San Jose State University Lucas Graduate School of Business

Statistics

Programs & Curriculum

Employment

Scholarships & Financial Aid

Rankings & Lists

School Says - General Information
Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, SJSU is California's oldest institution of public higher education. The SJSU College of Business, with almost 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students, is one of the largest business schools in the country.

In 2006, SJSU alumni Donald & Sally Lucas donated $10 million for business graduate programs at SJSU. The donation exemplifies SJSU's strong linkages to both alumni and the community. The donation will allow further exploration of critical business issues, help the university hire and retain the best faculty, and develop both innovative courses and an executive education program.

SJSU's Lucas Graduate School of Business is accredited by the prestigious AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) International. It offers an accessible, high-value education that empowers people of all ages and backgrounds to transform their lives. Pursuing a business graduate degree is an investment in the future. For the competitive edge, consider San Jose State University's Lucas Graduate School of Business Ââ€" where serious academic accreditation, innovative programs, and an exceptional faculty give you the education needed to be successful in today's global business environment.

School Says - Student Body
San Jose State University is California's oldest institution of public higher education. Founded in 1857 in San Francisco as a teacher training school, it was named the California State Normal School in 1862 and moved to San Jose in 1871. Today, SJSU is a large university serving more than 27,000 students.

SJSU's scope has changed to meet the needs of today's society, but its long tradition of excellence in teaching remains. The early-day teacher's training school became San Jose State College in 1935 and a member of the California State system in 1961. It began awarding master's degrees in 1949 and achieved university status in 1972.

As the Santa Clara Valley evolved from a rich agricultural region into Silicon Valley, an internationally known high-technology research and development center, the University's mission expanded to fill the ever-widening educational needs.

Today, the multicultural student body prepares for careers in business, social work, engineering, science, technology, education, social sciences, arts, and humanities. The University offers degrees and professional credentials in more than 150 disciplines.

The mission of the Lucas Graduate School of Business is to provide advanced business and professional education to high-potential individuals with diverse backgrounds and work experiences. Graduates are prepared to make decisions that are socially and fiscally responsible, personally enriching, and professionally advantageous. We offer a choice of academically challenging, multidisciplinary programs, each of which continuously improves to keep pace with a dynamic environment.

Students

SJSU has an active MBA Association. The MBA Association is a student organization that exists for three reasons: to increase and enhance networking among students; to aid in the dissemination of information among the students and the MBA program; and to strengthen the links between the students and the business community. The group hosts many social and academic events each year, including new-student orientation, Silicon Valley speakers, and career events.

School Says - Academics
- On-Campus MBA: In a traditional university environment, this program appeals to both full-time students (a two-year MBA program) and working individuals who attend school part-time and need evening classes.

-Off-Campus MBA: Students can complete the MBA in the evening in as few as 18 months, taking courses that meet in 8-week modules. For students who need to tailor the MBA to their lifestyle (work, travel, and family), this is the most flexible MBA program.

-MBA-One: An intense 12-month lock-step program which provides valuable networking opportunities and lifelong business connections. Classes meet three afternoons per week off-campus.

- MBA/MS Engineering: A 32-month double-degree program for engineering professionals who wish to pursue technical and executive management positions. Courses are offered off-campus in 8-week modules.

- Master of Science in Accountancy (MSA): An intense daytime 12-month lock-step program for individuals with non-accounting baccalaureate degrees. Starts in early June, and requires both on-campus courses and a professional, paid 10-week internship.

- Master of Science in Taxation (MST): A flexible evening degree program designed for tax professionals. Classes are offered in 10-week modules off-campus to accommodate both full-time and part-time students.

- Master of Science in Transportation Management (MSTM): a 28-month program that meets the educational needs of working transportation professionals through evening "distance learning" technology.

All Business Graduate Programs are accredited by the AACSB International--The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

School Says - Admissions
Prospective business graduate students must complete and submit an application, the application fee, and one official transcript from every post secondary school attended. Application due dates for U.S. residents are May 1 for the fall semester and September 15 for the spring semester. International students must apply by March 1 for the fall semester and by August 31 for the spring semester. San José State requires international applicants for whom English was not the medium of instruction to take the TOEFL exam. Scores required are 213 computer-based or 550 paper-based. Priority is given to applicants with at least a 3.0 (last 60 semester units or 90 quarter units), a 500 on the GMAT, and a strong statement of purpose. Specific admissions criteria is at www.cob.sjsu.edu/graduate, and the application is on-line at www.csumentor.edu

For more information, contact:

San José State University
Lucas Graduate School of Business
One Washington Square
San José, CA 95192-0162
Telephone: 408-924-3420
Fax: 408-924-3426
E-mail: mba@cob.sjsu.edu
World Wide Web: www.cob.sjsu.edu/graduate


School Says - Campus Life
On-Campus business classes are held in the 82,000-square-foot Boccardo Business Education Center. The entire SJSU campus offers wireless internet access. In addition, 18 of the 46 classrooms are equipped with "smart podia" containing television access, document cameras, and VCRs. Each room is also fully American Disabilities Act compliant with wheelchair stations and a public address system that accommodates hearing-impaired students.

The off-campus location at Rose Orchard Technology Center is approximately 12 miles from the main campus. The Rose Orchard site is located in a technology park setting in the heart of the Silicon Valley high-tech corridor, making it convenient to many working adults.Both locations have well-equipped computer labs.

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, which opened its doors on August 1, 2003, won the Library JournalÂ's prestigious 2004 Library of the Year award, the publicationÂ's highest honor. The King Library is the first collaboration of its kind between a university and a major U.S. city. The library is eight stories high and 475,000 square-feet.

