After admission, students must demonstrate basic competency in written English, mathematics and statistics by passing either the proficiency exams or the basic courses, as required.

These 3 competencies may not be met by prior course work or exams from other institutions. They must be demonstrated by the end of the second semester in the program by passing either the exams or the courses. They must be completed before registration in the final research project or thesis will be allowed.

Please refer to the SFSU Bulletin for the official details on all three of the basic competencies. Registration for the exams is through the Testing Center, by the stated deadlines.
 

Important Changes in registering for Basic Competency Courses

Effective Fall 2008 semester all the Basic Competency courses will be offered through the College of Extended Learning (CEL).  The course numbers have also changed to DS 710 (Math), DS 712 (Statistics), and BUS 714 (Business Writing).  They were formerly DS 510, DS 512, and BUS 514. 

Class Schedule:
These courses will be listed under the class schedule of the College of Extended Learning.  Therefore, you will not find them in the regular class schedule.

College of Extended Learning class schedule: http://www.sfsu.edu/online/clssch2.htm

Registration:
The registration procedures are also separate from the regular university.  Students can go to the CEL web site to register for these classes directly.  Please read the instructions very carefully.

http://www.cel.sfsu.edu/register/fall2008/howtoregister.cfm

Cost:
The cost will be $500 per unit, which is $1,500 per course. 

Payment:
You must make the tuition payment directly and separately to the College of Extended Learning.

Example #1:
If you are a domestic student who plans to enroll full-time in 12 units, 9 units for graduate business courses + 3 units for math, then the payment will be:
9 units: $3,434 per semester for the regular university tuition
3 units: $1,500 for the CEL tuition

Example #2:
If you are a domestic student who plans to enroll part-time in 6 units, 3 units for graduate business course + 3 units for math, then the payment will be:
3 units: $2,146 per semester for the regular university tuition
3 units: $1,500 for the CEL tuition

Example #3:
If you are an international student who plans to enroll in 12 units, 9 units for graduate business course + 3 units for business writing, then payment will be:
9 units: $ 339 per unit X 9 units + $3,434 per semester for the regular university tuition
3 units: $1,500 for the CEL tuition.


Waiving Policy

Students who have earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration within the past seven years from an AACSB-accredited university, can automatically waive the Basic Competency DS 710 math and DS 712 Statistics (formerly known as DS 510 and DS 512) courses. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required in the last 60 semester units of coursework completed. In addition all Phase II, 780-Series Foundation courses will be waived (see the Foundation Courses page for more details). Please note that the Basic Competency BUS 514 required course will still need to be fulfilled.

The following link provides an up-to-date listing of AACSB schools around the world: http://www.aacsb.edu/General/InstLists.asp?lid=2

 

Written English

First-level competency in written English must be demonstrated by the end of the second semester in the graduate program. There are several ways to demonstrate competency.

One is to score 5.0 or above on the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section of the GMAT. If you did, please bring a copy of your score report in to the office for verification and we will note that you have fulfilled the requirement.

Another way is to take the Graduate Essay Test (GET) as a challenge exam, if you feel that your AWA score does not truly reflect your ability. The GET is described in great detail at www.sfsu.edu/~testing/get.html Test dates and registration deadlines are at www.sfsu.edu/~testing/testcal.html The GET can be taken only once, so if you do not pass, you must take a writing course as described next.

If you know that your writing skills need development, or if you do not pass the GET, the final way to demonstrate written English proficiency is to take and pass BUS 714, an English writing course. You may enroll directly in BUS 714  (formerly known as BUS 514) through Touchtone/Internet registration. The class is offered on a Credit/No Credit basis.

Students must demonstrate proficiency in written English by the end of their second semester, so if you plan to take the GET, allow enough time to take the course if you do not pass the test. Students must fulfill this requirement to register in the final thesis or research project class, which will demonstrate, on successful completion, the second-level written English proficiency necessary to graduate.

The University’s Community Access & Retention Program now provides a 90-minute preparation workshop on the main campus for the GET exam. Please visit their website at http://www.sfsu.edu/~carp1/freeworkshops/get.htm for the workshop date and for instructions on how to register for this FREE review session prior to taking the exam.

Mathematics and Statistics

Each test may be taken twice. However, if either exam is failed twice, the student must take and pass the corresponding course.

Students may enroll directly in the courses through Internet registration without taking the exams first.

College of Business faculty offer a review session in both math and statistics prior to the exam dates, in early January and August. Please review the information on the Math and Statistics Review Session for registration and fees.

Suggested texts for studying for the Mathematics Exam are:

• Mathematics with Applications, Lial, Miller and Hungerford, (Addison Wesley)
• Mathematics for Business, Schmidbauer and Platt
• Almost any intermediate algebra book may be used to review the topics.

• Active Practice of Statistics, Moore, (Freeman and Co.)
• Statistics, Concepts and Controversies, Moore, (Freeman and Co.)
• Almost any intermediate statistics book may be used to review the topics.

Updated:7/29/08