San Diego State University

San Diego State University

Graduate Business Programs

5500 Campanile Dr.

San Diego, CA 92182

Admissions: (619) 594-6010

Fax: (619) 594-8622

Email: emba@mail.sdsu.edu

Website: http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~emba/index.htm

Apply Online: http://www.csumentor.edu/admissionapp/grad_apply.asp

It would be difficult to find a better bargain among EMBA degrees than the program at San Diego State. At less than $50,000, it’s the least expensive of the offerings in the Los Angeles-San Diego metro market–and nearly $25,000 below the average cost of a typical EMBA program. No wonder San Diego State’s acceptance rate is 63%, making it slightly more selective than even UCLA’s Anderson School which accepted 67% of applicants for its latest entering class. No less important, given the price tag on this EMBA, is the rankings recognition it received in 2011 from BusinessWeek which put the school among its “second-tier” schools.

San Diego State’s curriculum offers an integrated blend of theory and practice, and provides a general management emphasis. Courses are structured sequentially so that faculty can build upon the concepts and skills presented in preceding courses. Teaching methodologies vary with subject matter and may include classroom lectures, outside reading, case discussions, simulations, and individual and small group projects. Many course assignments allow students to immediately apply concepts to situations in their own organizations.

A total of 48 units of course work is required for the degree. First-year courses develop a solid foundation in traditional business disciplines and introduce you to the core principles. Second-year course work creates an awareness of the environments in which businesses operate, provides a comprehensive understanding of organizations, develops the skills essential to working successfully with people in organizations, and provides a strategic context for business decision making.

Despite the low price, students also get an international excursion to Mexico. That’s quite a deal.

Application Deadline: Rolling admissions

Latest Up-to-Date Executive MBA Rankings:

2012 Poets&Quants: NR

2011 BusinessWeek: Second-Tier

2011 U.S. News & World Report: NR

2010 The Wall Street Journal: NR

2011 Financial Times: NR

Rankings Analysis: Every other year, BusinessWeek ranks Executive MBA programs and in 2011 San Diego State hit the magazine’s radar screen as one of the world’s best in the world. While BW did not rank the school among the top 40 it identifies by numerical rank, it put the school’s EMBA among a select group of just 26 schools that make up its “second-tier” group. That’s a real coup for San Diego State which had been completely unranked by BusinessWeek in 2009, the last time the magazine ranked these programs.

San Diego isn’t ranked by PoetsandQuants because we require each EMBA program to be rated by at least two of the four most influential rankings to be included on our composite list.

Application Fee: $55

2012 Tuition & Fees: $48,960

Average Months of Work Experience: 110

GMAT Required: No. Academic transcripts are reviewed.

Acceptance Rate: 63%

EMBA Enrollment: 67

International: 0%

Female: 37%

African-American: 5%

Hispanic/Latino: 20%

Mean Age: 39

Classes Meet: From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, approximately every other week for 21 months. Students take two courses at a time. One class meets in the morning and the other in the afternoon on both Friday and Saturday. There is also an annual international trip to nearby Mexico.

Length of Program: 22 months

Students work in these functional categories:

    • Consulting: 5%
    • Finance/Accounting 25%
    • General Management : 10%
    • Human Resources: 10%
    • Marketing/Sales: 25%
    • Management Information Systems : 10%
    • Operations/Logistics: 10%
    • Other: 5%

Students work in these industries:

    • Consulting: 5%
    • Consumer Products: 15%
    • Financial Services: 5%
    • Government: 10%
    • Manufacturing: 5%
    • Non-Profit: 5%
    • Petroleum/Energy: 5%
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotechnology/Health Care: 10%
    • Real Estate: 5%
    • Technology: 30%
    • Other: 5%
    • ALSO SEE: THE BEST LOS ANGELES METRO EXECUTIVE MBA PROGRAMS