MBA Curriculum
Note: Refer to designated chapters for curriculum details specific to the Master of Science in Information Systems, Weekend Accelerated MBA, and Executive MBA Programs.
The Santa Clara MBA program is designed to develop leaders with a broad business, economic, and social perspective who are capable of managing change in dynamic environments. Students develop breadth of understanding through course work in accounting, economics, finance, management, marketing, and operations and management information systems; and depth by concentrating electives in particular functional cross-disciplinary areas. Depending upon their prior academic work, students complete a minimum of 49 graduate units and a maximum of 70 graduate units to receive the MBA degree.
PREPROGRAM COMPETENCIES
Beyond the general requirement that applicants for the MBA program possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, the following areas of preprogram competencies are required:
College Algebra Proficiency
Entering students must demonstrate college algebra proficiency by: (a) having taken a minimum of 3 quarter units of intermediate-level college algebra within the past ten years with a grade of C or better; (b) scoring in the 50th percentile or above on the quantitative portion of the GMAT; or (c) passing the Algebra Equivalency Exam. Students must demonstrate algebra proficiency prior to starting the program or defer their admission until this requirement is met.
Math Analysis/Calculus Proficiency
Entering students must demonstrate college calculus proficiency by: (a) having taken a minimum of 3 quarter units of college calculus within the past 10 years with a grade of C or better; or (b) having a bachelor’s degree in engineering, mathematics, or the physical sciences (e.g., physics) if accompanied by a strong GMAT quantitative score; or (c) passing the OMIS 351 Mathematical Analysis Equivalency Exam; or (d) completing OMIS 351 with a P(passing) grade or an approved business calculus course elsewhere with a grade of C or better during their first quarter. Students must demonstrate math analysis/calculus proficiency by the end of their first quarter of residence in order to continue to register for courses in the program. Admission to the program is contingent upon meeting this requirement by the end of the first quarter.
Oral Communications
Students entering the program are expected to be able to participate fully in class discussions and present ideas effectively in writing. Students are encouraged to participate in the SCU Toastmaster club/network meetings to afford them opportunities for peer critique and ongoing development of presentation skills. Optional workshops are also offered.
OVERVIEW OF THE CURRICULUM
The Santa Clara MBA curriculum consists of 70 units comprising 7 waivable required courses (21 units), 9 nonwaivable required courses (25 units), and 24 units of electives. Two of the nonwaivable required courses bracket the program: MGMT 501, Managerial Competencies and Team Effectiveness, taken within the first two quarters of residence, and the capstone course MGMT 619, Business Policy in High Technology Firms, taken after all required courses have been completed. During the first year of the program, students complete a required 1-unit course IDIS 705, containing 2 modules that integrate course work completed and relate it to practical issues of today. There is considerable flexibility in the order in which other courses are taken, although all prerequisites must be satisfied before enrolling in a particular course. Math analysis/calculus proficiency, one of the preprogram requirements, must be demonstrated no later than the end of the first quarter of residence.
WAIVER PROCEDURES
Up to seven of the required courses may be waived. The number of waivers an individual student receives depends on a variety of factors, including the quality of the student’s academic record, the undergraduate field of study, and its recency. Undergraduate business majors with a recent degree will typically be able to complete the program with fewer courses.
Prospective students who have questions about waivers should consult individually with the admissions staff.
Students may receive waivers in the following ways:
Admissions Committee Review An initial evaluation of the academic records of all admitted students identifies waivable courses, and students are informed of the results of this evaluation with their acceptance package.
Exams for Preprogram Competencies Students must submit their deposit before preprogram competency exams can be taken. Test dates will be announced at time of admission. Algebra requirement must be satisfied prior to first quarter of enrollment. Math analysis/calculus requirement must be satisfied by the end of the first quarter in residence.
Petition for Course Waiver If there are additional courses that the student believes should be waived given the waiver rules, he or she may file a written petition and accompany the request with appropriate documentation including catalog descriptions, course syllabi, lists of required texts, etc. Petitions for course waivers may be filed upon matriculation (deposit) and must be filed by the end of the student’s first quarter in residence. Petitions for additional course waivers will not be accepted after a student’s first quarter. The director of Graduate Business Programs Academic Support and Records, in consultation with faculty, rules on these petitions and unless new information is presented, the ruling is final.
