The Electives Curriculum in the MBA-E Program

a. OBJECTIVES

The overarching objective of the electives curriculum for the MBA Program (Full-Time Format Program and Executive Format Program {MBA-E}) is to reinforce the mission of the School as captured in its Mission Statement.

The following are the specific objectives of the electives curriculum of the Executive Format Program {MBA-E}:

 to enable students to pursue several areas of interest in greater depth;

 to offer an innovative and relevant leading-edge MBA elective curriculum; and

 to foster the exploration of ideas, concepts, and themes that prepare students for lifelong learning and continued professional development.

b. ELECTIVES COURSE REQUIREMENTS

The electives curriculum in the Executive Format Program {MBA-E} requires nine credit hours of coursework. SY students in the Full-Time Program will be permitted to enroll in any electives offered in the Executive Format Programs on a space-available basis with permission of the Academic Director for the MBA for Executives Program. Students in the Executive Format Program {MBA-E} will be permitted to enroll in a Second Year Program elective on a space-available basis with permission of the Chair of the MBA Program Committee.

c. ELECTIVES TO BE LISTED AS APPROVED ELECTIVES IN EXECUTIVE FORMAT PROGRAM {MBA-E}

The MBA for Executives Operating Committee may offer in the MBA for Executives program format any special or regular elective approved by the faculty for the full-time MBA Program provided the course name, objectives, and description remain the same as for the full-time MBA course and that the Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Research approves the staffing. New electives and other special seminars must be brought to the faculty or otherwise approved using procedures specified for the full-time MBA Program and also have the endorsement of the MBA of Executives Operating Committee.

K. MBA PROGRAM ELECTIVES 1. Categories of Electives

There are two primary types of electives that can be offered in the Full-Time and Executive Format Programs: Program electives and Faculty Sponsored electives. The primary difference between the two categories is that Program electives are open to all students through the normal registration process, while Faculty Sponsored electives provide for

student-faculty selectivity and potentially smaller class enrollments as special design features of these courses.

The SY electives and their descriptions are maintained by the Darden Registrar and can be found online at

http://registrar.darden.virginia.edu/registrar-student/catalog/SearchCatalog.tap.

a. PROGRAM ELECTIVES

Program electives constitute the core of the School’s elective offerings. They can be approved by the faculty as a regular elective or a special elective. Regular electives are expected to be offered on a regular basis. Special electives are approved by the faculty for a maximum of three years at which time they must be approved as a regular elective if they are to continue to be offered.

b. FACULTY SPONSORED ELECTIVES

Faculty Sponsored Electives are intended to be electives where student-faculty selectivity and small enrollments are a desirable component of the course design. This could involve a contract between the student or students and a faculty member to explore topics of mutual interest not fully covered in the Program electives. These are courses where there is a significant portion of the course devoted to field based application, where having the right mix of students and class size is critical to the course. In the cases where faculty are selecting the students who will participate, faculty are responsible for providing a description of how students will be selected. This information should be provided to the appropriate program committee and also be available to students.

Faculty Sponsored Electives should be consistent with the objectives of the Second Year Program and must not overlap with other courses offered in the MBA Program. The course grade is expected to be based to a significant degree on evidence of individual student accomplishment. Faculty Sponsored Electives will not be part of the Web-based bidding, registration, and add/drop activities offered by the Registrar. The listing of the categories of the Faculty Sponsored Electives follows:

 Darden Independent Study – This includes both case writing and research based study by a single student or a group of students under the direction of a faculty member. Each proposal must be approved by the Associate Dean of the Full-time or MBA for Executives program respectively.

o Case development – Individual work designed to engage the student in applying their Darden studies or past experiences to practical issues of concern to a commercial, public sector or non-profit organization willing to cooperate with the independent study project activities. Students are expected to address specific issues of importance in a real-world environment, to conduct research in the field, to draw upon publically available information, if needed, and to prepare both a case document and accompanying analysis.

o Research Project - Individual work designed to allow students to extend or explore interests not available in any Darden course. The study is to be consistent with the objectives of the SY Program and must not overlap with a course(s) offered in the MBA Program.

