Course Exemptions

Exemptions from Tuck’s required courses are permitted for students whose academic background and/or work experience comprehensively cover the content of a specific course.

Exemptions are considered on an individual basis at the discretion of the faculty members responsible for the course. What are the pros and cons to exemptions?

Whether or not to exempt from a core course is an important decision. There are implications for the dynamics of your study group, and given that the summer and fall core terms don’t align with the fall elective term, it is challenging to find electives to make up the credits. Exemption from a core course does not reduce the total number of credits required to graduate.

You’ll receive an email over the summer from the registrar with feedback from T’25s who exempted from core courses (those who took the exemptions as well as those who decided to stay in the course). This feedback should be useful as you decide how to proceed. If you think you’re even the slightest bit interested in exempting, be sure to apply by the June 17 deadline (late requests cannot be accepted under any circumstances). Once you’ve submitted an exemption request, you’ll receive information about which electives are available to take in place of the core course.

Specific policies are defined by course faculty.

The instructions below were correct for summer and fall 2023 courses, though exemption information tends not to change dramatically from year to year. Any necessary updates will be made to this information in the spring.

Instructions for exempting winter and spring term core courses will be sent prior to those terms.

Course	Exemption Policy
Analytics	Faculty approval
Capital Markets	Faculty approval
Strategy	Faculty approval
Financial Accounting	Faculty approval
Management Communication	No exemptions
Managerial Economics	Faculty approval
Managing People	No exemptions
Marketing	Faculty approval

Course-Specific Information

Analytics I

Exemptions from this course are determined on a case-by-case basis by the faculty. To exempt, you must have training in basic data analytics and/or experience with a wide variety of applications. Specifically, at a minimum you should have experience building models in Excel and be familiar with decision trees. In addition, you should have taken one or more advanced statistics/econometrics courses and/or have on-the job use of Bayes rule, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, A/B testing, and both simple and multiple regression analysis.

Analytics II

Exemptions from this course are rare and are determined on a case-by-case basis by the faculty. To exempt, you must have training in data analytics and/or experience with a wide variety of applications and have exempted Analytics I. Specifically, at a minimum you should have experience formulating and solving optimization models. You should be experienced with exploring and communicating information using data visualization tools. You should also have taken two or more advanced statistics/econometrics/data analytics courses and/or have on-the job use of multiple regression analysis, dummy variable regression, cluster analysis, neural networks, and machine learning algorithms.

Capital Markets

To be considered for exemption, you must have passed the CFA exam and/or received a bachelor’s degree in finance from a top undergraduate business program (such as Wharton or Michigan) and have several years’ experience at an investment management or investment banking firm after receiving your bachelor’s degree. Having taken an undergraduate course(s) with similar title or content is not reason enough, by itself, for exemption.

Strategy

Exempting requires in-depth theoretical and practical knowledge of strategic management. Faculty approval will be based on whether applicants meet the following criteria:

1. They need to have completed MBA-level coursework in strategy.
2. They need to have at least two years of experience in activities that can unambiguously be classified as strategic decision-making.

Financial Accounting

Certified public accountants, chartered accountants, and those with CFA certification (i.e., those who have passed levels 1, 2, and 3) will be exempted automatically. You may also at the discretion of the faculty, qualify for exemption if you have completed at least one semester-long course in financial accounting or CFA Level 2 and used financial statements professionally (credit analysis, investment banking, etc.) for at least two years. If petitioning for exemption, you should be familiar with the following concepts: (1) preparing and adjusting journal entries, (2) preparing an income statement, balance sheet and statement of cash flows, (3) analysis of changes in account balances, (4) financial statement analysis, (5) analysis of accounts receivable, inventories, non-current assets, liabilities and long-term debt, and shareholder’s equity in published financial statements.

Managerial Economics

Exemptions for Managerial Economics are rare and are determined on a case-by-case basis by the faculty. Only students with a graduate degree in Economics, such as a master’s degree or doctorate, will be granted an exemption. Note that an undergraduate degree in economics is not adequate background for an exemption.

Marketing

Exempting requires exceptional knowledge of marketing management gained through either master’s level academic coursework or significant work experience. Faculty approval will be based on (1) and/or (2):

1. Master’s-level coursework in marketing (submit a transcript from master’s program)
2. Two or more years of experience in brand management or a comparable position (include a copy of your resume and a note outlining the specific companies/brands that you worked with, for what length of time, and your specific marketing-related roles and experiences)

Exemptions based on undergraduate coursework will not be accepted.

Summer and Fall Term Exemption Instructions

Exemption requests are due by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, June 17. Late requests will not be accepted.

To Request an Exemption

To request an exemption from Analytics I and/or II: send an email to the Tuck Registrar with the responses to the following questions:

• Please list the courses you’ve taken that covered analytics, statistical analysis, management science, and/or decision analysis. Include the course title, the date the course was taken, and the final grade you received.
• For all courses listed, include a syllabus or a short course description.
• Describe your usage of analytics, statistics, decision analysis, and optimization in your work experience. Include your resume. What methods were used for which managerial issues?
• Overall, why do you think you should be exempted from the Analytics course?

To request an exemption from Capital Markets, Managerial Economics, or Marketing: send an email to the Tuck Registrar. Include a review of your work history and relevant coursework (include as much information as possible about the syllabi/topics covered and textbooks used). Please attach your academic transcripts (unofficial is fine) and your resume.

To request an exemption from Strategy: email the Tuck Registrar transcripts from a master’s program that certify what strategy course/s were taken in the past, and a memo describing in detail what strategic decision-making activities were undertaken.

To request an exemption from Financial Accounting: send proof of your CPA, chartered accountancy, or CFA certification status to the Tuck Registrar. If you have the extensive educational and professional background described above, send an email to the Tuck Registrar including a review of your work history and relevant coursework, including your resume, transcripts, and syllabi.