Note: A grade of B or better is required in all courses considered for waiver and the relevant course work must have been completed within six years prior to acceptance into the MBA Program. A grade of C or better is required in all courses considered to satisfy algebra and math analysis/calculus preprogram competencies and the course work must have been completed within 10 years prior to acceptance into the MBA Program. Waivers are not granted until the official transcript has been received.
Equivalency Exams Students may waive a course by passing an equivalency exam. Equivalency exams are scheduled and administered during the second week of each quarter. Equivalency exam registration and required payment must be filed with the Graduate Business Programs Office no later than one week prior to the day of the exam. Students are eligible to sit for equivalency exams during their first two quarters in the program only.. Students are ineligible to take an exam if they have attended any session of the class that they are attempting to waive. Each exam may be taken only once. If a student fails an exam, he/she is then required to take the class.
WAIVABLE REQUIRED COURSES AND WAIVER RULES
Course titles of the seven waivable required courses and their associated waiver rules are listed below. For more detailed catalog descriptions, see Section 15 of this bulletin.
- ACTG 300 Financial Accounting
Waiver Rule: A minimum of 3 quarter units of upper division financial accounting, passage of the Financial Accounting Equivalency Exam or current CPA status. - ACTG 302 Managerial Accounting
Waiver Rule: A minimum of 3 quarter units of upper division managerial or cost accounting, passage of the Managerial Accounting Equivalency Exam or current CPA status. - ECON 405 Macroeconomic Theory and Policy
Waiver Rule: A minimum of 3 quarter units of upper-division (intermediate-level) macroeconomics or passage of the Macroeconomic Theory and Policy Equivalency Exam. - FNCE 451 Financial Management
Waiver Rule: Completion of two upper-division courses in finance (6 quarter units minimum) or passage of the Financial Management Equivalency Exam. - MKTG 551 Marketing Analysis and Decisions
Waiver Rule: Completion of two upper-division courses in marketing management (6 quarter units minimum) or passage of the Marketing Analysis and Decisions Equivalency Exam. - OMIS 353 Statistical Methods
Waiver Rule: A minimum of 4 quarter units in statistics including coverage of probability theory, estimation, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis; or passage of the Statistical Methods Equivalency Exam. - OMIS 355 Computer-Based Decision Models
Waiver Rule: Advanced course work (minimum 3 quarter units) in management science or operations research that includes formulation of mathematical models for business problems, optimization, and linear programming including problem formulation, spreadsheet representation, solving linear programs using Excel or other software, and understanding of sensitivity analysis; decision analysis including decision trees, use of Baye’s Rule for updating probabilities, determining the value of information in decision problems, and basic utility theory; or passage of the Computer-Based Decision Models Equivalency Exam.
GRADUATE TRANSFER CREDIT
In addition to waiving any of the above courses, a maximum of two courses (6 quarter units) of graduate credit from another AACSB-accredited MBA program may be transferred for either nonwaivable required or elective courses if the course:
- Was open to graduate students only
- Was completed by the student with the equivalent of a B or better grade
- Was awarded graduate credit
- Was part of an incomplete MBA degree program when taken no more than six years prior to application to the SCU MBA program
- Is considered by the MBA Committee to be functionally equivalent to a course or combination of courses offered by Santa Clara’s MBA Program.
Graduate transfer credit is granted on a course for course basis only. No credit will be given for coursework done elsewhere while in the MBA program without prior approval. This restriction does not apply to students participating in the Jesuit Transfer Agreement.
NONWAIVABLE REQUIRED COURSES
The nine nonwaivable required courses in the program are listed below. For more detailed descriptions, see Section 15 of this bulletin.
- MGMT 501 Managerial Competencies and Team Effectiveness
Note: This foundational course must be taken within the first two quarters of a student’s residence. Students beginning classes in the summer complete the course during fall quarter. - MGMT 503 Organizational Analysis and Management
- MGMT 505 Social, Political, and Legal Environment of Business
- MKTG 553 Competitive Marketing Strategy
- ECON 401 Economics for Business Decisions
- OMIS 357 Operations Management
- FNCE 455 Investments
- IDIS 705 (1 unit) Leadership for Justice and Prosperity
Note: This required 1-unit course must be completed during the first year in the program. - MGMT 619 Business Policy in High Technology Firms
Note: This capstone course must be taken after completion of all other required courses. This required course is not offered in the summer quarter.
