Lam Family College of Business

College Vision

The Lam Family College of Business aspires to be a leader in advancing transformative change globally and locally. We strive to be an inclusive place to learn, teach, create, innovate and work. (Adopted September 2022)

College Mission

Embracing the diversity, global outlook, and entrepreneurial spirit of the San Francisco Bay Area, we provide access to quality education. We empower students to succeed and contribute to society through innovative teaching and learning, impactful scholarship, and engagement with businesses and the community at large. (Adopted May 2022)

The Lam Family College of Business offers undergraduate, graduate, and executive business education, providing a broad and exciting array of courses of study and concentrations.

The student body is diverse, reflecting not only the San Francisco area, but also the large number of international students who choose San Francisco State University’s Lam Family College of Business. In 2004, the College awarded more undergraduate business degrees to Asian Americans than any other institution in the United States. As feminist Gloria Steinem once said: “Go to San Francisco State. It’s the only campus that looks like the world.”

The Lam Family College of Business at San Francisco State is among the less than 25% of business schools in the US and 15% of international schools that are fully accredited by AACSB International, The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

The Lam Family College of Business is constantly evolving.  It continues to invest in the quality of faculty, students, and the visibility of the College brand.  Cultivating strong industry connections and advancing its friend-raising and fundraising efforts keep the College active and relevant in the business community and allow the College to provide exclusive opportunities for our students.

Our Seven Strategic Priorities

Curricular Innovation

  • We develop curricular innovations that meet the changing demands of the business world and streamline the path to graduation, while ensuring that our students are well-rounded and prepared for the challenges of the workplace. We recognize and celebrate each faculty member for the long-lasting impact their teaching and service contributions have on our students.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

  • We are proud of our University’s pioneering legacy in this space. We prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion in our classrooms and workplace to help our students, faculty and staff thrive and succeed. We commit ourselves to the continual, iterative process of removing systemic roadblocks in higher education.

Student Engagement

  • We create an inclusive college community by engaging students in meaningful experiences that provide exciting and enlightening opportunities to network and build skills. Our students help inform and shape impactful activities, including dynamic student organizations, professional development events with alumni and industry partners, and leadership opportunities.

Research Activity, Productivity, Orientation and Approaches

  • We invest in the scholarly work of our renowned faculty who have been trained in the leading doctoral programs and have published their research in leading journals in the field and authored influential books. Through faculty research, we generate new knowledge that impacts teaching, industry practices and society.

Community Engagement

  • We develop strong and sustained connections, and work collaboratively with the business, academic and alumni communities to execute specialized programs, events, research projects and other engaging activities that expand the knowledge, skills, opportunities and networks of our students, faculty and staff.

Build the Lam Family College of Business Brand

  • We invest in building our brand reputation to sustain a competitive advantage in the dynamic higher education market.  By increasing visibility and affinity for our brand, we attract new students, create new partnerships and maximize the success of our alumni and current students.

Friend-raising and Fundraising

  • We cultivate relationships with alumni, friends and the business community.  We value their commitment and engagement, which enhances student experiences and broadens opportunities for them through unique partnerships and transformative philanthropic investments that enable us to elevate the execution of our mission to new heights.

Ranking and Recognitions

Best Business Schools (Princeton Review)

  • The Lam Family College of Business is ranked by Princeton Review as one of the Best Business Schools (2024 and 2021) in the country based on the high quality of our MBA program and student career outcomes.

Greatest Opportunity for Minority Students (Princeton Review)

  • Princeton Review - Ranked 8th by Princeton Review in the category of Greatest Opportunity for Minority Students.

Top 20 Universities for Economic Mobility (CollegeNET)

  • SF State Ranked in the Top 20 Universities for Economic Mobility - San Francisco State University ranked #16 in the nation for economic mobility in CollegeNET's 2022 “Social Mobility Index" (SMI). The annual SMI report measures the extent of a university's impact in providing opportunities for economically disadvantaged students to graduate into well-paying jobs. The methodology is based on factors like cost of attendance, economic background of the student body, graduation rates and early career salaries. This year's rankings also included a new metric called Ethos, which measures how well a school's messages and communications inform students and the public about its mission and the value of a college degree.

50 Most Transformative Colleges in the USA (Money Magazine)

  • Ranked one of the 50 Most Transformative Colleges in the USA by Money magazine. Ranking based on a college’s value-add score, which scores graduation rates, earnings, and student loan debt, SF State is ranked # 30 in the 2020 list.

50 Best Colleges for Business Majors (Money Magazine)

  • Ranked one of the 50 Best Colleges for Business Majors in the country - The Lam Family College of Business at San Francisco State University ranked 35th among the 50 Best Colleges for Business Majors in 2020 by Money magazine. Ranking based on “education quality, affordability, and the career payoff for undergraduate business majors.”

Top Business Colleges of Distinction (Colleges of Distinction, a college guidance resource)

Seal of Excelencia

  • San Francisco State University is one of only 24 colleges/universities to be recognized with the prestigious Seal of Excelencia – a recognition granted by Excelencia in Education – the nation’s premier authority on efforts to accelerate Latino/Latina student success in higher education. Less than 1% of all higher education institutions earn this national certification.  In 2024, more than 39% of SF State students identified as Latino/Latina, making them the largest ethnic group among our undergraduates.

