Registration

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Course Registration

Before attending classes, all students must register through the Office of Records and Registration at designated registration periods. Students must register separately for each term and pay their tuition and fees according to the payment schedule as outlined by the Stern Bursar's Office.

Students are required to adhere to course prerequisites and program requirements and may be asked to withdraw if they improperly register.

Class Meeting Times

Generally, most MBA classes will meet according to the following schedules:

M=Monday; T=Tuesday; W=Wednesday; R=Thursday; F=Friday; S=Saturday; U=Sunday

Weekday Classes, Fall and Spring

3-credits: 80 minutes, twice a week, 13 weeks

1.5-credits: 80 minutes, twice a week, 6 weeks

Meeting times: 9-10:20 a.m., 10:30-11:50 a.m., 1:30-2:50 p.m., 3-4:20 p.m.

Evening and Weekend Classes, Fall and Spring

3-credits: 3 hours, once a week, 12 weeks

1.5-credits: 3 hours, once a week, 6 weeks

Weeknight meeting times: 6-9 p.m. (M-R)

Weekend meeting times: 9 a.m.-12 noon or 1-4 p.m.

Evening and Weekend Classes, Summer

3-credits: 3 hours, twice a week, 6 weeks

1.5-credits: 3 hours, once a week, 6 weeks

Weeknight meeting times: 6-9 p.m. (M-R)

Weekend meeting times:  9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. (S-U)

Any change in the schedule or the assigned instructor will be posted online at Records & Registration. Students who have registered for a class in which there is an instructor change will be notified by e-mail.

The daytime sections of core courses are reserved for students in the Full-time MBA Program, and the evening and weekend sections of these courses are reserved for Langone Program students.  Electives are open to Stern MBA students, regardless of meeting time, when space is available and prerequisites are met. Generally, students in the Full-time MBA Program may have priority for weekday classes, and Langone Program students have priority for evening and weekend classes within a graduation cohort.  Note that summer and intensive module courses are not part of the Full-time Program sequence and Full-time Program students may not register for them. 

The Stern School of Business may at any time record its classes for educational and/or administrative purposes.

New MBA Students

All new MBA students must indicate their intention to enroll by paying an enrollment deposit.  MBA students receive all registration information online.  New students are required to submit their registration and payment no later than the dates indicated for their programs. There is no option to register later. Tuition payment is required at the time of registration. Participation in the 50/50 Payment Plan and financial aid funds are taken into consideration at time of payment.

Continuing MBA Students

The Office of Records and Registration provides online registration information to all continuing degree candidates. Continuing MBA students are expected to register using the Web registration system prior to the beginning of each term according to the calendar specified in the registration instructions. If they miss the deadline, continuing students may also register in person or online during the add/drop registration period.  (Dates are announced in the registration e-mail.) 

MBA Lottery

MBA students go through a lottery system for initial registration. There may be some highly sought-after courses in which demand outweighs seat availability. Stern’s lottery system was created, to make the process of registering for courses as fair as possible. This system will take into consideration a student’s program and expected date of graduation. In some cases, it may also take into account the student’s specialization(s). 
The weighted lottery system will give all students in one cohort (e.g., with the same graduation date) an equal chance of getting into the classes they’ve chosen. The system will go through all of the primary selections in one cohort first and then go through the alternates of any student that was closed out of their primary. We strongly advise students to prioritize their sections in order of preference and to always make sure to include alternate options. Alternates do not reduce the chance of getting placed into a primary course but will increase your chances of getting a full schedule.
You can also view a preliminary course schedule for the next term. Please keep in mind that the preliminary schedule is not final but is a good representation of what will be offered. Please refer to our Oppy article to get a more in depth understanding of the process.

Credit Loads

Full-time MBA Students

The minimum credit load to qualify for full-time study is 12 credits per semester. Students in the Full-time MBA Program generally carry a course load of 15 credits per semester for the four consecutive semesters (fall and spring only) to complete the 60 credits to meet the degree requirements. The maximum credit load per semester is 15 credits. In exceptional cases, students may want to take more than 15 credits in one semester. Students who wish to take credits beyond the semester maximum must complete a Credit Overload Request form available on the Academic Affairs and Advising website. Students may be approved to take a maximum overload of three (3) credits during their program of study, distributed either as three (3) credits in one semester or 1.5 credits in each of two semesters.

Langone Program Students

Langone Program students may register for a maximum of nine (9) credits in each Fall and Spring semester and a maximum of six (6) credits in each of the Summer 1 and Summer 2 modules. In addition, up to 4.5 credits may be taken in each of the Fall, Winter and Summer Intensive modules. On occasion, Langone students face unusual personal or professional circumstances that may justify accelerating the pace of course completion. Students who feel they are in such a position should consult with an academic adviser and may then petition to accelerate their programs for one term. In exceptional cases, they will be granted permission to take more than nine credits in one Fall or Spring semester. In rare circumstances, students may be permitted to accelerate during the Summer 1 or Summer 2 modules. To be considered for acceleration, a student must have completed all core courses (except Professional Responsibility and the Langone Core), be in good academic standing and submit a formal “Application to Accelerate the Langone MBA Program,” which contains the following:

  • A statement of the circumstances prompting the request.
  • The current GPA and why it will not be compromised by acceleration.
  • An explanation as to how you will be able to devote the appropriate amount of time needed to accomplish the additional credit load.
  • A detailed plan of study for completion of the remainder of the program, including the number of credits proposed for each term, not to exceed 15 in any Fall or Spring semester.
  • A career development plan that includes short- and long-term career goals and a detailed plan for achieving them.
  • A statement of understanding that if the acceleration is approved: 
    • The school is making an exception due to a change in circumstances.
    • Your student status does not change (Langone students remain in the Langone program despite taking a full credit load for one semester).
    • The standard tuition refund and scholastic standing policies continue to apply.
    • Tuition will be charged at the per credit rate indicated on the Tuition & Fee Schedule. 

The application must be submitted online to the Academic Policy Board, no later than one month prior to the beginning of the term for which an accelerated course load is requested.   

Credit Overload

Full-time and Focused MBA students are permitted to take up to three (3.0) credits of Credit Overload during the MBA program. Students may take all 3.0 credits of credit overload in one semester or may take 1.5 credits of credit overload in two semesters. Credit Overloads are not permitted in the first semester.

Maximum Credits in a Course Designator (Academic Area)

The maximum number of credits an MBA student is permitted to take within any departmental course designator is 24, regardless of substitutions and whether or not the courses count toward different specializations. (Core courses do not count toward this maximum.)  If more than 24 credits are earned in a single course designator, they will not be considered among the 60 credits required for the MBA degree, but will be counted in the cumulative grade point average.