Two-Year MBA Program Curriculum
We recently enhanced our core curriculum at Johnson to increase the benefits of our Two-Year MBA program after surveying more than 1,000 corporate recruiters and alumni.
As a result, our graduates now achieve a faster and more significant return on investment, improving their opportunities for career advancement and success.
At the heart of our enhanced curriculum are three basic principles that provide the foundation for our program:
- The value of a solid education in all key business functions, including marketing, finance, human resources, and production
- The importance of strong analytical and decision-making skills
- A focus on offering the greatest flexibility in tailoring individual curricula
These core principles have guided the development of our Two-Year MBA program curriculum, enabling Johnson to provide an unmatched learning experience for our students to better prepare them for working and winning in the new global economy.
“Immersions give you an opportunity to learn about an industry that you are passionate about. I was surprised that I was able to acquire an extremely deep level of knowledge in such a short time to help my client solve their specific problem.” Read More
Preet Jassi, MBA '18
What distinguishes Cornell’s Two-Year MBA from other MBA programs are the three program cornerstones:
- Advanced business fundamentals that, in the first semester, provide a comprehensive foundation in the four key areas of business to move you quickly into career-focused study.
- Performance Learning that closely integrates coursework with hands-on fieldwork to provide an unparalleled immersive learning experience we call Performance Learning. You’ll work individually and in teams to gain intensive, roll-your-sleeves-up experience in leadership, collaboration, decision-making, and strategic thinking.
- Highly flexible electives enabling you to rapidly build skills, knowledge, and experience custom-tailored to your goals and area of interest. For an even greater ROI and competitive advantage, you can choose from more than 4,000 courses in any of Cornell’s top-ranked schools, with an opportunity to earn a dual degree. Optional second-year areas of focus enable you to custom-tailor your studies to add breadth and depth as well as focus on specific areas of interest in which you wish to advance your career.
Two-Year MBA Summary
Here’s what you can expect during your intense Two-Year MBA journey:
Year One
- FIRST SEMESTER includes core courses to cover advanced business fundamentals and features Leading Teams and the Leading Teams Practicum to help you acquire critical leadership skills. The semester culminates with a mandatory team-based case competition enabling you and your teammates to apply your core learning in a head-to-head contest with other teams.
- SECOND SEMESTER includes two core courses, an operations course as well as a data modeling and analysis course, to prepare you for the growing business demand for actionable insights and predictive outcomes. The semester-long immersion of integrated class and fieldwork prepares you for a competitive summer internship.
Year Two
- FIRST SEMESTER allows you to fully customize the rest of your study with electives and concentrations to broaden and deepen (respectively) your general and specific business knowledge and skills. Electives are available throughout all of Cornell University, including the University’s top-ranked schools of engineering, hotel administration, labor relations, and law.
- SECOND SEMESTER continues your pursuit of career-focused study through your selected concentration and/or electives taken at Johnson or throughout Cornell, and access to a robust roster of leadership electives and expeditions, skill-building workshops, and mini-courses.