ELECTIVES AND INDEPENDENT STUDY
In addition to the seven waivable required courses and the 9 nonwaivable required courses discussed above, students select 24 units of elective credit to complete their MBA program. Any course offered in conjunction with the MBA program with the exception of those otherwise required or waived is considered an elective. In addition, up to two courses in the School of Law may be taken as MBA electives if approved in advance by both the law school and the business school. Contact the Graduate Business Programs Office for more information.
Santa Clara typically offers a choice of more than 40 electives within an academic year. Recently these have included such offerings as Small Business Entrepreneurship; Economics of Decision Making Under Uncertainty; and Managing Innovation and Technology. For catalog descriptions of elective courses, see section 15 of this bulletin. New courses are continually being developed. Please contact the Graduate Business Programs Office for information on new electives scheduled after this bulletin was finalized. All elective courses that are not experimental are offered no less frequently than once every two years. In order to ensure breadth of coverage within a general management degree, no more than 17 elective units may be taken in any one discipline.
The MBA program offers experimental courses in each of the six functional areas. These courses are numbered 696 (e.g., ACTG 696, ECON 696). The MBA program also offers 1-unit modular courses for graduate credit. These offerings allow for greater choice of electives and more timely and contemporary elective topics. Recent examples of 1-unit courses include Strategic Alliances and Corporate Partnering; Internet Finance; Seminar in Leading Dynamic Organizations; Corporate Governance in a Sarbanes-Oxley World.
No more than two experimental courses (696) may be taken in any one discipline, and a maximum of three experimental courses are allowed within the student’s elective choices. No more than six 1-unit courses may be taken towards degree requirements. Absent a petition, no more than 12 units of the 24 elective units required for the degree can come from 696 and 1-unit elective courses.
A student may elect to register for independent study to fulfill an elective requirement. Independent study courses are numbered 698 (e.g., AGRI 698, MGMT 698). Only one independent study course may be taken in the program. A student who chooses to complete an independent study is not eligible to complete a master’s thesis. To obtain permission to register for independent study, students should prepare a complete proposal well in advance of the quarter in which they wish to undertake the study. The proposal must be reviewed and signed by a tenured faculty member who thereby agrees to supervise and evaluate the study. The proposal will then be reviewed by the department chair who, if in agreement, will sign the proposal. The proposal must then be submitted to the Graduate Business Programs Office for final review. A signed copy of the proposal must be on file in the Graduate Business Programs Office before registration. An independent study is graded in the same manner as all other courses.
MASTER’S THESIS OPTION
A Master’s Thesis may be completed in place of taking the Capstone course. Students who opt to do an independent study project are not eligible for a Master’s Thesis.
To begin a Master’s Thesis, students must identify a tenured professor in the Business School and work with him/her to propose a project. Once the project is approved by the faculty advisor, the proposal must be submitted to the Graduate Business Programs Office. The Academic Support and Records staff will register the student for the Master’s Thesis Course. Tuition will be billed through ecampus. Upon completion of the project, a student will need to follow the Master’s Thesis guidelines detailed by the Library. The process can be found at: http://www.scu.edu/library/info/policies/thesis.html
Grades for the Master’s Thesis will be submitted by the faculty advisor through ecampus.
CONCENTRATIONS
Although Santa Clara University’s MBA program has a general management perspective, students may also use their choice of electives to select a concentrated emphasis. Students do not, however, have to select a concentration or, once chosen and begun, do not have to finish the concentration in order to graduate.
A concentration will be reflected on a student’s official transcript if the concentration is declared when the student petitions to graduate and all completed courses required for the concentration are documented. Although the awarded concentration will appear on the student’s official degree transcript, the concentration does not appear on the student’s diploma.
Santa Clara’s MBA program currently offers 9 concentrations, the requirements for which are detailed below. Some courses may count toward more than one concentration. Such “double counting” permits increased flexibility in elective choice but does not reduce the number of courses required for graduation. Appropriate experimental courses (696) and 1-unit courses may count toward a concentration if approved; consult the Graduate Business Programs Office for the petition procedure. Coursework completed outside of Santa Clara University will not satisfy a concentration requirement.
As a result of the dynamic nature of concentrations and course offerings, changes to concentration requirements are made throughout the academic year. Consult with the Graduate Business Office for the most recent concentration requirements.
