Top Ranked California Business Schools

Stanford University

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California is a large state with a lot of diverse cities. It is also home to hundreds of colleges and universities. Many of them are in the state's large public school system, but there are even more private schools. In fact, some of the largest and most prestigious colleges and universities in the country are located in California. This means lots of choices for students who are seeking higher education.

In this article, we're going to take a look at some of the options for students who are majoring in business. Although some of the schools on this list do have undergraduate programs, we're going to focus on the best California business schools for graduate students who are seeking an MBA or a specialized master's degree. These schools have been included because of their faculty, curriculum, facilities, retention rates, and career placement rates. 

Stanford Graduate Schools of Business

Stanford Graduate School of Business is frequently ranked among the best business schools in the country, so it is no surprise that it is widely considered to be the best business school in California. It is part of Stanford University, a private research university. Stanford is located in Santa Clara County and adjacent to the city of Palo Alto, which is home to a number of different tech companies.

Stanford Graduate School of Business was originally created as an alternative to business schools in the eastern portion of the United States. The school has grown to become one of the most highly respected institutions of education for business majors. Stanford is known for its cutting-edge research, distinguished faculty, and innovative curriculum.

There are two main master's level programs for business majors at Stanford Graduate School of Business: a full-time, two-year MBA program and a full-time, one-year Master of Science program. The MBA program is a general management program that begins with a year of core courses and global experiences before allowing students to personalize their education with various electives in areas like accounting, finance, entrepreneurship, and political economics. Fellows in the Master of Science program, known as the Stanford Msx Program, take foundational courses first before being mixed in with MBA students for elective coursework.

While enrolled in the program (and even afterward), students have access to career resources and a Career Management Center that will help them design a personalized career plan designed to develop skills in networking, interviewing, self-assessment and much more. 

Haas School of Business

Like Stanford Graduate Schools of Business, Haas School of Business has a long, distinguished history. It is the second-oldest business school in the United States and is widely considered to be one of the best business schools in California (and the rest of the country). Haas School of Business is part of the University of California—Berkeley, a public research university founded in 1868.

Haas is located in Berkeley, California, which is situated on the east side of San Francisco Bay. This Bay Area location offers unique opportunities for networking and internships. Students also benefit from the award-winning Haas School of Business campus, which boasts ultramodern facilities and spaces that are designed to encourage collaboration among students.

Haas School of Business offers several different MBA programs to suit various needs, including a full-time MBA program, an evening and weekend MBA program, and an executive MBA program called the Berkeley MBA for Executives. These MBA programs take between 19 months and three years to complete. Business majors at the master's level can also earn a Master of Financial Engineering degree, which provides preparation for finance careers in investment banks, commercial banks, and other financial institutions.

Career advisors are always on hand to help business students plan and launch their careers. There are also a number of companies that recruit talent from Haas, ensuring a high placement rate for business school graduates.   

UCLA Anderson School of Management

Like the other schools on this list, Anderson School of Management is considered a top-tier U.S. business school. It is highly ranked among other business schools by a wide range of publications.

Anderson School of Management is part of the University of California—Los Angeles, a public research university in the Westwood district of Los Angeles. As the "creative capital of the world," Los Angeles offers a unique location for entrepreneurs and other creative business students. With people from more than 140 different countries, Los Angeles is also one of the most diverse cities in the world, which helps Anderson be diverse as well.

Anderson School of Management has many of the same offerings as Haas School of Business. There are multiple MBA programs to choose from, allowing students to individualize their management education and pursue the program that fits with their lifestyles.

There is a traditional MBA program, a fully employed MBA (for working professionals), an executive MBA, and a global MBA for the Asia Pacific program, which was created and developed through a partnership between the UCLA Anderson School of Management and National University of Singapore Business School. Completion of the global MBA program results in two different MBA degrees, one awarded by UCLA and one by the National University of Singapore. Students who are not interested in earning an MBA can pursue a Master of Financial Engineering degree, which is best suited for business majors who want to work in the finance sector. 

Parker Career Management Center at Anderson School of Management provides career services to students and graduates through every stage of the career search. Several organizations, including Bloomberg Businessweek and The Economist, have ranked the career services at Anderson School of Management as the best in the country (#2 in fact). 

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Schweitzer, Karen. "Top Ranked California Business Schools." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/top-california-business-schools-4082888. Schweitzer, Karen. (2023, April 5). Top Ranked California Business Schools. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/top-california-business-schools-4082888 Schweitzer, Karen. "Top Ranked California Business Schools." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/top-california-business-schools-4082888 (accessed March 19, 2024).