers), per-student access add-ons ($6.25-$9.00), transactional certifications and exam fees ($3.75-$7.95 per exam depending on level and membership), one-time downloads of LAP modules and course guides, and registration fees for the Conclave conference, Leadership Forum, and workshops. Go-to-market combines direct e-commerce via the mbashop storefront, consortium membership sales to state education departments, CTSO partnerships (BPA, DECA, FBLA, FCCLA), and content marketing through the website, monthly webinars, YouTube, and email. The organization is led by President Holly Atha.

Name

MBA Reseach and Curriculum Center

Legal name

MBA Research and Curriculum Center

Website

https://mbaresearch.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MBA Research and Curriculum Center is a 50-plus-year-old nonprofit educational consortium of 25+ U.S. state education departments that provides standards-aligned business curriculum, assessments, certifications, and professional development to high school and middle school educators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Education Curriculum

NAICS

Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), Technical and Trade Schools (6115), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Professionals (Teacher/Administrator CE, CPD) (EDAAALAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Advanced Project-Based Learning & Portfolio Mentoring (STEM/arts portfolios, maker projects) (EDANAKAI)

Keywords

• Business education curriculum
• Standards-aligned curriculum
• Career technical education
• Educational assessment tools
• Teacher professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Learning Center Subscriptions: Annual subscription to Learning Center curriculum management system, shared by up to 5 teachers in same school. Schools in member states pay $695/year; non-member schools pay $995/year. Student access available as add-on at $6.25/student (member) or $9.00/student (non-member).
2. Course Guides and LAP Modules: One-time purchases for downloadable course guides, Learning Activity Packages (LAPs), and ethics education materials. Pricing varies by product type.
3. Certification and Assessment Fees: Fees for A*S*K certification exams, end-of-program exams, end-of-course exams, and digital badge assessments at various price points ($3.75-$7.95 per exam depending on level and membership status).
4. Conference and Professional Development: Registration fees for Conclave conference, Leadership Forum, and workshop training sessions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

MBA Research and Curriculum Center is a nonprofit educational consortium of 25+ state education departments that develops and delivers standards-aligned business education curriculum, a Canvas-based Learning Management System (Learning Center) with 300+ instructional modules, assessment and certification tools, and professional development programs for high school and middle school business educators across the United States.

Product overview

MBA Research and Curriculum Center is an education consortium offering a comprehensive suite of standards-aligned business education resources for high school and middle school educators. The core platform is the Learning Center, a Canvas-based LMS containing 300+ instructional modules (LAPs). Supporting products include Course Guides for 19+ business courses, the project-based High School of Business program, A*S*K Certifications with five badge levels, and various assessment tools (end-of-program exams, end-of-course exams, instructional area exams, rubrics). The portfolio also includes ethics education resources developed with Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative, AI Resources for the Classroom, Project Management tools, Personal Finance curriculum, State’s Connection Portal for member states, and professional development through Conclave conferences and monthly webinars. Student organizations supported include BPA, DECA, FBLA, and FCCLA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative: Ethics education materials developed with the support of the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative, including lesson modules, videos, and courses for middle school, high school, and community college students.
• A*S*K Institute
• The Gray Zone
• World of Business

Products and services

• Learning Center Interactive online curriculum management system built on Canvas LMS, loaded with 300+ instructional modules covering marketing, finance, business administration, accounting, and entrepreneurship. Includes tools for content delivery, assessment administration, gradebook, calendar, and student collaboration.
• Lesson Modules (LAPs) Learning Activity Packages (LAPs) are comprehensive, ready-to-use lesson plans supporting industry-validated performance indicators. Each LAP includes student narrative, learning goals, activities, assessments, discussion guides, PowerPoint presentations, and ethical case studies.
• Course Guides Comprehensive roadmaps providing performance indicators, ethical case studies, activities, recommended LAP modules, crosswalks to textbooks, multiple-choice exams, and project ideas for courses including Accounting, Business & Marketing Essentials, Digital Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Marketing, Personal Finance, and Supply Chain Management.
• High School of Business Project-based, accelerated business program of study for high school students. Includes six required courses and two optional courses plus a business internship. Features college credit opportunities and culminates in digital badges upon completion.
• A*S*K Certifications Business-sponsored certification program through the Institute for the Assessment of the Skills and Knowledge of Business (A*S*K Institute). Offers independent proof of learning for business, marketing, management, and entrepreneurship with rigorous, industry-based exams.
• Digital Badges Credentials recognizing student accomplishments across five levels of achievement. Level 1 (25 questions), Level 2 (higher planning level), Level 3 (full course, 50 questions), Level 4 (end-of-program, 100 questions), and Level 5 (A*S*K certification).
• End-of-Program Exams Online exams documenting student learning outcomes over multi-course programs of study, aligned with National Business Administration Standards. Includes pretests and posttests with 100 multiple-choice items.
• End-of-Course Exams 50-question exams tied to Level 3 digital badges, covering full courses based on MBA Research course guide performance indicators. Criteria for passing is 70%.
• Instructional Area Exams Exams based on individual instructional areas or standards from National Business Administration Standards. Level 1 (25 questions, prerequisite/career sustaining levels), Level 2 (25 questions, career-sustaining/specialist levels).
• State's Connection Portal Teacher resource portal providing free tools, content, and resources for teachers in member states. Includes Curriculum Builder database tool for aligning with National Business Administration Standards, plus project management tools.
• Ethics Education Resources Comprehensive ethics curriculum developed with Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative support. Includes Gray Zone Interactive Series, Ethical Leadership Course Package, Ethical Principles Video Series, Ethics Boot Camp, Ethics Service-Learning Project, and community college/postsecondary ethical leadership packages.
• Personal Finance Resources Course guide and LAP modules for teaching personal financial literacy, including crosswalks to national Grade 8 and Grade 12 Personal Financial Education Standards. Topics include budgeting, credit, insurance, investments, and consumer rights.
• Middle School Ethics Education Ethics and career exploration materials for middle school students (grades 6-8). Includes Ethical Leadership Course, 10 instructional modules about ethics, Middle School Ethics Handbook, Career Exploration Course with 20 modules, and interactive ethics events.
• MBA Research Conclave Conference Premier annual curriculum and teaching conference for business, marketing, finance, management, and entrepreneurship educators. Beginning in 2026, integrated with ACTE's CareerTech VISION conference in New Orleans.
• Webinars Free monthly webinar series exploring cutting-edge topics for business and marketing educators. Features presentations by industry experts on AI in education, Universal Design for Learning, prompt engineering, and teaching marketing strategies.
• World of Business Course One-semester business economics course for high school students (grades 9-12) utilizing game- and project-based learning, based on a postsecondary course at the University of Colorado Boulder Leeds School of Business.
• National Business Administration Standards Industry-validated standards organized across four business clusters: Business Management, Finance, Marketing, and Hospitality & Tourism Management. Includes Business Administration Core topics and curriculum planning levels from prerequisite to owner.

