University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School announced “a significant overhaul of its curriculum,” revolving around a new commitment to offer MBA graduates free executive education courses once every seven years, reports a recent Businessweek article, “Wharton Faculty Backs Curriculum Overhaul.” According to Dean Thomas Robertson, this will be a “lifelong pledge” to the graduates.
“We can educate our students for today but that doesn’t mean that 20 or 30 years from now—or even less—they won’t need skills in another area,” says Robertson. “We think that is a breakthrough. We’re making a major commitment to our students.”
Other curriculum changes include increased flexibility in course options, a heavier emphasis on the global experience, and a strengthened focus on ethics and analytics. Also, faculty members will have an easier time (and less expensive time) developing new courses and integrating them into the curriculum.
Most of the curriculum changes will be implemented next fall, but some have already been introduced this year, particularly the eight global classes that students can take in Brazil, China, India, and South Africa, among others.
Leadership and self-evaluation will also be ramped up in the coming year. Students will participate in a new two-year leadership coaching program that will include professional feedback coaching. There will also be a stronger emphasis on “soft skills,” like oral and written communication.
And in response to the financial crisis, students will be required to take courses in statistics and microeconomics, with a strong focus on risk management.
Other top MBA programs, including UVA Darden and UC Berkeley Haas, have significantly updated their curriculums. Wharton’s changes, according to the BW article, are perhaps “the most ambitious” because of its “broad emphasis on everything from trying to individualize course work for students to its lofty executive-education goals.”
For more information on the new Wharton curriculum, please see the Wharton news release.
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Read the full article: Wharton Emphasizes Ethics, Flexibility, and Globalization
