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Degree Programs

The M.B.A. Program

Note: The full-time and part-time M.B.A. programs of the Weatherhead School of Management are accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

The challenge to organizations on the brink of the 21st century is to become and remain competitive in the face of accelerating economic, social and political change. Those who would play a part in leading organizations to success must be able to create value in the context of this rapid change.

The Weatherhead School of Management has developed a unique and innovative approach to the degree of Master of Business Administration, with a clear mission to educate outstanding men and women to provide value to and for their organizations. Execution of Weatherhead's mission statement is built on the following foundations:

  1. A curriculum based on the philosophy of creating value;
  2. Development of liberalizing perspectives on management to encourage creative problem solving;
  3. Assessment and development of reasoning, action management, team building and leadership abilities; and
  4. Design and implementation of an individualized learning plan to develop the distinctive competence of every M.B.A. student.

Creating Economic, Human and Intellectual Value

A commitment to contributing value to organizations provides the theme which connects all courses and topics in the core curriculum. In undertaking the creation of economic, intellectual and human value, the theme explores: managing effectively in a complex, diverse and interdependent world; maximizing the innovative use of information and technology; developing the manager as leader and team builder; and stimulating professionalism, integrity and social responsibility.

Students will integrate their learning across a wide variety of management disciplines through these concepts which emerge in each subject area. The use of these concepts also provides faculty and students with a vehicle to pursue intellectual integration, similarities and differences and to engage in dialogue and debate across disciplines.

Teaching methodology includes basic analysis, case method, simulation, computer applications, student consulting projects, field research and student-designed independent study. Unique faculty-designed computer software packages are incorporated as decision support.

The flexibility of the teaching environment at the Weatherhead School of Management encourages students to apply innovative techniques and a variety of communications skills to their learning experience.

M.B.A. Program Overview

The learning objectives of the Weatherhead M.B.A. Program are achieved in four stages:
Stage 1: Management Assessment and Development and the Learning Plan
At the beginning of the M.B.A. course of study, each student is provided with an assessment of his or her current management abilities and individual interpretation and guidance to plan the most effective and efficient M.B.A. program.
Stage 2: The Core Curriculum
A group of eleven courses integrates critical knowledge areas in each management discipline with the themes of value creation and the building of management effectiveness.
Stage 3: The Perspectives Courses
As students complete the core curriculum, these courses take an interdisciplinary approach to the subjects of industrial development, global management issues, cybernetics, and innovation to encourage creative decision making and a liberalizing approach to problem solving.
Stage 4: Advanced Elective Coursework
In this final course sequence, students select courses to develop depth and diversity within a broad choice of management disciplines and industry and career specialties.

M.B.A. Program Structure

The M.B.A. program is a 60-credit-hour program available through either full-time or part-time evening study. Students with recent undergraduate degrees in business or a related field may be eligible for enrollment in an accelerated 42-credit-hour program upon consultation with the Director of Admissions. Both programs involve the same required courses, and each student may take six electives in his or her field of interest. See the Departmental Course Offerings section for detailed course descriptions.

Required Courses

Management Assessment and Development (3 hours)
MGMT 403, Management Assessment and Development
The Core Curriculum (33 hours)
The Perspectives Courses (6 hours)
The Elective Series (18 hours)
The following areas of specialization provide the student with the flexibility of concentrating in one or more fields of his or her choice: Concentrations in the preceding areas are designed as a minimum of three electives completed under a single course area designation (i.e., BAFI, MKMR, etc.). Concentrations will be so designated on the student's transcript. Students may also pursue elective course work that would not represent a concentration as well as course work that would represent a particular area of applied study, such as management control or financial reporting. Faculty advisers in the appropriate departments will be available to develop individual elective sequences as well as counsel students regarding all elective course work. Other course sequences may be organized as specializations (i.e., construction management, nonprofit management, etc.) but will not appear as a concentration on the transcript.

A maximum of 12 elective credits in accountancy courses may be applied toward M.B.A. degree requirements, although all coursework necessary to meet Certified Public Accountant (CPA) examination requirements is offered through the Weatherhead School.

M.B.A. students are limited to six hours of elective credit as independent study. Additional hours will be subject to petition and approval by the Associate Dean for Professional Programs.

The following CWRU courses have been approved for M.B.A. elective credit:

Other CWRU courses may be eligible for M.B.A. elective credit, including coursework offered by the Law School. Contact the Registrar for additional information.

Non-Credit Supplemental Instruction

The Weatherhead School offers non-credit supplemental instruction in MIS literacy through computer familiarization workshops. See below for detailed information.

Full-Time Study

The following scheduling options are available to full-time students, depending on their educational and employment backgrounds and the rate at which they wish to complete degree requirements.

Full-time M.B.A. students are required to take core courses in day sections. Elective courses are offered in the evening for all students.

