Program Overview

Business Economics & Public Policy, MBA

The Business Economics and Public Policy major equips future business leaders with the tools to analyze incentives and policies of firms, governments, and consumers. Whether a firm is engaged in real estate development, bringing new products to market, developing new technologies, exporting products, addressing environmental issues, or providing infrastructure services, it will need to be familiar with the incentives of competitors and the role of government so that it can understand which actions it can take, and how other actors will respond.

The major offers students the opportunity to apply the best economic techniques for understanding corporate decision making and formulating public policy. These are critical skills for analysts, consultants, and executives across a wide range of industries and government. It helps future private managers to understand, react to, and help form the environment in which they will operate.

The department’s courses focus on understanding the implications for the business world of challenges to increased globalization; technological change, such as the internet and e-commerce; the increasing role of intellectual rights; the rise of emerging economies; and the ever-changing landscape of government policies. These new developments have resulted in privatization, deregulation, and changes in health, antitrust, and environmental policy — all of which critically affect business interests.

Curriculum

Major electives taken on a pass/fail basis cannot be counted toward the Business Economics & Public Policy major.

• BEPP Major Requirements:
  • Select four course units, with at least three from the following:
    • BEPP 6130: Business Analytics with Data for Non-Coders
    • BEPP 6200: Behavioral Economics, Markets and Public Policy
    • BEPP/REAL 7080: Housing Markets
    • BEPP/OIDD 7610: Risk Analysis and Environmental Management
    • BEPP/OIDD 7630: Energy Markets & Policy
    • BEPP/ACCT 7640: Climate and Financial Markets
    • BEPP 7700: American Public Policy through an Economic Lens
    • BEPP 7730/FNCE 7300/REAL 7300: Urban Fiscal Policy
    • BEPP 7890: Economic Globalization: Policy, History and Contemporary Issues
    • BEPP 8050: Risk Management
    • BEPP 8360: International Housing Comparisons
    • BEPP 8930: Advanced Study Projects
    • FNCE 7300: Urban Fiscal Policy
• Electives:
  • Select 5.5 course units of electives
• MBA Core Requirements: 9.5
• Total Course Units: 19

Students may seek approval to have one of the four course units be from other departments of The Wharton School or in other schools of the University.

MBA Core Requirements

• Accounting:
  • Select one of the following:
    • ACCT 6110: Fundamentals of Financial Accounting
    • ACCT 6130: Fundamentals of Financial and Managerial Accounting
• Finance 1:
  • Corporate Finance:
    • Select one of the following:
      • FNCE 6110: Corporate Finance
      • FNCE 6210: Corporate Finance (Half CU)
• Macroeconomics:
  • Select one of the following:
    • FNCE 6130: Macroeconomics and the Global Economic Environment
    • FNCE 6230: Macroeconomics and The Global Economic Environment (Half CU)
• Legal Studies:
  • LGST 6110: Responsibility in Global Management
  • or LGST 6120: Responsibility in Business
  • or LGST 6130: Business, Social Responsibility, and the Environment
• Microeconomics:
  • BEPP 6110: Microeconomics for Managers: Foundations
  • BEPP 6120: Microeconomics for Managers: Advanced Applications
• Management:
  • MGMT 6100: Foundations of Teamwork and Leadership
  • MGMT 6110: Managing Established Enterprises
  • or MGMT 6120: Management of Emerging Enterprises
• Marketing:
  • MKTG 6110: Marketing Management
  • MKTG 6120: Dynamic Marketing Strategy
  • or MKTG 6130: Strategic Marketing Simulation
• OIDD:
  • Select one unit of the following:
    • OIDD 6110: Quality and Productivity
    • OIDD 6120: Business Analytics
    • OIDD 6130: Online Business Models and the Information-Based Firm
    • OIDD 6140: Innovation
    • OIDD 6150: Operations Strategy
    • OIDD 6620: Enabling Technologies
    • OIDD 6900: Managerial Decision Making
• Statistics:
  • STAT 6130: Regression Analysis for Business 2
  • or STAT 6210: Accelerated Regression Analysis for Business
• Management Communication:
  • Select one of the following options:
    • WHCP 6160: Management Communication 3
    • or WHCP 6180: Entrepreneurial Communication
• Second Year Requirement:
  • Students must satisfy the following requirements during their second year in the program:
    • Maintain a Wharton GPA that is greater than 2.33 in each semester of their second year
    • Have no more than 4 CU of Wharton courses with a grade less than or equal to 2.33 (C+ or lower) in their second year
• Total Course Units: 9.5

Students cannot enroll in both FNCE 6210 and FNCE 6230.

