Leading Across Differences, MBA
The Leading Across Differences major allows students to understand and build a skillset required to navigate, integrate and harness differences in perspectives, experiences and identities within organizations. Students will take courses that enable them to understand how differences in perspectives shape decision-making, collaboration, and performance across teams and organizations. As a consequence, students can build a curriculum that spans courses across these topics.
This major enables students to develop expertise well-suited to leadership roles that require managing teams with differing viewpoints, fostering constructive dialogue, and driving coordination, as well as to advisory roles in consulting and related fields where aligning stakeholders and navigating organizational dynamics are imperative.
4.0 credit units are required beyond the Wharton core. MGMT classes in the required Wharton core are non-waivable and include MGMT 6100 (Foundations of Teamwork and Leadership, 0.5 cu) as well as your choice of MGMT 6110 (Managing the Established Enterprise) or MGMT 6120 (Managing the Emerging Enterprise) or MGMT 6130 (Managing the Established Enterprise, WEMBA only). All credit units for the major must be taken for a letter grade.
For more information: https://mgmt.wharton.upenn.edu/programs/mba/lad-major/
The degree and major requirements displayed are intended as a guide for students entering in the Fall of 2026 and later. Students should consult with their academic program regarding final certifications and requirements for graduation.
Curriculum
| Code | Title | Course Units |
|---|---|---|
| Leading Across Differences Major Requirements | ||
| At least 1.5 credit units must come from these foundational courses: | 1.5 | |
| Executive Leadership | ||
| Big Data, Big Responsibilities: Toward Accountable Artificial Intelligence | ||
| Leading Across Cultural and Relational Differences | ||
| Navigating Difficult Conversations in Business and Beyond | ||
| Power and Politics in Organizations | ||
| Understanding Careers and Executive Labor Markets | ||
| The remaining 2.5 credit units may also be selected from these courses: | 2.5 | |
| Employment Law: Practical Considerations for Managers | ||
| Negotiations | ||
| Managing Organizational Change | ||
| Reforming Mass Incarceration and the Role of Business | ||
| People Analytics | ||
| WORKS Immersion (Prison Education) | ||
| Managerial Decision Making | ||
| Influence | ||
| Select 5.5 course units of electives | 5.5 | |
| MBA Core Requirements | 9.5 | |
| Total Course Units | 19 | |
MBA Core Requirements
| Code | Title | Course Units |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting | ||
| Select one of the following: | 0.5-1 | |
| Fundamentals of Financial Accounting | ||
| Fundamentals of Financial and Managerial Accounting | ||
| Finance 1 | ||
| Corporate Finance | ||
| Select one of the following: | 0.5-1 | |
| Corporate Finance | ||
| Corporate Finance (Half CU) | ||
| Macroeconomics | ||
| Select one of the following: | 0.5-1 | |
| Macroeconomics and the Global Economic Environment | ||
| Macroeconomics and The Global Economic Environment (Half CU) | ||
| Legal Studies | ||
| LGST 6110 | Responsibility in Global Management | 0.5 |
| or LGST 6120 | Responsibility in Business | |
| or LGST 6130 | Business, Social Responsibility, and the Environment | |
| Microeconomics | ||
| BEPP 6110 | Microeconomics for Managers: Foundations | 0.5 |
| BEPP 6120 | Microeconomics for Managers: Advanced Applications | 0.5 |
| Management | ||
| MGMT 6100 | Foundations of Teamwork and Leadership | 0.5 |
| MGMT 6110 | Managing Established Enterprises | 1 |
| or MGMT 6120 | Management of Emerging Enterprises | |
| Marketing | ||
| MKTG 6110 | Marketing Management | 0.5 |
| MKTG 6120 | Dynamic Marketing Strategy | 0.5 |
| or MKTG 6130 | Strategic Marketing Simulation | |
| OIDD | ||
| Select one unit of the following: | 0.5-1 | |
| Quality and Productivity | ||
| Business Analytics | ||
| Online Business Models and the Information-Based Firm | ||
| Innovation | ||
| Operations Strategy | ||
| Enabling Technologies | ||
| Managerial Decision Making | ||
| Statistics | ||
| STAT 6130 | Regression Analysis for Business 2 | 1 |
| or STAT 6210 | Accelerated Regression Analysis for Business | |
| Management Communication | ||
| Select one of the following options: | 0.5 | |
| Management Communication 3 | ||
or WHCP 6180 | Entrepreneurial Communication | |
| Writing Requirement | ||
| MBA students are required to demonstrate mastery of persuasive writing for a business audience. This is tested on an online Writing Waiver Exam that incoming MBA's complete the summer before they matriculate. Students unable to demonstrate mastery on this exam are required to take WHCP 6210: Foundations of Business Writing in the fall of their first year. This pass/fail, 0 CU course is designed to provide students with the instruction and support they will need to achieve mastery in persuasive writing for a business audience. | ||
| Second Year Requirement: | ||
| Students must satisfy the following requirements during their second year in the program: (1) maintain a Wharton GPA that is greater than 2.33 in each semester of their second year, and (2) 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 | |
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Course Units | |
| Fall Courses | 5 | |
| Course Units | 5.00 | |
| Spring | ||
| Spring Courses | 5 | |
| Course Units | 5.00 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Fall Courses | 5 | |
| Course Units | 5.00 | |
| Spring | ||
| Spring Courses | 4 | |
| Course Units | 4.00 | |
| Total Course Units | 19.00 | |
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.
Curriculum
Students must complete two full credit units in an approved International Exchange Program at the partner university’s location. 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.
| Code | Title | Course Units |
|---|---|---|
| Global Experience Concentration | ||
| Students must complete 2 CU in WHG 5000-level or above | 2 | |
| Select at least 1 CU from the following: 1 | 1 | |
| Accounting | ||
| Taxes and Business Strategy | ||
| Business Economics and Public Policy | ||
| Energy Markets and Policy | ||
| Climate and Financial Markets | ||
| Economic Globalization: Policy, History and Contemporary Issues | ||
| Finance | ||
| International Financial Markets and Cryptocurrencies | ||
| Global Valuation and Risk Analysis | ||
| International Banking | ||
| Central Banks, Macroeconomic Policy and Financial Markets | ||
| ESG and Impact Investing | ||
| Energy Finance | ||
| Health Care Management | ||
| Comparative Health Care Systems | ||
| Private Sector Role in Global Health | ||
| Legal Studies and Business Ethics | ||
| Global (Anti-)Money Laundering | ||
| Law of Corporate Management and Finance | ||
| Management | ||
| Leading Across Cultural and Relational Differences | ||
| Political Environment of the Multinational Firm | ||
| Corporate Diplomacy | ||
| Strategy and Environmental Sustainability | ||
| Global Management of Digital Businesses | ||
| Managing and Competing in China | ||
| Private Equity in Emerging Markets | ||
| Global Growth of Emerging Firms | ||
| Strategies and Practices of Family-controlled Companies | ||
| Advanced Global Strategy | ||
| Comparative Capitalism | ||
| Marketing | ||
| Operations, Information, and Decisions | ||
| Global Supply Chain Mgmt. | ||
| Retail Operations | ||
| Climate Risks and Opportunities | ||
| Environmental Sustainability and Value Creation | ||
| Real Estate | ||
| Global Real Estate: Risk, Politics and Culture | ||
| Urban Fiscal Policy | ||
| International Housing Comparisons | ||
| Total Course Units | 3 | |
- 1
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 advisor.
Concentration Advisor: Alyssa Swanson