The typical pattern is two courses in the fall and spring semesters and one course in the summer. Summer is accelerated so only one course is advisable.
The MBA is a 16-course program, so it will take you three years and one semester to earn the degree if you take five courses annually. A 10-course MS program will take at least two years following this pattern. Additional time will be necessary if common body of knowledge (CBK) or prerequisite coursework is required.
Taking three to five courses in the fall and spring semesters is considered a full-time course load from the Business School’s perspective. In the summer semester, a full-time course load is two courses.
For financial aid purposes, a full-time course load is two courses in the fall and spring semesters. Please consult the Financial Aid Office for further information.
Please review the Guide to Success for New Admits which is an attachment to the welcome email you received from the advising staff shortly after you were admitted to your graduate program. There is a great deal of relevant information within the welcome email and its attachments, so please be sure to review all the documents. If you do not have these documents, please contact the graduate advising office.
Please complete a petition.
The petition can be sent directly to an advisor, to the general advising email: grad.advising@ucdenver.edu, or faxed to the advising staff: 303-315-8199.
The advisor will forward your petition and file to the program director for their review. Generally, it takes two weeks to process. The petition and file will be returned to the advisor who will contact you to let you know if your request has been approved or denied.
For some of these requests, additional documentation or steps will be necessary. Please be sure to contact the graduate advisor for assistance, grad.advising@ucdenver.edu.
Graduate transfer courses must meet the following requirements:
- Taken within the last five years
- Received a grade of “B” or better
- From an AACSB accredited business program
- Cannot have counted towards a previous degree
Transfer courses meeting the above requirements must be petitioned with the course syllabi to the program director for approval. The petition form can be found here.
Admitted students who have not yet taken a course that they may wish to transfer in, should petition for approval in advance.
Transfer credit limits listed below in semester hours (quarter hours are transferred at a rate of 0.67 Semester Hours = 1.0 Quarter Hours):
- MBA 12 semester hours
- MS 9 semester hours
- Dual (MBA/MS) 18 semester hours (9 MBA & 9 MS per Program Director discretion)
- Dual (MS/MS) cannot exceed 30% of total number of hours
- For MBA, 24 credits can be accepted from other University of Colorado campuses. For MS, up to 15 credits can be accepted from these other campuses.
The estimated amount is 10 hours of homework per week per course not including class time.
There are three resources to assist you in planning ahead.
In the upper left-hand corner of the schedule planner is the “Term” box. If you access the drop down menu, you will see prior semester offerings.
Course descriptions in the catalog may also list when a course is offered.
After using these resources, you may also contact the program director for their input. Faculty can be found on our website.
Advisors can assist you as well.
The schedule planner has this information. Please click on “Instructor” to access this information. An additional link to this information can be found by clicking on the course title link.
Not for most programs. It will be necessary for MS Information Systems students to declare their specialization after admission.
Program Specific Questions
MBA
Consider selecting from any of these courses: BUSN 6520, Managing Individuals and Teams, BUSN 6530, Data Analysis for Managers, BUSN 6540, Legal and Ethical Environment of Business, BUSN 6550, Analyzing and Interpreting Accounting Information. BUSN 6520 and 6540 are subjects that are somewhat familiar to students, so these courses make returning to school more reassuring. BUSN 6530 and 6550 are prerequisites for many of the core MBA courses. The selection of subsequent courses increases greatly once these prerequisites have been completed.
No; however, if you have questions, please contact us at 303-315-8200 or grad.advising@ucdenver.edu.
MS Accounting
Yes. Students’ prior coursework significantly impacts the degree plan, so meeting with an advisor prior to registration is required. Signature is also required on your degree plan. A hold will be placed on your account, delaying your registration, until your visit with an advisor is completed.
MBA/MS Health Administration
Yes. Coursework in the health administration program is offered only in the fall and spring semesters. Meeting with an advisor prior to registration is required to ensure proper sequencing of courses. Signature is also required on your degree plan. A hold will be placed on your account, delaying your registration, until your visit with an advisor is completed.
MS Information Systems
There are six specializations which are outlined in the degree information section of our website. Each of these specializations has its own degree plan. Therefore, you will make a personal choice on which to follow based upon your career and personal goals. It will be necessary for you to communicate to the advising office which specialization you wish to pursue by completing the Intent to Declare a Specialization form.
A hold will be placed on your account, delaying your registration, until we have received this form from you. Upon receipt of your intent form, an advisor will email you the appropriate degree plan. Signature is also required on your degree plan. An advisor will release the hold on your account after we receive your signed degree plan so you can then register.