The Fastest California MBA Programs
Earning an MBA in no simple task, and takes commitment on several levels. Of course there’s the financial commitment and, for those in part-time programs, there’s also a work commitment. There’s also a large time commitment involved—prospective MBAs must sink time into studying, attending class, immersion courses, case competitions, and the like. Continue reading…
The Fastest MBA You Can Earn in Los Angeles
Los Angeles may not be typically associated with the break-neck pace of life like New York or Washington DC, that doesn’t mean your business school career has to be slow there. A fast MBA is becoming an increasingly large priority for new MBA students throughout the U.S., and, luckily, Los Angeles has plenty of fast options.
With businesses constantly growing in the city (LA added 6,400 new jobs just last April), the faster MBA students can get their degree in hand means the faster they can get to work. Not to mention that accelerated or shortened MBA programs usually mean spending less money on tuition and living expenses while in school—minimizing the amount of time students will have to forego an income.
We looked at some of the fastest MBAs you can earn in Los Angeles, with some unique programs taking as little as 12 months to complete. These MBAs will allow you to get quickly down to business without sacrificing the quality or integrity of the program.
Finding a Fast MBA in Los Angeles
Marshall School of Business – USC
The USC Marshall MBA is one of the top ranked programs in the country, and with the One-Year International MBA for Mid-Career Professionals (IBEAR MBA), you can have that degree in your hand in just 12 months. The program, which is designed for mid-career professionals looking to expand their leadership opportunities in global business, provides career development opportunities, personalized career plans, and plenty of chances to explore the world.
The program is truly global and the average class size of 55 can represent anywhere from 12-15 countries. Participants, with an average of 11 years of professional experience, come from a wide range of academic backgrounds, including those with undergraduate majors in computer science, science & engineering, and even the humanities. These mid-level professionals can seriously minimize the amount of time they must take away from work, and in the process gaining an IBEAR alumni network of 1800 across 60 countries.
Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles
The Mount Saint Mary’s MBA program is designed to create effective global leaders who are trained in value-based decision making to bring real and impactful change to the businesses they lead. And the best part? The program takes just 18 months to complete. One of these semesters consists of “Foundations” courses for business leaders just starting out, and may be waived for candidates that have taken similar courses during their undergraduate studies, which may even further reduce the program’s length.
The Mount Saint Mary’s fast MBA is a unique program that centers itself around theme-based models, combining business disciplines like marketing, law, or finance, to give students a broader view of the interdisciplinary nature of business. The 18-month program also includes a final project that will require teams of students to partner with a “real world” organization to solve their business problems.
Argyros School of Business – Chapman University
The Professional MBA program at Chapman University’s Argyros School of Business allows students to customize their degree and move through the program at their own pace. For dedicated students, the program can be completed in as little as 21 months. The class schedule is flexible, which allows students the chance to move at their own pace throughout the program, choosing between both evening and daytime courses. Students may also choose a specialization in which to focus their degree, such as marketing analytics, entertainment, and global business, among others.
Even though the Chapman Professional MBA is flexible and at times fast-paced, the university does not compromise in quality and students will have the same benefits available to them as those in more traditional programs. Students in the Chapman MBA program will be taught by professional and renowned faculty, have access to the university’s career services department, and even have opportunities to travel around the world.
CHECK THIS OUT: Here are the Los Angeles Internship Opportunities You Need to Know
California State University, Long Beach College of Business Administration
The Accelerated MBA program at California State University, Long Beach is designed for young professionals with little experience in the business world. Focusing on entrepreneurship and innovation, the program will train these up-and-coming business leaders in how to bring new products to the market, identify business opportunities, and manage small business ventures.
The Accelerated program at CSULB can be completed in as little as 13 months, allowing students to jump back into work with an MBA on their resume just over a year after they start. The program is also heavily centered around internship experience, which will allow students to gain crucial hands-on experience while earning their degree, and get closer to the school’s objective of ensuring every student has a job offer by graduation.
