Academics

The Berkeley Haas Full-Time MBA Program offers an enriching and transformative academic experience. Students are equipped with a strong foundation in business fundamentals and the chance to explore numerous innovative electives to enhance their knowledge and skills. Throughout their MBA journey, students receive the necessary tools and resources to empower them in becoming confident leaders as they navigate through the changing business landscape.

Academic Calendar

Review the academic calendar for important current and upcoming program-related dates.

Academic Calendar

Academic Planning

The academic experience at Berkeley Haas is designed to teach students a broad set of foundational skills. Building on the required core courses, you can then choose from innovative elective courses, pursue an area of emphasis, or participate in an exchange program.

Use the following information to understand your academic requirements, explore opportunities, and create a plan of study that will help you meet your goals.

To review your degree progress, you can use the Academic Progress Report (APR) function in CalCentral (please note the APR Summary in OLR will be retired soon so it is no longer showing updated information).

Contact the Academics Team or schedule an appointment with your Academic Advisor(opens in a new tab) for assistance and questions when designing your roadmap on your MBA journey.

Academic Opportunities

Depending on your goals, you may be interested in pursuing a certificate program, traveling abroad to gain international experience, or getting involved with various projects on and off campus. Here are opportunities that you can consider during your time at Haas.

Registration and Enrollment

The Full-Time MBA Program has two enrollment phases. To learn more about the enrollment process and the timeline, review the information below:

Academic Norms

The program’s core faculty and the MBA Association (MBAA) have co-created academic norms to facilitate a classroom experience that is as supportive and productive as possible for all students. These norms invite every student to be inclusive and supportive of one another, to show up on time and remain engaged, and to utilize technology in a learning-focused way.

The graphic below further elaborates on the four norms and includes examples of behaviors that reinforce each norm:

Policies & Standards

Policies and standards are voted on, approved by, and enforced by UC Berkeley faculty. The Program Office provides clarity to students on their specific situations, so they can better understand how policies directly impact their academic outcomes.

Access to Student Records
Accommodation for Pregnancy and Parenting
Auditing
Code of Conduct
Discrimination and Harassment
Grading & Exam Attendance
Grade Appeals
Leaves, Transfers, Withdrawals
Religious Holidays

Class Attendance

Attendance in the core is mandatory. For all other classes, policies are established at the discretion of each professor and are often tied to participation grades. Students are responsible for understanding and adhering to attendance policies as communicated by the instructor for each class.

Exam Attendance

Examinations are scheduled in advance and students are required to attend during the assigned dates and times. Makeup exams are only considered for extenuating circumstances, such as family death or serious health issues.
Please note that core exams may be held at a time that differs from the regularly scheduled class. Students should not plan any other activities during the posted final exam schedule shown on the online academic calendar.

Policies and standards are voted on, approved by, and enforced by UC Berkeley faculty. The Program Office provides clarity to students on their specific situations, so they can better understand how policies directly impact their academic outcomes.

Academic Probation

Any student with a cumulative GPA less than 3.0 will be placed on Academic Probation. The purpose of probation is to give a student whose performance is less than satisfactory the opportunity to improve by providing them time to address any deficiencies that have been noticed. Academic probation may result in, but is not limited to, the following outcomes: dismissal from the program; ineligibility to work as an Academic Student Employee such as Graduate Student Instructor (GSI), Graduate Student Research (GSR) or Reader and ineligibility from certain leadership opportunities. The FTMBA Academics Team is dedicated to assisting students who are on probation and/or having academic difficulties. For more information on Academic Probation, refer to the Guide to Graduate Policies.

Academic Honors

For students entering in August 2022 or earlier, the top 10% (approximately) of students in each graduating class, as measured by cumulative GPA, will have the distinction of Graduation with Honors. The likely candidates will be recognized at Commencement. However, the final determination for Graduation with Honors will occur a few weeks after Commencement and will be based on the cumulative GPA for all courses completed during the MBA Program.

For students entering in August 2023 or later, any student who earns a cumulative GPA of 3.8 or higher upon graduation will be considered an honors recipient. The likely candidates will be recognized at Commencement. However, the final determination for Graduation with Honors will occur a few weeks after Commencement and will be based on the cumulative GPA for all courses completed during the MBA Program.

Meet the Team

The FTMBA academics team will support and guide you through the curricular choices that will enable you to meet your program goals.

Click here to learn more about the Academics Team and how we can support your academic journey!