MBA Degree

All MBA students have eight years (32 quarters) to complete the degree requirements. Full-Time MBA students typically complete the degree requirements in six quarters. Most Evening and Weekend MBA students complete the degree in 2.5 to 3 years.

Students who wish to accelerate or decelerate their program of study should meet with Academic Services to learn the implications of this decision.

Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes beginning Week 1 of the quarter through scheduled final exams. Any potential conflicts should be addressed with Academic Services to ensure students remain on track to graduate as planned.

Students are expected to graduate in the quarter they complete their degree requirements. If a student fails to submit an application for graduation in the quarter the degree requirements are met, Chicago Booth will graduate the student in the following quarter.

Any student seeking to extend their studies beyond 32 quarters must request an exception, by petition, to the dean of students.

1. Satisfactory completion of the LEAD course. Evening MBA and Weekend MBA Program students will begin their LEAD course by attending LEAD Part 1 prior to the start of the quarter and then attending LEAD Part 2 at the start of the quarter. LEAD must be completed concurrently with at least one other credit-bearing course during a student’s first quarter at Booth. If LEAD is not offered in a student’s first quarter, the student will take LEAD in their second quarter.
2. Satisfactory completion of 2,000 units of credit at the University of Chicago, of which at least 1,400 units are from the Chicago Booth curriculum. Students in joint-degree programs must satisfactorily complete 1,400 units only from the Chicago Booth curriculum and should consult their other department for degree requirements.
3. Satisfactory completion of the Foundations and Functions, Leadership and Management, and Business Environment requirements (these must be 1,000 units of distinct Chicago Booth credits) and remaining elective options.
4. A cumulative grade point average of at least C+ (2.33) in all courses counted toward the MBA degree.
5. Satisfactory completion of qualified work experience for Full-Time MBA students during their program of study. Full-Time MBA students are expected to complete an internship to meet this requirement. Students can petition Academic Services to request a substitution for practical experience gained through select experience-based lab courses, entrepreneurial ventures, and faculty or center-led internships.

In completing degree requirements, students may elect to earn concentrations in certain subject areas. Concentrations are not required for graduation.

Concentration requirements are outlined on the intranet under Academics: Course and Degree Requirements subsection.

To earn a concentration, students must:

1. Complete for a quality grade of D or better in each required course of the concentration sequence; and
2. Obtain a minimum, cumulative GPA of 2.33 within that course sequence.

All earned concentrations post to student transcripts by Week 4 of the quarter following graduation. All concentrations are listed in the transcript and include concentration name only, not the cumulative GPA for the course sequence.

If a student intends to take courses that differ from the approved sequence, a petition for a change in a concentration sequence must be submitted to Academic Services no later than Sunday, Week 3, of the graduating quarter. Students may not petition more than one IBEP or Chicago Booth course into any concentration. An area faculty member will evaluate the petition.

The accelerated MBA option allows students to complete nearly a third of the MBA curriculum before they graduate from the College by applying six courses taken as an undergraduate student and applying them toward the MBA. Students are eligible to pursue the accelerated option through the Full-Time MBA Program if they meet the course requirements and after completing the UChicago undergraduate degree and two years of pre-college or at least two years of post-college full-time work experience.

Students are eligible to pursue the accelerated option through the Evening MBA or Weekend MBA Programs if they meet the course requirements and after completing the UChicago undergraduate degree and two years of pre-college full-time work experience or at least one year of post-college full-time work experience. Students pursuing the accelerated option have 32 quarters to complete the MBA degree requirements, which includes the quarters that courses were taken while an undergraduate student toward the MBA.

All students pursuing the accelerated option have 32 quarters to complete MBA degree requirements. Full-Time students pursuing the accelerated option typically complete the degree requirements in four quarters. Most Evening MBA and Weekend MBA students pursuing the accelerated option complete the degree in two to two and a half years. Any student seeking to extend their studies beyond 32 quarters must request an exception, by petition, to the dean of students. 

There are no degree requirement differences for traditional MBA students and accelerated option students. However, students pursuing the Accelerated option count 600 units taken for their undergraduate degree toward the Booth MBA. These 600 units can complete the Foundations, Functions, Leadership and Management, and Business Environment requirements, and elective MBA requirements. Students can transfer MBA-level Booth classes or Business Economics BUSN undergraduate courses. Students should speak with their undergraduate academic advisor and Booth’s director of Joint Degree Programs on which 600 units are eligible to transfer before enrolling in any courses.

The Course Bidding, Bid Points, and Transfer of Booth and Non-Booth (UChicago) Courses policies below are those that differ for students pursuing the accelerated option.

Beginning in year four, students who have met the work experience requirement may use iBid and must follow Booth’s enrollment procedures and timelines for Booth classes at the graduate level. Students should follow their other department’s enrollment systems, procedures, and timelines for classes in their other program.

Students who have met the work experience requirement will begin the fourth year with a variable number of bid points based on the number of BUSN units completed. Students will start with anywhere from 4,000 to 14,000 bid points. Full-time students pursuing the accelerated option who defer to gain work experience will begin the MBA with 14,000 bid points. New Evening and Weekend students pursuing the accelerated option who defer to gain work experience will begin with 10,000 bid points.

Booth undergraduate level classes and MBA-level Booth courses taken at the University of Chicago prior to matriculating to Chicago Booth are applicable toward the MBA degree under the following conditions:

1. Students must petition their courses for transfer to Academic Services by the end of the first quarter at Chicago Booth.
2. 600 Booth units must be completed and are counted toward the total 2,000 required for the degree. No more than 600 units can be transferred.
3. Transfer courses are applicable toward the MBA degree if the student satisfies the degree requirements for the MBA within 33 quarters. The 33-quarter degree completion deadline begins with the quarter/year of the first course approved for transfer. Courses are conditionally approved for transfer until an application for graduation is submitted.
4. Chicago Booth graduate and undergraduate courses are not approved for transfer toward the MBA if the coursework was graded pass/fail, R, or any grade lower than C+.
5. Students receive 2,000 bid points for three approved courses.
6. Transfer courses applied to the degree also count toward the total units earned for the degree and will count toward a student’s cumulative GPA.

Students will pay the undergraduate tuition rates and fees until their undergraduate degree is completed. Thereafter, students will pay Booth tuition and fees. Undergraduate and Booth tuition and fees are posted on the bursar’s website. Full-Time, Evening, and Weekend MBA students pursuing the accelerated option receive their guaranteed four-year tuition rate at the time they matriculate to Booth.

Students in the Full-Time MBA Program must pay four quarterly installments to Booth before they can complete the MBA degree program. Students in the Evening MBA or Weekend MBA Programs are assessed Booth tuition on a per course basis and must pay for 1,400 units.

Fees mirror those listed on page 27 with the exception of the lifetime transcript fee. Students will have paid this fee while in the undergraduate program and will not need to pay it in the MBA program.

The Grading Effects on Tuition section refers to Booth classes only. Students should follow their undergraduate policies for undergraduate classes. For all Business Economics classes, grading effects on tuition can be found on Booth’s Business Economics website and the FAQ page.