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Graduate School of Management (GSM)
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Degree Requirements
Graduate Council Approval: June 11, 2021
Master’s Degree Requirements
1) Admissions requirements:
Consideration for admission requires a bachelor’s degree, the MBA Application Form with
the fee, current résumé, two essays, official transcripts, two letters of recommendation,
GMAT or GRE scores, TOEFL or IELTS for non-native English speakers. A minimum
GPA of 3.0 is required. No minimum GMAT or GRE score is required. A minimum
internet-based TOEFL score of 100 or higher is required. A minimum IELTS score of 7.0
is required. Admissions decisions are made on a case-by-case basis and meeting some or
all of these criteria does not guarantee admission, but merely eligibility. The decision to
recommend admission will be made by the Admissions Committee on the basis of available
space and the competitiveness of applicants compared to the eligible pool.
a) Prerequisites:
There are no prerequisite courses for the MBA program.
b) Deficiencies:
Not applicable.
2) MBA, Plan I
To earn an MBA degree a student must pass or be exempted from all required courses;
complete a minimum of 72 approved quarter course units; complete at least six quarters in
residence (or equivalent), and have a cumulative grade point of at least 3.0 after completing
all coursework. We have a capstone course offering, the Integrated Management Projects
course, where students conduct a project to satisfy the requirements of a Master Plan I degree.
This Plan requires more units than the UC Davis minimum, which are: 30 units of graduate
and upper division courses (the 100 and 200 series only), at least 12 of which must be
graduate work in the major field.
3) Course Requirements - Core and Electives (total 72 units)
a) Core Courses (total 40 to 42 units) for MBA Program
1
:
The subject codes listed below correspond to the following MBA programs:
Program
Subject Code
Full-Time MBA (SMBA)
MGT
Sacramento Part-Time “Working Professionals” MBA (SMBE)
MGP
Bay Area Part-Time MBA “Working Professionals” MBA (SMBB)
MGB
Online MBA Program (SMBO)
MGV
The core consists of 10 required courses:
MGT/P/B/V 400A Financial Accounting 4 units
MGT/P/B/V 401A The Individual and Group Dynamics 4 units
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MGT/P/B/V 401B Organizational Strategy and Structure 4 units
MGT/P/B/V 402A Markets and the Firm 4 units
MGT/P/B/V 403A Data Analysis for Managers 4 units
MGT/P/B/V 404 Marketing Management 4 units
MGT/P/B/V 405 Financial Theory and Policy 4 units
MGT/P/B/V 452 Managing for Operational Excellence 4 units
MGT/P/B/V 468 Articulation and Critical Thinking 4 units
plus
MGP/B/V 440 Integrated Management Project 4 units
or MGT 440 Integrated Management Project 6 units
b) Elective Courses:
Students must complete at least 30 to 32 units of approved courses, in addition to the 40 to
42 units of required core courses for a total of 72 units of courses. Students who waive
core courses must complete additional elective units to meet the 72-unit requirement.
Approved courses include electives (200-level and 400-level courses), directed
group/individual study (298/299), and directed group/individual practicum (498/499)
courses offered by the GSM. Students can also substitute courses from outside the GSM
following the procedures specified in section 7.6 of the GSM Policies and Procedures
Manual.
c) In-person Residence Requirement:
Networking and cohort-building experiences are an integral part of business education. To
facilitate interactions with other MBA students, each student must enroll and complete at
least four units of courses that fully meet in person. Students in the Online MBA Program
can satisfy this requirement by attending two 2-unit in-person Residential courses (MGV-
490V). Residential courses are a weekend intensive, immersive experience comprising of
an academic course coupled with co-curricular activities.
d) STEM Designation Requirement:
The MBA Programs at UC Davis meet designation as a STEM-degree by requiring half (36
units) of courses designated as STEM courses by the Department of Homeland Securities
2
.
List of courses satisfying STEM designation is attached in Appendix A. Core offerings
comprise 28 to 30 units toward this requirement, and students must choose among STEM-
designated elective courses to earn an additional 6 to 8 units, depending on if 4-unit or 6-
unit Integrated Management Project is taken. Online MBA Students will often take MGV
438V, Quantitative Tools for Business, which contributes 4-units towards satisfying this
requirement.
e) English Language Requirement:
Students who have not obtained a previous degree at an approved English-medium
institution or demonstrated English-language proficiency through an appropriate
exam (e.g. TOEFL) are required to complete appropriate English-language courses,
as described in the policy Graduate Student Course Requirements – English as
2
List of STEM designated fields are found at https://www.ice.gov/sites/default/files/documents/stem-list.pdf.
