Program Overview

Master of Business Administration Overview

The M.B.A. program is designed as a balanced preparation for managerial careers in business. Its purpose is to prepare students for responsible positions in a rapidly changing world; to develop an attitude of intellectual curiosity; to foster an interest in continuous learning throughout life; and to apply business skills to all types of endeavors.

Accreditation

The M.B.A. program is accredited by the most respected business accrediting association in the world, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). San Francisco State University is also accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). This ensures continuous improvement of faculty in teaching, research, and professional service.

Admission

U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and international students may apply for fall or spring admissions according to the following schedule:

• Fall semester filing period: October 1 through May 1.
• Spring semester filing period: August 1 through October 1.
  • There are three rounds of application deadlines in the Fall semester filing period (for the Spring semester filing period, there is only one). The above dates are subject to change.

Application Process

Each applicant to the M.B.A. program must submit the following documents:

• California State University Application for Graduate Admission plus an application fee of $70
• One official transcript from every college or university attended
• GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test) or GRE (Graduate Record Examination) test results.
  • The deadline to take the GMAT or GRE is May 1 for Fall admission and October 1 of the prior year for Spring admission.
• A statement of purpose showing how the desired graduate business program is related to the applicant's career and future goals.
• TOEFL, IELTS, or Pearson Test of English is required for admission from all applicants who have completed their undergraduate degree in a non-English speaking country.
• Résumé or curriculum vitae
• Two letters of recommendation
• International applicants will need to file the Financial Affidavit form to obtain an I-20 Certificate of Eligibility

Admission Criteria

The Lam Family College of Business admissions committee reviews an applicant's file using a holistic approach and takes the following requirements into consideration:

• Completion of a degree equivalent to a four-year U.S. bachelor's degree from a recognized university.
• A minimum 3.0 Grade Point Average overall, or in the last 60 semester units or 90 quarter units of university coursework completed.
• GMAT exam including total score, verbal, quantitative, writing scores, and integrated reasoning scores or the GRE test verbal, quantitative, and writing scores.
  • A GMAT AWA score of 5.0 or a GRE AWA score of 4.5 or higher is required for classified admission.
• Quality of statement of purpose
• Two supportive letters of recommendation from workplace supervisors or faculty members
• Qualifications on résumé
• TOEFL score of at least 88 (or 570 PBT), IELTS score of at least 6.5 or PTE score of at least 59.
  • The TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE must have been taken within the past two years and is a requirement of all applicants who have earned their undergraduate degree from a country where the official language is not English. MBA applicants may waive the GMAT/GRE test if at least one of the following conditions is met (applicants will instead be invited in for an interview and a 45-minute writing examination):
• Completed doctoral or master's degree from a recognized/accredited program;
• Minimum 3.0 GPA with five or more years of full-time, professional work experience;
• Completed an undergraduate degree in business from an AACSB-accredited school with a cumulative 3.0 (or higher) GPA.

Program Learning Outcomes

• Functional and Integrative Organizational Knowledge: Apply advanced knowledge across key business disciplines to develop, implement, and evaluate operational and strategic solutions in complex and dynamic organizational contexts.
• Problem Solving and Critical Thinking: Use qualitative and quantitative methods to gather, analyze, and interpret data, and make data-driven decisions that address the problem and enhance organizational performance.
• Ethical and Global Mindset: Evaluate business challenges and opportunities in consideration of ethical principles, global perspectives, and sustainable business practices.
• Effective Communication: Communicate complex ideas clearly, persuasively, and appropriately in written, oral, and digital formats for diverse audiences and stakeholders.
• Leadership, Teamwork, and Interpersonal Effectiveness: Lead and collaborate effectively within diverse teams, demonstrating cultural competence, emotional intelligence, and respect for diverse perspectives.
• Digital Agility and Innovation: Adapt to changing environments by leveraging emerging technologies, business models, and market trends to generate new and innovative ideas and solutions.

Program Requirements

• Orientation and Professional Development Workshops: Admitted students are expected to attend the required orientation prior to the start of their first semester.
• Master of Business Administration 3057 Units: Program prerequisite and advanced requirement courses must be taken on the basis of letter grading (+/- letter grade only). CR/NC grading is not allowed.