Global Experience Concentration

The Global Experience Concentration facilitates MBA student participation in a study abroad program. Students must complete two full credit units in an approved International Exchange Program at the partner university’s location. In addition, students must take one full credit unit of internationally focused MBA electives to satisfy the concentration requirement.

• Approved International Exchange Programs include:
  • Australia – AGSM, Sydney
  • Brazil – COPPEAD, Rio de Janeiro
  • Chile – Universidad Adolfo Ibanez, Santiago
  • China – CEIBS, Shanghai
  • China – Peking University, Beijing
  • France – HEC/ISA, Paris
  • France – INSEAD, Fontainebleau
  • Hong Kong – HKUST, Kowloon
  • India – ISB, Hyderabad
  • Israel – IDC, Herzliya
  • Israel – Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv
  • Italy – SDA Bocconi, Milan
  • Japan – Keio University, Tokyo
  • Netherlands – RSM, Rotterdam
  • Philippines – AIM, Makati City
  • Singapore – INSEAD, Singapore
  • Spain – IESE, Barcelona
  • Sweden – Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm
  • Thailand – Sasin, Bangkok
  • United Kingdom – LBS, London

In addition to two full credit units taken in an approved study-abroad program, students must take one full credit unit of internationally focused MBA electives to satisfy the concentration requirement. The electives should be selected from the list below and cannot be taken on a pass/fail basis.

• Course List Code | Title | Course Units
  • Global Experience Concentration:
    • Students must complete 2 CU in WHG 5000-level or above
    • Select at least 1 CU from the following:
      • Accounting:
        • ACCT/FNCE 7970: Taxes and Business Strategy
      • Business Economics and Public Policy:
        • BEPP/OIDD 7630: Energy Markets & Policy
        • BEPP/ACCT 7640: Climate and Financial Markets
        • BEPP 7890: Economic Globalization: Policy, History and Contemporary Issues
      • Finance:
        • FNCE 7190: International Financial Markets and Cryptocurrencies
        • FNCE 7310: Global Valuation and Risk Analysis
        • FNCE 7320: International Banking
        • FNCE 7400: Central Banks, Macroeconomic Policy and Financial Markets
        • FNCE 7540: ESG and Impact Investing
        • FNCE 7560: Energy Finance
      • Health Care Management:
        • HCMG 8590: Comparative Health Care Systems
        • HCMG 8680: Private Sector Role in Global Health
      • Legal Studies and Business Ethics:
        • LGST 8020: Law of Corporate Management and Finance
      • Management:
        • MGMT 7150: Political Environment of the Multinational Firm
        • MGMT 7200: Corporate Diplomacy
        • MGMT 7230: Strategy and Environmental Sustainability
        • MGMT 7870: Global Management of Digital Businesses
        • MGMT 7880: Managing and Competing in China
        • MGMT 8090: Private Equity in Emerging Markets
        • MGMT 8170: Global Growth of Emerging Firms
        • MGMT 8710: Advanced Global Strategy
        • MGMT 8750: Comparative Capitalism
      • Marketing:
      • Operations, Information, and Decisions:
        • OIDD 6730: Global Supply Chain Mgmt.
        • OIDD 7610: Risk Analysis and Environmental Management
        • OIDD 7620: Environmental Sustainability and Value Creation
      • Real Estate:
        • REAL 7050: Global Real Estate: Risk, Politics and Culture
        • REAL 8360: International Housing Comparisons
• Total Course Units: 3

Global Modular Courses (0.5 CU) offered in a foreign location also count. Other courses with substantive international content may be counted upon approval of the concentration adviser.

Concentration advisor: Alyssa Swanson

The degree and major requirements displayed are intended as a guide for students entering in the Fall of 2025 and later. Students should consult with their academic program regarding final certifications and requirements for graduation.