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Second Language (GC2018-02). Courses taken in satisfaction of this requirement
do not count towards the units required for graduation.
4) Special requirements:
Practical training as part of an MBA education is academically integral to the development
of strong business professionals. MBA students are required to complete at least 10 hours
of immediate practical training within the first three quarters of the MBA program.
Practical training includes applied projects, internships, and other professional experiences
working with outside organizations. The training should involve a business problem
defined by either a business organization or a faculty member. The student is expected to
apply the business education in the MBA program to address the problem. The Senior
Director of Career Development, who is in charge of internship and final job placement,
will ensure that the training reflects this requirement.
5) Advising Structure and Mentoring:
The Graduate Advisor, who is appointed by the Chair of the GSM Executive Committee, is
a resource for information on academic requirements, policies and procedures, and
registration information and approves exceptions to degree requirements. The Academic
and Student Services Staff group assists students with registration, course selection and
general university policies. Mentoring and advising guidelines for each MBA Program can
be found on the GSM website: https://gsm.ucdavis.edu/current-students.
6) Committees:
a) Graduate Program Committee
The Graduate Program Committee provides the oversight of the admissions,
membership, student academic standing, and education policy and curriculum issues of
the MBA program. The Graduate Program Committee has three voting members, two
of whom are elected by and from the Graduate Program membership, while the third is
the MBA Program Chair. Besides three voting members, this committee includes two
students appointed by the Program Committee and one GSM staff member appointed
by the Program Chair.
b) Admission Committee
Once the completed application, all supporting material, and the application fee have
been received, the application will be submitted to the Admissions Committee, which
consists of four Graduate School of Management faculty members and the Assistant
Dean of Student Affairs. Based on a review of the entire application, a decision is
made to accept or decline an applicant’s request for admission. All admissions
decisions are made by the faculty on the Admissions Committee. The Assistant Dean
serves in an advisory capacity on the committee. Notification of admissions decisions
will be sent by the Graduate School of Management. Applications are accepted for the
fall entering class until it is fully enrolled.
c) Course Guidance or Advising Committee
Academic and Student Services staff and individual faculty members provide guidance
to individual students on course selection.
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d) Capstone Project Committee
The Capstone Project Committee consists of two faculty members – the Academic
Director of the MBA Programs and the faculty member managing the Capstone Project
Experience. Projects for the Capstone Experience are sourced by a team comprised of
the Academic Director of Capstone Projects and a Staff Director who lends logistics
support. The academic experience is then managed by a faculty member. The final
evaluation of each student’s performance on the project is provided by the faculty
member who has the grade responsibility for the project.
e) Education Policy Committee
The Education Policy Committee, consisting of four faculty members and the Associate
Dean of Curricular Affairs, oversees all matters pertaining to curriculum and degree
requirements.
7) Advancement to Candidacy:
Every student must file an official application for Advancement to Candidacy at least one
quarter before completion of all degree requirements. Quarterly candidacy deadlines are
available on the GSM student website. Students who do not meet the posted deadlines may
have the awarding of their degree delayed.
8) Capstone Requirement:
The MBA has a capstone course offering, the Integrated Management Projects course, where
students conduct a project to satisfy the requirements of Master Plan I. All MBA students
will complete the Integrated Management Project.
The GSM core curriculum delivers a substantial level of technical and analytical
information: this instruction is generally focused on functional areas of expertise, with
limited opportunity to probe on opportunities for integration of the disciplines.
Furthermore, the ability to deliver insightful recommendations on difficult business
problems in a short period of time is a vital skill for anyone in business. Integrated
Management Projects is a course in which GSM students apply classroom learning to solve
complex business challenges for real world clients.