Prerequisite Courses

Prerequisite courses offer students, without a recent Business undergraduate degree, the opportunity to learn or refresh knowledge in the basic elements of business. Depending upon a student's previous academic background, the prerequisite courses may range from 0 to 24 units. The program requirements are met by taking the eight business prerequisite courses below or by waivers of individual courses based on previous equivalent coursework.

• Students who have earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration within the past seven years from an Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)-accredited university, with a 3.0 GPA or better in the last 60 semester units or 90 quarter units of coursework, are eligible to waive all M.B.A. program prerequisite courses.
• Students who have taken and completed coursework equivalent to any of the prerequisite courses at other institutions within the last five to seven years may be able to waive individual prerequisite courses.

Prerequisite for Conditional Admits (0-3 Units)

• Course List:
  • Code: BUS 714
  • Title: Elements of Graduate Business Writing
  • Units: 3

Prerequisite Courses for M.B.A. Program (024 Units)

• Course List:
  • Code: ACCT 780
  • Title: Financial Accounting
  • Units: 3
  • Code: DS 776
  • Title: Data Analysis for Managers
  • Units: 3
  • Code: DS 786
  • Title: Operations Analysis
  • Units: 3
  • Code: ECON 783
  • Title: Economics for Managers
  • Units: 3
  • Code: ISYS 782
  • Title: Information Systems for Management
  • Units: 3
  • Code: FIN 785
  • Title: Financial Management
  • Units: 3
  • Code: MGMT 788
  • Title: Management Principles and Organizational Behavior
  • Units: 3
  • Code: MKTG 787
  • Title: Marketing Management
  • Units: 3

Advanced Requirements for M.B.A. Program (12 Units)

Select one course from each category:

• Accounting/Quantitative Methods (3 Units)
  • Code: ACCT 831
  • Title: Financial Statement Analysis
  • Code: FIN 819
  • Title: Financial Analysis and Management
• Ethics/Management (3 Units)
  • Code: BUS 884
  • Title: Business Ethics, Society, and Sustainability
  • Code: MGMT 842
  • Title: Seminar in Organization Design and Change
• Business Decision-Making (3 Units)
  • Code: DS 852
  • Title: Managerial Decision-Making
  • Code: ISYS 814
  • Title: Information Systems for Strategic Advantage
• Marketing/Globalization (3 Units)
  • Code: MKTG 860
  • Title: Strategic Marketing
  • Code: IBUS 815
  • Title: Seminar in International Business

Electives (15 Units)

Advisor-approved electives (at least three must be 800-level courses offered by the College of Business, up to two may be graduate-level courses within the University with prior advisor approval.)

• A maximum of two prerequisite courses taken at SF State (ACCT 780, DS 776, DS 786, ECON 783, ISYS 782, FIN 785, MGMT 788, MKTG 787) may count as electives.

Culminating Experience (3 Units)

• Course List:
  • Code: BUS 890 & BUS 896EXM
  • Title: Strategic Management and Culminating Experience Examination
  • Units: 3

Advancement to Candidacy

Before being considered for Advancement to Candidacy, the applicant must meet all general University requirements, attend all professional development workshops at orientation, satisfy all prerequisite courses, earn an overall SF State GPA of 3.0 or better, and complete at least 12 units of College of Business advanced requirement courses. When requirements have been satisfied, the graduate advisor may recommend to the Dean of the Division of Graduate Studies that the applicant be advanced to candidacy for the degree by filing the Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) form.

Elective Areas

• Accounting: Graduate Advisors: Hammond, Hetherington, Hsieh, Kim, Sopt
• Decision Sciences/Operations Research: Graduate Advisors: Bollapragada, Cholette, Cheung, Miyaoka, Saltzman, Soorapanth
• Finance: Graduate Advisors: Feldman, M. Li, Liu
• International Business: Graduate Advisors: Heiman, Yang
• Hospitality and Tourism Management: Graduate Advisors: Johnson, Roe, Yang
• Information Systems: Graduate Advisor: Sayeed
• Management: Graduate Advisors: Baack, Trivedi, Bonner
• Marketing: Graduate Advisors: Bhat, Hussain, Sengupta, Sinapuelas