In its role as a leader in business education, the School has brought dynamic change and innovation to the MBA Program this past year, most notably in admissions, the cohort structure, the Foundations portion of the curriculum, and information technology. The following status report was provided by the MBA Program Office.

Admissions

As part of its ongoing commitment to attract and admit the best candidates to the School, the MBA Program now requires all applicants to take the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT). "The GMAT data provides us with additional information that will help us strengthen the whole class," says Senior Associate Dean and MBA Program Chair Steven C. Wheelwright.

In addition, a team of MBA staff, faculty, and students has begun to expand the program's marketing outreach. The aim, says Wheelwright, is to portray the program more accurately. "Surveys last year revealed striking contrasts between students' perceptions of HBS before and after entering the MBA Program," he explains. "On the whole, they found HBS much less competitive than they'd expected and far more friendly, responsive, and receptive to their input. These are aspects of the MBA Program that we want to convey."

Marketing efforts will include creating new publications targeted at specific audiences, as well as sending HBS representatives to colleges and universities to discuss business-education options with undergraduates. "Many undergraduates wait to apply to HBS because they think we require three or four years of work experience," says Wheelwright. "In fact, we don't. We're interested in having more students consider coming to HBS directly from college; many of our alumni who did so say the experience helped them form a stronger bond with the School."

HBS is also seeking to expand its pool of women, minority, and international applicants. Toward that end, the Women's Student Association, for example, is helping MBA Admissions identify women who might not otherwise consider HBS in their career plans.

Multiple Entry Dates

The introduction of multiple entry dates - with seven sections of eighty students entering in September and four sections entering in January (the "January cohort") - has been highly successful. Having students enter HBS twice a year and in smaller groups has helped the program increase its rate of innovation.

In a recent survey, students from the first January cohort (who entered in January 1996 and proceeded straight through the program without a summer job) said they enjoyed the greater sense of community made possible by being part of a smaller group, while receiving the same high-quality education as their classmates who entered in September.

January cohort students have also benefited from new initiatives by MBA Career Services, such as industry panels and career fairs held during the summer, designed to help them prepare for recruiting. "By all accounts, January cohort students have not been at a loss because of the lack of a summer work experience," says Wheelwright. "They've had the same opportunity as their September classmates to find a great position, and they've expressed great satisfaction with this opportunity."

Foundations

Wheelwright notes that the smaller size of each entering cohort has allowed for greater experimentation in the required curriculum (RC). One aspect of the MBA Program that has been refined in the process is Foundations, a set of brief courses ("modules") in the initial weeks of each term in the RC. An introduction to the basic concepts, tools, and skills used throughout the MBA Program, Foundations is organized to build community by allowing each student to meet virtually every other student in the cohort.

Foundations begins with a simulation in which students inherit a failing business and must turn it around using teamwork, analysis, and continuous improvement programs. Modules follow on topics such as business history; leadership, values, and ethics; society and enterprise; quantitative methods; and economics of markets. "By having two iterations of Foundations each year," says Wheelwright, "we've been able to improve upon the program for each entering cohort, rather than having to wait a full year to implement changes."

Information Technology

Information technology has quickly become an integral part of the MBA Program. All course information (schedules, assignments, etc.) is personalized and delivered online, and students regularly participate in online course discussions and faculty polls. Students may also access a comprehensive Career Services database of job listings (searchable by company, industry, and other categories). Other efforts to enhance the educational process through technology include online video and electronic cases and an electronic registration process for the elective curriculum.

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