Master of Business Administration
Lam Family College of Business
Dean: Dr. Eugene Sivadas
General Information
The Lam Family College of Business Graduate Programs are located at the San Francisco State University Downtown Campus.
160 Spear Street, Suite 1230
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 817-4300
Email: mba@sfsu.edu
The Lam Family College of Business offers three programs at the graduate level: Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Science in Accountancy (MSA), and Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA).
General Guidelines for Graduate Programs
All students planning to complete a master’s degree in business must complete all requirements, including professional development workshops, the program prerequisite classes, and the advanced required courses.
Registration in graduate business courses (700-899) is limited to graduate business students or students in a graduate business certificate program. SF State graduate students in other programs may enroll on a space-available basis with the consent of the Faculty Director of Graduate Business Programs.
Registration in a graduate business culminating experience course is limited to classified graduate business students.
Grade Deficiency
A graduate business student whose coursework drops below a 3.0-grade point average will receive a notification of being placed on academic notice. If the grade point deficiency is not made up within two semesters, the student may be disqualified from the graduate program. In such situations, the student will not be allowed to enroll in graduate-level business courses at the program prerequisite and advanced requirement level.
Any student who becomes disqualified under the above provisions and wishes to appeal such disqualification must file a formal appeal within ten days of the date of the notice of disqualification. Such appeal must be filed with the Faculty Director of Graduate Business Programs.
The specified course requirements and stipulated conditions for the graduate business programs may not be changed, substituted for, or altered in any way. Exceptions to this rule must be requested, in writing, before the coursework is attempted and must be approved by the Faculty Director of Graduate Business Programs.
Contact Information
| Programs | Contact | Telephone |
|---|---|---|
| Faculty Director of Graduate Business Programs | Dr. Lutfus Sayeed | 817-4366 |
| Director of Admissions, Recruitment and External Relations | Manuel Maranan | 817-4323 |
| Program Coordinator | Kristine Raton | 817-4350 |
| Graduate Student Advisor | Christopher Kingston | 817-4322 |
Master of Business Administration
The M.B.A. program is designed as a balanced preparation for managerial careers in business. Its purpose is to prepare students for responsible positions in a rapidly changing world; to develop an attitude of intellectual curiosity; to foster an interest in continuous learning throughout life; and to apply business skills to all types of endeavors.
Accreditation
The M.B.A. program is accredited by the most respected business accrediting association in the world, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). San Francisco State University is also accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). This ensures continuous improvement of faculty in teaching, research, and professional service.
Admission
U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and international students may apply for fall or spring admissions according to the following schedule:
- Fall semester filing period: October 1 through May 1.
- Spring semester filing period: August 1 through October 1.
There are three rounds of application deadlines in the Fall semester filing period (for the Spring semester filing period, there is only one). The above dates are subject to change. Check the Graduate Business Program’s website for the latest dates.
Application Process
Each applicant to the M.B.A. program must submit the following documents:
- California State University Application for Graduate Admission plus an application fee of $70
- One official transcript from every college or university attended
- GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test) or GRE (Graduate Record Examination) test results. The deadline to take the GMAT or GRE is May 1 for Fall admission and October 1 of the prior year for Spring admission.
- A statement of purpose showing how the desired graduate business program is related to the applicant’s career and future goals. Please refer to the Lam Family College of Business website for a list of questions that should be addressed in the statement of purpose.
- TOEFL, IELTS, or Pearson Test of English is required for admission from all applicants who have completed their undergraduate degree in a non-English speaking country.
- Résumé or curriculum vitae
- Two letters of recommendation
- International applicants will need to file the Financial Affidavit form to obtain an I-20 Certificate of Eligibility
The California State University Application for Admission may be submitted before other documents are submitted, but the admission decision is not made until all required materials are received.
Admission Criteria
The Lam Family College of Business admissions committee reviews an applicant’s file using a holistic approach and takes the following requirements into consideration:
- Completion of a degree equivalent to a four-year U.S. bachelor’s degree from a recognized university.
- A minimum 3.0 Grade Point Average overall, or in the last 60 semester units or 90 quarter units of university coursework completed.
- GMAT exam including total score, verbal, quantitative, writing scores, and integrated reasoning scores or the GRE test verbal, quantitative, and writing scores. A GMAT AWA score of 5.0 or a GRE AWA score of 4.5 or higher is required for classified admission. A lower AWA score may be accepted, however, the student would be conditionally admitted and required to complete the approved Lam Family College of Business writing course.
- Quality of statement of purpose using guidelines stated on the Lam Family College of Business website
- Two supportive letters of recommendation from workplace supervisors or faculty members
- Qualifications on résumé
- TOEFL score of at least 88 (or 570 PBT), IELTS score of at least 6.5 or PTE score of at least 59. The TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE must have been taken within the past two years and is a requirement of all applicants who have earned their undergraduate degree from a country where the official language is not English.
-
MBA applicants may waive the GMAT/GRE test if at least one of the following conditions is met (applicants will instead be invited in for an interview and a 45-minute writing examination): Completed doctoral or master's degree from a recognized/accredited program; Minimum 3.0 GPA with five or more years of full-time, professional work experience; Completed an undergraduate degree in business from an AACSB-accredited school with a cumulative 3.0 (or higher) GPA.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Functional and enterprise knowledge – Each student will demonstrate competence in each of the major business disciplines as well as an understanding of:
- The enterprise as a whole.
- The interrelationships of the disciplines within a strategic business framework.
