professor and class

 

Core Curriculum

Recruiters prize Vanderbilt MBAs for many reasons; some of these reasons can be directly attributed to the Core, which provides students with the foundation for exceptional analytical skills, solid strategic thinking and outstanding teamwork.

The Vanderbilt MBA Core provides an early immersion into the fundamentals of management. The two mods of the first semester are composed mainly of Core courses; in Mod 2 students may begin selecting elective courses that satisfy their Specializations, Concentrations or Emphases. Students must complete all Core courses in the first year of the MBA program, unless they have received exemptions based on transcript review or exemption exam. Students may not enroll in the second year of the program if they have not completed the required first-year Core. In the second year, students will focus on Specialization/Concentration electives.

NumberCourse TitleCredits
311
 Introduction to Financial Accounting
2
312
 Introduction to Managerial Accounting
2
321
 Business in the World Economy
2
322
 Managerial Economics
2
331
 Managerial Finance
2
342
 Leading Teams and Organizations
2
351A
 Leadership Communications
1
355
 Strategic Management
2
361
 Marketing Management
2
371
 Operations Management
2
381
 Managerial Statistics
2
 

*Curriculum and course information on the Owen website is updated annually and is subject to change.
Current students should consult the YES student services application for the most updated information.

 

Ethics Requirement

The student’s chosen concentration or specialization determines the ethics requirement. For students completing more than one concentration, the student must satisfy the ethics requirement in at least one concentration.

  • Accounting—Ethics or Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability
  • Finance—Ethics or Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability
  • General Management—Ethics or Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability
  • Health Care—Health Care Ethics
  • Human and Organizational Performance—Ethics, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability or Controversies and Debates in Business, Management, and Society
  • Marketing—Ethics or Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability
  • Operations—Ethics or Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability
  • Strategy—Ethics, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability or Controversies and Debates in Business, Management, and Society

Exempting Core Courses

Students may request exemptions from the following first-year Core courses if they have mastered them through previous study: Introduction to Financial Accounting, Managerial Economics and Managerial Statistics. Such exemptions are based on transcript reviews. An exemption does not reduce the 62-hour completion requirement for the MBA degree. Exemptions in aforementioned Core courses must be claimed prior to registration for the first semester at Owen.