Applicable only to students admitted during the 2025-2026 academic year.

Management

John E. Anderson School of Management

Graduate Degrees

The John E. Anderson Graduate School of Management offers the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Management, the Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree, the Master of Financial Engineering (M.F.E.) degree and the Master of Science in Business Analytics (M.S.B.A.) degree. In addition, there are a number of degree programs, offered in cooperation with other graduate and professional degree programs on campus, that lead to the M.B.A. and another degree. The school also offers the Executive M.B.A. Program (EMBA), the Global EMBA for Asia Pacific, and the M.B.A. for the Fully Employed (FEMBA).

Master of Business Administration

Master’s Degree

Admissions Requirements

Advising

The Assistant Dean and the academic advisers assist students in planning appropriate programs. Students may also consult with Faculty in their area of study and career advisers. Outside of the management core, which provides a broad general management perspective, students may emphasize one or more area(s) of study to coincide with their academic and career interests.

Areas of Study

Accounting; Brand Management; Consulting; Corporate Finance; Technology Leadership; Entertainment, Entrepreneurship; Global Management; Health Care Management; Investment Management; Marketing Analytics; Sustainability; Leadership Development; Real Estate; Social Impact; Sports Leadership & Management. For additional information, students should consult the school’s website.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

The required elements of the M.B.A. program are the management core (including Foundations of Inclusive Leadership), the advanced electives, and the Capstone Project. The management core courses teach the fundamental techniques and disciplines which underlie the practice of management. Foundations of Inclusive Leadership lays the groundwork for students to become excellent leaders. This is an important skill for all successful M.B.A. graduates. Advanced electives provide specialized knowledge and skills for one or more fields of management work. The Capstone Project allows an opportunity to apply knowledge gained in the program to strategic issues in real organizations. A total of 94 units of course work is required for the degree. All courses applied to the degree must be taken for a letter grade unless the course is only offered for S/U grading.

Management Core. The management core consists of twelve courses (38 units) on subjects basic to the practice of management: Management-Full Time-MBA (MGMTFT) 401A, 401B, 402, 403, 405, 408, 409, 410, 411, 415, 416 and 420.

Advanced Electives. These courses are chosen by students from the management curriculum area or interdisciplinary studies courses to focus on one or more fields of specialization. Up to twelve units of free electives may be selected from any University department, subject only to general University regulations. The 12 units of free electives may be graduate or undergraduate courses that are distinguished as a course number of 100 or more. A maximum of eight units of Management 596 courses may be applied toward the 94-unit requirement for the degree. These courses count as free electives. The Fieldwork course (Management-Full Time-MBA 426) is offered for unit credit and will only be applied once towards the 94 unit requirement. Students pursuing concurrent degrees from other UCLA departments will have a reduced advanced elective load, which varies according to the degree pursued in addition to the MBA.

Capstone Project. A single or mutli-term project in the second year, the Capstone Project is the final, professional requirement of the M.B.A. program. Each student chooses a project from four options: (1) Applied Management Research Capstone (MGMTFT 423A, 423B), (2) Business Creation Capstone (MGMTFT 428A, 428B), (3) Advanced Topics in Management Capstone (MGMT 274A, 274B), or (4) Special Project (Substitute courses to be approved by the Senior Associate Dean).Students may only participate in one capstone project.

At least 94 units of work toward the degree must be completed in residence in the full time MBA program at UCLA. In special cases, up to 8 units of graduate work taken elsewhere and not used toward another degree may, via petition, be counted toward the free electives component of the 94-unit total.

Students who have extensive academic or professional experience in the areas of Accounting, Economics, Finance and Marketing may attempt to waive out of the equivalent core course by examination. Students who successfully waive a course do not reduce the units required for the degree; however, they can make up the units with more advanced electives. Students who hold a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license may waive the core accounting course without taking the waiver exam. Students in the concurrent program with Public Policy or Urban and Regional Planning may waive the M.B.A. core Statistics and Economics course if they have taken the equivalent courses in those programs prior to starting the M.B.A.

The M.B.A. has 8 concurrent degree programs designed to allow a student to complete two degrees with a limited number of overlapping units. The time savings is achieved by allowing students to complete the M.B.A. with fewer than 94 units. In some cases, the other program has reduced their unit requirement, as well. Students should consult with the other program for their course and unit requirements. Students are expected to complete all aforementioned required MBA core courses (unless waived), internship requirement and capstone project requirement. The remaining units are satisfied by enrolling in MGMT/FT/FE 200-series and 400-series electives for a letter grade unless the course is only offered for S/U-grading.

