pdf filesGraduate Students : MBA : Fall FAQ
Fall Incoming Students
Congratulations on your admission to the MBA/MSBA program.
Here are some frequently asked questions from students who are new to the program.
- 1. What should I do first, once I have been admitted?
- 2. When and how will I register for classes?
- 3. How do I get an email account?
- 4. How do I get on the MBA/MSBA email distribution list?
- 5. What is the “Who’s Who and What’s What ” orientation event?
- 6. What are the Basic Competencies?
- 7. How do I demonstrate competency in written English?
- 8. How do I demonstrate competency in Mathematics and Statistics?
- 9. When and where are the Math and Statistics Exams offered and how do I register for the exams?
- 10. How many times can I take the Math and Statistics Exams and what are the passing scores for the exams?
- 11. How can I prepare for the Math and Statistics Exams?
- 12. Which courses can I register for if I haven’t taken the Mathematics and Statistics tests or courses?
- 13. When do I need to talk to an academic advisor and how can I meet a faculty advisor?
- 14. Can the Foundation Courses be waived if I did not graduate from an AACSB-accredited institution or took only a few Business courses in the past?
- 15. How do I know what courses will be offered during the semester?
- 16. Do I really need to finish the prerequisites for a course before I take the course?
- 17. What happens if my GPA falls below a 3.0 one semester?
- 18. Are there many graduate business classes offered during the summer session?
- 19. What is the difference between an MBA and MSBA degree?
- 20. What are the required career and communications skills workshops for new students?
- 21. What kind of career search support does the Graduate Business Programs offer?
1. What should I do first, once I have been admitted?
If you have not posted your Intent to Register, please do so as soon as possible. To file an Intent to Register, go to SF State Admission Status. You can then review the Program Planning and Information packet. It covers pertinent information about your first semester and navigating through the program.
International Students
You will receive a Certificate of Eligibility for F-1 student status in the mail as soon as the University issues the document.
2. When and how will I register for classes?
Once you have been admitted to the program and set up an email account, you will receive an email from the Registrar’s Office. You may also go online to mySFSU to look up your two important assigned dates of Fee Payment deadline and Registration Appointment date and time.
You must pay tuition and fees first before you can register for any classes.
Go to the Bursar's office site for payment methods. You may then register online for classes a few days later. Refer to the Registrar’s website for more information on course registration. Please register for classes during your priority registration time since many of the courses fill up quickly. Otherwise, you may experience difficulty registering for your desired courses during the open registration period.
International Students
You must submit proof of medical insurance coverage to the Registrar’s office, or purchase medical insurance from the Student Health Services on the main campus before you can register. Go to the Student Health Services site for information and instructions.
3. How do I get an email account?
When you post your Intent to Register, you are prompted to set up an SF State email account. Once you have paid your registration fee, you can also get an SF State email account which will give you access to the SF State email and web system.
You are required to sign up for an SF State email account, even if you already have a personal account. You can then forward your SF State email to the account you use the most. The university and the department contact students with important information and the system can only send emails to SF State accounts. To set up an email account, go to SFSU Division of Information Technology : Account Services.
4. How do I get on the MBA/MSA email distribution list?
To sign up, go to the MBA/MSA E-mail listserv and add your information. This is the primary contact between the Graduate Business Office and all graduate students. We email information about courses, upcoming deadlines, updates about the program, workshop announcements, speaker events, and career services. This is our only means of communicating directly with students, so it is very important for you to join the distribution list right away.
5. What is the "Who’s Who and What’s What" new student orientation event?
The Who's Who and What's What event is the orientation session held for all new graduate business students. All incoming students are required to attend this orientation. The event is geared towards answering questions related to the Graduate Business Programs, an overview of program requirements and policies as well as required workshops and networking activities. The event also gives you the opportunity to meet fellow classmates, current students and alumni, as well as staff members and the Dean of the College of Business.
International Students
You are required to attend the Office of International Programs student orientation week on the Main Campus prior to the semester starting. You should receive a packet in the mail from the University regarding this orientation. Please contact oip@sfsu.edu if you have questions. The Graduate Business programs office also holds a Welcome Session which is required for Fall 2011 International Students. Both orientation events take place a few days before the start of the semester.
6. What are the Basic Competencies?
Students must demonstrate their competency in Mathematics, Statistics and first-level written English at the beginning of the program. All basic competencies must be demonstrated by the end of the second semester in the program and before taking any 800-level courses.
