Curriculum Details

Statement of Community Values 

The Ross Statement of Community Values requires that all members of the community conduct themselves with integrity and work to uphold the Ross honor code culture. Ross codes include the Academic Honor Code and the Code of Student Conduct that you agreed to when completing the admission application. 

Grading

The Ross School of Business uses a five-level grading scale for all MBA students. The following grading policy applies to all core course work taken while enrolled at Ross:

Excellent (EX): Performance that is of superior quality. No more than 25% of the students in a core course shall receive this grade.

Good (GD): Performance that exceeds all the standard requirements of the course. No more than 35% of the students in a core course shall receive this grade.

Pass (PS): Performance that meets all the standard requirements of the course. No more than 35% of the students in a core course shall receive this grade.

Low Pass (LP): Performance that minimally meets the standard requirements of the course. Approximately 5% of the students in a core course will receive LP or F.

Fail (F): Performance that does not satisfy the minimal requirements of the course and is deficient on significant dimensions. No credit toward the degree will be granted for the grade of "Fail," but the grade will be used to evaluate academic standing.

Grading standards differ slightly for elective classes. In MBA elective classes, a maximum of 35% of students will receive a grade of “excellent”, and grades of “excellent” and “good” combined will be no greater than 75%.

Academic GPA Requirements

All Master level students are required to maintain the equivalent of a 2.000 value point average. If any term or cumulative value point average is below a 2.000 equivalent, the student’s record is reviewed and the student may be placed on Academic Review Status or may be asked to withdraw from the program. In addition, any grade of "Fail" will result in review of the record for possible disciplinary action ranging from being placed on Academic Review Status to dismissal from the program. If a core class is failed, students must repeat the course to meet degree requirements. Students have one chance to re-take a class and receive a passing grade. If the core class is failed a second time, the student is withdrawn from the program (subject to appeal for extenuating circumstances).  

To evaluate records for academic standing, the following equivalencies apply:

Excellent = 4 value points

Good = 3 value points

Pass = 2 value points

Low Pass = 1 value point

Fail = 0 value points

Academic Honors at Graduation

Academic achievement is recognized through designations in the granting of degrees. Students may graduate "With Distinction" or "With High Distinction" based on final value point averages. For the purpose of determining academic honors, grades are converted into value points and an average is computed for each student. Students achieving an average from 3.500 to 4.000 will receive their degree "With High Distinction"; students achieving an average from 3.250 to 3.499 will receive their degree "With Distinction”. The award is posted on the transcript and diploma when the degree is conferred.

Beta Gamma Sigma

Beta Gamma Sigma is an international honorary business administration society. Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma is the highest international recognition a student can receive in a master program in business or management accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. To be eligible for membership, a student must rank in the upper 20% percent of the graduating masters class. Beta Gamma Sigma will contact eligible candidates.

Dean’s List

Ross provides a term specific recognition of students who have performed exceptionally well in their academic course work. This recognition is known as the Dean’s List. At the conclusion of each Fall and Winter term, students in the top 10% of the class, who completed 9 or more credit hours in graded courses applicable to their degree, will receive this designation.

Graduation Requirements

The MBA curriculum consists of 57 credit hours completed over the course of the program. Students in the Global MBA Program complete the core academic requirements from February through August. Upon successful completion of the core requirements, students begin elective terms in September selecting courses to meet personal and professional goals. The first term of elective courses is from September through December. The elective terms in Ann Arbor offer flexibility through modular scheduling, allowing both seven- and fourteen-week courses. A normal course load is about 15 credit hours a term, with a maximum of 18 and a minimum of 9.  In addition, students should not register for more than 10.5 credits in any half term. To calculate half term credits, divide any full term class credits in half and add to the half term totals. Electives may be 1.50, 2.25, 3.00 or 7.50 credits. The second term of elective courses is from January through April. Students may apply to the Semester Exchange program to complete courses abroad or remain in Ann Arbor to challenge another term at the Ross School.

Students must successfully complete at least 57 total graduate credit hours during the course of the program. At least 47 of the 57 credit hours must be Business Administration coursework. Students may choose to broaden their experience by electing up to ten credit hours of graduate-level courses in other University of Michigan schools. 

Additional MBA core requirements that must be completed in Ann Arbor include:

Competing in the Global Business Environment:  STRATEGY 503 (1.5 credits) must be completed at some point during the elective terms in Ann Arbor. This course is a prerequisite for some STRATEGY electives.

Business Law Competency Requirement:  As part of the core requirements, students must complete one approved Business Law course during the elective terms in Ann Arbor. The course must be a minimum of 1.5 credit hours. Please note that several BL elective courses do not fulfil the requirement including BL 510 and BL 688, please be sure to read the course description.

Management Communication Competency Requirement: The Management Communication Competency provides students with a personalized approach to gain greater insight and skills in business communication. Here is an overview of the program:

  • Students will be asked to submit a writing and speaking sample by mid-January, 2023
  • The samples will be graded by the Business Communication faculty using a multi-faceted rubric.
  • Results will be provided by the end of February, 2023.
  • Students who are below proficiency in any competency area have the option of doing additional, targeted work online (not-for-credit) or taking and passing a BCOM course for credit during the elective terms in Ann Arbor.

Multidisciplinary Action Projects: BA 591 (7.5 credits) is commonly referred to as MAP, the Multidisciplinary Action Project and is completed in July and August after completing the majority of the core courses. Placement into specific projects is determined by a ranking process within the Global MBA cohort.

Elective Courses

Now is the time to begin thinking about the areas you wish to explore through the elective courses. To carefully plan your curriculum, begin reviewing course descriptions on iMpact and getting feedback from alumni. You will begin to select your courses for the Fall term in March which will be here before you know it. In addition to the course descriptions, syllabi from previous terms are available online for a deeper look at a course.