Stanford Graduate School of Business - Academics

Known as one of the country's most selective business schools, Stanford GSB is taking a new, more personalized approach to its curriculum beginning in Fall, 2007. This new approach tailors each student's academic experience to match their individual career goals and abilities.

Stanford offers a full-time 2-year program in General Management, with the opportunity to earn a certificate in Global Management or Public Management. Students do not have to declare an area of focus, but can tailor their experience through course selections. For mid-career executives, the business school also offers a full-time 10-month Master of Science in Management program, known as the Sloan Master's Program.

Stanford prides itself on using a diverse set of teaching methods. Because no one approach will solve every problem, they prepare students by teaching in both small seminars and large classroom settings. Learning takes place via lecture/discussion, case studies, and experiential approaches. Face-to-face feedback, role playing and learning labs are meant to increase engagement and give students hands-on experience. Study trips and summer internships offer additional real-world learning experiences.

Many students describe Bass seminars as one of their most valuable experiences in the program. In a small group setting, professors provide a framework, and student work drives the course content. Recent seminar topics include: Entrepreneurial Design for Extreme Affordability, Managing Talent, Applied Macroeconomics, and Strategy and Action in Information Technology.

General MBA Program

The MBA program begins as a shared experience between all class members in the first quarter, and diverges from there to fit each individual's needs and specific interests. During the first year, the focus is on developing analytical skills and learning how to take an integrated management approach to problem solving. The second year is a chance to explore with a broad assortment of electives. Unlike some other programs, Stanford's GSB never publicly releases grades, keeping them a private matter between students and faculty members.

The new educational model is characterized by four key elements:

1. A highly customized program: After a shared experience in the first quarter, students no longer have specific required courses, but select courses to meet their own set of distribution requirements. With the help of a faculty advisor, each student creates a study plan to challenge and push themselves, tailored to their past experience level.
2. A deeper, more engaging intellectual experience: In small first quarter seminars, students are encouraged to delve into specific questions that span multiple management functions, such as: What responsibilities does a corporation have to society? When do markets perform well, and when do they perform poorly? The school also hosts a series of Bass seminars, which allow students to guide discussions in directions of their own choosing.
3. A more global curriculum: Each student is required to participate in an international experience during their two years. Options include a study trip, an international internship, an overseas service-learning trip, or a student exchange program.
4. Expanded leadership and communication development: In preparation for their careers, students take classes in Strategic Leadership and Critical Analytical Thinking, which are meant to integrate strategy with implementation and hone communication skills.

Semester-by-Semester Overview

1st Year, Fall Quarter: General Management Perspectives
The curriculum begins with a series of General Management Perspectives courses in the first quarter, which examine larger management questions. These courses are meant not only to help students understand the broad context of management, but also to help them recognize areas where their knowledge may be lacking.

• Accounting Information
• Critical Analytical Thinking
• Ethics in Management (taught in Winter quarter)
• Global Context of Management
• Managerial Finance
• Managing Groups & Teams
• Organizational Behavior
• Strategic Leadership

1st Year, Winter/Spring Quarters: General Management Foundations
In the second and third quarters of the first year, students fulfill General Management Foundations requirements by choosing classes in each of the following areas. There are courses at various skill levels in each category, so students can select based on their own background in each subject. Any knowledge gaps identified in the first quarter can be shored up during this period.

• Data Analysis & Decision Making
• Finance
• Financial Accounting
• Human Resources
• Information Technology
• Managerial Accounting
• Marketing Microeconomics
• Modeling for Optimization & Decision Support (MODS)
• Non-Market Strategy
• Operations

2nd Year: Seminars and Electives
The second year begins with a series of seminars lasting one or two weeks each throughout the Fall quarter. They only meet for half the day, so students are encouraged to use their extra time concentrating on professional development.

The Winter quarter is primarily for academic electives–more than 100 are offered each year. Because Stanford GSB operates on a quarter system, students can take quite a few electives. Elective course content is refreshed regularly, and new offerings are added on a regular basis to reflect changes in the business world.

During the final Spring quarter, students participate in a Synthesis Seminar where, with fellow students, they reflect upon the MBA experience and prepare to apply what they've learned to the real world. In addition, various faculty members address the class with key insights from the program.

Students also have the opportunity to branch out and include other areas of graduate study in their coursework – up to 16 units from other departments can count toward MBA requirements.

Those wishing to earn a certificate in International Management must take the International Business class and an additional 16 units of courses with an international focus. Such electives include Global and International Marketing, International Deal Making and Politics and Business in Europe. In recent years, about 30% of students have earned this certificate.

The requirements for a certificate in Public Management are similar: at least 16 units of related coursework, including an approved economics course. Eligible electives include Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility, Leading Social Change and Environmental Entrepreneurship. About 20% of students obtain a Public Management certificate.

Select Programs

Stanford GSB has four centers which represent what they consider the cornerstones of general management: leadership, entrepreneurship, global economy and social innovation. They enhance the academic experience through involvement with research, speakers, workshops, clubs, and career opportunities.

The Center for Leadership Development & Research (CLDR)
CLDR supports activities that help students develop their own personal leadership styles, work effectively in teams and understand others’ leadership styles.

The Center for Entrepreneurial Studies (CES)
CES' activities provide students with an understanding of how to evaluate, fund, and manage a growing enterprise.Stanford’s proximity to Silicon Valley makes entrepreneurial know-how very accessible to students.

The Center for Global Business and the Economy (CGBE)
Partnering with the Global Management Program, CGBE develops future leaders with a global mindset and a commitment to making a positive impact. The Center wants every 21st century leader to understand the flow of capital, people, goods, ideas, and cultural influences across national borders.

The Center for Social Innovation (CSI)
Partnering with the Public Management Program, CSI supports activities that enhance the leadership, management and organizational capacities of students pursuing positive social and environmental impact, whether it be through a nonprofit, business or the government.