Students who have earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration within the past seven years from an AACSB-accredited University, with a 3.0 GPA in the last 60 semester units of courses, can automatically waive the Basic Competency DS 710 math and DS 712 statistics courses. Please note that the Basic Competency BUS 714 Business writing course will still need to be fulfilled and cannot be waived by taking prior course work. For students who did not meet the above requirements, it is recommended that you take the tests prior to the beginning of your first semester, so that if you do not pass the exams, you will have time to complete the courses by the end of your second semester. For more information, see : MBA : Course Requirements : Basic Competencies.
7. How do I demonstrate competency in written English?
Students must demonstrate proficiency in written English by the end of their second semester in the program and before taking any 800-level courses. If you scored 5.0 or above on the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section of the GMAT exam, the required BUS 714 Basic Competency writing course will automatically be waived for you.
If you scored below a 5.0 on the AWA of the GMAT, you would enroll directly in the BUS 714 course. Registration for all three Basic Competency courses is through the College of Extended Learning. This course should be taken as a Credit/No credit course.
8. How do I demonstrate competency in Mathematics and Statistics?
If these courses were not automatically waived for you, then you must demonstrate proficiency in Math and Statistics by the end of your second semester in the program in one of two ways:
1) by passing the Math and Statistics tests
2) by taking the DS 710 Math and DS 712 Statistics courses on a Credit/No Credit basis through the College of Extended Learning Basic Competency course registration.
Both the Math and Statistics courses are required prior to taking some of the foundation courses, and most of the 800-level courses. Even if you waive the 780-level foundation courses, you must still demonstrate proficiency in Math and Statistics before going further in the program.
The test is offered before the beginning of Fall semester in August. To register online for the tests, see SF State Testing Center Math and Statistics Information. The site lists the registration dates, test dates and sample questions for both exams.
9. When and where are the Math and Statistics Exams offered and how do I register for the exams?
Both the Math and Statistics tests are offered twice in August prior to the beginning of this Fall semester. The tests are administered by the SF State Testing Center at the San Francisco State University Main Campus at 19th and Holloway Avenue.
To register for these exams, see SF State Testing Center Math and Statistics Information. The exams take 1.5 hours each, and there are no calculators or notes allowed for the exam.
10. What are the passing scores for the Math and Statistics tests?
The passing score for the Math exam is 18 out of 25 and the Statistics exam is 13 out of 25. If you decide not to take the tests, you may enroll in DS 710 and DS 712 directly without taking the tests.
11. How can I prepare for the Math and Statistics tests?
There are different ways to prepare for the exams. One way is to study any intermediate algebra textbook and elementary statistics textbook from a library or bookstore. For topics covered, sample questions, and suggested textbooks for both exams, see SF State Testing Center Math and Stats Information.
Another way is to attend the Math and Statistics Review Sessions offered by the College's Decision Sciences department.
12. Which courses can I register for if I haven’t taken the Mathematics and Statistics tests or courses?
If you have not taken the math and statistics exams your first semester and have not waived any courses, your classes are limited to DS 710, DS 712, BUS 714, BUS 782, BUS 784, BUS 787, and BUS 788. Also a few IBUS or MGMT 800-level elective courses do not have pre-requisites either.
13. When do I need to talk to an academic advisor and how can I meet an advisor?
If you are just starting the program at the Basic competency and foundation-course level, you can make an appointment to discuss questions with our Graduate Business staff advisor, Jeff Chun at jeffchun@sfsu.edu. Jeff is also the academic advisor for students pursuing a general MBA with no emphasis.
However, if you have waived all or many of the foundation courses or are an MS in Accountancy student, you should speak to a faculty advisor as soon as possible.
You can visit any of the faculty advisors during their weekly scheduled office hours. For a list of designated advisors, see MBA : Graduate Advisors.
If you have urgent questions during the first few days of the semester, please contact the Graduate Business Office at (415) 817-4310 or email mba@sfsu.edu
14. Can the Foundation Courses be waived if I did not graduate from an AACSB-accredited institution or took only a few Business courses in the past?
Students who have earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration within the past seven years from an AACSB-accredited university, with a GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 semester units, can automatically waive all Phase II 700-level Foundation courses.
Other students who have taken and completed business courses within the past seven years with a letter grade of B- or better, may be able to waive the corresponding 700-level foundation course.
Waiving of courses is determined prior to the beginning of each semester and on Orientation Day, when a designated faculty member can review your transcripts.