Anderson School of Management – UCLA
The UCLA-NUS Executive MBA, offered jointly through UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and the National University of Singapore Business School, can be completed in just fifteen months and results in two fast MBA degrees from two of the world’s top business schools.
If you are looking for a truly global degree—and the international experience to back it up—this could be the perfect degree for you. Every three months, your cohort of students from around the world will gather for two weeks at locations from Los Angeles to Shanghai and anywhere in between.
MBAs: Here are the Los Angeles Internship Opportunities You Need to Know
If you’re looking for lots of sun, beautiful beaches, and a bustling business headquarters, Los Angeles is likely your city. So, it’s no surprise that it’s also a top location for earning an MBA. Not only is Los Angeles home to many top business schools—such as UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and the USC Marshall School of Business—but it’s also a central hub for tech startups and Fortune 500 companies.
Of course, this means is that Los Angeles is also an excellent city for MBA internships. There are a wealth of opportunities and companies where MBAs can start their careers. We’ve outlined some of our favorite Los Angeles internship opportunities below.
Los Angeles Internship Opportunities You Need to Know
21st Century Fox is an American multinational mass media corporation headquartered in New York City, but with a large office in Los Angeles. It’s the fourth largest media conglomerate in the U.S.
Both USC Marshall and UCLA Anderson have sent MBA students to intern at 21st Century Fox in the last year, according to their latest employment reports. These MBA students have the unique opportunity to participate in a summer internship program, which typically includes 20-25 hours per week of work.
More than 600 internships are offered each year in a range of divisions from film to television and sports. In addition, 21st Century Fox interns can work in a broad range of departments from marketing to finance, production, information technology, legal, digital, human resources, and business development and strategy.
Headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California, Amgen Inc. is a multinational biopharmaceutical company with a keen interest in MBA talent. Last year, Amgen hired 10-15 students out of UCLA Anderson, according to the school’s employment report. They were also a top hiring company at USC Marshall for full-time employment and internships.
As the world’s largest independent biotechnology firm, Amgen is the ideal company for MBA candidates interested in working in the biotech industry. MBA internships are offered in a variety of fields including finance, operations, marketing, or commercial leadership. According to the Amgen website, internships for first-year MBA students serve as the primary source of talent selection for the company’s full-time positions.
Located in El Segunda, CA, Mattel Inc. is one of the most well-known toy manufacturing companies in the world. They’re best known for brands such as Fisher-Price, Barbie, Hot Wheels, and American Girl. In 2017, the UC Irvine Merage School of Business sent six MBA students to Mattel for an internship opportunity and another four MBAs were hired full-time, according to the latest employment report.
Mattel Inc. offers internships for both full-time and part-time students interested in working in their marketing, finance, supply chain, or human resources divisions. Their Los Angeles internship programs are typically 12 weeks in length and often lead to full-time employment offers.
On Glassdoor, one MBA intern spoke about their experience at Mattel saying, “Mattel attracts diverse talent for various roles with serious intent to hire. Mattel’s summer internship is full of events and speakers that are specifically set up to welcome and educate interns, and the internship provides a great way for MBA students to try out the company before coming on full time.”
It won’t be surprising to hear this, but, Deloitte has a considerable presence in Los Angeles, CA; so it’s no wonder that the company hires many MBA students from the top business school programs in the area. Last year, Deloitte was the third largest employer of MBA students at UCLA Anderson. So, it’s no surprise that Deloitte made Fortune’s list of “25 Top MBA Employers.”
Internship opportunities vary at Deloitte with many options in consulting with focuses on either strategy and operations or business technology. Other internship opportunities include a business analyst summer scholar as well as a tax consultant internship. Depending on an MBA student’s interest and background, they can join various teams at the company.
In 2012, CNN Money ranked Nike as the 9th best company for MBAs to work for, and in the six years since, not much has changed. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, the company looks to Los Angeles for many of its internship opportunities, which is currently one of the best ways to gain full-time employment at the company.
