Core Course Waivers and Waiver Exam Information

Full-Time MBA Waivers

Attention incoming Full-Time Day MBA students: Please see this webpage for new waiver instructions.

Online MBA Waivers

BBA Waivers

  • Effective Fall 2018, if a student has successfully completed ECON 401 at the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor with a final grade of A- or higher, they can request to waive the BE 300 floating core requirement. To make such a request, the student must complete and submit a Core Course Waiver form by the end of Winter term of their Junior year in the BBA program.
    • Please note: a waiver signifies the student has met competency in the material and does not grant credit. Therefore, a student who waives BE 300 would need to complete additional business coursework toward the 58 credits required for a BBA degree.

MAcc Waivers

  • Achieving excellence at the undergraduate level does not necessarily equate to competence at the graduate level. Prior to waiving a core course, please carefully consider your understanding of course topics. Although you may have been exposed to material in previous study, it may be beneficial to enroll in the full MAcc core for in-depth coverage of material. 
  • Please review respective course descriptions to assess whether your academic background significantly duplicates the material covered. Additionally, consider your CPA exam education requirements prior to submitting a core course waiver form. 
  • MAcc courses eligible for waiver include:

Note: ACC 630: Auditing and Assurance may not be waived.

  • To request consideration, complete and submit a core course waiver form to Cheryl denBroeder-Kelly (oymsuccess@umich.edu). Course waiver exams are not available for MAcc courses.
  • If one core course waiver is granted, course hours must be replaced with an additional core elective. If additional waivers are granted, the hours must be replaced with elective study. 

MSCM Waivers

  • MSCM core course waivers are granted in rare instances and are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. To be eligible for consideration, a student must have either:
    • completed graduate-level coursework,
    • earned a professional certification, or
    • have 3+ years of professional work experience directly related to the learning objectives for the course in question.
  • To request consideration, complete and submit a core course waiver form to Cheryl denBroeder-Kelly (oymsuccess@umich.edu). If waiver is granted, the credit hours waived must be replaced with elective credit hours.  

MM Waivers

The MM core courses are a set of integrated courses designed by teams of faculty to develop a foundation for efficient and effective leadership and decision-making. They provide a foundation of core concepts and tools that students will use as they progress through the program and their careers. Some core courses, however, may be waived.

Students in the MM Program may waive BE 557 and/or TO 557 in the following ways:

1. Waiver requests, which must be submitted to the MM Program Office for consideration prior to the start of the term in which the course is offered. Students meeting the following criteria for each course will be considered:

  • BE 557
    • Economics majors with a GPA of at least 3.0 in their economics classes, having earned grades of at least B in introductory and intermediate microeconomics.​
    • Non-econ majors who have completed at least 3 economics courses, which must include introductory and intermediate microeconomics, having earned at least a B in each course.
  • TO 557
    • Students who have completed at least 3 statistics-related courses, having earned a grade of at least B in each course.

2. Successful performance on a waiver exam offered by the respective department at the beginning of the academic year

Waivers earn no credit toward the MM degree. Students must substitute another course to replace the core course credits. However, students who test or waive out of a core class may choose to remain enrolled in the core course for credit if they so choose.

Evening MBA Waivers

Please note: the deadline to apply for a course waiver is the first day of class in the Fall term.

Additional Resources