Optional Sequences of Electives
Our new Curriculum Pathways are optional sequences of electives, tailored to help MBA and EMBA students choose courses that align with specific career goals. Seventeen pathways -- including asset management, data analytics, and entrepreneurship -- help you gain the practical skills and knowledge needed to excel in your fields.
These pathways offer structured, career-focused learning within the MBA and EMBA degrees, providing you with relevant insights for their professional journeys.
These pathways are only suggestions. Since they are not official concentrations and will not be noted on transcripts, students have the flexibility to take (or not take) any suggested electives.
All available electives can be found in the CBS Course Catalog.
Curriculum Pathways
Asset and Wealth Management
Asset and Wealth Management (AWM) involves managing financial assets for institutions and private individuals, incorporating investment strategies, financial planning, and wealth preservation. The AWM curriculum pathway equips students with skills for both institutional asset management and private wealth management. It includes courses on portfolio strategies, client relationship management, and emerging areas like fintech. By addressing the needs of diverse clients and embracing technological advances, this pathway prepares students to excel in the dynamic AWM sector, ensuring they are ready for current and future financial challenges.
View the Asset and Wealth Management pathway here.
Explore Asset and Wealth Management courses in the Course Catalog.
Climate
Avoiding catastrophic climate change is driving rapid and systemic changes across nearly every sector of the global economy, creating both challenges and opportunities for businesses. The Climate pathway provides students with the skills and knowledge to implement climate solutions in traditional consulting or finance careers or to pursue sustainability-centered strategic roles. The foundational course, Business & Climate Change, covers essential concepts of climate science, policy, finance, and technology, serving as a prerequisite for advanced climate electives. The pathway also includes specialized electives relevant to, but not exclusively focused on, climate change.
Customer Insights
The Customer Insights pathway equips students with skills and tools for consumer intelligence, marketing strategies, product design, pricing, channels, and communication. Key courses include Behavioral Economics and Decision Making, Strategic Customer Insights, and Marketing Intelligence. Specialized electives cover areas like pricing, retail, sustainability, and luxury goods. This pathway trains students to understand customer drivers and leverage data for business innovation, growth, and profitability, preparing them for careers in marketing management, brand management, product management, market research, sales, advertising, digital marketing, consulting, and entrepreneurship.
Data Analytics and AI
The world runs on data - this pathway will introduce you to the methods and tools that organizations around the world use to make this happen. You will learn how these techniques work, and how to use them. The curriculum spans everything from basic data analysis to generative AI, and contains classes suitable for all skill levels. This pathway will be helpful for all career paths, especially for aspiring product managers hoping to lead data-related products, consultants looking to help their clients unleash the power of data, and investors looking to understand these cutting-edge technologies more deeply.
View the Data Analytics and AI pathway here.
Explore Data Analytics and AI courses in the Course Catalog.
Economic Analysis
The Economic Analysis pathway is an integrated sequence of elective courses that supports the development of expertise in the application of economic tools to a diverse range of business questions. The Economic Analysis Pathway features three branches in which complementary courses are clustered together: (1) Competition & Market Strategy; (2) Global Economic Focus; and (3) Economic Policy. Courses in the pathway support future careers in consulting, strategy, management, finance, regulatory affairs, litigation, and public policy, amongst others.
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship drives progress by transforming ideas into organizations that capitalize on economic opportunities. The Entrepreneurship pathway equips students with the knowledge and skills to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, launch new ventures, scale young firms, and grow small companies. Foundations of Entrepreneurship (FoE) provides an overview of the startup ecosystem and the steps required to develop, grow, and exit a business. Specialized electives delve deeper into these topics. Students interested in launching their own ventures should consider Launch Your Startup I, Launch Your Startup II, or Greenhouse Master Class. Courses on financing entrepreneurial ventures are in the Venture Capital pathway.
Family Enterprise
The Family Enterprise pathway explores the financial, human, relational, and reputational capital vital to family enterprises. This pathway prepares students to lead sustainable growth and alignment within family enterprises to ensure successful transitions across generations. Students develop strategic ownership perspectives, navigate complex family dynamics, gain insights into operating businesses, and understand the principles of responsible investment. The pathway is ideal for those aiming to be operating or non-operating owners of family businesses, family offices, or real estate, as well as for aspiring non-family executives, advisors, or Chief Investment Officers in family enterprises.
