Graduate Business Programs

Statement of Purpose

Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business develops students of competence, conscience, and compassion who can provide leadership in technologically advanced and rapidly changing global environments. The development of competence is reflected in our commitment to teaching excellence and the scholarly research necessary to animate instruction and foster knowledge creation. The development of conscience is enhanced through an emphasis on reflective inquiry that is both professionally rigorous and ethically sound. Compassion is at the intersection of competence and conscience, fostered through an appreciation of multiple perspectives and recognition of the human being as part of every equation.

Mission Statement of the Graduate Business Programs Office

Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business Graduate Business Programs team strives to provide a transformative student-centered experience by being supportive, compassionate, and inclusive at all points in a student’s educational journey. We aspire to create student success with opportunities to network with faculty, fellow students, and alumni. With collaboration across career, program, and admissions teams, GBP will enable students to be socially conscious, ethically minded, and those who understand how to lead themselves and others.

Graduate Business Programs Learning Objectives:

  1. Demonstrate academic competence: Graduate students will demonstrate broad content knowledge and the ability to integrate and apply concepts from their course of study to professional situations.
  2. Engage in creative and collaborative learning: Graduate students will innovate, collaborate, and communicate effectively with professionals and others in their discipline.
  3. Enhance professional development: Graduate students will exhibit professionalism, consistent with the University’s Jesuit mission, which includes attention to ethics, integrity, and responsible engagement with their communities—professionally, locally, or globally.”

MBA Programs Learning Objectives

See the program-specific chapter.

MS Programs Learning Objectives

See the program-specific chapter.

Professional Orientation

The Graduate Business Programs at Santa Clara University are explicitly designed to meet the needs and concerns of working professionals. Classes are scheduled in the evening or on weekends to allow students to pursue their graduate business degrees while continuing their careers. The curriculum blends instruction in theory with practical applications, enriched by faculty experts (who engage in state-of-the-art research or have deep industry experience) and students whose curiosity is informed by real-life organizational concerns.

Academic Standards

Santa Clara’s Graduate Business Programs are renowned for quality, providing academic rigor and practical relevance. Admission standards are selective, as courses are demanding, and faculty and fellow students have high expectations, although the atmosphere remains collegial and not competitive. While the MBA and MS degrees are considered final professional degrees, we look to admit students focused on receiving an education, not simply a piece of paper, for their time and effort. Students should be prepared for an intensive course of study encompassing all the major functional and disciplinary areas and involving quantitative and qualitative skills. Similarly, students pursuing an MS degree should expect rigorous and relevant coursework with a more narrow scope. Regardless of the program, students demonstrating curiosity, engagement, and a collaborative spirit reap the greatest benefits.

Accreditation

Santa Clara University was in the original group of MBA programs in 1961, accredited by AACSB International–the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The AACSB is the specialized accrediting organization that conducts periodic in-depth reviews of business schools to ensure that their curricula, faculty, and students meet the highest standards of excellence. Re-accredited in 2021, Santa Clara’s program has consistently met the high standards of the AACSB. Less than 10% of the world’s 13,000 business programs have earned AACSB Accreditation. Santa Clara is also accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Such regional accreditation is a prerequisite for the specialized program accreditation provided by AACSB International.

Student Body

Over 700 students are enrolled in the MBA and M.S. Programs. Entering MBA students represent a variety of undergraduate and graduate fields of study. MBA students, on average, have 7 years of work experience at the time of admission. The average grade point average of entering MBA students is 3.3, and the average GMAT score is 620. This blend of academic backgrounds and work experience provides opportunities for enhanced learning in and out of the classroom.

Many of our MBA students are working professionals – people who work full-time in local companies and take three to four courses each quarter. Students come from more than 500 organizations that comprise a list of Silicon Valley’s most vibrant businesses. Additionally, many of our M.S. students are international students who add to the diversity of our community. Our Online Programs have students from over 10 different states enrolled.

Alumni

Since 1961, more than 15,000 students have received their MBA or M.S. degrees from Santa Clara University. As one of the first MBA programs accredited by AACSB International, SCU’s Leavey School of Business has been educating the next generation of leaders who have shaped our world for decades. Among our university alums are more than 2,000 company presidents and senior corporate executives, and many are leaders in global technology companies. In addition, our graduates have become leaders in Fortune 500 firms, startups, early growth companies, and family and non-profit organizations. The high regard for the Leavey School’s MBA and M.S. degrees is also reflected in the number of Silicon Valley and San Francisco Bay Area companies with a relationship with the university.

Various networking events for and with alums occur throughout the year. These events are designed to provide opportunities to connect with fellow alums, faculty, and staff and provide lifelong learning forums. Leavey School of Business alums actively participate in these networking events. In addition, they serve on information panels, welcome new alumni at commencement, host local reunions, share their stories with prospective students, and participate in coaching students through our professional institutes and clubs.

The Leavey School of Business is proud to have an engaged MBA Alumni Advisory Board. The MBA Alumni Advisory Board focuses on key strategic initiatives that enhance our top-ranked MBA Program.

What Sets Santa Clara’s Leavey School of Business Apart

  • Top-ranked graduate business programs by US News & World Report, Poets & Quants, and Princeton Review.
  • Curriculum informed and shaped by the best practices, unique challenges, and distinct needs of forward-looking businesses in Silicon Valley and across the globe.
  • With more than 15,000 graduates since 1961, students and alums leverage the most robust alumni network in the Bay Area to foster professional connections across industries and roles.
  • Flexible schedules with evening, weekend, and online classes and office hours are designed to meet working professionals' ever-changing needs.
  • Distinguished faculty who are active scholars committed to excellence in teaching and thought-leaders from the industry who deliver courses leveraging the most up-to-date business practices.
  • Small class sizes ensure strong, personal connections between faculty and students.
  • The outstanding student body, most employed full-time at leading Silicon Valley firms, who contribute to class discussion based on actual business experience
  • More than 450 years of Jesuit educational tradition, emphasizing analytical rigor and ethical inquiry.
  • The stunningly beautiful and secure campus is located in the heart of Silicon Valley–the most dynamic business region in the world.
  • A rigorous AACSB-accredited program that provides a solid grounding in all the major functional areas, plus exposure to the best theory, tempered by the lessons of practical experience.