Graduate Programs : MBA : Course Requirements : Foundation Courses
Required Foundation Courses
Foundation courses offer students without an undergraduate degree in business the opportunity to learn the basic elements of business prior to studying at the master's level.
For students who completed their undergraduate degree in business over seven years ago, the foundation courses offer an opportunity to refresh their knowledge and catch up on advances that have taken place in the different disciplines. The foundation courses are listed below and are linked to the SF State Bulletin course descriptions.
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BUS 780 | Financial Accounting | 2 |
| BUS 781 | Managerial Accounting | 2 |
| BUS 782 | Computer Applications & Information Systems for Management | 3 |
| BUS 783 | Economics for Managers | 3 |
| BUS 784 | Political, Social, and Legal Environment of Business | 3 |
| BUS 785 | Financial Management | 3 |
| BUS 786 | Operations Analysis | 3 |
| BUS 787 | Marketing Management and Multi-National Operations | 3 |
| BUS 788 | Management Principles and Organizational Behavior | 3 |
Waiving Foundation Courses
Students who have earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration within the past seven years from an AACSB-accredited university, can automatically waive ALL Phase II, 700-level Foundation courses. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required in the last 60 semester units of coursework completed.
In addition, the Basic Competency DS 710 math and DS 712 Statistics (formerly known as DS 510 and 512) courses will automatically be waived as well. Please note that the required Basic Competency BUS 714 (formerly known as BUS 514) writing course will still need to be fulfilled. Refer to the Basic Competency page for more information on this requirement and possibility of waiving the course.
The following link provides an up-to-date listing of AACSB schools around the world: http://www.aacsb.edu/General/InstLists.asp?lid=2 All other students who have taken and completed course work equivalent to any of the foundation courses at other institutions within the last seven years and earned a grade of B- or better, may be able to waive foundation courses.
Waiving Session
A waiving session is held the end of August for Fall semester, and the end of January for Spring semester. Please check the Graduate Business programs calendar for the next waiving session. Authorized faculty from each department review students' course work to determine if the foundation course can be waived.
Students need to bring the following:
- waiver and requirements forms (available on our website or at the Downtown Campus office)
- copy of transcript (official or unofficial)
- course descriptions from Bulletin of former institution or course syllabi
Students may also waive foundation courses during the semester by meeting with authorized faculty from each department during their regular office hours.
SF State Undergraduate Equivalencies
The following list is designed to help students, who may have taken some business courses at another institution, determine whether those classes are equivalent to the SF State foundation courses.
SF State graduate foundation courses are listed on the left, undergraduate equivalents are listed on the right and are linked to the SF State Bulletin official course descriptions. Match your undergraduate institution's course descriptions with SF State's as a guide to see whether they may be waived. Students who have taken and completed course work equivalent to any of the foundation courses within the last seven years and earned a grade of B- or better, may be able to waive foundation courses.
Current Graduate Business students enrolled in our program cannot take the undergraduate equivalency courses since they are classified as graduate students.
| Graduate Course | Equivalent Undergraduate Course |
|---|---|
| BUS 780 | ACCT 100 |
| BUS 781 | ACCT 101 |
| BUS 782 | ISYS 263 and ISYS 363 |
| BUS 783 | ECON 100 and ECON 101 and MGMT 407 |
| BUS 784 | BUS 682 |
| BUS 785 | FIN 350 and FIN 351 |
| BUS 786 | DS 412 |
| BUS 787 | MKTG 431 |
| BUS 788 | MGMT 405 |
