Evening & Weekend MBA Program


Accelerated Graduation


Normally, graduation occurs after 6 regular semesters in the program (i.e., 3 Fall and 3 Spring semesters). However, we allow accelerated graduation in 5 regular semesters (i.e., 3 Fall and 2 Spring semesters), subject to the rules laid out in items #1 and #2 in the Important Notes at the bottom of this document. Graduating in 5 regular semesters does not require any special approval from the program office. Furthermore, the following are a set of additional scenarios where one can accelerate graduation even faster than 5 regular semesters. All of the scenarios below require special approval from the EWMBA Program Office. Please contact Jen Sang (jsang@haas.berkeley.edu or 510-643-9000) if you are interested in Accelerated Graduation.


A. FOR STUDENTS WHO REMAIN FULLY EMPLOYED

  1. Up to 6 units (2 x 3 unit electives) in each of Summer #1 and Summer #2
  2. Up to 9 units (3 x 3 unit electives) total in Summer #1 and Summer #2, and up to 15 units (5 x 3 unit electives) total in Fall #2 and Spring #2
  3. Up to 6 units (2x 3 unit electives) total in Summer #1 and Summer #2, and up to 18 units (6 x 3 unit electives) total in Fall #2 and Spring #2


    4. NOTE THAT EXCLUDED IS:
  4. No electives in Summer, and 12 units of electives (4 x 3 unit electives) in each of Fall #2 and Spring #2 (NOTE: #4 is excluded because of the negative impact both on the academic achievement of the student him/herself and on the academic contributions to his/her fellow classmates.)

B. FOR STUDENTS WHO DOCUMENT UNEMPLOYMENT IMMEDIATELY AFTER COMPLETION OF THE CORE AND WHO REMAIN UNEMPLOYED UNTIL AFTER COMPLETION OF COURSEWORK

  1. Up to 6 units (2 x 3 unit electives) total in Summer #1 and/or Summer #2, and up to 9 units (3 x 3 unit electives) in each of Fall #2 and Spring #2
  2. Up to 3 units (1 x 3 unit elective) in either Summer #1 or Summer #2, and up to 21 units (7 x 3 unit electives) total in Fall #2 and Spring #2
  3. Fall #2 on International Exchange and up to 12 units of electives (4 x 3 unit electives) in Spring #2
  4. 12 units of electives (4 x 3 unit electives) in each of Fall #2 and Spring #2

C. FOR STUDENTS WHO DOCUMENT UNEMPLOYMENT AFTER COMPLETION OF 3 SEMESTERS AND WHO REMAIN UNEMPLOYED UNTIL AFTER COMPLETION OF COURSEWORK

  1. 12 Units of electives (4 x 3 unit electives) in Spring #2, and up to 6 units (2 x 3 unit electives) in Summer #2.

IMPORTANT NOTES:
  1. Under each of the approved scenarios above, permission to embark on a plan to graduate early is conditional on the student's having a GPA of at least 3.0, and permission to graduate early will be revoked immediately if a student's GPA ever falls below 3.0.
  2. While there are some typical scenarios outlined above, there may be other scenarios the EWMBA program office would consider, so please contact Jen Sang in the program office. Keep in mind that any other approved scenario must conform to the following rules:
    1. No more than 9 units in your first semester.
    2. No more than 20 units in your first year (not including summer).
    3. No more than 11 units in a single semester while still fully employed.
    4. Between one-unit courses and independent study (independent study where a student is doing a project with an instructor), students are allowed to take a maximum of three units (combined) of these types of courses.
  3. When calculating the units required for graduation, please keep in mind that all students must take the Mid-Program Academic Retreat, which can be taken for one or two units.
  4. Under Scenarios B & C, if a student once again becomes fully employed, he/she then becomes subject to the rules in Scenario A.
  5. Under certain scenarios, a student completes coursework during the summer, so degree conferral will not occur until December.
  6. On Campus Recruiting: Because recruiters are interested in students obtaining their degrees no later than May, students are entitled to enter the on-campus recruiting (OCR) process during their final year of study for one recruitment cycle, which is one Fall semester followed by one Spring semester. Here are some clarifications:
    1. Students who accelerate their graduation and begin participating in OCR will not able to extend their participation past the one recruitment cycle should they later decide to extend their graduation.
    2. If a student decides to extend his/her graduation past May, a declaration of this fact must be made by 7/1 of the previous year.
    3. Students graduating in December are eligible to participate in Fall OCR, if they enrolled in a class during the summer of the same year or are enrolled in a Fall semester class. December graduates are not allowed to participate in Spring OCR.
    4. Students graduating in May who did not participate in Fall OCR for their final year can enter Spring OCR (and only Spring OCR), as long as they receive the proper training.
    5. Students who go on exchange at another business school and participate in OCR at the other institution during the Fall semester are eligible to participate in the Spring OCR that immediately follows their exchange (as long as Spring is their final semester). However, these students must receive the proper training to participate. Participation at the other institution's Fall OCR and Haas' Spring OCR counts as one recruitment cycle.
    6. For the 07-08 academic year, students interested in accelerated graduation who wish to participate in OCR must be approved for the accelerated program prior to 7/1/07, in order to receive the necessary training in time. For further details, contact Jen Sang in the EWMBA program office.
    7. For the 07-08 academic year, first-year students who are interested in Scenario B and are considering doing summer internships through OCR should contact Jen Sang in the EWMBA program office by 10/15/07, in order to receive the necessary training in time.
    8. OCR policies are subject to change based on recruiters' needs.
  7. Although the Haas School has historically offered two electives during summer (one elective plus the Seminar in International Business), there is no guarantee that this will occur each summer.
  8. A student's intent to graduate early neither guarantees him/her enrollment in a summer course nor entitles him/her to a higher enrollment priority than other students in his/her entering class. Such a student is subject to the same rules that apply to all students for selection and registration in electives.