Frequently Asked Questions

Academics


What classes should I take to prepare for the MBA program?

Please see the Proficiency Exams web page.

What is the MBA Core?

The MBA Core is a series of required courses designed to help students develop understanding and competency in a broad range of business skills. The MBA Core classes are listed below:

Fall Semester - first year
  • Corporate Financial Reporting
  • Written & Oral Communications
  • Business Finance
  • Operations Management
  • Strategic Human Resource Management
  • Marketing Management
  • Management Seminar
  • Track Professional Seminar

Winter Semester - first year
  • Managerial Accounting 1
  • Introduction to Strategy
  • Management Seminar
  • Business Ethics
  • Strategy 2

Second year
  • Management and Information Technology
  • Global Management
  • Leadership

Course Descriptions

Are classes offered in the summer?

No formal MBA classes are offered during spring or summer terms. Students are strongly encouraged to get an internship during this time. Students work with the Career Management office during the first year of the MBA Program for assistance in finding summer internships.

What is the teaching style used in the MBA program?

At one end of the pedagogical spectrum are schools such as Harvard and Virginia that use casework almost exclusively, particularly in the first year. At the other end are the theory- or tools-oriented schools such as Chicago and MIT. BYU falls somewhere between these extremes, leaning towards the case-teaching end of the spectrum, particularly in the first year.

What is a case?

A case presents a real world decision situation (drawn from the experience of an actual company) that allows students to analyze the situation and make a recommendation based on the same input the actual decision maker processed. (A case may use an actual company name and data, or it may disguise identity.) Cases come from the entire range of industrial and environmental settings.