Core Course Proficiency

We believe that all Core courses are fundamentally important, and that broad knowledge of these areas of business will be valuable to you during your career.

Establishing proficiency

You may be able to establish proficiency in one or more of the Core courses through one of the following methods:

  • By having earned an Undergraduate major or Masters degree in that subject or having taken at least five courses in that subject
  • By passing a Stern Proficiency Exam
  • (For Financial Accounting and Reporting) By demonstrating proof of verification of one of the following: a) a U.S. CPA license; b) a passing grade on the US CPA exam; or c) a chartered accounting certification

Further details can be found on the Core Course Proficiency page. 

"Opting Out" of Menu Core Courses

As outlined in your program requirements, you are required to complete or establish proficiency in at least five of the seven Menu Core courses. Thus, you may "Opt Out" of, or not complete or establish proficiency in up to two of the Menu Core Courses.

If you elect to "Opt Out" of one or two Menu Core courses, please consider the following:

  • Some students elect to opt out of a particular Menu Core course because they believe they have sufficient knowledge and experience in that subject area to pursue their educational and career goals. At the same time, many students report that exposure to the breadth of subject areas covered in the Menu Core was a cornerstone feature of their business education.
  • Most electives require that you take or establish proficiency in certain Core courses before registering for those electives. If you elect not to take and not to establish proficiency in a Core course, there are some elective courses that you will not be able to take. Therefore, a student who elects to "opt out" of a Menu Core course should be prepared for consequences related to registering for electives. You can use the reverse course lookup tool in Albert to get a complete sense of the electives that will be unavailable to you if you do not complete a particular Menu Core Course.