 Darden Special Topics Courses –These are group projects or studies undertaken by a small group of students.

A Darden Special Topics Course elective is a planned set of class sessions or research activity for a group of students with special interests in business administration topics not currently included in the course offerings of the MBA Program. The objectives of this course will normally include one or more specific learning themes: exposing students to emerging issues, exploring current issues, and extending studies beyond the MBA courses offered in a field. Each course should be consistent with the objectives of the Second Year Program and must not overlap with courses offered in the MBA Program. The grade is expected to be based to a significant degree on written evidence of individual student accomplishment. A course will be 1.5 credit hours and should be designed to be equivalent to approximately 60 hours of work.

Any faculty member wishing to propose a Darden Special Topics course elective must first obtain the consent of the area in which the proposed seminar is to be offered and of the Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Research. Courses not in a particular area must have the endorsement of the respective Program Director. The following documentation must then be provided to the respective Program Director for subsequent approval action:

o title: Darden Special Topics Course: subtitle

o general description of the content of the course and objectives

o statement of the relationship of the proposed course and other topics covered in Darden curriculum (if any)

o description of anticipated instructional methodologies, research activities, class schedule, and grading approach.

o Special administrative aspects of the Darden Special Topics course elective include:

o An approved course is authorized for a one-time offering unless approved by the faculty.

o Students registering for the elective must obtain written consent of the instructor.

Any faculty member wishing to offer a Darden Special Topics Course in more than one year must get the approval of the faculty. Normally this would be done at a regular faculty meeting but can also be approved by electronic vote with a majority of the faculty voting approval.

 Darden Consulting Projects – (Currently approved as GBUS 8520) Individual student or group project conducted for a client organization or an individual, under faculty supervision with an analysis and recommendations report submitted to the faculty advisor and to the client seeking professional advice. The client will normally be expected to contribute a project fee and reimbursements of project-related expenses. All Darden Consulting Projects are overseen and approved at the School level by the Darden Consulting Project course head; by the Faculty advisor and the client.

 Darden Venturing Projects - (Currently approved as GBUS 8520) Individual or group project to develop their own business concept into a proposal for a new business, under faculty supervision. These projects generally include feasibility analyses and plans for the venture’s development and funding. All Darden Venturing Projects are overseen and approved at the School level by the Darden Venturing Project course head and the Faculty advisor.

 Darden Field Based Courses – A hands-on, instructor guided experience with specific academic content and a real-world application “learn by doing” focus.

While normally a small group learning experience, individual student written deliverable is required for each student, to be graded by the faculty supervisor.

These courses involve a combination of in class activities and/or lab work, and field based supervised work. Each course is approved by the faculty as using the following process.

Any faculty member wishing to propose a Darden Field Based Courses elective must first obtain the consent of the area in which the proposed course is to be offered, the respective MBA Program Committee and of the Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Research (for staffing purposes). Courses not in a particular area (and thus listed as “Other”) must have the endorsement of the MBA Program Committee and of the Senior Associate Dean for MBA Programs. The following documentation must then be provided to the respective MBA Program Committee:

o title and catalogue description o statement of objectives

o statement of the relationship of the proposed course to the School’s objectives and other electives (if any)

o general description of the content of the course

o description of anticipated instructional methodologies, teaching materials (or development strategy) and the anticipated field research activities.

o anticipated grading approach and student-performance standards

The respective area or MBA Program Committee is responsible for disseminating this information to the faculty and obtaining the faculty’s consent (or rejection) of the proposed elective. Darden Field Based courses must be approved in a regular faculty meeting.

c. SECOND YEAR PROGRAM COURSE REQUIREMENTS

The second year requires 30 credit hours of coursework. Full-semester courses (i.e., those that meet for the equivalent of 30 sessions) receive 3 credit hours; half-semester courses (i.e., those that meet for the equivalent of 15 sessions) receive 1.5 credit hours. (The baseline calculus for determining a session is roughly a 1.5 hour classroom session plus 2.5 hours of preparation equals 4.0 hours of work.)

