Taken together, these are the building blocks that challenge participants to stretch beyond their past experience to grasp new ideas and develop a better understanding of the processes used by successful senior managers. In addition to the core courses, Sloans select and attend elective classes along with second-year MBA students. Many electives cross the boundaries between traditional management disciplines or involve faculty from other parts of the University. This interdisciplinary approach is one of the reasons for Stanford Business School's reputation as an innovative leader in management education. During their time in the program, Sloans spend approximately 20 hours per week in class and generally need two to three hours of outside preparation for each hour of class time.
Teaching methods vary, with faculty members selecting the method best suited to their material.
Coursework is presented through case discussions, lectures, group projects, and computer simulations. Individual participation is a major component of most classroom sessions and contributes significantly to one's total learning experience. The majority of classes at the Business School are taught by full-time faculty. Additionally, a small group of talented practitioners team with tenured faculty members to teach innovative electives such as the course Strategy and Action in the Information Processing Industry, developed and taught jointly by Robert Burgelman , Edmund W. Littlefield Professor of Management, and Andrew Grove, chairman of Intel Corporation. Fellows also have an opportunity to meet and talk with a variety of business leaders who visit the Sloan classroom or meet with the group during the study trip to Washington, D.C., and New York and during an international trip that generally includes several countries.