Program Overview
The Saturday MBA has a focus in Sustainability and is designed to prepare mid-career professionals to advance their careers by moving into upper management positions. It offers a transformative learning experience that features problem-solving consulting projects, cross-functional case studies, professional skill coaching, and an international learning experience. Focus is on enhancing competence for managing financial, social, environmental and informational resources through tangible project experience and classroom applications; top priorities for sustaining modern organizations in a dynamic global marketplace. Learn more about the SMBA Program (PDF).
The program is cohort-based and begins in the fall. Students take two classes each Saturday during 10-week quarters, and complete the 48 units in 23 months. Sample SMBA schedule.
Program Snapshot
Watch a Student Testimonial
What is Included?
Orientation
Students are required to participate in a three-day orientation at the Marriott Courtyard in downtown Long Beach. The focus of the orientation is to prepare the student to work in teams, master the Harvard case discussion method, and begin the preparation for their career post-graduation. During the orientation, students get to know faculty, fellow students and alumni of the program while working in teams. The orientation is included in the cost of the program.
Included
The price of textbooks and other reading materials, two meals on class days, parking on campus, international trip expenses except airline costs to and from country, are all included in the tuition cost of $1,000 per unit or a total cost of $48,000.
Graduate Career Services
Career planning and management are an important benefit of the Saturday MBA program. Students begin their career planning after they have been admitted and support continues for up to a year after graduation. Students work with a career advisor on developing career goals to take them to the next level in their organization. This includes one-on-one coaching and other important career skills.
Consulting Projects
Business consulting projects are the cornerstone of the second year of the SMBA program. These projects are designed to solve real-world, complex problems that integrate financial, societal, environmental and corporate governance concerns into ethical management, applying class room knowledge to help clients solve real problems by reducing costs, improving processes and making their businesses more competitive. The challenges that students (and their clients) must grapple with include reducing costs and the firm's carbon footprint associated with greenhouse gases (AB 32 mandate), creating new products/services that integrate societal/environmental concerns, analyzing water scarcity issues, analyzing socially responsible investment strategies, creating revenue streams from waste, calculating the benefits and costs of an infrastructure investment using alternative energy, and many more. List of client projects (PDF)
Learn More About Sustainability and the Business Organization
48 Environmental Victories Since the First Earth Day
MBA students must set the agenda for Corporate Social Responsibility
Program Profile
- Average class size: 27
- Average age: 34
- Average GPA: 3.14
- GMAT range: 530-620
- GRE range: 150-158
Diversity
- Women: 68%
Undergraduate Majors
- Business
- Engineering
Program Requirements
Please review Admission Information for General Application Requirements for the program.