University of San Diego’s SBA is on the rise
DIEGO LUNA | BUSINESS EDITOR | THE USD VISTA | @diegotothemoon
Photo Courtesy of Diego Luna/The Vista
Olin Hall is host to the University of San Diego School of Business Administration.
Every year for the past 18 years, the British news magazine, Financial Times, sets out to identify and rank the best colleges. This year, Financial Times ranked University of San Diego’s MBA program among the top five percent in the world.
Five percent may seem like a tiny portion of the pie; however, when you take into consideration the more than 2,000 MBA programs that exist, a spot in the top 100 sounds insurmountable. The fact that Financial Times has ranked USD’s full-time MBA as 59th in the world is quite the accomplishment.
There are faculty and staff that believe these new rankings make their degree more valuable However, there are some students that believe the new rankings aren’t worth the hype.
Junior Max Cardinale believes there is value added depending if you look at the situation long term or short term.
“I don’t necessarily think it adds value right away,” Cardinale said. “I see how the new rankings add value but more in the long term rather than immediately but I will say that it makes our graduates more competitive in the work force.”
USD’s debut appearance on the list was in 2015, when they were ranked at 66th in the world. This year’s ranking is a notable seven place increment on the top 100 MBA list.
The top 100 MBA global rankings were released on Jan. 25 and include colleges from China, England, France, and even the United Arab Emirates.
The University of San Diego School of Business Administration also rose to 28th in the nation from last year’s spot at 33.
There are 100 ranked schools and only 47 are in the United States. Six are in California, yet University of San Diego is the only university in San Diego County to be ranked. Our cross town rivals SDSU and UCSD did not make the cut this year.
In light of these new rankings, students might ask what requirements USD has for graduate admissions.
Law schools require applicants to take the LSAT. However, business schools require applicants to take the graduate management admissions tests (GMAT). A competitive GMAT score for USD is generally within 550 and 700 points or in the top 80th percentile.
All applications are reviewed by the admissions committee, however, applicants with a GMAT score below 500 are rarely offered admission.
If you are considering getting your MBA from the University of San Diego School of Business Administration, take a close look at the numbers.
The University of San Diego’s graduate programs charge a per unit fee for tuition. The cost of tuition for the 2015-16 year is $1,380 per unit. Once you tally up tuition cost, parking permits, student-fees, health service fees, textbooks, and supplies, a full time MBA from USD will cost you $81,294 for two years.
If you do decide to attend USD, you will join MBA students from all over the world. In addition, you’d have the chance to work closely with the school’s Ahlers Center for International Business to study or work abroad in a number of global cities, including Buenos Aires, Delhi, Hong Kong, Munich, Rio de Janeiro, and Shanghai.
The Financial Times ranking uses weighted criteria in the areas of salary, salary increments, faculty research, job placement, and international mobility.
Graduates from the University of San Diego find work in a variety of industries. The most sought out industries by USD MBAs include marketing, sales, finance, banking, accounting, auditing, and real estate.
The average starting salary for a USD graduate is $46,433 annually.
However, these numbers do not reflect every student or graduate and vary per industry.
Leading firms that hire USD MBAs include Amazon, Google, Bank of America, Ernst and Young, Northrop Grumman, and even San Diego based companies such as Illumina, Qualcomm, and ViaSat.
It is gratifying to see the success of students and alumni.In addition to the students, the tremendous dedication given by faculty, staff, as well as the engagement of the business community contributes to USD’s ability to be recognized as one of the best business schools for the second year in a row.