Enrollment: 700
Average GMAT: 609.00
GMAT Range (25-75%): 560-620
Average Undergrad GPA: 3.30
Regular Application Deadline: 04/15
Rolling Admission: Yes
School Type: Public
Average Age: 28.00
Average Work Experience (months): 60
Student Faculty Ratio: 35:1

Part Time Program: Yes
Evening Program: Yes
Executive MBA Program Offered: Yes
Total Faculty: 97

Out-of-State Tuition: $11,894.00
In-State Tuition: $3,758.00

Students Say - Academics
"The top three things about SDSU are affordability, quality of faculty, and convenience of classes," a typical student at this "excellent value" MBA program writes, adding, "My sister is paying a ton of money to attend UCLA, but I think I'm getting a much better experience." Indeed, the MBA program at SDSU's Graduate School of Business has a lot to recommend it beyond its appealing price tag. Students here laud the school's strengths in a wide array of disciplines, including entrepreneurship, international business, and sports business management.
"Programs to assist student entrepreneurs like the Entrepreneurial Management Center (EMC)" help keep SDSU's entrepreneurship program "consistently ranked in the top." One burgeoning entrepreneur understandably brags, "Our VCIC (Venture Capital Investment Competition) team got invited to the regional competition and has gained lots of exposure to VCs and start-ups. Fifty percent of people have their own business in my classes. It is so it is awesome working with people who are passionate, know what they want, and are always improving." SDSU's Sports MBA program benefits from "access to many of higher-ups in the sports industry in the San Diego and Southern California area, be they with the Padres (with whom the program has a direct affiliation), the Chargers, the San Diego Hall of Champions, AEG, Elite Racing, or...etc., etc. These are the sorts of people you need to be meeting if you want to get a job in sports."
Across disciplines, SDSU pursues "the integration of technology, networking, and sustainable business into the curriculum," which students appreciate. In fact, about the only complaint we hear from MBAs here is that the "administration is a bit understaffed, but works very hard to provide the students with the best compilation of professors, guest lecturers and volunteer opportunities." One student writes, "Sometimes it feels a bit like this program is flying by the seat of its pants. I feel like a lot of that is because it tries do so much, like packing 100 pounds of knowledge, opportunities, and events into a 50-pound bag."

Students Say - Admissions
Nearly 1,500 potential MBAs apply to SDSU's "highly competitive" program every year. The Admissions Committee considers a number of factors, including GMAT score; GPA for the final sixty course hours of undergraduate academic work (minimum 2.85 for American students, 3.0 for international students; average GPA for admitted students was 3.3); letters of recommendation, resume (work experience is preferred but not required); and personal statement. None of the final three is required, but each "can enhance an application," according to the school's website. International students whose first language is not English must also submit official TOEFL scores; a minimum paper-and-pencil test score of 550, computer-based score of 213, or an Internet-based score of 60 is required. Applications are accepted for both the fall and spring terms. They are processed on a rolling basis, so it's best to apply as early as possible.

Students Say - Campus Life
SDSU "kind of has a reputation as a commuter school," but the MBA program's cohort system helps counteract that. As one student explains, "The program has a very intimate feel as you go through all of the classes with the same group of students. There is a lot of group work and presentations, which forces students to work on their public speaking skills. Since you are with the same people all year, the class discussions are much more beneficial than those classes where people aren't familiar with each other." A student in the Sports MBA program observes, "Even though we live all over San Diego County, it really doesn't feel that way. The 39 of us are a pretty tight knit group who both work and play together; studying, group projects, intramural sports, going out, house parties-we do all of it."
Part-time students visit the campus primarily during the evening. One part-time reports, "We have lots of restaurants on campus and within a walk distance from campus. The library is open. Parking is very available, and there's a escorting service to follow us to our car at night if we don't want to walk alone." Part-timers and full-timers agree that "SDSU is one of the most beautiful campuses in the country" and that "the area around campus is [also] beautiful and offers a lot to graduate students."
SDSU attracts a "very active student body" that is "always hanging out on campus playing sports, listening to outdoor concerts, or going to the gym or pool because its always sunny in San Diego." "There is a great diversity among students: some working full time, some going to school full time, career paths, backgrounds, undergrad education, etc." The group includes "a lot of engineers looking to enhance their skills with MBAs" and, of course, "a lot of sports fans" in the Sports MBA program (and elsewhere). The population includes "a healthy percentage are foreign students, a small percentage of whom should probably have been screened from attending here due to their severely lacking English skills, both verbal and written."

Students Say - Careers
Career and placement services for SDSU MBAs are handled through the Career Services Office of the university; there is no dedicated Career Services Office for the MBA program. Supplemental services are provided through the MBA Association and the Entrepreneurial Management Center. Students see Career Services here as a weak area, commenting that "Career services could offers more options for graduate students. Most job fairs are for undergrads." Students point out that graduate-level management is "still a young program, so the alumni network is growing and will continue to improve every year, which will be a big plus." One student agrees, "The alumni network is improving every year and the list of companies graduates are working with is impressive."

University of San Diego
University of Californiaâ€"Los Angeles

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