Stanford MBA Program Curriculum Overview | Generated by AI
Question: What are the typical courses in the Stanford MBA program?
Answer:
The Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) MBA is a two-year, full-time program. The curriculum is divided into:
- Year 1: Mostly required core courses (with some flexibility)
- Year 2: Almost entirely electives
First-Year Required Core Courses
These are the standard core classes that almost every Stanford MBA student takes in their first year (as of the 2024–2026 curriculum):
General Management Perspectives (smaller-section courses)
- Ethics in Management
- Leadership Labs
- Managing Groups and Teams
- Organizational Behavior
- Strategic Leadership
General Management Foundations (larger, often compressed-format courses)
- Data Analysis and Decision Making (statistics & decision analysis)
- Finance I & II
- Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting)
- Human Resource Management
- Information Management
- Macroeconomics
- Marketing
- Microeconomics
- Operations
- Optimization and Simulation Modeling
- Corporate Finance
- Strategy Beyond Markets (political & regulatory strategy)
Global Experience Requirement
- A one-to-two week required global study trip or service trip
Second-Year Courses
Almost entirely electives. Students take ~12–15 elective courses across their second year and the second half of their first year.
Popular elective areas and some of the best-known courses include:
Entrepreneurship & Innovation
- Startup Garage (build your own venture)
- Formation of New Ventures
- Entrepreneurial Finance
- Design for Extreme Affordability
Finance
- Private Equity in Emerging Markets
- Angel & Venture Capital Investing
- Hedge Fund Management
Technology & Operations
- Supply Chain & Logistics
- AI & Machine Learning for Business
- Platform Strategy
Marketing & Social Impact
- Paths to Power
- Lives of Consequence
- Environmental Sustainability courses
- Impact Investing
Marketing & Strategy
- Customer Acquisition & Growth
- Strategic Pivoting
- Negotiations
General Management & Leadership
- Interpersonal Dynamics (“Touchy Feely” – famous small-group course)
- Acting with Power
- The Paths to Leadership
Students can also take courses across Stanford University (Law, Engineering, Medicine, etc.) and many pursue joint or dual degrees (e.g., MBA/MS in Computer Science, MBA/JD, MBA/MPP).
In short: the first year gives everyone a broad, rigorous foundation in all major business disciplines plus heavy leadership/soft-skills training. The second year is highly customizable and is where Stanford’s strengths in entrepreneurship, technology, venture capital, and social innovation really shine.
References:
- Stanford GSB Required Curriculum
- Stanford GSB Elective Curriculum
- Stanford GSB Course Catalog 2024–2025