- Emerging knowledge in business disciplines, technologies, and markets.
- Ethical, global, and social awareness – Each student will be aware of ethical, global, and social issues surrounding key business decisions, act responsibly, and:
- Identify, articulate, and disseminate the core organizational values.
- Evaluate the ethical, global, and social issues of each business option for every stakeholder group.
- Make business decisions consistent with stakeholder needs and organizational values.
- Problem-solving and critical thinking skills – Each student will demonstrate effective use of the following skills in business situations:
- Master qualitative and quantitative techniques to gather and analyze relevant data and derive appropriate conclusions.
- Exhibit critical thinking and analytical ability in solving problems within and across organizations.
- Apply current and emerging business knowledge and technology to make strategic decisions in complex and changing environments.
- People skills – Each student will be able to demonstrate effective intra- and interpersonal skills, especially in dealing with diversity of thought and opinion, and:
- Exhibit leadership when appropriate.
- Demonstrate the ability to work effectively in teams.
- Understand the perspective of others and treat them in a culturally appropriate and respectful manner.
- Communication skills – Each student will demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills. In particular, each student will be able to:
- Create and deliver effective business presentations to diverse audiences.
- Organize and write professional documents appropriate for the audience.
Program Requirements
Orientation and Professional Development Workshops
Admitted students are expected to attend the required orientation prior to the start of their first semester. The Graduate Business Programs orientation helps students prepare for the academic program and also includes professional development workshops.
Master of Business Administration — 30–57 Units
Program prerequisite and advanced requirement courses must be taken on the basis of letter grading (+/- letter grade only). CR/NC grading is not allowed.
Prerequisite Courses
Prerequisite courses offer students, without a recent Business undergraduate degree, the opportunity to learn or refresh knowledge in the basic elements of business. Depending upon a student's previous academic background, the prerequisite courses may range from 0 to 24 units. The program requirements are met by taking the eight business prerequisite courses below or by waivers of individual courses based on previous equivalent coursework.
Students who have earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration within the past seven years from an Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)-accredited university, with a 3.0 GPA or better in the last 60 semester units or 90 quarter units of coursework, are eligible to waive all M.B.A. program prerequisite courses. An up-to-date listing of AACSB schools around the world can be found on the AACSB International website. Students who have taken and completed coursework equivalent to any of the prerequisite courses at other institutions within the last five to seven years may be able to waive individual prerequisite courses. Each equivalency is determined by course content, grade received, and the amount of time elapsed since the course was completed.
For students who completed their undergraduate degree in Business over seven years ago, the program prerequisite courses offer an opportunity to refresh their knowledge and catch up on advances that have taken place in the different disciplines.
Prerequisite for Conditional Admits (0-3 Units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BUS 714 | Elements of Graduate Business Writing | 3 |
Prerequisite Courses for M.B.A. Program (0–24 Units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT 780 | Financial Accounting | 3 |
| DS 776 | Data Analysis for Managers | 3 |
| DS 786 | Operations Analysis | 3 |
| ECON 783 | Economics for Managers | 3 |
| ISYS 782 | Information Systems for Management | 3 |
| FIN 785 | Financial Management | 3 |
| MGMT 788 | Management Principles and Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| MKTG 787 | Marketing Management | 3 |
Advanced Requirements for M.B.A. Program (12 Units)
Select one course from each category:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting/Quantitative Methods | 3 | |
| Financial Statement Analysis | ||
| Financial Analysis and Management | ||
| Ethics/Management | 3 | |
| Business Ethics, Society, and Sustainability | ||
| Seminar in Organization Design and Change | ||
| Business Decision-Making | 3 | |
| Managerial Decision-Making | ||
| Information Systems for Strategic Advantage | ||
| Marketing/Globalization | 3 | |
| Strategic Marketing | ||
| Seminar in International Business | ||
Electives (15 Units)
Advisor-approved electives (at least three must be 800-level courses offered by the College of Business, up to two may be graduate-level courses within the University with prior advisor approval.) A maximum of two prerequisite courses taken at SF State (ACCT 780, DS 776, DS 786, ECON 783, ISYS 782, FIN 785, MGMT 788, MKTG 787) may count as electives.
Culminating Experience (3 Units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BUS 890 & BUS 896EXM | Strategic Management and Culminating Experience Examination | 3 |
Advancement to Candidacy
Before being considered for Advancement to Candidacy, the applicant must meet all general University requirements, attend all professional development workshops at orientation, satisfy all prerequisite courses, earn an overall SF State GPA of 3.0 or better, and complete at least 12 units of College of Business advanced requirement courses.
When requirements have been satisfied, the graduate advisor may recommend to the Dean of the Division of Graduate Studies that the applicant be advanced to candidacy for the degree by filing the Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) form.
Elective Areas
Accounting
Graduate Advisors: Hammond, Hetherington, Hsieh, Kim, Sopt
Decision Sciences/Operations Research
Graduate Advisors: Bollapragada, Cholette, Cheung, Miyaoka, Saltzman, Soorapanth
Finance
Graduate Advisors: Feldman, M. Li, Liu
International Business
Graduate Advisors: Heiman, Yang
Hospitality and Tourism Management
Graduate Advisors: Johnson, Roe, Yang
Information Systems
Graduate Advisor: Sayeed
Management
Graduate Advisors: Baack, Desa, Stewart
Marketing
Graduate Advisors: Bhat, Hussain, Sengupta, Sinapuelas