Carnegie Mellon University
MBA students collaborating

Our Academic Approach

From our core and elective coursework focused on leadership development and analytics to our mini-semester format, tracks, and capstones, our academic approach will prepare you for a future fueled by data, powered by technology, and unleashed by human intelligence.

Our unrivaled focus on leadership development and analytical decision-making will prepare you for The Intelligent Future — a future that’s innovative and inclusive, adaptable and collaborative.

The powerful pairing of the science of management with the art of leadership equips you to take on complex problems in a data-driven world. Our curriculum gives you the quantitative skills you need to interpret vast quantities of data and develop solutions for the toughest problems.

You’ll graduate as a leader guided by knowledge, imagination, and a collaborative spirit born of self-awareness and your own diverse experiences.

"I honestly think that the dual focus on analytics and leadership is the perfect fusion for thinking about the future."

Liz Hay, MBA 2022, (she/her)
Associate
McKinsey & Company

Your core communications classes, as well as the co-curricular activities of the Accelerate Leadership Center, are designed to hone your leadership skills throughout the program. You’ll take a required Leadership Communication course over the summer semester between your first and second year.

The experiential nature of the course means that students will be required to have an internship or undertake some other project-based activity — such as an entrepreneurship project or other faculty-supervised project — where you will be able to immediately apply your learning in the course.

To broaden your course options, we split the typical semester system in half, creating four 6½-week mini-semesters per academic year. According to recruiters, this extensive preparation is one reason our students perform so well.

Key Components of the MBA Program

Analytics in the Core

Your analytical toolkit will be built through coursework, team projects and experiential learning that arm you with analytical tools and integrate your new skills for on-the-job application. 

Find Out More About Analytics

Leadership Development

Our Accelerate Leadership Center provides a customized leadership skills assessment, one-on-one coaching and a personal leadership development roadmap.

Explore Leadership Development

Required and Elective Courses

Required course cover analytics, marketing, finance, operations, accounting, economics, organizational behavior and strategy; students choose from nearly 200 electives.

Browse Courses

Concentrations

Students may choose from 12 concentrations. These courses build upon the preparation from core coursework, as well as the summer internship experience.

Browse Concentrations

Tracks

MBA tracks provide an opportunity for in-depth study in a particular field or career path through a sequence of targeted electives and an industry-focused capstone experience.

Explore MBA Tracks

Capstone Courses

Capstones are immersive experiences that put theory into practice. Students may choose management simulation, real-world consulting, study abroad or a capstone within a track. 

Explore MBA Capstones