The UCLA Anderson School of Management will add two classes to
its MBA core requirements in an effort to better prepare students
for the business world and maintain its position as a top business
school.
The curriculum change is the first in about 10 years, said David
Lewin, an Anderson professor.
Faculty members considered changing the core curriculum after
comparing UCLA’s MBA program to those of similar schools such
as Berkeley, Stanford and Duke, said Randy Bucklin, chair of the
MBA Curriculum Committee.
The committee found UCLA had fewer required courses and exposed
students to functional aspects of management later than many other
schools.
Anderson students compete with students from these schools for
jobs, Bucklin said.
Many of the internships MBA students compete for have early
application periods, and employers want students who have basic
training in skills that can be used on the job.
“Our students compete for summer jobs during interviews
that take place in January and February of their first year,”
Bucklin said. “Internships are increasingly important to our
students’ placement success.”
Anderson changed its MBA curriculum in the early ’90s and
once again in the mid-’80s. Both curriculum adjustments made
the program more elective-oriented, said Lewin.
The “elective-oriented” curriculum served well over
the past two decades, but the new curriculum will help Anderson
adapt to changing needs in the business world, Bucklin
explained.
The first year of the MBA program has a fixed schedule ““
students have to take specific classes in fall, winter and spring
quarters.
Next fall’s schedule will include corporate finance in
addition to the four classes currently required. Finance is the
most popular area of study among Anderson students.
The school’s winter schedule will add an additional course
in marketing ““ market assessment ““ to its current
three-course lineup.
The new core curriculum includes two classes in both finance and
marketing, whereas the current curriculum includes only one class
in each of these areas.
Mike Clark, a first-year MBA student, said he likes the current
curriculum because he has more freedom to take the classes he
likes.
“I came here and I didn’t want to do
marketing,” said Clark. “Two marketing classes would be
too many.”
Richard Selim, another first-year MBA student, said he likes the
current curriculum’s flexibility but believes a stronger base
in a variety of areas ““ which the new curriculum offers
““ is good, too.
“I think everyone wants to take classes they’re
interested in,” Selim said. “But I believe in a strong
foundation in all areas.”
The new course load will be heavier and will include five
classes in fall instead of four ““ another aspect of the
curriculum change current students question.
“Taking four classes (in fall) was hard,” said
Allison Lucas, a first-year MBA student.
But Lucas said she appreciates the school’s motivation for
adding the courses.
“I’m glad that we’re cognizant of trying to
improve our ratings and that we’re being responsive to
employer feedback,” she said.
Though the curriculum change applies only to full-time MBA
candidates, the fully-employed MBA program, FEMBA, will also adopt
similar changes.