University of San Diego School of Business Administration

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Students Say - Academics
The relaxed Southern California atmosphere, intimate class size, and unique focus on ethics in business are among the most attractive aspects of a University of San Diego education. For established or budding professionals, USD's School of Business Administration offers several MBA options: the full-time MBA, the full-time International MBA, and the part-time evening MBA. Both the full-time MBA and the International MBA are two-year programs with the option to accelerate to 16 months, which begin with a cohort-based, lockstep curriculum in the first semester. Thereafter, full-time and IMBA students take required courses during the day and electives at night, along with part-time evening MBA students. Within the curriculum, students really like the fact that USD "emphasizes "soft" subjects like ethics in business and cultural sensitivity in addition to the core coursework in finance, economics, and general management." In fact, the school's "focus on corporate social responsibility" is "incorporated into just about every single class we take." Along the same lines, USD "is on the forefront of the green building movement and goes to great efforts to give us every opportunity to learn more about green practices." USD further distinguishes itself through its global focus and "opportunities for study abroad." Within the International MBA, "Classes are offered in four different continents" and include with a "required international consulting project." Located in San Diego, the Southern California sunshine clearly influences campus culture. At USD, the "academic environment is very relaxed but very professional in nature." A current student attests, "I don't see many students that appear stressed, even in the MBA program." In addition, students benefit from "small class sizes" and "extremely personal attention from administration and faculty." A student agrees, "While many of the courses are rigorous, they are manageable, and I have found the professors to be very willing to help." On the whole, professors are "effective teachers with interesting backgrounds," who are "passionate about the subjects they teach." Collaboration is encouraged, and "there's a lot of group work in our classes, so you really get to know your fellow students." Like the faculty, some students note that the administration is "easily accessible" and "responsive to student needs." Others feel "the school's administration is improving but needs refinement."

Students Say - Admissions
To apply for admission to USD's MBA programs, prospective students must hold an undergraduate degree from an accredited college, with a GPA of B or better. For the fulltime class of 2010, students had a mean GMAT score of 651. The same year, International MBA candidates had an average GMAT score of 592, and evening MBA students averaged 612 on the GMAT. For all MBA programs, a minimum of two years of professional work experience is expected.

Students Say - Campus Life
In the school's full-time MBA programs, the cohort structure is a mainstay of the program. A current student enthuses, "My cohort provides me with a great blend of diversity from professional background to ethnicity and upbringing. I feel challenged and supported by them at the same time, which I feel adds more to my learning experience than I could have imagined." In addition to academic work, students say, "We try to socialize outside of class as often as possible." Fortunately, that goal is easily achieved as there is "a social event every almost weekend" at the business school, as well as a plethora of professional development activities on campus. A student agrees, "There are constantly social events on campus from speakers to panel discussions that support a fun lifestyle to reduce stress." Another adds, "There are so many more planned activities available to do than time to do them, and that does not even include unplanned or nonofficial activities." Located in sunny Southern California, "the city of San Diego is vibrant and youthful and really embraces the students that attend universities." In addition, "USD has a beautiful campus," which "sits above Mission Bay in San Diego." While students complain that there is a pittance of parking and public transportation at USD, once on campus, the "food options are excellent, and it is easy to get around."

Students Say - Careers
At USD, career planning begins long before graduation. During the MBA, "The administration is aggressive in securing internships and setting up events for business contacts" in the San Diego area. Through the Career Services offices, students may also be "assigned mentors from the local business community, so that's another great opportunity to network and help you learn more about your chosen industry." In fact, many students take advantage of the fact that, "after the first semester, we typically have night classes, so it opens up the potential for students to work or take on an internship." For one student, "Class work resulted in a new, higher-paying job even before finishing school." University of San Diego's Career Services office has partnered with UCâ€"San Diego and San Diego State to provide a large database of regional job opportunities. However, "Much of their efforts seem to be centered around the needs of undergraduate students," leaving graduate students with fewer resources than they need. Many graduate students feel they "must be self-driven to network and must create career opportunities for themselves." A student explains, "There should be partnerships and "feeder" programs in place, based on the reputation of the education, if nothing else. This is strongly lacking and one of the drawbacks to an otherwise fantastic program."

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