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MBA Program

Our current MBA Program engenders a bold new scope, direction and emphasis in graduate business education. It is designed to respond to the perceived educational needs of the managers of organizations moving into the 21st century. It focuses on the skills clearly identified by business and employers as being differentiators in their recruitment and hiring practices and critical to advancement within organizations. The basis of its design was in extensive research, analysis and evaluation involving leading business education authorities, faculty, alumni, students, employers and business executives.

Today, organizations throughout the world are facing unprecedented levels of complex operational challenges. Expanding global economies, rapidly changing technologies, and increasing concern for ethical business conduct are critical issues to which private, public, and not-for-profit organizations must respond. Effective handling of complex issues such as these requires managers who are broadly experienced and visionary.

The Master of Business Administration provides students with opportunities to develop the analytical, practical, and interpersonal skills crucial to sound managerial decision-making in an increasingly complex business environment. The MBA is an advanced professional degree designed to prepare students for a versatile and challenging management career.

Objective

The MBA program at the University of San Francisco blends the experience and expertise of an innovative faculty with the Jesuit tradition of educating students to be leaders in domestic and international business. Our commitment is to prepare MBA students for high-level management careers in an increasingly global business environment.

In addition to the traditional functional skills, our curriculum highlights five themes that are an integral part of every course in the curriculum: (1) Communication Strategy; (2) Leadership Dynamics; (3) Creative Problem Solving; (4) Ethical Perspectives; and (5) Global Perspectives. The development of these five skills has been clearly identified by business and employers as being differentiators in their recruitment practices and as being critical to success in the business environment. We are confident that this innovative curriculum will give the MBA student a distinctive advantage in his or her professional career.

The University of San Francisco's strategic location in one of the world's leading international business centers provides the classroom within which our students develop management expertise. Our internationalized curriculum, which blends theory and application, provides students with the analytical skills and practical experience for dealing with complex organizational issues. Our international student body, which represents 80 countries worldwide, brings to the classroom an appreciation of business perspectives and cultural approaches matched by few business schools nationwide.

The MBA program is designed on an interactive model to facilitate strong relationships between students and faculty. Individualized attention from faculty, who bring industry and consulting experience to their classrooms, provides a personalized approach to management education. Our faculty, whose primary commitment is to teaching, work closely with students to enhance the depth, breadth, and flexibility of the MBA program. The USF faculty understand the changing needs of business and provide their students with experience and curriculum that reflect these changing needs.

The USF MBA program is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).

Admission Requirements

The MBA program is open to any qualified holder of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, regardless of undergraduate major field of study. Admission is highly competitive and only those students who can present evidence of their potential to participate successfully in graduate-level studies will be selected.

The Admissions Committee considers the undergraduate Grade Point Average (GPA), the score on the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), work experience and other factors which demonstrate motivation and leadership potential. Applicants from non-English-speaking countries must complete the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), and achieve a score of 250 or better on the computer-based exam, or a score of 600 or better on the paper-based exam.

The University of San Francisco admits qualified students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin; it does not discriminate on the basis of handicap in admission or in access to its programs.

Application Procedures

Eligible students may enter in the Fall or Spring semesters. To apply, the following documents must be submitted:

Applicants should plan to take the GMAT examination at the earliest opportunity. The examination is given on a computer platform and is administered year-round. Test application forms may be obtained from either of the following two ETS offices:

Educational Testing Service
2731 Systron Drive
Concord, CA 94518
(925) 808-2000

Educational Testing Service
P.O. Box 6151
Princeton, NJ 08541-6151
(609) 771-7330

The TOEFL examination is generally given bimonthly in major cities worldwide; details are available from any U.S. Embassy or Information Office. Students must arrange to complete and forward results of the TOEFL examination to the University of San Francisco through the Educational Testing Service, whose addresses are listed above.

General Requirements

Entering MBA students are expected to be competent in the following five areas:

The MBA program can be completed in 24 months on a full-time basis, or three years on a part-time basis. The MBA program must be completed within a five-year period.

Program of Studies

The Master of Business Administration program consists of these components:

Any graduate student whose cumulative grade point average falls below 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. Students on academic probation who fail to raise their cumulative grade point average to 3.0 by the time they have completed the next six (6) semester hours of graduate work are subject to disqualification from the program. Students whose cumulative average falls below 2.5 in any one semester are also subject to disqualification unless otherwise noted by the specific school or college.

Those individuals who have demonstrated excellence in their MBA course work are acknowledged by their placement on the Dean's Honor Roll. This designation receives permanent record on transcripts. Those students with current and cumulative GPAs of 3.7, who have completed at least eight units in the graduate program at USF, and are members of the top 10% of all MBA students are eligible for the Dean's List. Additional policies and rules for graduate students are listed under Graduate Regulations.

Beta Gamma Sigma

Beta Gamma Sigma is a national honor society whose membership is selected from business or management programs of schools that are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International). Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma is one of the highest academic recognitions a student can receive. To be eligible for memberhsip, an MBA student must rank in the top 20% of the three (August, December, and May) annual graduating classes of the Program.

The MBA Curriculum

The University of San Francisco MBA Program is a rigorous and intellectually challenging field of study that provides the analytical, functional, and interpersonal skills necessary for success in an increasingly complex and global business environment. The MBA curriculum reflects careful consideration of the development of these skills by providing students with two levels of graduate management course work: Core Courses and Elective Courses.

MBA Core Courses

The MBA Core Courses are the nucleus of the MBA curriculum and provide innovative problem-solving skills to diagnose and solve a wide variety of managerial problems. In addition to the development of specific functional and analytical skills, the core curriculum has been uniquely designed to integrate five themes throughout each course: global perspectives, ethical perspectives, creative problem solving, leadership dynamics, and communication skills. Through the use of case studies, guest speakers, computer simulations, and faculty-student interaction, these themes merge with course content to provide a real-world experience.

Core Courses

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http://www.usfca.edu
2130 Fulton Street
San Francisco, CA 94117-1080

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