Seminars
The Stanford MBA experience begins and ends with seminar classes that bring students and faculty together in small groups to delve deeply or debate more broadly.
Critical Analytical Thinking (CAT)
The CAT course, required for first years, puts students in groups of 14 or 16 working closely with a faculty member to delve into complex managerial issues that transcend any single management function.
Other Seminars
Second-year MBAs delve more deeply into the cutting-edge research and ground-breaking ideas of GSB faculty members through a set of seminar offerings.
Bass Seminars allow students to bring their experiences, skills, and interests to bear in courses they help to develop, working closely with a faculty member. Recent topics have included:
- ACCT 354. Analysis and Valuation for Event-Driven Investing
- GSBGEN 358. The Power of Social Technology
- OB 383. Lives of Consequence: How Individuals Discover Paths to Meaningful Engagement
- OIT 333. Entrepreneurial Design for Extreme Affordability
- OIT 581. Biodesign Innovation Project
September Seminars allow returning students to choose from a variety of topics to be explored deeply. Some recent topics are:
- Social Networks, Careers and Markets
- Dynamics of the Wine Industry: Scale and Authenticity
- Becoming a Leader: Managing Early Career Challenges
- Perspectives on the Financial Crisis and the Global Recession
- Persuasion
- Field Trips to Grassroots Innovators in Health Care: Improving Access & Outcomes for the Underserved
- Entrepreneurship from the Perspective of Women
- New Venture Workshop
- Strategy Implementation
The Synthesis Seminar complements the Critical Analytical Thinking (CAT) seminar from the first year. This required capstone seminar, held in the spring quarter of the second year, provides students an opportunity to reflect on what they achieved during their two year experience and examine what they hope to achieve in the future.