Johnson School
Cornell University

Faculty By-Laws

Chapter Four - MBA Curriculum

The faculty has the responsibility for establishing the MBA Curriculum.

I. Core Curriculum

The MBA core courses cover the substantive knowledge and skills the faculty judge are necessary for competence in Management. Passing grades in all core courses are required of all students unless exempted by examination or other means approved by the faculty. Core courses and sequence requirements are given in Chapter Five.

The Dean, with written approval of the MBA Course Approval Committee, can reduce the number of required core courses for one (1) year by dropping a course from the core, if there are staffing difficulties. If feasible, the use of this power will be avoided.

Faculty teaching in common core courses shall have the responsibility for coordinating their teaching efforts in terms of core course content (subject to targets set by the faculty), course sequencing, scheduling of course requirements and integrative teaching methods.

II. Curriculum Changes: Adding, Deleting or Changing Elective Courses

Proposed elective course changes may originate from the Dean's Office, from periodic curriculum review task forces, from individual faculty or from functional areas.

The following steps need to be completed before changes are made in the announcement:

A. The proposed addition, deletion or substantive change will first be reported to the Dean and cleared in terms of budgetary feasibility and policy desirability;

B. A written description of the proposed course addition or of the proposed basic change in course objectives will then be submitted to the MBA Course Approval Committee by its sponsor and will be placed on the agenda of that MBA Course Approval Committee for specific consideration only after the material has been circulated to all Committee members. The MBA Course Approval Committee will consider the proposed change in terms of its relation to the curriculum as a whole from the viewpoint of the academic objectives of the School and the standards and priorities that may have been established for the achievement of such objectives; and

C. In the event that a course given by our faculty for MBA credit is proposed to be deleted permanently, the Faculty Policy Committee will be notified. If the Faculty Policy Committee considers the proposed deletion detrimental, the issue will be framed for discussion and voted on by the faculty.

III. Professional Leadership Skills Courses

A menu of mini-courses in professional leadership skills will be offered in increments of one tenth (1/10) of a credit. Up to one and one half (1.5) credits may apply toward fulfilling the sixty (60) credit requirement for graduation. The courses will be subject to review and approval by the MBA Course Approval Committee of the School.

IV. Scheduling of Examinations

In the scheduling of final examinations for courses that follow the regular University semester schedule the faculty shall follow the policies set by the Dean of the University Faculty. Final examinations should not be scheduled during the last week of classes or the designated Study Period preceding final examinations. Take-home exams must be given before the last week of classes and should not be required to be submitted until the final exam period. Papers may be required of students during the Study Period if announced sufficiently far in advance that the student does not have to spend a significant segment of the Study Period completing them. Faculty members wishing to deviate from this policy must consult with the Dean of the University Faculty.

V. Reporting of Offerings, Enrollments and Staff

To provide a factual basis for policy-making, the MBA Course Approval Committee is responsible for preparing and distributing to the faculty at the end of each semester a statistical report on course offerings, enrollments and staffing for that semester and for the corresponding semesters of the previous three (3) academic years. This report should include, at a minimum, a listing of all for-credit course sections offered by the School in that semester, the end-of-semester enrollment in each section and the name of the person responsible for that section. In addition, the report may contain such additional information and summaries as the MBA Course Approval Committee chooses.

VI. Course Maps

The faculty shall establish and maintain elective course maps for areas of knowledge offered by the School. These course maps shall include recommended and alternative elective courses that build on the core and that lead to particular kinds of competence. As appropriate, both courses within and outside the School will be included in the course maps. Course maps are intended as guides to students and to faculty advising students; they do not impose requirements.

Last Modified: February 7, 2003