Each student is required to take a leadership-learning experience of 1.5 credit hours.

At most, 7.5 credits of Faculty Sponsored Electives courses can be applied toward Graduation for a residential MBA student; 3.0 credits for an MBA for Executive student.

At most, 4.5 credit hours of the Global Business Experience course can be applied toward graduation for a full-time MBA student; 1.5 credits for an MBA for Executives student.

2. Approval of Electives

All electives are authorized by the faculty. Newly proposed electives of any type must be approved by a majority of the faculty.

3. Criteria for Electives

All electives are expected to meet the following criteria:

 The course objectives and content are consistent with the objectives of the Second Year Program.

 The course pedagogy and delivery, including teaching materials, are effective in achieving the objectives of the course.

 Student performance, evaluation, grading and feedback standards are consistent with standards for the School as a whole.

4. Program Electives: Special Electives

Special electives are transitory, experimental, or introductory in nature. They are approved for a three-year period, after which they are either converted to regular electives or discontinued.

Any faculty member wishing to propose a special elective must first obtain the consent of the area in which the proposed course is to be offered, the respective MBA Program Committee and of the Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Research (for staffing purposes). Courses not in a particular area (and thus listed as “Other”) must have the endorsement of the MBA Program Committee and of the Senior Associate Dean for MBA Programs. The following documentation must then be provided to the respective MBA Program Committee:

 title and catalogue description

 statement of objectives

 statement of the relationship of the proposed course to the School’s objectives and other electives (if any)

 general description of the content of the course

 description of anticipated instructional methodologies and teaching materials (or development strategy)

 anticipated grading approach and student-performance standards

The respective MBA Program Committee is responsible for disseminating this information to the faculty and obtaining the faculty’s consent (or rejection) of the proposed elective.

Special electives will normally be approved in a regular faculty meeting. If, however, an electronic vote is deemed necessary, a special elective will be considered approved if it receives a majority of favorable replies from at least half of the eligible faculty before the next faculty meeting.

5. Program Electives Category: Regular Electives

Any regular elective that is not taught for three consecutive academic years will be dropped from the list of elective courses and must go through the faculty-approval process—including a special-elective status—before being reinstated as a regular elective.

Regular electives are required to have the following documentation in addition to that required for special electives:

 most recent course syllabus (or syllabus for upcoming year if different)

 course outline (if not included in syllabus)

 history of enrollment and grading

The respective MBA Program Committee is responsible for disseminating this information to the faculty and obtaining the faculty’s consent (or rejection) of the elective in a regular faculty meeting.

6. Counseling System

Faculty accept the responsibility, insofar as possible, to assist each student in selecting a program of electives that will help attain the student’s short- and long-term career aspirations.

7. General-Management Emphasis

To support the School’s objective to encourage an enterprise—rather than functional-area—

perspective, a SY student shall receive degree credit for no more than 12 credit hours in any one area, defined as accounting, business and political economy, finance, marketing, operations, organizational behavior (which, for this purpose, includes Leadership Requirement electives), and quantitative analysis.

8. Minimum Enrollment

Normally, no Program Elective will be given in the Full-Time Format Program or the Executive Format Program unless the enrollment is equal to the minimum enrollment established by the Dean’s Office. A Faculty Sponsored Darden Field Based course, offered once or as multiple offering times throughout an academic year that cumulatively meets the minimum enrollment established the Dean’s Office, can be counted as a unit of Faculty workload credit at the discretion of the Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Research.

9. Course Lengths

A semester course normally meets for approximately 30 sessions and receives 3 credit hours.

A half-semester course normally meets for approximately 15 sessions and receives 1.5 credit hours.

10. University of Virginia Courses outside Darden

University of Virginia courses outside the Darden School are offered for credit to students under the following conditions:

 The course is a graduate-level offering and has been approved by the Chair of the MBA Program Committee.

 Degree credit will be given for no more than two courses (six hours) at the University of Virginia outside the Darden School.

