Program Overview
Lucas College and Graduate School of Business
The Lucas College and Graduate School of Business offers a comprehensive education in business, with a focus on innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurship.
Program Structure
The Business Honors Program is an opportunity for Marketing & Business Analytics (MKTBA) students to synthesize the learning from their major/concentration to tackle real-world projects with one of our Business Honors Program client partners. Participating client organizations will sponsor a team of capable and motivated MKTBA students to work on a collaboratively defined strategic project which will have measurable outcomes and deliverables. Students will be given the autonomy to define the roadmap, timeline, and milestones for achieving agreed-upon goals. At the conclusion of the semester, student teams will present their findings and recommendations to the leadership team from the sponsoring organization.
Beyond the Classroom: Creating Value, Not Homework
The honors practicum provides students with a unique opportunity to apply their skills to real-world projects in real-world work settings. The course meets once per week, on Monday evenings, from 6:00 pm – 8:45 pm. Each class session is divided into roughly three sections, team check-ins, peer-teaching workshops, and industry speakers.
Weekly Team Check-Ins
Students work in teams directly with liaisons at their designated organization to come up with innovative programs and plans, mapping out solutions that will ultimately be implemented and maintained by the client organization. Students will have an opportunity to check-in during class; teams will also set additional meetings to work with each other and client liaisons during the week. Students are expected to dedicate approximately 10 hours per week to the Sbona Honors Program.
Peer-Teaching Workshops
Our innovative peer-teaching model elevates the learning experience of both hard skills and soft skills through the course: students develop their technical know-how while simultaneously polishing important presentation and facilitation skillsets that are critical to success and advancement in the professional workplace. Students are put in different teams from their client project teams in order to encourage further networking and relationship development. Each peer-instruction team identifies a relevant topic related to technical know-how or career development, and then design and deliver a highly interactive workshop to their classmates.
Recent topics include:
- Alumni networking
- Asana: Work management, simplified
- Balsamiq for wireframing
- Canva and effective design principles
- Career path exploration via Myers-Briggs
- Creating effective elevator pitches
- Dealing with difficult work situations
- Effective email marketing
- Forming, storming, norming & performing: the FSNP framework
- Google analytics
- How to ace your interview
- Unconscious bias in the workplace
- Leadership styles
- LinkedIn networking
- Public speaking
- Writing standout cover letters
Industry Speakers
Each semester, students across the Business Honors Program meet and learn from the wisdom and experiences of a wide variety of respected industry professionals who speak on a wide variety of topics, including project management, ethical leadership, understanding the metaverse, leading with a JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, inclusion) mindset, the power of persuasion, why marketing is everything for entrepreneurial businesses, and much, much more.
One of our most recent sessions featured Silicon Valley entrepreneur Rahim Fazal's talk entitled: Building A Successful Career in Tech—No Coding Required (aka How Getting Fired From McDonald's Changed My Life).
Marketing and Business Analytics
The Marketing and Business Analytics program offers students a comprehensive education in marketing and business analytics, with a focus on data-driven decision making and strategic marketing.
- Program Structure
- Application Requirements
- Current Students
- Contacts
- Alumni and Partners
Centers and Institutes
The Lucas College and Graduate School of Business is home to a number of centers and institutes, including:
- Accounting Advancement Center
- Center for Banking and Financial Services
- Global Leadership Advancement Center
- High Technology Tax Institute
- Institute for People and Performance
- Mineta Transportation Institute
- Silicon Valley Center for Entrepreneurship
- Silicon Valley Center of Operations and Technology Management
- SpartUp: SVCE
- Silicon Valley's Entrepreneurship and Education Programs
Graduate Programs
The Lucas College and Graduate School of Business offers a number of graduate programs, including MBA, MS, and PhD programs.
Undergraduate Programs
The Lucas College and Graduate School of Business offers a number of undergraduate programs, including BS and BA programs.
Research Areas
The Lucas College and Graduate School of Business has a number of research areas, including:
- Accounting
- Finance
- Management
- Marketing
- Operations Management
- Information Systems and Technology
Faculty
The Lucas College and Graduate School of Business has a diverse and experienced faculty, with expertise in a number of areas, including:
- Accounting
- Finance
- Management
- Marketing
- Operations Management
- Information Systems and Technology
Student Organizations
The Lucas College and Graduate School of Business has a number of student organizations, including:
- LILAC
- Business Honors Program
- Student Organizations
Global Opportunities
The Lucas College and Graduate School of Business offers a number of global opportunities, including study abroad programs, international internships, and global consulting projects.
Spartan Springboard
The Spartan Springboard is a program that provides students with the opportunity to work with entrepreneurs and small business owners in the Silicon Valley area.
Thompson Global Internship Program
The Thompson Global Internship Program provides students with the opportunity to intern with companies around the world, gaining valuable work experience and building their professional network.
Dean's Scholars
The Dean's Scholars program is a prestigious program that recognizes and rewards outstanding students in the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business.
Career Launch Initiative
The Career Launch Initiative is a program that provides students with the skills and resources they need to launch their careers, including resume building, interview preparation, and job search strategies.