Columbia Unveils New MBA Core

Additional changes include refreshed content that further infuses entrepreneurial thinking into various courses, and expansion of the school’s integrated case study on General Motors, a real-world problem-solving case that examines a corporation from a variety of perspectives across different courses.  “This innovation provides students with the opportunity to see a real-world business challenge holistically, analyzing a single problem from multiple viewpoints and connecting the dots between different functional areas,” the school said.

“We view the core curriculum as the nucleus of an MBA, and the new core curriculum retains the School’s commitment to an academically rigorous foundation for our students,” said Mark Broadie, vice dean for curriculum and instruction, in a statement. “We are constantly staying abreast of changes in the business world and adapting our core to respond to the needs of the business community.”

In January 2012, Dean Glenn Hubbard appointed a committee comprised of faculty to examine the structure of the existing MBA core curriculum and recommend an improved structure more in tune with the forces shaping global business. The committee solicited student, alumni, and recruiter feedback and used this feedback to formulate their recommendations.  Last spring, the committee members voted unanimously to recommend the redesigned core model, which was later approved by the full faculty for implementation this fall.

“Changes in business and the global economic environment are accelerating at unprecedented paces,” said Hubbard in a statement. “The changes to our core curriculum are designed to respond to these shifting dynamics and ensure that the School maintains its preeminence as a leader in global business education.  Coupled with our many other cutting-edge innovations in management education, the redesigned core will provide students with fundamental skills and knowledge that will help them grow into leaders that can recognize opportunity and approach challenges with an entrepreneurial mindset throughout their careers.”

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