Quantifiable outcome

• Schools using MBA curriculum report improved student engagement and performance
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and flagship.

• Daniels Fund Ethics InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGenerous funding support for ethics education materials including middle school, high school, and community college ethical leadership programs. Includes development of course packages, lesson modules, video series, and free certification exams until June 2026.
• W.W. Reynolds FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding for development of World of Business course, a one-semester business economics course for high school students utilizing game-based and project-based learning.
• Project Management Institute Educational Foundation (PMIEF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrant funding provided project management templates, processes, and training resources. 56 teachers trained through two-day extensive training session to reach other educators in their states.
• Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntegration of MBA Research Conclave conference with ACTE's CareerTech VISION conference beginning in 2026. Partnership includes business education division collaboration for professional development.
• Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative development of middle school ethical leadership materials with advisory network input for comprehensive, SEL-aligned lesson plans.
• Canvas by InstructurecoreTechnology or IntegrationCanvas LMS platform hosts the MBA Research Learning Center, providing interactive instructional modules, assessments, gradebook, and course management tools accessible to educators and students.
• University of Colorado Boulder, Leeds School of BusinessmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld of Business course based on postsecondary course curriculum from Leeds School of Business, adapted for high school students.
• A*S*K InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness-sponsored institute offering independent certification exams for business, marketing, management, and entrepreneurship, including digital badges and documentation for individuals earning accreditation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• iCEV: iCEV provides CTE curriculum, certifications, and instructional media with district and state licensing — paralleling MBA Research's mix of LAP modules, A*S*K certifications, and consortium/state sales motion.
• Applied Educational Systems (AES): AES sells business education curriculum (accounting, marketing, entrepreneurship, business law) to high school teachers, overlapping MBA Research's course guide and LAP module portfolio.
• Goodheart-Willcox Publisher: Goodheart-Willcox publishes CTE and business education textbooks and supporting curriculum for high school and career-tech programs — a traditional publishing analog that competes for the same teacher budget pool.
• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE): NFTE delivers entrepreneurship education to middle and high school students through curriculum and competitions, directly comparable to MBA Research's Entrepreneurship course guides and High School of Business program.
• EVERFI: EVERFI provides K-12 digital curricula in financial literacy, business, and career readiness, with both consumer-facing content and enterprise (district/state) licensing — closely mirroring MBA Research's subscription-and-assessment model targeting high school CTE teachers.
• Knowledge Matters: Knowledge Matters supplies business simulations (e.g., Business&ITCenter21) and curriculum for high school business and CTE teachers, directly competing with MBA Research's Learning Center modules and assessments.

Emerging players

• BizWorld Foundation: BizWorld Foundation offers project-based entrepreneurship curriculum for elementary and middle school students — adjacent to MBA Research's middle school ethics/career exploration materials and High School of Business program.

Broad incumbents

• Junior Achievement USA: Junior Achievement offers a much broader K-12 financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship curriculum portfolio; it overlaps with MBA Research's business-education niche but operates at a larger scale with a volunteer-driven distribution model.
• Cengage / South-Western Educational Publishing: Cengage (including the South-Western imprint) is a dominant publisher of business and accounting textbooks used in high school and post-secondary business programs, serving overlapping teachers and district-adoption cycles.
• McGraw Hill Education: McGraw Hill's high school business and personal finance titles (and its ALEKS/Connect platforms) compete for the same CTE and business teacher budgets as MBA Research's course guides and Learning Center.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCdg5uqcT67p1RENOn1AaJ2Q
• Xx.com/mbaresearchnews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MBA Reseach and Curriculum Center