Top 100 Master's Universities (Washington Monthly)

  • SF State is among the top 100 Master’s Universities in the country according to Washington Monthly’s 2020 Master’s University Rankings. Washington Monthly ranked “four-year institutions that award a significant number of master’s degrees but few or no doctoral degrees—based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility, research, and promoting public service.”

10 Best Green MBA Programs (Princeton Review)

  • Princeton Review also ranked our MBA program among the top 10 Best Green MBA programs in 2024 and 2021. This ranking is based on MBA students’ assessments of how well we prepare them to address environmental, sustainability, and social responsibility issues in their careers.

5th Best Public University for an Accounting Career (Wall Street Journal)

12th Best Public University for a Marketing Career (Wall Street Journal)

Accounting Program and Department Recognized by Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA)

  • In 2023, our Accounting Department was recognized as one of the Internal Auditing Education Partnership (IAEP) participating programs by the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), the global standard for internal auditing education, under the leadership of Professor Yao-Tien Lee. This endorsement not only highlights the quality and rigor of our academic offerings but also strengthens our connections within the professional community of internal auditors and expands opportunities for our students and faculty.

25 Best Colleges for a Bachelor's in Hospitality Management (GradReports)

  • Our Hospitality and Tourism Management program was named one of the 25 Best Colleges for a Bachelor's in Hospitality Management by GradReports. Click to view the full list.

25 Best Master's in Accounting Programs (GradReports)

  • Our Master of Science in Accountancy program was ranked by GradReports as #16 on their list of the 25 Best Master’s in Accounting Programs in the U.S.A. based on median salary one year after students graduated. Click to view the full list.

16th Best MBA Program Worldwide (Aspen Institute)

Degrees Offered

All degree programs in the Lam Family College of Business are accredited by AACSB International (Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business).

Bachelor of Arts

  • Economics 22041
  • Labor and Employment Studies 22993

Bachelor of Science

  • Business Administration with the following concentrations:
    • Accounting 05021
    • Business Analytics 05071
    • Decision Sciences 05071
    • Finance 05041
    • General Business 05011
    • Information Systems 07021
    • International Business 05131
    • Management 05061
    • Marketing 05091
  • Hospitality and Tourism Management 05081

Minor Programs:

  • Business Administration
  • Decision Sciences
  • Economics
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Finance
  • Hospitality and Tourism Management
  • Information Systems
  • International Business
  • Labor and Employment Studies
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • World Development Studies

Certificate Programs:

  • Graduate Certificate in Accounting
  • Graduate Certificate in Business Principles
  • Certificate in Conflict Resolution (offered jointly by the Colleges of Business, Ethnic Studies, Health and Social Sciences, and Liberal & Creative Arts)
  • Certificate in Cybersecurity Management
  • Graduate Certificate in Decision Sciences
  • Graduate Certificate in Enterprise Cybersecurity
  • Graduate Certificate in Enterprise Information Systems
  • Graduate Certificate in Ethical Artificial Intelligence
  • Graduate Business Certificate in Ethics & Compliance
  • Graduate Certificate in Finance
  • Certificate in Financial Analytics
  • Certificate in Fintech
  • Certificate in Hospitality Management
  • Certificate in Information Technology Auditing
  • Certificate in International Business
  • Graduate Certificate in International Business and Global Leadership
  • Graduate Certificate in Marketing in the Digital Economy
  • Certificate in Real Estate
  • Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Business

Masters Programs

The various graduate programs offered by the Lam Family College of Business are accredited by the AACSB (Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business).

  • Master of Business Administration 05011
  • Master of Science in Business Analytics 10031
  • Master of Science in Accountancy 05021
  • Master of Science in Quantitative Economics 22043

College Administrative Offices

Title Officer Office Telephone
Dean of the College Dr. Eugene Sivadas BUS 321 338-3650
Associate Dean Dr. Yim-Yu Wong BUS 321 338-3696
Assistant Dean Jeff Chun BUS 326 338-7097
Executive Director of Business Development and Marketing Sandra Henao DTC 1230 817-4321
Director of Fiscal Affairs and Operations Larry Low BUS 352 338-2666
Faculty Director of Graduate Business Programs Dr. Lutfus Sayeed DTC 1230 817-4366
Director of Graduate Admissions & Recruitment Manuel Maranan DTC 1230 817-4323
Graduate Business Student Advising Christopher Kingston DTC 1230 817-4322
Faculty Coordinator of Career Services and Professional Development Paul Glanting BUS 137 338-2500

College Directory

Department/Program Chair/Director Office Telephone
AccountingDr. Shuoyuan HeCA 262338-2829
Decision SciencesDr. Theresa RoederBUS 203C338-1819
EconomicsDr. Michael BarHSS 148338-3026
FinanceDr. Chris Yost-BremmBUS 209C338-7474
Hospitality, Tourism and Event ManagementDr. Ryan SmithBUS 342338-7482
Information SystemsDr. Leigh JinCA 254338-6286
International BusinessDr. Bruce HeimanCA 251405-0596
Labor and Employment StudiesDr. John LoganBUS 310338-2138
ManagementDr. Smita TrivediBUS 351338-1235
MarketingDr. Hui-Ming Deanna WangCA 251338-1107