MBA

A Leading Southern California MBA Program

The motto of the MBA program at the A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management (AGSM) is "Leading Thinkers, Leading Growth," a reflection of our mission to produce leaders whose ability to think about the challenges they face will provide them with skills to lead growth in both our region and the world. Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), and with fellowships and other financial assistance packages available on a competitive basis, there are many great reasons to earn your MBA at UCR.

University of California Excellence

Graduating from the MBA program at AGSM provides students with a world-recognized University of California degree. UCR is ranked among the most diverse campuses in the nation with a long tradition of welcoming and supporting international scholars.

World-Class Faculty

The faculty at AGSM features preeminent scholars and practitioners in their fields. Our distinguished faculty engages and encourages students through their own academic success and research. Educated at leading universities and serving on the editorial boards of leading journals in business administration, our faculty are also recognized experts in the fields of intellectual property management, e-commerce, and marketing, entrepreneurship, finance, accounting and supply chain management.

The Right Location: Southern California

Our MBA program is situated in the living laboratory of Inland Southern California, one of the fastest growing and changing regions in the world. This environment is an ideal location where students and faculty can perform cutting-edge research and experience first-hand how business works.

MBA Admission Criteria

The MBA program is open for admission to all eligible students from all undergraduate majors. We consider each applicant's professional, academic, and life experiences in addition to character and personality. Admission to the program is based upon several criteria, including the quality of previous academic work, personal essays and letters of recommendation, and Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or Graduate Record Exam (GRE) performance. The GMAT or GRE is required for all applicants.

Professional experience is considered advantageous but is not required for admission. We encourage recent graduates, entry-level and mid-career applicants to apply.

Quantitative methods (business calculus, linear algebra, statistics) is a prerequisite to the program. Qualified students who have not taken this prerequisite course may be admitted but must meet this requirement by completing MGT 403 during their first two quarters in residence.

Curriculum

The MBA program is ideal for students with work experience who wish to get their MBA in about two academic years. The full-time program provides a comprehensive framework for the strategic management of business organizations. Students are allowed the flexibility of choosing electives from a variety of functional areas to tailor their MBA experience.

Students in the AGSM MBA program are responsible for taking a total of 20 courses that make up 80 quarter units. There are six major components to the curriculum.

Program Prerequisite

• Management 403 — Review of Quantitative Methods for Management

The MGT 403 prerequisite may be met in one of three ways:

1. Equivalent college-level coursework completed within three years prior to enrollment as verified by transcripts.
2. Students who have taken prerequisite coursework more than three years prior to enrollment may take a prerequisite waiver exam prior to the first day of instruction. MGT 403 will be waived for students who achieve a passing grade on this exam.
3. Successful completion of MGT 403 taken during the first two quarters in residence.

Unit credit is not awarded toward the degree for successful completion of the program prerequisite.

Professional Workshops

Students are required to complete two workshops (4 quarter units).

• Management 404 — Communication, Leadership, Teams, and Ethics
• Management 402 — Business Career Professional Development Workshop

Core Courses

Students are required to complete nine core courses (36 quarter units).

• Management 200 — Organizational Behavior and Theory
• Management 201 — Statistics for Management
• Management 202 — Financial Management
• Management 203 — Managerial Economics
• Management 205 — Information Systems
• Management 207 — Operations Management for Competitive Advantage
• Management 209 — Marketing Management
• Management 211 — Financial Accounting
• Management 235 — Strategic Management

Electives

Students are required to complete 28 units of electives if doing the thesis option and 36 units of electives if doing the comprehensive exam option, which are offered in nine areas:

• Accounting
• Entrepreneurial Management
• Finance - LEARN MORE >
• General Management
• Human Resources Management/Organizational Behavior
• International Management
• Management Information Systems
• Management Science/Operations Management
• Marketing

Fieldwork in Management (Internship) — one course (four quarter units).

The internship is a mandatory part of the MBA program.

• Provides management experience complementary to formal classroom studies.
• Designed to provide meaningful work experience in a variety of industries, allowing application of academic knowledge and skills to business.
• Normally taken after completion of core courses.
• Currently employed students may be allowed to develop projects related to their current employment (four quarter units).

Learn more about the Fieldwork in Management course requirement.

Capstone Course — one course (four quarter units).

• Team-taught, integrative case course on managing the complex tasks of the total organization.
• Examines the interdependence of the functional areas of management.
• Student teams analyze cases involving several functional areas and recommend actions for improvement.

Project or Thesis — (zero units for the project, up to eight units for thesis).

Students have a choice of completing either:

• A group case analysis as part of the capstone Management Synthesis course. This project serves in lieu of a comprehensive examination for students who choose not to write a thesis.
  
  OR
• An individual Thesis (Management 299).