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Core Course Information

The schedule of Full-Time MBA first year Core classes has been developed by the faculty to best accommodate student learning. Core faculty work closely together to coordinate exams and assignment due dates and to integrate their course materials across disciplines.

Below are links to the Core course schedules for the current year. The quarterly Core schedule is distributed a few weeks before each quarter begins.

Note:
The schedule reflected on MyUW for the core courses is not always an accurate schedule. Students should always refer to the schedules linked below for accurate class schedules.

2023-24 Core Course Schedules

2022-23 Core Course Schedules (References)

Second-year Full-Time MBA Core classes meet on a regular, twice-a-week schedule, similar to most elective classes.

Questions about the Core schedules? Contact [email protected].

For information about Full-Time MBA Core courses, both those in the first and second year, please consult the following the Year One tab and Year Two tab below.

For first year Core courses, the MBA Program Office will register the classes for you. Second year core course registration is handled as part of elective registration; students receive specific instructions during the elective registration period for each quarter.

Dates & Deadlines
Please review the UW Academic Calendar for detailed information.

Before You Register

  • Determine which health insurance option you prefer. Visit the Health Insurance website for further information.

Registration Instructions

First year students in the Full-Time MBA program are divided into two sections for the Core. Within these sections, students are sub-divided into teams of 5-6 students. Section assignments are made by the MBA Program Office prior to registration deadlines for the quarter. Team assignments change quarterly and are announced shortly before each quarter begins.

Section and team assignments in the Core are determined by many factors, and great care is taken to ensure that sections and teams are well balanced. Some of the factors used to place students in sections and teams are student origin (domestic or international, Washington resident or non-Washington resident), gender, ethnicity, quantitative skill, work experience, and undergraduate school and degree.

Note: You may not switch sections or teams without approval from the MBA Program Office.

During the first year of the Full-Time MBA program you will take three intensive Core courses (BA 500, 501 and 502).  Each of which contains several modules of varying lengths in the Core topics listed below.  In addition, you will take up to eight credits of Electives during Spring quarter.

Enrollment is limited only to Foster MBA students.

Full-time MBA Year One Core
Syllabus Course Title Details Syllabi
Autumn Quarter (BA 500) – 16 credits
Financial Accounting Accounting concepts and methods, Financial statements, Institutional and regulatory influences, Measurement and reporting issues Syllabus 2022
Managerial Finance Investments, diversification, portfolio theory, Capital budgeting, Capital structure Syllabus 2022
Building Effective Teams Insuring adherence to work rules, Establishing shared commitment to a compelling purpose, Building interpersonal trust Syllabus 2021
Leadership Development Leadership skill development, Fostering individual and group effectiveness, Integrative leadership modeling Syllabus 2022
Competitive & Corporate Strategy Analyzing value creation, Strategic thinking and planning, Strategy implementation, Structure analysis of industries Syllabus 2022
Marketing Strategy Market definition, Customer analysis, Competitive analysis, Marketing planning Syllabus 2022
Professional Development Professional brand, Behavioral & case interviewing, Business writing, Big data analysis Syllabus 2022
Winter Quarter (BA 501) – 14 Credits
Applied Strategy: Business Consulting Project Defining project scope, Customer relations, Project management, Presentation skills Syllabus 2022
Microeconomics of Competition & Strategy Analyzing competitive dynamics, Economics of competition, Strategy analysis for various competitive circumstances Syllabus 2022
Leading Teams & Organizations Effective groups, Organization theory, Leadership in organizations, Human resource management, Delegation and empowerment, Implementing change Syllabus 2022
Statistics for Business Decisions Statistical summaries of data, Forecasting models, Assessment of uncertainty, Inference and predictions, Methods of quality improvement Syllabus 2022
Spring Quarter (BA 502) – 8 Credits
Managerial Accounting Relevant costs for decision making, Management accounting systems, Budgeting and performance evaluation Syllabus 2022
Operations & Supply Chain Management Productivity and competitiveness, Capacity planning, Just-in-time production systems, Inventory management Syllabus 2022
Quantitative Methods: Decision Support Models Quantitative modeling, Linear programming, Decision theory, Simulation Syllabus 2022
The second year of the Full-Time MBA program is mostly designed by you.  There are two required Core classes (MGMT 504 and BECON 501), and you choose the rest of your coursework in the form of Electives that meet your personal interests, career goals, and development needs.  Students must complete a total of 11 4-credit Elective courses during the program, which can be taken at any point during the first or second year.  A normal load in the second year is three Elective classes per quarter.

