This week we turn our attention to UCLA Anderson and its academic offerings. Specifically, we’ll take a look at the options Anderson offers for tailoring elective choices to an intended career path. Though if offers no formal majors or concentrations, Anderson recommends sets of elective courses the administration and faculty see as relevant to particular career paths. These Elective Emphases cover 16 popular career paths and are comprised of five to eleven strongly recommended electives.

The suggested electives are designed to create a comprehensive program of preparation for the career path, and some career path listings even include classes in other UCLA degree programs. In contrast to the subject-area specializations most other leading programs offer, these career area specializations further emphasize Anderson’s practical job orientation. Perhaps the closest approximation of career path emphasis among other programs occurs at Kellogg, which offers the analytical consulting major, drawing upon various departments to comprehensively prepare students for consulting careers.

Anderson students frequently note their career path elective emphases on their résumés. Just as students may complete multiple majors at Kellogg or Wharton, it is common for Anderson students to blend elective emphases in order to accommodate a more specialized career or an entrepreneurial career. For instance, a student might combine entrepreneurship electives with those from the industry of a student’s planned venture. Several of Anderson’s career path elective emphases are profiled below.

Entrepreneurship
The Entrepreneurship Emphasis comprises eight strongly recommended electives such as Managing and Financing the Emerging Enterprise, Global Economy, and Topics in Business Law, as well as nine additional course suggestions, making it one of the most comprehensive elective programs at Anderson. All of the school’s teaching and research in entrepreneurship is overseen by the Harold and Pauline Price Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, the first-ever entrepreneurship center at a business school.

Entertainment and Media Management
The Entertainment and Media Management Emphasis is sponsored by Anderson’s Entertainment and Media Management Institute (EMMI). Featuring courses in areas such as entertainment marketing, negotiations, entertainment law and sports management, the EMMI also shares a number of recommended electives with the Masters of Fine Arts Producer’s Program at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.

Real Estate
Directed by the Richard S. Ziman Center for Real Estate, which is jointly sponsored by Anderson and the UCLA School of Law, Anderson’s Real Estate Emphasis provides students with comprehensive training in the field of real estate, from finance and investment to entrepreneurship and development. The Center also hosts a range of alumni- and industry-sponsored events, which in 2007-2008 included a research seminar on female entrepreneurship and a panel on real estate in China.