TheBerkeleyMBA - Full-time MBA Program, Haas School of ...

that fits individual needs and interests.
After the core course requirements are fulfilled,
students may choose from a wide
variety of electives and special concentrations
– from within Haas and the wider
university – as well as design courses of
their own in conjunction with a faculty
member. The relatively small size of the
MBA student body ensures that the learning
experience is personalized – strong
connections develop between faculty and
students, and among fellow students. The
cooperative, team-oriented culture teaches
the lessons of working
successfully with others
to achieve objectives – a
powerful and necessary
skill in today’s complex,
fast-paced business environment.
Integrated Core
Provides a Solid
Foundation for
Management and
Leadership
Thirteen core courses
provide a foundation of
analytical tools. Students
take most of these core
courses in the first year.
The core courses are
deliberately designed to
build upon one another
and provide a common
foundation for all the
students in the program.
Core faculty members
meet weekly throughout
the first semester to discuss
issues that arise in
each course and to coordinate
their syllabi.
Faculty members typically
choose common problem
sets or case studies, so that the theory
learned in one course may be applied to a
problem the next week in another course.
“What I find really impressive about
Haas,” says Jinny Lee, MBA 01, “is that
some of our best professors are teaching
core classes and not just the ‘fun electives.’
From former Washington DC-insider
Janet Yellen to technology guru Carl
Courses
Initiated
by MBA
Students
Student-initiated
courses are a tradition
at the Haas
School. Every
semester offers
several courses that are initiated and run
by students with faculty guidance.
Typically such courses focus on a specific
theme or industry.
In 2000/01 Haas MBA students learned
about the business of the wine industry
while enjoying some of California’s finest
wines and foods. John Cole (left), a veteran
of the wine industry, and Michael
Ehrlich (right), both from the MBA class
of 2001, initiated the course titled “A
Taste of the Wine Industry.”
Additional recent student-initiated courses
include:
• Entrepreneurial Issues in Biotechnology
• Technology Topics and Trends
• Leadership and Organizational
Effectiveness
• Personal Finance
• Environmental Issues
• Doing Business in China
• Entertainment Industry
• Investment Fund Management
• Social Venture Entrepreneurship
Shapiro, we have faculty with real-world
experience teaching us.”
“Having returned from several years in
Washington, Janet Yellen brought macroeconomics
to life by sharing her fascinating
background,” agrees Nancy Hoffacker,
MBA/MPH 02. “I left the class having a
much greater understanding of just how
our national and world economies function.”
The first semester concludes with a
“Capstone” project, in which students integrate
their courses in accounting, microeconomics,
and finance.
Faculty members who
teach in the core choose
three publicly traded
companies for study.
Students meet in teams
and spend the semester
producing a written
report valuing one of the
companies as if for a
takeover, using only public
information to evaluate
the “target” company.
Students complete most
of the remaining core
courses in the spring
semester and begin
exploring their options
for elective courses. If
there is interest in a topic
not already offered, Haas
students have the option
to initiate their own
course. They also have
opportunities to plan
international study trips
and summer internships.
A wide array of elective
courses is available in the
second year, allowing students
to specialize in the
fields of their choice. New electives are
introduced frequently. In the second year,
students also choose one or more of the
strategy courses.
“My best professors have been ones who
have required aggressive pre-class preparation,”
says Jon Altschuler, MBA 01. “Andy
Rose in Macroeconomics, Carl Shapiro in
Micro, and Rashi Glazer in Marketing led
intense class discussions. I always came to
Business Leaders Enrich
Haas Teaching
Successful business leaders bring
their expertise to the classroom as
lecturers and adjunct professors.
Some of the Haas School’s popular
instructors include:
Homa Bahrami,
consultant to
many leading
Silicon Valley
companies,
teaches Managing
High-Tech
Knowledge
Workers.
Leo Helzel, MBA
68, has helped
launch over 100
business ventures.
He currently teaches
Top-Down Law:
Legal Issues and
Problem Resolution
of Growth Companies.
Mario Rosati,
partner in the
Silicon Valley
law firm Wilson,
Sonsini, Goodrich,
and Rosati, teaches
New Venture
Finance.
Peter Sealey,
former VP for
global marketing at
Coca-Cola and
executive consultant
to Sony New
Technologies,
teaches Marketing
on the Internet.
Holly A. Schroth,
brings her experience
in psychology
to her popular
courses “Negotiation
and Conflict
Resolution” and
“Communicating
as a Manager.”
Paul Tiffany, who
has served at several
national management
consulting
firms and taught at
Wharton, Stanford,
and INSEAD, teaches
Competitive and
Corporate Strategy.
17