Nike internships are offered in almost every division of the company from technology to finance, supply chain, merchandising, legal, marketing, procurement, analytics, and more. MBA students who are chosen for a Nike internship will find themselves working on a team project over the course of 12 weeks with a project pitch at the end of the summer. There are also social events throughout the summer. UCLA Anderson and USC Marshall both sent MBA students to Nike in 2017.
Starting a Franchise, Healthcare Management, and More – Los Angeles News
Let’s explore some of the most interesting stories that have come out of Los Angeles business schools this week.
So You Want to Start a Fitness Franchise? – Forbes
Katya Strombland, Los Angeles-based entrepreneur and MBA graduate of USC’s Marshall School of Business, was featured this week in an interview with Forbes. Strombland, who spent ten years working for Avery Office Products after earning her MBA, eventually found a way to combine her passion and profession—opening two Club Pilates franchises in the Los Angeles area.
The Forbes Q+A discusses how Strombland got involved with fitness franchising, and the process of investing, opening and ultimately profiting from the process. She also discusses both the rewards and challenges of franchising, as well as offering advice for those looking to get their foot in the door: “If you have the opportunity to work or volunteer at another franchisee’s location to learn the ropes from within, do it. It’s invaluable experience.”
Read more about Strombland and the process of franchising here.
Healthcare Management Students Extend Cal State LA’s Winning Streak – CBE Newsroom
A team of healthcare management students at the College of Business and Economics California State University, Los Angeles, recently placed among the top three winners at the Western Regional Healthcare Executives College Bowl Case Study Competition. The students faced off against eleven teams from graduate schools across five states to take the honor, working for more than 60 hours in three weeks to prepare.
Several of the participating students are already industry professionals, but nonetheless agreed that the competition will help shape their careers going forward. The challenge, which takes place over two rounds, requires students to develop solutions for a problem currently faced by a regional healthcare facility. Judges at the competition include all practicing C-suit executives from the healthcare management industry.
Find out more about the annual challenge and the healthcare management program at CalState LA here.
LMU Business Incubator Showcase to Spotlight Start-Up Companies – LMU Newsroom
The Loyola Marymount University College of Business Administration recently hosted its annual Business Incubator Showcase. Sponsored by the Fred Kiesner Center for Entrepreneurship, the event allows Loyola students and recent graduates to share their best business ideas with the community, while the incubator provides the necessary workspace and guidance to turn their ideas into reality.
A wide variety of business ideas were featured at the Business Incubator Showcase at the end of April, including Recupera, a meal service company for those with medical considerations, Influencer Line, which designs and markets products for influencers, and Bristl, a toothbrush that uses light therapy and sonic vibrations to boost oral healthcare.
“I am so proud of the men and women who, with the incubator’s help, have built innovative and promising businesses that are positioned for success in the marketplace,” commented Kiesner Center director David Choi.
You can read more about the business incubator here.
Cal State Innovation Winners Announced, and More – Los Angeles News
Take a look at some of the top business school stories coming out of the Los Angeles metro this week.
Innovation Challenge 2018 Winners – CSULB Newsroom
Artemus Labs, a team of California State University Long Beach College of Business Administration students, were recently named the winners of the 2018 CSULB Innovation Challenge. The competition, available through the CSULB Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, awarded $10,000 in seed funding to Artemus Labs, along with legal and accounting services and space worth up to $40,000.
Artemus Labs is made up of Rae Jillian Rivera, Anna Maria del Mundo, Nikki Escobar, Kimberly Ventura, and Calvin Leung. The company designed a new prosthetic liner based on feedback from amputees, creating a breathable and bright liner that vastly improved on existing models. This is Calvin Leung’s third time on a finalist team, having previously been a part of 1010 Labs, LLC, a mobile app to help caregivers in looking after elderly family members. The app was a runner up in the Innovation Challenge in both 2016 and 2017.