Fundamental Analysis
The Fundamental Analysis pathway develops expertise and tools for using fundamental information in investment, credit, and resource allocation decisions, as well as strategic, financial, and operational business decisions. These skills are crucial for investors, consultants, analysts, bankers, and executives. Specialized electives in the pathway allow students to focus on skills most relevant to their career aspirations.
Healthcare
The Healthcare pathway prepares students for diverse careers in the healthcare sector, an innovative, complex, and critical part of every developed economy. Foundational courses provide core knowledge essential for all healthcare careers and encompass the payer, provider, and biotech/pharmaceutical sub-industries. Students then choose sub-industry electives based on their specific interests. This pathway is ideal for careers in healthcare investing, management, consulting, policy, and entrepreneurship.
Innovation
The Innovation pathway equips students with the skills to create novel solutions to pressing problems. The foundational courses—Foundations of Product Innovation, Innovate Using Design Thinking, and Think Bigger—provide different methodologies for innovation. Students can apply these methods within companies through courses like Corporate Innovator and Process Improvement and Growth, and leverage new technologies in Technology Breakthroughs and Technology Strategy. Innovation plays a central role in related pathways in Media, Data Analytics, Healthcare, Climate, and Entrepreneurship.
Leadership
Columbia is for leaders. The Leadership pathway transforms this aspiration into a curricular reality by focusing on Personal Leadership (leading the self), Interpersonal Leadership (leading others), and Organizational Leadership (leading structures and cultures). Students aiming to hone their leadership skills should take courses from these domains, as well as from the Leadership Integration and Application category. This pathway prepares students for leadership roles in management, consulting, entrepreneurship, and executive positions in all industries.
Media
The Media pathway features courses that address business issues specific to media industries, including the psychology of media consumption, the dynamics of competition in media sectors, the impact of recent innovations on old and new media, the valuation of media businesses, and media investment and regulation. Courses are designed for students who want to be in the media business, advise media businesses, or invest in media sectors.
Private Equity
The Private Equity (PE) curriculum covers buyouts, growth equity, and private credit strategies, blending practitioner insights with theory. The gateway course, Private Equity Finance, provides a foundation in financial modeling, value creation, stakeholder perspectives, and contemporary trends. Specialized electives delve into the roles of investment professionals, institutional investors, lenders, and management teams, introducing a diverse range of career paths in the PE industry.
Product Management
The Product Management pathway is for students aiming for a career in product management or interested in software-focused technology product development. It prepares you to oversee the entire product development cycle, combining technology, business, and leadership. Ideal for those who want to be the “CEO of the product,” this pathway equips you with skills to manage and lead the creation of innovative software products from concept to market in established firms.
Real Estate
The Real Estate pathway offers an innovative, industry-led curriculum that integrates theoretical and practical knowledge of real estate in an evolving global market. Courses cover investing in commercial and residential properties, real estate debt and equity securities, asset management, development, and entrepreneurial ventures. Leveraging our location in one of the world's largest real estate markets, this pathway prepares students for leadership roles across all segments of the industry.
Strategy
The Strategy pathway begins with Strategy Formulation, providing foundational frameworks. It branches into specialized courses: Competitive Strategy, exploring market dynamics and competitive positioning; Growth Strategy, focusing on business expansion; Non-Market Strategy, addressing societal factors; and Technology Strategy, leveraging technology for operations and competitiveness. Implementation courses cover managing the workforce and external stakeholders, concluding with a hands-on Consulting Skills course. This pathway prepares students for careers in consulting, corporate strategy, business development, and strategic planning.
Venture Capital
The Venture Capital (VC) pathway equips students with the tools, knowledge, and experience to excel in the VC industry and adapt to emerging trends. The gateway course, Foundations of Venture Capital, covers early-stage startup investing, including identifying and evaluating investment opportunities, developing valuation frameworks, and managing portfolios. VC electives delve into formulating investment theses and the decision making of VC fund managers, while other electives enhance industry-specific knowledge. This pathway prepares students for successful careers in venture capital by providing a comprehensive understanding of the field.
.scroll-margin-top { scroll-margin-top: 150px; }