The University of San Diego doesn’t call its hybrid online MBA program an Executive MBA. But as the saying goes, if it quacks like a duck, it is a duck. The first school to offer a hybrid solution in San Diego, the university’s program is organized like an EMBA, with face-to-face classes meeting once a month on campus on Saturdays and Sundays.
In fact, the majority of instruction is on campus, about 60%, with the remaining 40% online. There is also the additional flexibility to opt into the university’s evening part-time MBA program. After their first semester, they can move into the school’s evening schedule with on-campus classes two nights every week.
Among the nine programs easily accessed in the LA metro area, this one is the cheapest at $82,945. It is also unranked in all of the important rankings of EMBA programs and the lowest ranked for the university’s full-time MBA. So the price reflects the brand value in comparison to other options, though the basic business education students get is not all that different from rivals.
The program kicks off in the spring with an unusual January start date, with an immersive one-week orientation on campus, which is also when students take their first class.
To gain admission into the program, there are two application deadlines each year, Oct. 1 and Dec. 1 for admission in mid-January. In 2021, the start date was Jan. 19. Due to the current pandemic, MBA applicants have the option to submit an MBA Math (mbamath.com) transcript or an Executive Assessment score in lieu of GMAT or GRE test scores. There’s also a waiver for applicants who have completed an MD or a PhD or those who have a master’s degree with a 3.0 GPA in an approved field of study or a bachelor’s degree with a 3.2 GPA in an approved field of study along with five years of relevant full-time work experience.
Applications are processed on a rolling basis, which means the admissions committee will begin the review of an application soon after it is complete and all supporting documentation has been received. All other application information can be found here.
