Business Administration - MBA

The Haas curriculum provides you with a basic framework of qualitative, quantitative, analytical, strategic, and problem solving skills. It's rooted in the scientific disciplines of the university – economics, mathematics, social sciences such as psychology and sociology, and other areas.

Faculty members who are experts in these fields apply them toward increasing our knowledge of successful management, leadership, human behavior, organizational performance, and economic and market functions.

You not only gain knowledge about best business practices, but also learn about the fundamental principles behind them – the "how" and the "why." The Berkeley MBA program will make you think deeply and expand your understanding of the world.

We define this leadership archetype as an individual who drives growth by putting new ideas into action in every corner and every function of his or her organization, and who does so responsibly. Leaders of this kind define what's next, for our markets and for our societies.

Whether it is producing more fuel-efficient autos or creating new business processes, innovative leaders are the ones who will create opportunity from the major challenges facing the world.

Berkeley-Haas has been producing such leaders for many years. The school's unique curriculum has been specifically tailored to deliver this kind of leader even more effectively.

The school's distinct culture is marked by four defining principles , which are emphasized in the admissions process and actively integrated into the MBA curriculum. They are:

• Question the Status Quo
• Confidence Without Attitude
• Students Always
• Beyond Yourself

The defining principles are heavily influenced by the school's location in the San Francisco Bay Area – the world's epicenter for innovation and entrepreneurship. And the principles are shaped by the culture of UC Berkeley, a world-class research generator with a legendary atmosphere of fresh thinking.

Degree Requirements

The MBA program requires completion of 51 semester units of coursework: 12 core courses , an applied innovation requirement , and elective courses . To qualify, you must register and pay fees for both fall and spring semesters in each academic year (a total of four 15-week semesters); there are no courses offered during the summer.

Core Requirements

The core consists of 12 courses. All must be taken in the first year to provide the foundation for the second year's advanced work.

Applied Innovation Requirement

As part of the applied innovation requirement , students participate in a team performance module. Students may take these courses as early as the spring of their first year.

Elective Courses

Students may select from hundreds of elective courses , both within and outside of the business school, to fulfill the remainder of their 51-unit requirement. Up to six units may be taken as either graduate or upper-division undergraduate courses in other departments on campus; all other elective course units must be taken in graduate business classes. With the permission of the MBA program director, students may take two lower-division undergraduate language courses and apply 60% of the credits earned toward the elective unit requirement.

Waiver Examinations

Students may substitute elective courses for certain required courses if they demonstrate sufficient mastery of the subject by passing a waiver examination, which approximates the course final examination. These exams are available for six of the 12 required core courses, and are given during the week before classes begin in August and January. Short study guides are available for each course.