San Francisco’s Top 3 Economics MBA Programs
When it comes to learning about economics, what better place than Silicon Valley?
San Francisco holds a number of schools that offer an MBA with a focus on economics. The Bay Area is not just a place of lax tech bros though. It’s a place booming with culture and treasures like the Golden Gate Bridge and the Pacific Coast Highway. The beach isn’t too far, either.
But if you are looking for a place to build a resume, San Francisco is it: It ranks among the nation’s best performing cities. San Francisco is also second among cities in the U.S. for GDP growth associated with tech firms.
While many schools in the area hold prestigious MBA programs, here are the top three for where to obtain an economics MBA.
Haas School of Business – UC Berkeley
The Hass School of Business at UC Berkeley has been around for nearly 30 years, since 1989. The Berkeley name itself holds a sense of prestige, but the Haas School even more so. It’s the oldest business school at a public institution. That’s something.
As for its MBA programs, the Haas School offers a full-time, Executive, and a part-time MBA, for which students can take classes in the evening or on weekends. The full-time MBA takes two years and includes a variety of focus areas students can do via electives. One area of focus is economic analysis and policy.
This focus gives candidates that economic edge needed to make it in the field. This focus starts from a student’s first year though the electives tend to become more dominant in the second year. The courses make up 60 percent of the curriculum. Some of these electives use a macroeconomic lens to look at the global economy. Others look at the housing and urban economy from the viewpoint of investors and real estate developers.
Recruiters have come to Haas from healthcare, internet, and solar companies. The program takes just 275 students a year. Those interested in the Haas School of Business must apply by Sept. 21.
Stanford University Graduate School of Business
The Stanford University Graduate School of Business came about after former U.S. President Herbert Hoover, a Stanford alum, helped created the business school in 1925. About 800 students are enrolled in the program at a given time. Sometimes, the program could hold half that size. The Class of 2018 enrollment featured more than 417 students.
The noted university offers a single, full-time MBA program. The business school ensures its curriculum is flexible to fit every student’s needs. By the end of their first quarter, students develop a personalized plan for their foundational courses. That way, they get the basics down before moving onto establish their focus with their experience and goals in mind.
For those interested in economics, Stanford offers two types of expertise: political economics and managerial economics. Here, students can learn about financial crises, contemporary economic policy, managing global political risk, and many more topics.
F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business – Babson College San Francisco
The F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College’s San Francisco campus opened not too long ago, in 2011. It offers a unique blended learning program. Not all students can manage the time to come into a classroom. This program is flexible and blends online classes with in-person classes every seven weeks on Fridays and Saturdays.
Core classes get into the nitty gritty all business students need: financial reporting, managing talent, strategy, and others. But students also get the opportunity to take a series of Signature Learning Experiences that take students outside the classroom and into a hands-on learning environment.
Course topics vary from a myriad of things—and economics is among them. The core courses include one on managerial economics and another on how to apply data to economics. The school also gives economics classes about game theory, trade, globalization, and health economics.
The Premiere San Francisco Accelerated MBA Programs
An MBA is a commitment in terms of money, energy and, yes, time. The time investment is perhaps the most intimidating, with the majority of MBA programs averaging two years. But earning an MBA doesn’t necessarily need to disrupt your life. There are a variety of phenomenal Accelerated MBA programs, wherein you can receive the same education without the daunting time commitment.
San Francisco Accelerated MBA Programs
Leavey School of Business—Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business has an Accelerated MBA option that allows students to earn their degree in less than two years. Leavey’s program holds classes on Thursday nights and all day Saturdays. The program provides a cohort experience, so students move through the core program together, though they can tailor electives to their interests and professional aspirations. Student’s must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 in order to receive their degree. This is an intensive, 70-credit program that will take place over seven terms. The coursework includes 11 core classes and 23 units of electives. There are nine options for concentrations, including: Business Analystics, Digital Marketing and eCommerce, Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation, Financial Planning and Controllership, Finance, Business in the Global Context, Leading Innovative Organizations, Managing Customer Relationships in Business and Tech Markets and Supply Chain Management. Leavey students have access to a variety of student network events, career management seminars, career fairs, career counseling and prestigious academic awards.
F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business—Babson College
At Babson College’s F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business, students can earn their MBA in just 12 months. Accelerated MBAs have access to all the same courses and learning opportunities as students in the standard full-time program. The standard full-time MBA is two year and requires 55 credits, whereas the accelerated program requires that students accrue just 40.5 credits to graduate. Students in this program complete 14 core course credits during the summer, and go on to complete 27 elective credits in the spring. Students tailor their electives to fit their career goals, and can earn a concentration in Entrepreneurship, Finance, Global Management, Business Analytics or Marketing. During the spring term, students are also expected to seize internship opportunities. Baboon also offers Signature Learning Experiences (SLE). These SLEs are unique courses and activities designed to expose students to the rewards and challenges of entrepreneurial decision-making.
Lucas Graduate School of Business—San Jose State University
San Jose State University’s Lucas School of Business provides a special accelerated MBA option for those who are new to the working world, and still determined to earn an MBA. This program may appeal to prospective students who have only recently realized their interest in furthering their business eduction, as Lucas’s program is open to students without an undergraduate degree in business.The Early Career MBA classes meet on the San Jose State University main campus during the evenings and on Saturdays. The program is structured in two month sessions (six to eight weeks per class). This track is specifically for students with zero to five years of work experience, and can be completed in 12 months. Applicants should have a 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher during their undergraduate educations. Students applying should have scores that are in at least the 50th percentile in both the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE. Students on this track take 11 core courses and four elective courses.