To receive approval to waive a course, students need to do the following:
- complete the Waiver Form (pdf)
- bring a copy of your transcripts plus course descriptions and/or syllabus from your university bulletin for each class you are trying to waive
- For students who have taken business courses outside the United States, it is very important that you provide as much information about the courses by providing a copy of your course syllabus or school catalog course descriptions
Students can also meet with designated faculty who are authorized to waive foundation courses during their regular office hours throughout the semester. For a list of designated advisors, see MBA : Waiver Faculty. These are the only faculty who can evaluate and approve your waiver requests. After you receive approval on the courses waived, please return the original signed Waiver Form to the Graduate Business program office as soon as possible.
15. How do I know what courses will be offered during the semester?
Course offerings for the semester are posted on the online class schedule approximately two months before the registration period begins. To access the online class schedule, see SFSU Search Class Schedule.
As a rule, all Basic Competency 700-level courses, all Foundation 780-level courses, and all required Advanced 800-level MBA courses are offered every Fall and Spring semester. However, some electives are offered during the Fall semester within each area of emphasis, while others may be offered in the Spring semester. During the optional Summer sessions, some Foundation courses and some Advanced required courses are offered. Consult with your advisors on course planning.
16. Do I really need to finish the pre-requisites for a course before I take the course?
Yes, you need to finish the prerequisites before you take a course. Pre-requisites exist to help ensure that the student is adequately prepared to be successful in the course. If you receive a grade less than a “B-” in a pre-requisite course, you should talk to a faculty advisor about the potential need to retake the course. Depending on the course and your area of emphasis, you may struggle in subsequent courses because of insufficient knowledge.
If you receive a grade of “C” or less in an Advanced 800-level course, you may not include that course in your Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) and, if it is required for your graduation, you must repeat the course. Please note that you must earn at least a “B-“ in the required culminating experience course, which is BUS 890 for MBA students and ACCT 890 for MSA students.
The only person who has authority to allow a student to take a course without meeting the pre-requisite requirements is the professor teaching that course. It is very rare that the pre-requisites would be waived.
The SF State course registration system does not check for pre-requisites, so simply because you are registered in a class does not mean that you can stay enrolled in the class. The Graduate Business Office does not have the authority to waive pre-requisites.
Concurrent enrollment for MS in Accountancy students
The only time a student may take a pre-requisite course in the same semester together with a subsequent course is when the subsequent course’s description clearly states so. The only courses which may be taken concurently by instructor approval are the BUS 780 & 781 or the ACCT 800 & 801 for MSA students.
17. What happens if my GPA falls below a 3.0 ?
All graduate business students need to maintain a 3.0 GPA (grade point average) every semester. If a student’s overall SFSU GPA or semester GPA falls below a 3.0, they will be put on academic probation and will have a "hold" on their class registration for the following semester. If a student is placed on probation, they should contact the Graduate Business office immediately regarding the procedures to follow to clear the hold and register for courses. If the GPA has not improved and the student remains on academic probation, they will be subject to disqualification.
18. Are there many Graduate Business classes offered during the summer session?
Typically a few of the Foundation courses and a couple of MBA Advanced Requirement courses are offered during the summer. The Basic Competencies and the elective courses are generally not offered during the Summer Session due to the short sessions.
19. What is the difference between an MBA and the MS in Accountancy degree?
The MBA
The MBA program is a broadly based, highly structured degree. Once you reach the Advanced-Requirements level of your program, (see MBA : About), you will have to take five core courses and five electives, for a total of ten 800-level graduate courses. This degree is recommended for students who want a well-rounded, general degree designed to fully prepare them for managerial careers. You may choose an area of emphasis within the MBA and use the five electives to gain some specialization in a desired area.
The MS in Accountancy
The MS in Accountancy is designed for students who would like to concentrate in this particular area(s). It allows the student to prepare for the CPA exam. The MSA program also consists of 30 units of core courses and electives, but specifically in the area of Accounting (for more info, see Graduate Programs : Overview). The two flow charts in the Program Planning booklet will give you an overview of the MBA and MSBA programs.
20. What are the required career and communications skills workshops for new students?
Select workshops are a graduation requirement for incoming Graduate Business students and should be fulfilled within the first semester of study. Two required career workshops and two required communications workshops are held during the first semester of study. Workshops are only open to Graduate Business students and are held at the Downtown Campus, 5th floor. Attendance is required. Please refer to our website for details and the scheduled dates.
Optional business etiquette workshops are also offered each semester.
21. What kind of career search support does the Graduate School of Business offer?
The College of Business Graduate programs offers employer information sessions, one-on-one counseling, and speaker series throughout the year. The College also offers internship and full time job opportunity listings on the web site. These listings and information on workshops, jobs and other resources is available at MBA : Career Resources.
To receive updates on events and job listings, be sure to sign up for the email distribution listserv.
