Our Curriculum

Program Format

Credit for prior work

Since our Accelerated MBA Program degree candidates enter with some relevant prior graduate coursework, we grant them 15 course credits toward the 60 required for an MBA degree.

Summer term

Our Accelerated MBA degree program begins in May with an intensive ten-week term.

Orientation. We provide abundant information about your new home and encourage you to explore and get involved in the Johnson School, Cornell, and the surrounding area.
Core courses. The summer curriculum incorporates most of the required "core" courses: financial accounting, managerial finance, managing and leading in organizations, marketing management, microeconomics for management, and strategy.
Statistics. Prior study and/or a one-week refresher course enable most Accelerated MBAs to pass a statistics exemption exam and receive course credit for this requirement.
Professional development. The summer also focuses heavily on teamwork and leadership, strategic thinking, and career preparation.
Halfway there. By the end of the summer, students in our Accelerated MBA degree program generally have completed 34 course hours – more than half the number required for graduation the following May.

Fall and spring semesters

Core courses. The remaining core course in managing organizations is taken during the fall semester.
Semester-long management practicum plus two-week internship. We enhance the Accelerated MBA experience with a package of three special elective courses that form a management practicum. Students work with one of our Consultants-in-Residence on projects with companies of particular interest to Accelerated MBAs, including biotech, technology, finance, and pharmaceutical. Other faculty and a team advisor provide guidance on issues as needed. The practicum project lasts throughout the fall semester and culminates with a two-week internship experience in which students conduct interviews, analysis, and group work sessions.
Electives. Among the benefits of a Johnson School MBA are the rich array of about 80 Johnson School elective courses from which to choose, and the opportunity to add some from Cornell's other outstanding schools and programs.
Finish in May. Just one year after starting in our Accelerated MBA program, you'll be back out in the workforce, armed with world-class knowledge and skills, and an Ivy League MBA.