Note: In order to ensure breadth of coverage within a general management degree, no more than 17 elective units may be taken in any one discipline. A minimum of 12 units is required to earn a concentration.
Accounting (ACTG)
(Faculty Coordinator: Chris Paisley)
Students taking this concentration must complete:
• ACTG 311 Management Accounting: Incentives and Performance Management or ACTG 313 Management Accounting: Strategic Cost Management
In addition, students must complete a minimum of three and a maximum of four of the following:
• ACTG 303 Corporate Financial Reporting
• ACTG 309 Seminar in International Accounting
• ACTG 311 Management Accounting: Incentives and Performance Management (if not taken to fulfill the requirement above)
• ACTG 313 Management Accounting: Strategic Cost Management (if not taken to fulfill the requirement above)
• ACTG 317 Taxation and Personal Business Strategy
• ACTG 319 Financial Statement Analysis
• ACTG 321 Fundamental Value Analysis
Entrepreneurship (EN)
(Faculty Coordinator: Al Bruno)
Students taking this concentration must complete:
• MKTG 566 Small Business Entrepreneurship
In addition, students must complete three of the following courses:
• IDIS 612 Management of the High Technology Firm Seminar
• ECON 430 Game Theory and Human Behavior
• FNCE 480 Emerging Company Finance
• MKTG 572 Product Market Planning and Strategy
• MKTG 568 Marketing Research or MKTG 590 Channel Marketing
• MKTG 592 Internet Marketing and eCommerce
• ECON 422/MKTG 588 Topics in Pricing and New Product Planning
• MGMT 524 Managing Innovation and Technology
Finance (FNCE)
(Faculty Coordinator: Meir Statman)
Students taking this concentration must complete a minimum of 12 units and a maximum of 15 units of Finance elective courses. FNCE 696 courses are acceptable.
Note: FNCE 455 cannot be counted toward the Finance concentration requirements.
Food and Agribusiness
(Faculty Coordinator: Greg Baker)
Students taking this concentration must complete:
• MGMT 540 Social, Political, and Legal Environment of Food and Agribusiness Firms
• FNCE 474 Risk Management with Derivative Securities
In addition, students must complete two of the following courses:
• ACTG 698, ECON 698, FNCE 698, MKTG 698, or OMIS 698
Independent Study (Proposal must be on a topic approved by the Director of the Food and Agribusiness Institute.)
• ECON 432 International Economics
• ECON 444 Emerging Markets
• MKTG 564 International Marketing
• MKTG 566 Small Business Entrepreneurship
• MKTG 568 Marketing Research
• MKTG 590 Channel Marketing
• OMIS 384 Supply Chain Management
International Business (IB)
(Faculty Coordinator: Jennifer Woolley)
Students taking this concentration must complete a minimum of four of the
following courses:
• ACTG 309 Seminar in International Accounting
• ECON 432 International Economics
• ECON 444 Emerging Markets
• ECON 466 International Monetary and Financial Relations
• FNCE 457 International Financial Management
• IDIS 695 Global Business Perspectives
• MGMT 514 International Management
• MGMT 542 Advanced Seminar in International Business
• MKTG 564 International Marketing
Leading People and Organizations (LP)
(Faculty Coordinator: Barry Posner)
Students taking this concentration must complete:
• MGMT 512 Social Psychology of Leadership
In addition, students must complete 9 units from the following courses:
• ECON 424 Economics of Decision Making Under Uncertainty
• IDIS 612 Management of the High Technology Firm Seminar
• MGMT 516 Organizational Politics
• MGMT 524 Managing Innovation and Technology
• MGMT 526 Strategic Human Resources Management
• MGMT 532 Managerial Communications
• MGMT 538 Managing Teams and Projects
• MGMT 544 Strategic Business Negotiations
• MGMT 546 Spirituality of Organizational Leadership
• MKTG 566 Small Business Entrepreneurship
• MGMT 701 Seminar in Leading Dynamic Organizations (1 unit)
Managing Technology and Innovation (MT)
(Faculty Coordinator: Terri Griffith)
Students taking this concentration must complete:
• MGMT 524 Managing Innovation and Technology
• IDIS 612 Management of the High Technology Firm Seminar
In addition, students must complete two of the following courses:
• FNCE 460 Mergers, Acquisitions, and Corporate Restructuring
• MGMT 526 Strategic Human Resources Management
• MGMT 538 Managing Teams and Projects
• MKTG 566 Small Business Entrepreneurship
• MKTG 592 Internet Marketing and eCommerce
• OMIS 368/MSIS 606 Software Project Management
• OMIS 372/MSIS 602 Information Systems Analysis and Design
• OMIS 378/MSIS 604 Information Systems Policy and Strategy
Marketing Management (MM)
(Faculty Coordinator: Michael Munson)
Students taking this concentration must complete a minimum of four and a
maximum of five of the following courses:
• MKTG 562 Services Marketing
• MKTG 564 International Marketing
• MKTG 568 Marketing Research