M.B.A. and J.D. in Law

Students must complete 80 Management units. The remaining 14 units needed to achieve 94 units are fulfilled from 10 semester units of coursework taken for the School of Law program and applied to the M.B.A. degree.

M.B.A and M.D. in Medicine
Students must complete 76 Management units. The remaining 18 units needed to achieve 94 units are fulfilled from 12 semester units of coursework taken for the School of Medicine program and applied to the M.B.A. degree.

M.B.A and M.U.R.P. in Urban and Regional Planning
Students must complete 76-82 Management units. The remaining 12-18 units needed to achieve 94 units are fulfilled from courses taken for the Urban and Regional Planning program and applied to the M.B.A. degree.

M.B.A and M.P.H. in Public Health
Students must complete at least 88 Management units. The remaining 6 units needed to achieve 94 units are fulfilled from courses taken for the Public Health program and applied to the M.B.A. degree.

M.B.A. and M.P.P. in Public Policy
Students must complete at least 88 Management units. The remaining 6 units needed to achieve 94 units are fulfilled from courses taken for the Public Policy program and applied to the M.B.A. degree.

M.B.A and M.A. in Latin American Studies
Students must complete at least 88 Management units. The remaining 6 units needed to achieve 94 units are fulfilled from courses taken for the Latin American Studies program and applied to the M.B.A. degree.

M.B.A and M.S. in Computer Science
Students must complete at least 84 Management units. The remaining 10 units needed to achieve 94 units are fulfilled from courses taken for the Computer Science and applied to the M.B.A. degree.

M.B.A and M.L.I.S. in Library and Information Studies
Students must complete at least 88 Management units. The remaining 6 units needed to achieve 94 units are fulfilled from courses taken for the Library and Information Studies program and applied to the M.B.A. degree.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Candidates for the M.B.A. program are required to do a minimum one-quarter internship with a company in their proposed area of study (e.g. finance, marketing, consulting). The summer between the first and second years is the preferred time to satisfy this requirement; however, internships may be pursued during the Fall, Winter or Spring terms. Candidates should wait until their second quarter in the M.B.A. program to begin satisfying this requirement. Candidates should expect to devote at least 120 hours during the term to their internship, and should be prepared to provide regular activity reports to their faculty adviser. Candidates who are employer sponsored or are considering entrepreneurial ventures may also discuss their plans with the M.B.A. Program Associate Dean in order to develop alternative fieldwork opportunities. Candidates who do not have an interest in entrepreneurial ventures may work with the program to develop a special research project to meet this requirement. Candidates will have their experiences evaluated by their faculty adviser through enrollment in Management-Full Time-MBA (MGMTFT) 426. Evaluation may consist of any combination of written or oral presentations.

Capstone Plan Project

The capstone project requirement is fulfilled by successful completion of the two-term Applied Management Research Capstone, the two-term Advanced Topics in Management Capstone, the two-term Business Creation Capstone, or an approved Special Project. Students earn 8 units of credit by enrollment in Applied Management Research Capstone (MGMTFT 423 A,B), Advanced Topics in Management Capstone (MGMT 274 A, B), or Business Creation Capstone (MGMTFT 428 A,B). Students are individually evaluated by three UCLA faculty members who supervise the project to ensure that the students’ work and contribution adhere to the rigorous academic requirements of the program. With the approval of the Senior Associate Dean, students may propose a substitute capstone project. Students may only participate in one capstone project.

Thesis Plan

None.

Time-to-Degree

The full-time M.B.A. must be completed within two calendar years of admission. The minimum time required to complete the M.B.A. program is seven quarters.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
MBA	7	7	20

Academic Disqualification and Appeal of Disqualification

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for academic disqualification from graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing academic disqualification of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

Regular M.B.A. Program

At the end of the first year, a student who has a grade point average below 3.00 or who has completed fewer than 48 units is subject to a recommendation for academic disqualification to the Division of Graduate Education. The student’s records are reviewed by the Associate Dean of the program, who makes a recommendation for academic disqualification. A student may appeal a recommendation for academic disqualification to the dean of the school.