60-Credit-Hour Curriculum
Semester I       Semester II
----------       -----------
MGMT 403 (3)     ECON 403 (3)
ACCT 401 (3)     MKMR 403 (3)
BAFI 402 (3)     OPMT 405 (3)
MIDS 409 (3)     ORBH 407 (3)
QUMM 403 (3)     QUMM 405 (3)
Summer Internship Recommended

Semester III     Semester IV
------------     -----------
LHRP 421 (3)     PLCY 499 (3)
Perspectives     Perspectives
Course (3)       Course (3)
Electives (9)    Electives (9)
42-Credit-Hour Curriculum Structure
Summer Session     Fall Semester
--------------     -------------
MGMT 403 (3)       Perspective
Core courses (9)   Course (3)
                   Core course (3)
                   Electives (9)

Spring Semester
---------------
Perspectives Course (3)
Core Course (3)
Electives (9)
Full-time students who plan to work part-time within the University or in the community may complete the M.B.A. program at the rate of nine to 12 credit hours per semester in four to six semesters, depending on prior business coursework.

Part-Time Study

The part-time M.B.A. program is designed for qualified students who wish to pursue their graduate management education by taking evening courses. The majority of these students work full-time for organizations in the Cleveland area. The same full-time faculty teach both evening and daytime classes. The full-time and part-time programs have the same admission standards and course requirements.

Part-time students may take a maximum of six credit hours each fall and spring semester and three credit hours in the summer session.

Students with recent undergraduate degrees in business may be eligible for the accelerated 42-hour program which allows them to complete the part-time program in a minimum of two-and-one-half years.

Residency Requirement

M.B.A. and M.Acc. students must register for a minimum of 36 credit hours in the Weatherhead School of Management. This obligation is termed the "residency requirement."

Executive Master of Business Administration

The Executive Master of Business Administration (E.M.B.A.) program, a two-year program, is specifically designed to prepare experienced managers in the functions and perspective of top-level management, based on a firm foundation in analytical and decision-making frameworks for management. An applicant to the program must have 10 years of work experience, with five years at the management level and company sponsorship. Each applicant must take the Graduate Management Admission Test. The Executive M.B.A. program tuition covers both University tuition and program costs. No refund is made if withdrawal occurs after the start of the program. Further details and course descriptions can be found in the Executive M.B.A. brochure or by calling the program office at (216) 368-2042.

Master of Accountancy

The objective of the Master of Accountancy program is to provide individuals with the personal and intellectual skills to serve in important positions in public accounting firms, corporations and the public sector. Education in advanced courses, followed by the opportunity to select an area of specialization (i.e., taxation; or auditing and financial reporting), constitutes the focus of this graduate program. In addition, students have the opportunity to increase their capabilities in computer applications, policy formulation, finance, quantitative methods and economics.

The Master of Accountancy is an integrative program which builds on the student's undergraduate education, so requirements can range from a minimum of 36 to more than 60 credit hours of study. Students with appropriate undergraduate backgrounds (i.e., an undergraduate accounting major or its equivalent) may complete the program in 36 credit hours. Those with non-accounting undergraduate business degrees can expect to complete the program in 60 credit hours. Non-business undergraduate majors will be required to take courses beyond the 60 credit hours. Additional requirements for those individuals will be based on degree background, experience and related accreditation requirements. Students with undergraduate accounting degrees from other institutions are eligible to enroll in the program at the start of the fifth year of course work.

Since 150 semester hours of education (including at least a bachelor's degree) is the model requirement for CPA candidates, undergraduate accounting students at Case Western Reserve University are encouraged to apply for admission to the Master of Accountancy program. This affords the CWRU undergraduate student an opportunity to complete the program in 30 hours.

The program is primarily designed for students interested in full-time study; however, part-time students are admitted, contingent upon their commitment to complete the program of study on a timely basis.

The following is a typical 36-hour course of study for a student with an undergraduate accounting degree background:

Element A: Management and Decision Analysis Core (15 hours)
Element B: Advanced Accountancy Core (9 hours)
Element C: Elective Concentrations in Accountancy (9 hours)
Element D: General Program Elective (3 hours)
The program director will approve the course selection; for example, ACCT 414 or an elective outside the discipline.

Contact Professor Gary J. Previts, faculty director of the Master of Accountancy program, for further information (216) 368-2074.

Master of Nonprofit Organizations (M.N.O.)

(Weatherhead School of Management and Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences)
The M.N.O. is an advanced professional degree offered through the Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations, a University-wide center for education and research. The Mandel Center is co-sponsored by the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, the Weatherhead School of Management and the School of Law.

Refer to the Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations section of this bulletin for more detailed information.

Next Section - W.S.O.M. - Joint Degree Programs
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