MBA -Curriculum-
The MBA program at IUJ is designed to give students a wide range of experience and knowledge suitable for their future careers. The first-year curriculum consists of required basic core courses.
MBA professors regularly conduct research and consult with sponsoring companies, government organizations, and the local community, including Niigata's prefectural government. Students are exposed to some of these activities in several ways during the two-year MBA program.
In the second-year curriculum, the MBA research report is the only core requirement, thus giving MBA students plenty of flexibility to concentrate on the areas of their interest. MBA students can elect a "concentration area" from Finance, Marketing, Management, or IT/OM, if so desired, to position themselves for a future career. To declare a concentration area, students must take at least 12 credits from that area. 48 credits are required for the degree.
Degree Requirements
Minimum requirements are:
- Six-term residence in principle
- A total of at least forty-eight (48) credits
- An acceptable Research Report (grade of B+ or better)
- Total GPA of at least 3.00
The IUJ MBA program is designed as a full-time, residential program, 21 months (six terms and a summer internship* period) are required for completion of the degree. Previous study at other institutions does not reduce the 21 month residential requirement for the MBA degree. * Summer internship is optional.
The courses are divided into the five categories listed below and students are required to complete a minimum of 48 credits according to each category.
| Category | Required Credits | |
| With Area Concentration | Without Area Concentration | |
| Basic Core | 24 | 24 |
| Language Core * | 0 ~ 3 | 0 ~ 3 |
| PLATFORM Seminar/Advanced Seminar (required) | 3 | 3 |
| Concentration Core | 12 | 0 |
| Advanced Elective | 9 ~ 6 | 21 ~ 18 |
| Required number of credits for graduation | 48 | 48 |
* Language Core Courses (Academic English I, II and III) may be exempted.
- In the first year, students are required to take 13 Basic Core Courses (24 credits), and if not exempted, 3 courses (3 credits) of Language Core Courses (Academic English I, II, and III).
- A student who is exempted from taking Language Core Courses must substitute 3 credits from Advanced Elective Courses.
- A student may take Advanced Elective Courses beginning from the spring term in his/her first-year. If a student is waived from Basic Core courses, however, he/she can register for Advanced Elective Courses in earlier terms.
- Credits earned from the following courses can be counted in the Advanced Elective category. A student may take the following courses beginning from the spring term in his/her first-year.
a. E-Biz courses
b. GSIR courses
c. Language courses (English for Thesis Writing I & II, English for Professional Communications, Japanese Language courses)
(1) A student may take a Japanese Language Course from the fall term in his/her first year.
(2) A maximum of 6 credits taken from language courses can be counted as Advanced Electives.
- Both PLATFORM Seminars and Advanced Seminars are designed for guiding students to develop and complete the graduation research report. Both Seminar courses are offered in sequence, starting from P/A Seminar I (fall), II (winter), and III (spring). A student is expected to choose whether he/she will follow the PLATFORM Seminar track or the Advanced Seminar track by the registration deadline of the fall term in his/her second-year. For more details about these seminars, please refer to the Research Report section.
- It is recommended that the students evenly distribute their course load over terms. When this recommendation cannot be followed, then a student's course load must not exceed twelve(12) credits per term nor can a student take less than seven (7) credits per term.
Concentration Area:
There are four concentration areas as follows:
- Finance
- IT/OM
- Management
- Marketing
A Student who decides to have a concentration area must have twelve credits from the Advanced Elective courses designated as concentration core courses for each area. Students who prefer not to have a concentration area are free to choose their elective courses. Students may declare double concentration by meeting the appropriate credit requirements in each area. The concentration area will be specified on the student’s transcript.
Schedule for MBA Program
Before Entrance
| Jul.-Sep. 8 weeks |
Pre-enrollment Intensive English Program (IEP) Recommendation for non-native English speakers Courses teaching communication and presentation skills in English |
| Late Sep. | Entrance Ceremony Pre-Enrollment Program (Preparation course) Academic Orientation |
| 1st Year | Required Courses | Elective Courses |
|---|---|---|
| Fall Term Sep.-Dec. 10 weeks |
Applied Statistics Financial Accounting Management Science and Computer Based Modeling Organizational Behavior Business Communications |
English Language Course I Japanese Language Course |
| Winter Term Jan.-Mar. 10 weeks |
Corporate Finance Economics for Management Essentials of Leadership Marketing Management Operations Management |
English Language Course II Japanese Language Course |
| Spring Term Apr.-Jun. 10 weeks |
Investments Managerial Accounting Strategic Management |
English Language Course III Japanese Language Course |
| Summer Jul.-Sep. |
Self-study Internship (if desired) |
* Academic English I, II and III may be exempted
| 2nd Year | Required Courses | Elective Courses |
|---|---|---|
| Fall Term Sep.-Dec. 10 weeks |
PLATFORM Seminar II or Advanced Seminar (Research Report) I | Advanced Electives* Japanese Language Course |
| Exchange Programs Abroad (optional, in fall or winter term) | ||
| Winter Term Jan.-Mar. 10 weeks |
PLATFORM Seminar III or Research Paper(Research Report) II | Advanced Electives* Japanese Language Course |
| Spring Term Apr.-Jun. 10 weeks |
PLATFORM Seminar IV or Research Paper (Research Report) III | Advanced Electives* Japanese Language Course |
| Late June | Graduation: Master of Business Administration (MBA) | |