Full-time MBA Year Two Core
Title Topics Syllabi
Autumn Quarter
Ethical Leadership & Decision Making MGMT 504 (4 credits)
  • Ethical aspects of conducting business
  • Ethical decision-making
  • Stakeholder management
  • Corporate social responsibility
  • Sustainability & corporate governance
Syllabus 2022
Winter Quarter
Analysis of Global Economic Conditions BECON 501 (4 credits)
  • Interaction of goods, labor, & asset markets
  • International trade
  • Growth of output, inflation, unemployment
  • Interest & exchange rates
  • Monetary & fiscal policies
Syllabus 2023

Elective Courses
Visit the Elective Courses page to view a list (categorized by course prefix) of many elective choices that are available. Note that not all electives are offered every quarter or even every year. A complete list of courses is available via the UW Course Descriptions website. To view the current quarter course offerings visit the Elective Course Schedules page.

During the first year of the Full-Time MBA program you will take three intensive Core courses (BA 500, 501 and 502).  Each of which contains several modules of varying lengths in the Core topics listed below.  In addition, you will take up to six credits of Electives during Spring quarter.

Enrollment is limited only to Foster MBA students.

Full-time MBA Year One Core
Syllabus Course Title Details Syllabi
Autumn Quarter (BA 500) – 16 credits
Financial Accounting Accounting concepts and methods, Financial statements, Institutional and regulatory influences, Measurement and reporting issues Syllabus 2022
Managerial Finance Investments, diversification, portfolio theory, Capital budgeting, Capital structure Syllabus 2022
Building Effective Teams Insuring adherence to work rules, Establishing shared commitment to a compelling purpose, Building interpersonal trust Syllabus 2021
Leadership Development Leadership skill development, Fostering individual and group effectiveness, Integrative leadership modeling Syllabus 2022
Competitive & Corporate Strategy Analyzing value creation, Strategic thinking and planning, Strategy implementation, Structure analysis of industries Syllabus 2022
Marketing Strategy Market definition, Customer analysis, Competitive analysis, Marketing planning Syllabus 2022
Professional Development Professional brand, Behavioral & case interviewing, Business writing, Big data analysis Syllabus 2022
Winter Quarter (BA 501) – 15 Credits
Applied Strategy: Business Consulting Project Defining project scope, Customer relations, Project management, Presentation skills Syllabus 2023
Microeconomics of Competition & Strategy Analyzing competitive dynamics, Economics of competition, Strategy analysis for various competitive circumstances Syllabus 2023
Leading Teams & Organizations Effective groups, Organization theory, Leadership in organizations, Human resource management, Delegation and empowerment, Implementing change Syllabus 2023
Professional Communications Persuasive Pitches, Audience Analysis/Message Strategy, Inclusive Inquiry, Navigating Difficult Conversations, Message Structure/Building Your Presentation Syllabus 2023
Statistics for Business Decisions Statistical summaries of data, Forecasting models, Assessment of uncertainty, Inference and predictions, Methods of quality improvement Syllabus 2023
Spring Quarter (BA 502) – 10 Credits
Data Management for Analytics Core concept of database systems, SQL queries, SQL drill: mini exercise cases Syllabus 2023
Managerial Accounting Relevant costs for decision making, Management accounting systems, Budgeting and performance evaluation Syllabus 2023
Operations & Supply Chain Management Productivity and competitiveness, Capacity planning, Just-in-time production systems, Inventory management Syllabus 2023
Quantitative Methods: Decision Support Models Quantitative modeling, Linear programming, Decision theory, Simulation Syllabus 2023

The second year of the Full-Time MBA program is mostly designed by you.  There are two required Core classes (MGMT 504 and BECON 501), and you choose the rest of your coursework in the form of Electives that meet your personal interests, career goals, and development needs.  Students must complete a total of 40 elective credits during the program, which can be taken at any point during the first or second year.  A normal load in the second year is three Elective classes per quarter.

Full-time MBA Year Two Core
Title Topics Syllabi
Autumn Quarter
Ethical Leadership & Decision Making MGMT 504 (4 credits)
  • Ethical aspects of conducting business
  • Ethical decision-making
  • Stakeholder management
  • Corporate social responsibility
  • Sustainability & corporate governance
Syllabus 2022
Winter Quarter
Analysis of Global Economic Conditions BECON 501 (3 credits)
  • Interaction of goods, labor, & asset markets
  • International trade
  • Growth of output, inflation, unemployment
  • Interest & exchange rates
  • Monetary & fiscal policies
Syllabus 2023

Elective Courses
Visit the Elective Courses page to view a list (categorized by course prefix) of many elective choices that are available. Note that not all electives are offered every quarter or even every year. A complete list of courses is available via the UW Course Descriptions website. To view the current quarter course offerings visit the Elective Course Schedules page.