Model Syllabus – Zicklin School of Business (MBA/MS Level)
Approved at April 12, 2007 Zicklin Faculty Meeting
Course Information
List the course code, course name, semester, contact information of instructor and teaching assistant, office hours, and time
and location of the class.
Course Description
Explain what the course is about and tell the students what will be done in the course. Briefly describe the area of study and
the topics that will be covered.
Learning Objectives
Specify learning goals that you want your students to achieve by taking this class. State what students will be able to do
after taking the class.
Course Organization
Describe the format of the course, what level of preparation and participation you expect from the students, and to what
extend Blackboard is going to be used in the course. Mention the specific teaching and learning methods that will be used
in the course (e.g., lectures, discussions, cases, projects, teamwork, role play etc.)
Course Expectations
Clearly lay out the deliverables of the course (exams, projects, presentations, assignments, term papers, quizzes etc.)
Prerequisites
Clearly state what you expect your students to bring to the class (prerequisite courses, specific
background knowledge)
Course Materials
Clearly list all required readings and course materials, optional readings, as well as additional
recommended readings and useful online sources.
About the Instructor
Additional information about the instructor may be provided here.
Grading Policy
Your grading policy should clearly be stated in this section. Explain your policy for class participation,
missed classes, and late homework. Finally, explain the structure of your exams in detail.
Academic Integrity
This section should state the policy on academic integrity. A link to Baruch’s general policy on
academic honesty should be included here as well:
http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/academic/academic_honesty.html.
Course Schedule
Present a detailed, tentative course schedule. For every class session (or teaching week) state date,
topic, reading assignments, preparation questions, and the due date for all the course deliverables.
Course Code – Course Name
Name of the Professor
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Email of the Professor
Office Location
Phone Number
Fax Number
 Additional Contact Information
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Time and Location for the Class
Time and Location for Office Hours
Teaching Assistant
Overview of the Course and Learning Goals
This section should introduce the course. A brief description can be communicated via bullet points.
An example is provided below for a graduate level finance class:
The primary objective of this course is to provide the students with a broad overview of concepts and
principles of financial decision making. Specifically, the course will have particular emphasis on:
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
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time value of money
risk and return, valuation
cost of capital
option evaluation and
the relevant corporate decisions in maximizing the firm value.
Next, learning goals should be laid out. What do you expect the students to be able to do at the end of
the semester?
Prerequisites
Prerequisites should be mentioned here. These prerequisites can be (i) the courses students are required
to take, (ii) knowledge of specific software packages etc.
Course Materials
In this section, course materials should be presented in bullet points. Below is an example of a possible
set of course materials.
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Textbook: Name and Edition of the specific text book.
Lecture notes
Study questions
Newspapers & Magazines
Online web pages and blogs that are related to the course material.
Course communication
Describe various ways of communicating with the students.
Furthermore, Blackboard usage policy should also be explained here. For example, if you are going to
post the lecture notes in the course materials section of the blackboard, make sure that you
communicate this with your students.
Grading Policy
Your grading policy should clearly be stated in this section. First, present each variable that will be
used to compute the students final grade. Second, make sure to report the importance of each one of
these ingredients in percentages. For example, if each student’s final grade will be formed by 2
midterm exams, 1 final exam, 1 homework and class participation, the overall grade should be
represented as:
Overall grade=class participation (X1%) + 1 Homework (X2%)+ 2 exams (2* Y% = X3%) + final
(X4%) such that X1+ X2+ X3+ X4 =100%
Furthermore, make sure to explain each ingredient clearly. Explain your policy for class participation
and penalties for students who miss class. Finally, explain the structure of your exams in detail.
Academic Integrity
This section should state the policy on Academic Honesty which states, in part:
Academic dishonesty is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Cheating, forgery, plagiarism and
collusion in dishonest acts undermine the college’s educational mission and the students’ personal and
intellectual growth. Baruch students are expected to bear individual responsibility for their work and to
uphold the ideal of academic integrity. Any student who attempts to compromise or devalue the
academic process will be sanctioned.
Moreover, make sure to include a web link which further describes the policy on Academic Honesty:
Additional information can be found at:
http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/academic/academic_honesty.html.
Please understand that a report of suspected academic dishonesty will be sent to the Dean of Students
office.
Tentative Course Schedule
This section should present a tentative course schedule which includes exact dates (or weeks) that a
specific topic will be covered. Make sure to note that the dates are subject to change as the speed of
progress will depend on the specific student group. Below is an example of a table that can be used in
this section.
Tentative Course Schedule (Subject to Change)
The date and/or the
week of the semester
Name of the topic that will
be covered.
1 (8/31)
2 (9/5)
3 (9/7)
4 (9/12)
5 (9/14)
6 (9/19)
7 (9/21)
8 (9/26)
9 (9/28)
10 (10/5)
11 (10/10)
12 (10/12)
13 (10/17)
14 (10/19)
15 (10/24)
16 (10/26)
17 10/31)
18 (11/2)
19 (11/7)
20 (11/9)
21 (11/14)
22 (11/16)
23 (11/21)
24 (11/28)
25 (11/30)
26 (12/5)
27 (12/7)
28 (12/12)
TBA
Topic I
Topic I
Topic I
Topic II
Topic II
Topic II
Topic III
Topic III
Topic III
Topic IV
First Midterm Exam
Topic IV
Topic IV
Topic V
Topic V
Topic VI
Topic VI
Topic VI
Topic VI
Second Midterm Exam
Topic VII
Topic VII
Topic VII
Topic VIII
Topic VIII
Topic VIII
Topic IX
Topic IX
Final Exam
Required readings for
that specific date
(Lecture Notes, Book
Chapters, etc,.)
Book Chapter I
Book Chapter I
Book Chapter I
Book Chapter IV
Book Chapter IV
Book Chapter IV
Book Chapter V
Book Chapter V
Book Chapter V
Handouts
Handouts
Handouts
Handouts
Handouts
Book Chapter
Book Chapter
Book Chapter
Book Chapter
Book Chapter
Book Chapter
Book Chapter
Book Chapter
Book Chapter
Book Chapter
Handouts
Handouts
Any Homework
and/or study
questions to be
assigned
Homework I
Study Questions
Homework II
Study Questions
VI
VI
VI
VI
VII
VII
VII
VIII
VIII
VIII
Homework III