Graduate Programs : MBA : Course Requirements : Basic Competencies
Basic Competencies
After admission, students must demonstrate basic competency in written English, mathematics and statistics by passing either the proficiency exams or the basic competency courses, as required.
These three competencies may not be met by prior course work or exams from other institutions. They must be demonstrated by the end of the second semester in the program and before taking 800-level courses.
The math and statistics requirements can be fulfilled by passing either the math and statistics exams or passing the courses. The business writing requirement may be fulfilled by either scoring a 5.0 or better score on the GMAT exam AWA section or by passing the course.
Registration for the exams is through the SFSU Testing Center by the stated deadlines. See more details below.
Basic Competency Course offering
The Basic Competency courses are offered through the College of Extended Learning (CEL). The course numbers are DS 710 (Math), DS 712 (Statistics), and BUS 714 (Business Writing). Please refer to the SFSU Bulletin for the official details on all three of the basic competencies.
Class Schedule
These courses will be listed under the class schedule of the College of Extended Learning. Therefore, you will not find them in the regular class schedule.
Registration
The registration procedures are also separate from the regular university. Students can visit the CEL registration web page to register for these classes directly. Please read the instructions very carefully.
Cost and Payment
The cost is $300 per unit, which is $900 per course. You must make the tuition payment directly and separately to the College of Extended Learning.
Example #1
If you are a domestic student who plans to enroll full-time in 12 units, 9 units for graduate business courses plus 3 units for math, then the payment will be:
- 9 units: $4,602 per semester, plus $ 254 per unit X 9
- 3 units: $900 for the CEL tuition
Example #2
If you are a domestic student who plans to enroll part-time in 6 units, 3 units for graduate business course plus 3 units for math, then the payment will be:
- 3 units: $2,839 per semester, plus $ 254 per unit X 6
- 3 units: $900 for the CEL tuition
Example #3
If you are an international student who plans to enroll in 12 units, 9 units for graduate business course plus 3 units for business writing, then payment will be:
- 9 units: $4,602 per semester, plus $ 626 per unit X 9 units
- 3 units: $900 for the CEL tuition
Waiving Policy
Students who have earned a baccalaureate degree in business administration within the past seven years from an AACSB-accredited university can automatically waive the Basic Competency requirement for the DS 710 Math and DS 712 Statistics courses. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required in the last 60 semester units of coursework completed.
In addition, all Phase II, 780-Series Foundation courses will be waived (see the Foundation Courses page for details). Please note that the Basic Competency BUS 714 required course will still need to be fulfilled.
A current listing of all accredited schools around the world can be found on the AACSB International web page.
Mathematics and Statistics Competency
All MBA students must demonstrate competency in mathematics and statistics by the end of their second semester in the program (if they have not waived the courses), by passing either the proficiency exams or the corresponding courses DS 710 (Math) and DS 712 (Statistics). Math and statistics are prerequisites for six of the ten foundation courses, and for many of the quantitative 800-level courses.
Please refer to the Testing Center's Math and Statistics page for registration information and deadlines, sample tests, and test dates. Each test may be taken twice. However, if either exam is failed twice, the student must take and pass the corresponding course.
Students may enroll directly in the courses through Internet registration without taking the exams first. SF State University faculty offer review sessions in both math and statistics prior to the exam dates, in early January and August. Information on the workshops will be sent with admissions information.
Suggested texts for studying for the Mathematics Exam are:
- Mathematics with Applications, by Lial, Hungerford, Miller
Mathematics for Business, by Schmidbauer & Platt - Almost any intermediate algebra book may be used to review the topics.
Suggested texts for studying for the Statistics Exam are:
- The Basic Practice of Statistics, by Moore
Business Statistics: Contemporary Decision Making, by Black
Contemporary Business Statistics, by Anderson - Almost any intermediate statistics book may be used to review the topics.
Business Writing Competency
First-level competency in written English must be demonstrated by the end of the second semester in the MBA program and prior to taking 800-level courses. There are a few ways to demonstrate competency:
One is to score 5.0 or above on the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section of the GMAT.
If you know that your writing skills need development, you will be require to demonstrate written English proficiency by registering and passing BUS 714- Elements of Business Writing. You may enroll directly in BUS 714 through online registration. The class should be taken on a Credit/No Credit basis.
Students must demonstrate proficiency in written English by the end of their second semester. Students must fulfill this requirement in order to register for the MBA BUS 890 course. Successful completion of BUS 890 will demonstrate the second-level written English proficiency necessary to graduate.