11. Course Credits for International Exchange Programs

For Darden students in approved international exchange programs (see Section II-L), credits for elective courses taken at the partner institution are offered under the following conditions:

 The course has been approved by the Electives Coordinator acting on behalf of the MBA Policy Committee. The Electives Coordinator shall require that the course be a graduate-level offering that relates to or enhances the Darden MBA Program. Using Darden elective courses as a standard, the Electives Coordinator shall determine the credit hours allowed for such course. Students must satisfactorily complete the course according to the standards of the partner institution. The Electives Coordinator shall determine whether any grade received is equivalent to less than a B− on a Darden scale and report such determinations to the Academic Standards Committee.

 No more than 15 credit hours will be given for courses taken outside the Darden School (other University of Virginia courses outside Darden will count toward the 15-credit-hour maximum).

 Students will normally take a minimum of nine credit hours in Darden electives (excluding Business Projects and Research Elective courses).

12. Responsibilities for Electives

The Chair of the appropriate Program Committee is responsible for reviewing and coordinating the planned and proposed offerings for the elective portion of their respective MBA Program, (Full-time, Executive and Global Executive) and for proposing to the faculty actions regarding the electives curriculum (see details in the preceding Sections 4, II-K-12, and II-K-13, in the following Section II-K-15; and in Section IV-E; for GBUS 899, Research Elective).

The Program Committee Chairs also work with the appropriate Program Committee to coordinate links between elective offerings (especially those satisfying the Leadership Requirement) and the required curriculum.

13. Planning Elective Course Offerings for the Following Academic Year

The area coordinator in each field will supply the appropriate program committee with

 a list of present and/or proposed regular electives for the following year, with supporting documents when requested; and

 recommendations for the disposition (continuance or deletion) of special electives taught by faculty members within the field for the following year, with supporting documents when requested, and a list of electives reflecting the planned offerings in the field two years and five years hence.

The Chair of the appropriate Program Committee will solicit from interested faculty members and collate

 a list of present and/or proposed regular electives not falling within a field for the following year, with supporting documents when necessary;

 recommendations for the disposition of special electives not falling within a field for the following year, with supporting documents when necessary; and

 a list of elective offerings not falling within fields two years and five years hence.

The Chair of the appropriate Program Committee will distribute to the Dean’s Office and the faculty a collation of the elective plans.

The Chair of the appropriate Program Committee will normally present recommendations and comments regarding the elective offerings, proposals, and plans at a regular faculty meeting.

L. INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS 1. Objectives and Governing Policies

International Exchange Programs provide an opportunity for Darden students to spend a portion of their program at an institution abroad. This opportunity allows students to have a

substantive residential experience abroad while being exposed to another academic and cultural environment. Such programs also bring exchange students to Darden to enrich the experience for Darden students in residence. A goal for such programs is to foster interaction between Darden and the partner institution. International Exchange Programs are open to students in the Full-Time Format Program

Approval of such programs shall be by faculty vote. On behalf of the faculty, the MBA Strategy Committee will screen potential partner institutions and bring proposals to the faculty. The MBA Strategy Committee will look at the quality of the institution, the geographical distribution of institutions participating in any existing exchange programs, and the scale of activity in exchange programs in terms of its effect on the Darden MBA Program. The Senior Associate Dean for MBA Programs will be in charge of administering any approved programs, including selection of student participants. Guidelines for course credits are found in Section II-K-13.

Approved exchange programs for 2014-15 are as follows:

 China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) (Shanghai, China)

 Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (Hong Kong)

 Instituto Panamericano de Alta Direccion de Empresa (IPADE) (Mexico City, Mexico)

 International University of Japan (Niigata, Japan)

 International School of Management of the University of Navarra (IESE) (Barcelona, Spain)

 Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) (Stockholm, Sweden)

 Melbourne Business School (MBS) (Melbourne, Australia)

 Graduate School of International Strategy at Hitotsubashi University (HIT) (Tokyo, Japan)

 IAE of the Universidad Austral (IAE) (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

 IAE of the Universidad Austral (IAE) (Buenos Aires, Argentina)