Academic Policies and Procedures

Degree Requirements

In order to graduate with an MBA degree, students are required to satisfactorily complete all required Executive MBA Program courses with a cumulative grade point average of at least C+ (2.33). In order to graduate, students must attend and complete all scheduled course weeks/weekends.

Program Requirements

Length of Study

The Executive MBA Program is a seven-quarter program that takes approximately 22 months to complete. Students are allowed no more than eight years to complete the MBA degree requirements. No course completed more than eight years before graduation can be used to meet the MBA degree requirements.

Course Schedule

A standard Executive MBA course equals 100 units of course credit. These courses consist of nine class sessions, one midterm examination or midcourse assignment, and one final examination or final assignment. In addition, courses may also include optional review sessions during and in-between sessions. Each class session will run for approximately three hours per day. The exact timing of classes differs from cohort to cohort and from course to course.

Some courses are 50-unit credit courses and consist of five class sessions and a final examination or assignment. These courses either span one week or two weekends. Detailed session schedules can be found on cohorts’ Canvas sites.

Transfer of Credits

The Executive MBA Program does not accept course work taken at other institutions or prior course work from other Chicago Booth or University of Chicago programs for credit toward the MBA degree.

Student Employment Status

Students in the Executive MBA Program are expected to be working professionals who are fully employed during the entire program. The program relies on students sharing their working experiences. Students gain significantly from the opportunity to apply what they are learning in the classroom to their own organizations and activities. Students who are not working cannot fully contribute to nor gain from the program’s design. However, given the complex professional and personal lives that students lead, there may be occasions when students find themselves between jobs. When this occurs, the student must inform the local campus cohort director so that they can explain the resources available to help students identify possible career opportunities, establish a timeline for subsequent follow-up meetings, and determine the most appropriate plan for completing the program. Failure to follow this plan may result in suspension from the program.

Students must provide full and accurate employment information upon request from the local campus cohort director. Such information will be kept in strict confidence. Failing to report a change in employment status, such as no longer being employed full-time, may lead to suspension from the program until the student fulfills the work requirement.

Course Requirements

Study Groups

Because Chicago Booth values the positive exchange of ideas and collaboration, the Sokolov Executive MBA Program assigns students to study groups several times throughout the program. Students are responsible for working with their assigned group and following guidelines for deliverables assigned by the faculty and/or teaching assistant. Failure to participate actively and professionally in an assigned group may lead to disciplinary review.

Students will also have opportunities to form their own study groups during the program.

The Chicago Booth Honor Code applies to both study groups assigned by Chicago Booth and those formed by students.

International Joint Residency Sessions

Each student will be expected to participate in five weeks of international joint residency sessions with students from the other two cohorts.

Foundations Courses

Successful completion of the Foundations courses—Financial Accounting, Microeconomics, and Statistics—is essential preparation for the rest of the program. For this reason, particular attention is paid to student performance in these courses, and a specific set of rules regarding academic performance applies to these classes.

Foundations Probation

Foundations courses are offered in the first two quarters of the program. Any student who fails to successfully complete any Foundations course (obtaining a grade of C or higher) is automatically placed on Foundations probation.

Note that Foundations probation, unlike regular academic probation, is not related to the student’s cumulative GPA. Rather, it is an indicator of being at risk of not successfully completing the program due to poor performance in one or more Foundations courses.

Since decisions regarding Foundations probation are made in the following quarter (when Foundations course grades are released), you may be placed onto administrative leave of absence immediately during that current quarter. Students on Foundations probation can petition the local campus cohort director to continue in the program. The petition will be reviewed by the academic coordinator of the program.

If students’ petitions are unsuccessful, they may either be immediately placed onto administrative leave of absence, which means their current course registrations may be dropped and they may receive a refund of tuition, or they may be allowed to finish their current quarter. Students may be required to return to campus the following quarter for final exams. This is at the students’ own expense.

Please note that drops with full tuition refunds may not be possible if students have received US federal loans. In these cases, the local program team member will consult with Financial Aid to determine the appropriate process to follow.

Prerequisites

Any student who fails to complete any prerequisite course (e.g., Corporate Finance may be required for Financial Strategy, etc.) must petition the local campus cohort director to continue taking classes in the program. The petition will be reviewed by the academic coordinator. If the petition is not approved, the student may be put on an administrative leave of absence until the prerequisite courses are completed.

Elective Courses

To complete the MBA degree, students must successfully complete 200 units of electives. The electives are graded and are a required part of the academic program that all students must complete.

Elective course offerings change every year. Students will receive information about which elective courses will be offered during the quarter preceding Electives Weeks.