Stanford GSBs New Curriculum for Class of 2009

Stanford GSB has announced a complete overhaul of its MBA curriculum for the class of 2009. In doing so it joins Yale SOM in radically changing its approach to graduate business education. Here are a few of the changes at Stanford GSB: Accepted students will be expected to acquire basic accounting, finance and spreadsheet knowledge before they arrive on campus. All students will first look at managerial issues from a high-level perspective, and only later will they dive into nitty-gritty analysis and business functional tools. All students will participate in critical analytical thinking classalready being nicknamed CAT where senior faculty will challenge students in small sections of only 12-15 people through thought-provoking discussions and written assignments. Following the fall quarter, students will take placement exams and consult with a faculty advisor to determine how they should study the functional areas of business given their skill level and goals. For a summary of the changes, please see The New Curriculum: Whats In, Whats Out, or for a different perspective on the make-over, please see Stanfords New Look MBA on BusinessWeek.