Rae Jillian Rivera, Anna Maria del Mundo, Nikki Escobar, Calvin Leung, and Kimberly Ventura of Artemus Lab / Photo via csulb.edu
Read more about the CSULB Innovation Challenge and Artemus Labs here.
LGBT Awareness Week at UCLA Anderson – UCLA Anderson
April 23 through the 27 at the UCLA Anderson School of Management was LGBT Awareness week, inviting the school’s LGBT community and allies to participate in a week full of events and discussion. Among the events will be the OUTx Conference on Thursday, April 26th, which will take a deep look at the LGBTQ experience in both the professional and personal sphere through workshops, panels and conversations with leaders in the industry. Jessica Kimball, Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Mattel, Inc, was the keynote speaker.
In addition to the conference on Thursday, the week was filled with events tailored to allies, advocates and leaders within the community. Also included in the week’s events was Happy Hours, receptions and brunch, giving members of the community the chance to both network and celebrate the work of OUT@Anderson at UCLA.
You can read more about the events of LGBT Awareness week at UCLA Anderson here.
Sustaining Entrepreneurship Research – USC Marshall Newsroom
USC Marshall School of Business professor Noam Wasserman is the recipient of a newly endowed chair in entrepreneurship, thanks to a generous gift from the Lemann Foundation of Brazil in 2017. The gift, which funded the new Jorge Paulo and Susanna Lemann Chair in Entrepreneurship, also supports up to six scholarships for Brazilian students working towards their Master of Science in Social Entrepreneurship degree at Marshall.
Noam Wasserman currently serves as professor of clinical entrepreneurship and the founding director of the Founder Central Initiative at USC Marshall’s Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. Wasserman was honored with the endowed chair thanks to his ground-breaking research into early-decision making by founders. “[JP and Suzzane Lemann’s] support and encouragement has been invaluable for helping maximize the impact that we can have on our next generation of high-impact founders and startups,” Wasserman said, “on campus, in Southern California, in Brazil, and beyond.”
Read more about the newly endowed chair here.
How Virtual Work Can Learn from the Virtual Classroom
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How do you connect a workforce spread across different cities, countries and continents?
Finding the answer to that question is among the biggest challenges and opportunities for modern organizations—businesses, non-profits and academic institutions alike. Virtual collaboration and telecommuting are nothing new, but the technology that supports these practices is evolving faster than it ever has before. In fact, the first trend in Deloitte’s 2017 Global Human Capital Trends report indicates that the constant pressure to adapt to digital transformation and create “the organization of the future” is the most important challenge facing executives around the world.
Virtual collaboration is rapidly becoming important in the academic world as well, with leading schools like USC Marshall offering mostly online education programs, including its top 10 online MBA program. These programs challenge and teach students to learn, collaborate and communicate more effectively in virtual classrooms as well as in business settings.
Deloitte also makes the point that individuals usually adapt to technology quickly, while organizations take longer to adapt to changes in technology. As a result, there is considerable demand for business leaders and professionals who are not only familiar working and collaborating within virtual environments, but who can also lead and manage virtual teams.
Of course, this is more than just a distance problem. Global businesses face culture and time differences, and many offices may even operate with different technology and processes from each other. The organizations that pull ahead in the new digital age will be those that can continuously look forward to how they can effectively utilize technology to overcome distance, cultural and various other barriers to true collaboration in a virtual space. Fortunately, many of the technology limitations that inhibited remote collaboration are disappearing.
The Future of Virtual Collaboration: Already Here in the Classroom
There is still a lot of room for both software providers and businesses to grow. Although the future of virtual collaboration looks promising, the best practices for using virtual collaboration tools may not be where you think: Instead of businesses, it may actually be universities leading the charge.
In 2017, for example, the USC Marshall School of Business collaborated with IBM to teach students virtual collaboration skills. Students were given a group project with one big caveat: They would never meet other members working on the project in person. USC worked with IBM to create an online collaboration platform, so that students could work together remotely.
