Graduate Programs : MBA : Course Requirements : Basic Competencies
Required 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 by passing either the exams or the courses. Please refer to the SFSU Bulletin for the official details on all three of the basic competencies. Registration for the exams is through the Testing Center by the stated deadlines.
Basic Competency Courses
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).
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: $3,624 per semester, plus $210 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: $2,257 per semester, plus $210 per unit X 9
- 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: $3,624 per semester, plus $549 per unit X 9 units
- 3 units: $900 for the CEL tuition
Waiving Policy
Students who have earned a bachelor’s 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 514 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
All MBA and MSBA 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, Lial, Miller and Hungerford, (Addison Wesley)
- Mathematics for Business, Schmidbauer and Platt
- Almost any intermediate algebra book may be used to review the topics.
Suggested texts for studying for the Statistics Exam are:
- Active Practice of Statistics, Moore, (Freeman and Co.)
- Statistics, Concepts and Controversies, Moore, (Freeman and Co.)
- Almost any intermediate statistics book may be used to review the topics.
Written English
First-level competency in written English must be demonstrated by the end of the second semester in the graduate program. There are several ways to demonstrate competency:
- One is to score 5.0 or above on the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section of the GMAT. If you did, please bring a copy of your score report in to the office for verification and we will note that you have fulfilled the requirement.
- Another way is to take the Graduate Essay Test (GET) as a challenge exam, if you feel that your AWA score does not truly reflect your ability. Please note that the GET exam will be administered for the last time in January 2010, but will be discontinued thereafter. Students who have received less than a 5.0 score on the GMAT AWA may take the GET exam in January, but after this time the exam option is no longer available and students will need to enroll in the the BUS 714 course to fulfill the Writing requirement of the Basic Competency courses.
- The exam is described in detail on the Testing Center's website including test dates and registration deadlines which are posted on the Testing Center's GET page. The GET can be taken only once, so if you do not pass, you must take a writing course as described next.
- If you know that your writing skills need development, or if you do not pass the GET, the final way to demonstrate written English proficiency is to take and pass BUS 714, an English writing course. 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, so if you plan to take the GET, allow enough time to take the course if you do not pass the test.
Students must fulfill this requirement to register in the final thesis or research project class, which will demonstrate, on successful completion, the second-level written English proficiency necessary to graduate.