The Integrated Management Projects course requires students to apply the knowledge they
have acquired during their first year of classroom work, and demonstrate integrated skills
of analytical rigor, critical thinking, and problem solving. Experienced faculty advisors
work with students to help them learn real world management skills such as assessing the
opportunity, identifying key questions, outlining work steps, and defining engagement
deliverables. Students learn practical consulting skills while the sponsors—ranging from
early-stage startups to nonprofits to global industry leaders—benefit from the students’
experience, insights, and work product. As in the real world, students will have less time
and information than they need, and will be confronted by how to make decisions and
deliver results in a dynamic and challenging environment.
All projects are completed by teams of students. A team lead is appointed for every team
by the faculty member overseeing the Capstone projects. The teams have a timeline for
various components of the project and meet with their faculty advisor once every week.
These meetings give the faculty advisor a chance to gauge individual performance and
ensure the project moves at the appropriate pace to achieve completion on time. The final
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presentation to the client will also give the faculty member a chance to evaluate each
student in terms of their presentation skills and ability to address client questions. At the
end of class, the final product is an oral and written report delivered to the sponsoring
organization presented to a panel of faculty and other advisors and to the sponsor.
On average, students in the Full-Time MBA Program have 4-5 years of prior work
experience and students in the Sacramento Part-Time MBA Program, the Bay Area Part-
Time MBA Program, and the Online MBA Program have 7-8 years of prior work
experience and continue as working professionals. Because students in the Full-Time
MBA Program have less work experience when they enroll and they do not continue
working after enrolling, the students in the Full-Time MBA Program complete a more
involved 6-unit Integrated Management Project rather than a 4 units course.
9) Normative Time to Degree:
Students studying for the MBA degree at the Graduate School of Management may pursue
a full-time study in the Full-Time MBA Program. Full-time study is defined as a student
enrolled in at least 12 units each quarter. Students may enroll in less than full-time study in
the Sacramento Part-Time MBA Program, the Bay Area Part-Time MBA Program, and the
Online MBA Program. Enrollment exceptions may be made for unusual circumstances by
petition to the Dean of the Graduate School of Management. Enrollment in less than 6 units
each quarter may have loan deferment and financial aid implications which are beyond the
purview of the GSM.
All students must complete the requirements for the MBA degree within a period of 3 years
(Full-Time MBA Program) or 4 years (all other MBA programs) after matriculation. If the
degree requirements are not completed within the required period, the student must petition
the Associate Dean for re-admission. If this is approved, the amount of credit to be
allowed from the earlier period of study, and the extent of other requirements must be
approved by the Graduate Advisor. The three or four year period may only be extended for
students with approved Planned Educational Leave Program (PELP). The extension is for
the number of quarters on PELP.
All students must successfully complete, or be exempted from, all required core courses
when they are scheduled in their cohort. No student may enroll for more than 16 units of
100, 200, and 400 level courses combined per quarter unless approved by the Graduate
Advisor.
10) Typical Time Line and Sequence of Events:
Full-time MBA Program
Year
One
Fall
Spring
Core
400A Financial Accounting
403A Data Analysis for
Managers
405 Financial Theory and
Policy
401A Individual and Group
Dynamics
468 Articulation & Critical
Thinking
404 Marketing Management
452 Managing for Operational
Excellence
401B Organizational Structure
& Strategy
Electives
4-8 units of courses
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Year
Two
Fall
Spring
Core
440 Integrated Management
Project (6-units)
Electives
6-10 units of courses
12-16 units of courses
Sacramento and Bay Area Part-Time MBA Programs
Year
One
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
Core
403A Data Analysis
for Managers
401A Individual and
Group
Dynamics
400A Financial
Accounting
402A Markets and
the Firm
404 Marketing
Management
405 Financial
Theory and
Policy
Electives
8 units of courses
Year
Two
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
Core
468 Articulation &
Critical
Thinking
401B Organizational
Structure &
Strategy
452 Managing for
Operational
Excellence
440 Integrated
Management
Project*
Electives
4 units of courses
4 units of courses
8 units of courses
Year
Three
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
Electives
8 units of courses
* Students in the Sacramento and the Bay Area Part-Time MBA Programs complete 440 in one of the spring or
summer quarters after completing the other core courses.