“Once we moved to a single collaboration platform using the IBM Connections tool … all of a sudden, they’re in this single space,” said Peter Cardon, Academic Director and Professor at the USC Marshall School of Business. “They’re integrating their work. There’s this level of accountability. And they can see what one another are doing to really contribute to the project, and that dramatically improves their ability to produce really quality results.”
According to Cardon, the success of the initial project created demand for similar initiatives designed to encourage collaboration among students across the world and from different cultures. This in turn shows how the skills taught by these initiatives as well as learnt intrinsically in top online MBA programs are critical for solving the challenges that inhibit the adoption of enterprise virtual collaboration.
USC’s Online MBA (OMBA) program provides additional examples of how virtual collaboration can be used successfully to solve real-world business problems. Courses are structured so that students participate in two live video sessions each week; this gives them opportunities to ask questions and more actively engage with faculty. The program also includes a one-unit course that focuses entirely on virtual collaboration, including best practices and technologies for enabling successful collaboration in the workplace. According to Miriam Burgos, Academic Director of the OMBA program, students are given opportunities to reflect on how the skills they learn through virtual collaboration influence their leadership and business expertise.
Students in the online MBA program must also work together to analyze and solve real-world business problems. In one of the first semester-long group projects, for example, students analyze data-driven business strategies. All the data and analytics for these projects are done and coordinated remotely by students from around the world. Each group must then virtually present their findings at the end of the semester.
“It’s incredible to see … how students from all over the world—from the U.S. to England to Dubai—are actively networking in an online environment,” Burgos told MetroMBA. “The live class sessions get them engaged with the coursework and each other, and they can take these skills outside the classroom. Students often tell us that what they learn in the classroom makes them stronger leaders in their workplaces … they start seeing an immediate impact on their careers.”
What Businesses Can Learn from the Virtual Classroom
Encouraging the use of virtual collaboration in business settings has historically been an uphill battle. For instance, many collaboration tools face limited user adoption because they do not offer a seamless transition between employees’ workflow and the collaboration tool; this will change as pressure mounts on businesses to embed collaboration functionality with existing tools and processes. Furthermore, a new generation of business professionals will have already gained proficiency in leading and managing online, collaborative projects; these professionals will be able to shift business processes to be more accommodating of virtual collaboration. At the same time, enterprise virtual collaboration will evolve due to several key industry trends, including:
• Communication channel variety: The number of potential channels for collaboration will grow. Some employees shine in face-to-face meetings, but others will shine most in virtual environments. The businesses that master digital transformation will provide a mixture of synchronous collaboration, such as real-time video meetings, and asynchronous collaboration tools, such as file sharing or cloud-based content management.
• Collaboration integrated with content and workflow: The best collaboration tools are only effective if users adopt them. This will push businesses to seamlessly integrate collaboration tools with project management and workflow tools so that collaboration can take place within existing business process and tools.
• Spontaneous Virtual Collaboration: One of the central challenges of virtual collaboration in the past is that it is difficult to mimic in-person experiences like spontaneous brainstorming sessions around the water cooler. Technology integration will help facilitate this; for instance, when chat and video call functionality is integrated with file sharing, it is much easier to discuss designs, plans or other documents while making changes in real time.
In the long-term, businesses will also have access to technology that dramatically alters the virtual collaboration landscape by placing emphasis on more realistic immersion and connection between employees. This is already starting to take shape in technology solutions. For example, platforms such as Cisco Spark VR allow teams to collaborate in full virtual reality environments. Many of these solutions remain in early access or beta testing stages. The solutions’ potential to connect employees across the world, however, is limitless. In the case of Cisco Spark VR, the platform creates virtual rooms where people can meet to share 3D images and documents.
Yet, the potential for these platforms extends far beyond meeting in VR spaces. Imagine a future where artificial intelligence makes video calling remote employees a seamless experience, with AI providing virtual name badges and getting rid of background noise automatically. It may be a while before we see full VR conference rooms, but if you want leaders who are at the cutting edge of virtual collaboration, it’s time to look inside the virtual classroom.