• MKTG 572 Product Market Planning and Strategy
• MKTG 574 Sales Management
• MKTG 582 Customer Behavior
• MKTG 584 Advertising Management
• MKTG 588/ECON 422 Topics in Pricing and New Product Planning
• MKTG 590 Channel Marketing
• MKTG 592 Internet Marketing and eCommerce
Supply Chain Outsourcing (SM)
(Faculty Coordinator: Naren Agrawal)
Students taking this concentration must complete:
• OMIS 384 Supply Chain Management
In addition, students must complete three of the following courses:
• OMIS 362/MSIS 626 Computer Simulation and Modeling
• OMIS 388 Supply Chain Outsourcing
• OMIS 698 Independent Study
• MSIS 622 ERP Systems
• MSIS 624 E-Business Technologies or MKTG 592 Internet Marketing and eCommerce
• MKTG 590 Channel Marketing
Some OMIS 696 courses may apply with the approval of the faculty coordinator.
PREREQUISITES
Students are responsible for ensuring that they have all the prerequisites for a course before registering. Prerequisites for each course are listed in the course descriptions in Section 15 of this bulletin.
Although not explicitly stated in the description of individual courses, when a course is named as a prerequisite, then its prerequisites are also included by reference, and all prerequisites must be satisfied before a student can enroll.
Ecampus, the Web-based registration system, does not allow enrollment in any class or onto any waitlist if the prerequisites for that course have not been completed successfully. The system does recognize current enrollment in prerequisite classes at the time of registration.
Note: Graduation will not be approved until all prerequisites, required courses, and other requirements of the program have been fulfilled.
INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
The Santa Clara MBA program recognizes the increasing importance of obtaining an international perspective on business and society. Students are exposed to multinational business issues and multicultural perspectives in many of the required courses. Most departments offer electives focusing on international issues from a disciplinary or functional perspective. Students are strongly encouraged to include at least one of these courses among their 24 electives units. Students may also select a concentration in international business, which explores functional issues within a global perspective and examines cross-disciplinary international topics.
MBA students have the option to participate in study abroad opportunities during their tenure in the MBA program. Recent study abroad locations have included China, France, Germany, New Zealand, and India. All trips are led by Leavey School of Business Faculty.
AUDITING UNDERGRADUATE COURSES
MBA students may audit undergraduate courses, including foreign language courses, on a space-available basis. MBA students may audit only one undergraduate course per quarter and no more than three courses during their MBA program. Students must petition to audit an undergraduate class during the first week of classes; petition forms are available in the Office of the Registrar and require the instructor’s approval signature. Part-time students pay a $250 audit fee, per course while full-time students (9 MBA units) are not charged for auditing.
CURRICULAR PRACTICAL TRAINING
In accordance with SEVIS regulations, practical training for international students is available exclusively for students with F-1 visas. The 1-unit practical training internship (IDIS 697) offers MBA/MSIS students the opportunity to apply techniques and methods learned at Santa Clara University as they acquire work experience.
To be eligible to participate in this program, students must have been enrolled full-time (9 units per quarter) for one complete year with F-1 status, and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in their MBA/MSIS course work. Students must complete and submit the Curricular Practical Training Request form to the Graduate Business Programs Office with the offer letter. The offer letter needs to specify the number or hours of work to be completed each week or designate part-time employment status and must be at least three months in duration. Once the appropriate documents have been submitted, the student will be registered for IDIS 697. The student is responsible for the tuition associated with IDIS 697. At the end of the internship, students must submit a written evaluation from the supervising manager.
Practical training units are not graded and do not count toward degree requirements. According to government regulations, practical training internships are limited to no more than 20 hours per week. Students must also meet all SEVIS requirements to be eligible for curricular practical training. Students must apply each quarter. For more information on practical training, contact the Graduate Business Programs Office.
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