The new housing complex, which is called Campus Village, is a $375-425 million project designed to replace the old residence halls. The concrete poured for this project was the largest amount of concrete poured in the state of California. Campus Village consists of three buildings ranging from 7 to 15 stories tall. The project was completed in the fall of 2005, and doubled student capacity for on-campus housing. Campus Village has housing options for first-year students, upper-class students, graduate students and faculty, staff or guests of the university.

The university boasts a year-round, outdoor Olympic-size swimming pool that is the largest in Northern California. The Event Center Arena has a full gym including basketball and racquetball courts, a weight room, and a climbing wall. It also plays host to rock concerts and other events. The student union features a bowling alley and large game room.

Spartan Stadium, the other athletic fields, and overflow parking are located on the South Campus on Seventh Street, about 1.5 miles south of the main campus.

San José State maintains a facility at Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport as part of the Aviation Department, and manages the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories in Moss Landing, California, on the Monterey Bay, a cooperative research facility of seven CSU campuses.

Students Say - Academics
Located smack dab in the middle of the Silicon Valley, San Jose State University's business programs benefit from the energy and innovation of their famous surroundings. "No place on earth is more entrepreneurial or technology-centric" than SJSU, where the MBA programs boast an "innovative syllabus," a "global mindset," and a top-notch faculty from the region's prominent industries. For MBA candidates, SJSU offers several program options: the traditional two-year MBA program on the main SJSU campus, the MBA One (a full-time, cohort-based program that can be completed in just a year), and the Executive-Style MBA, a "flexible program for working students," offering yearround classes on the weekends and in the evenings. With accommodating teachers and a flexible schedule, the Executive-Style MBA "is an ideal program for anyone who wants an MBA, but needs to keep working full-time while getting it." Acurrent student attests, "When I needed to be out of town for work the week of a final, the professor was very willing to reschedule the test for me so it wouldn't interfere with my business trip." Delivered by a team of "world-class teachers" and an "accommodating" administration, the "academic experience is positive, effective, and worthwhile" at San Jose State. Academically, the program balances "a good mix of lectures, case studies, and assignment[ s]." On that note, you'll get a blend of theory and practice in the classroom, as "professors are very knowledgeable and have experience in both academics and industry." "Teachers here are experienced in Silicon Valley trends and do their best to incorporate them into class work." Coursework is interactive, and "discussions in class are lively, [and] periodically include [the] latest news and trends." Friendly as well as experienced, "Professors are very easily approachable and always try to correlate classroom learning with real-world problems as closely as possible." "Value" is another important factor in many students' decisions to attend SJSU. A state school, SJSU has a much lower price tag than other local programs, giving prospective MBA candidates an "affordable option at a respected school," without leaving the Bay Area. Unfortunately, like many public schools, budget cuts have affected San Jose State and there has been "an increase in tuition" in response. Within the business school, the "administration is struggling with budget issues beyond [its] control," and course availability isn't always what it should be. "The courses aren't offered often enough, there is usually a wait list, so it's a lottery to see if you will even get into the classes you need." Despite limitations, "the administration has been wonderful and very responsive to all concerns," and students say the program runs efficiently.

Students Say - Admissions
Applicants to Lucas must submit the following materials: official transcripts covering undergraduate work; an official GMAT score report; personal statement; resume; and a completed application form. Candidates who have earned a degree from a university in which the language of instruction was not English must submit an official TOEFL score report. Priority for admission will be given to applicants with better than a 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) in their last 60 semester units or 90 quarter units of course work and a score of at least 500 on the GMAT, with scores in the verbal and quantitative sections in the 50th percentile or above. Recently admitted had an average undergraduate GPA of 3.29 and an average GMAT score of 562.

Students Say - Campus Life
Students in SJSU's full-time MBA programs love life on their well-equipped urban campus. The school is located right in the middle of downtown San Jose, and "Food at the Student Union is great and the campus is gorgeous." Diversity is a trademark of this large public school, and within the business program, "a lot of the students speak more than one language and have lived abroad." Despite cultural, ethnic, professional, and political diversity, "Everybody makes an effort to get along, get to know each other. The teamwork required for projects is very good as it encourages intercultural interaction." In the Executive-Style program, "Classes are taught off campus" so many part-timers "feel very disconnected from the SJSU student body." Fortunately, the auxiliary facility is "centrally-located and well-equipped," and there is plenty of parking for commuters. While full-time cohorts are tight, socializing is more limited among part-timers, who are "very busy outside of class (since we are in an evening program, almost all of my classmates also have full-time jobs)." For most, that means a "get-in and get-out" attitude about school, and "Class work outside of class is usually handled via teleconferences or face-to-face meetings when possible."

Students Say - Careers
The business school at San Jose State University is propitiously located "right in the middle of Silicon Valley, with access to all [the] big-shot companies, and their executives." In addition, "the majority of students in the program come from great high-tech companies," which makes networking as easy as attending class. The Career Center at SJSU helps the undergraduate and graduate student community make connections in the local job market through recruiting events and job fairs. While most SJSU grads score great post-grad positions, some full-time students would like to see Career Services provide "better help finding jobs after graduation," through the addition of new events like "job fairs specifically designed for MBA students." Many students in the part-time program receive tuition assistance from their current companies and therefore aren't looking for new jobs after graduation. Currently, you'll find recent SJSU business school graduates working at diverse companies like Charles Schwab, City Bank, Apple, Applied Materials, Chevron Corporation, Cisco Systems, Ebay, E*TRADE, HSBC Group Holdings, IBM, Lockheed Martin, Intel Corporation, Hewlett-Packard, Sprint, Nortel, Genentech, Microsoft, Pepsico, Google, Starbucks Coffee, NASA, Texas Instruments, and Xerox.

Other Schools To Consider Top Programs