Online MBA Program
Year
One
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
Core
401A Individual and
Group
Dynamics
400A Financial
Accounting
468 Articulation &
Critical
Thinking
402A Markets and
the Firm
403A Data Analysis
for Managers
405 Financial Theory
and Policy
401B Organizational
Structure &
Strategy
Electives
4 units of courses**
In-person Residential
Year
Two
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
Core
404 Marketing
Management
452 Managing for
Operational
Excellence
440 Integrated
Management
Project
Electives
In-person Residential
4 units of courses
10 units of courses
8 units of courses
** Students in the Online MBA Program will often take MGV 438V, Quantitative Tools for Business, to fulfill
deficiencies in quantitative skills at the beginning of their program.
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11) Sources of Funding:
Students in the Full-Time MBA Program typically pay the professional degree
supplemental tuition and the graduate tuition and then are allocated scholarships with funds
set aside for return-to-aid and additional GSM scholarships. The source of scholarship
funds is the professional degree supplement tuition which accrues to the GSM.
The Sacramento Part-Time MBA Program, the Bay Area Part-Time MBA Program, and
the Online MBA Program are self-supporting programs and students pay the self-
supporting degree fees. Scholarship funds are available. The source of scholarship funds
are the self-supporting degree program fees.
12) PELP:
Information about PELP (Planned Educational Leave) can be found in the Graduate
Student website: https://grad.ucdavis.edu/academics/registration/options-non-
registered-students.
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Appendix A
Graduate School of Management
STEM Requirement for MBA Programs
The following table represents the course offerings that satisfy the 36-unit STEM requirement.
Core offerings comprise 28 to 30 units toward this requirement, and students must choose among
STEM-designated elective courses to earn an additional 6 to 8 units, depending on if 4-unit or 6-
unit Integrated Management Project is taken. Online MBA Students will often take MGV 438V,
Quantitative Tools for Business, which contributes 4-units towards satisfying this requirement.
Please contact the GSM Registrar at GSM[email protected] if you have questions
about your individual progress toward fulfilling this requirement.
Core
Course
Units
MGT/P/B/V 400A
Financial Accounting
4
MGT/P/B/V 402A
Markets and the Firm
4
MGT/P/B/V 403A
Data Analysis for Managers
4
MGT/P/B/V 404
Marketing Management
4
MGT/P/B/V 405
Financial Theory & Policy
4
MGT/P/B/V 452
Managing for Operational Excellence
4
MGT/P/B/V 440**
Integrated Management Projects
4-6
Accounting Electives
Course
Units
MGT/P/B/V 200B
Managerial Accounting
3
MGT/P/B 270
Corporate Financial Reporting
3
MGT/P/B 272
Evaluation of Financial Information
3
Business Analytics Electives*
Course
Units
MGT/P/B 203B
Forecasting and Managerial Research Methods
3
MGT/P/B 206
Decision Making and Management Science
3
MGT/P/B 207
Managing IT for Business Value
3
MGT/P/B 250
Technology, Competition and Strategy
3
MGT/P/B 269
Business Intelligence Technologies – Data Mining
3
MGT/P/B 282
Supply Chain Planning & Operations Management
3
MGT/P/B 285
Time Series Analysis & Forecasting
3
MGT/P/B 287
Business Database & Database Marketing
3
MGT/P/B 435
Data Wrangling
1
MGP 437
Healthcare Analytics
1
MGV 438V
Quantitative Tools for Business
4
Finance Electives
Course
Units
MGT/P/B 202B
Business, Government & the International Economy
3
MGT/P/B 258
Mergers and Acquisitions
3
MGT/P/B 259
Banking and Financial System
3
MGT/P/B/V 260
Corporate Finance
3
MGT/P/B/V 261
Investment Analysis
3
MGT/P/B 263
Derivative Securities
3
MGT/P/B/V 265
Venture Capital & Finance of Innovation
3
MGT/P/B 266
International Finance
3
MGT/P/B 276
Real Estate Finance & Investment
3
MGT/P/B 292
Multi Asset Investing
3
MGT 436
Introduction to Derivative Securities
1
Marketing Electives
MGT/P/B 234
Pricing
3
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* In addition to courses listed here, any course listed as BAX counts toward the STEM elective requirement.
MGT/P/B 243
Customer Relationship Management
3
MGT/P/B 248
Marketing Strategies
3
MGT/P/B 249
Marketing Research
3
MGT/P/B/V 254
Marketing Analytics
3
MGT/P/B/V 293
Product Management
3