San Jose State University - Lucas Graduate School of Business

Located smack dab in the middle of the Silicon Valley, San Jose State University’s business programs benefit from the energy and innovation of their famous surroundings. “No place on earth is more entrepreneurial or technology-centric” than SJSU, where the MBA programs boast an “innovative syllabus,” a “global mindset,” and a top-notch faculty from the region’s prominent industries. For MBA candidates, SJSU offers several program options: the Early Career MBA program on the main SJSU campus which includes accelerated track, full-time, and part-time tracks (the accelerated program can be completed in just a year), and the MBA for Professionals, a “flexible program for working students,” offering year-round classes in the evenings and some weekends. With accommodating teachers and a flexible schedule, the MBA for Professionals “is an ideal program for anyone who wants an MBA, but needs to keep working full-time while getting it.” A current student attests, “When I needed to be out of town for work the week of a final, the professor was very willing to reschedule the test for me so it wouldn’t interfere with my business trip.”

Delivered by a team of “world-class teachers” and an “accommodating” administration, the “academic experience is positive, effective, and worthwhile” at San Jose State. Academically, the program balances “a good mix of lectures, case studies, and assignment[s].” On that note, you’ll get a blend of theory and practice in the classroom, as “professors are very knowledgeable and have experience in both academics and industry.” “Teachers here are experienced in Silicon Valley trends and do their best to incorporate them into class work.” Coursework is interactive, and “discussions in class are lively, [and] periodically include [the] latest news and trends.” Friendly as well as experienced, “professors are very easily approachable and always try to correlate classroom learning with real-world problems as closely as possible.”

“Value” is another important factor in many students’ decisions to attend SJSU. A state school, SJSU has a much lower price tag than other local programs, giving prospective MBA candidates an “affordable option at a respected school,” without leaving the Bay Area. Unfortunately, like many public schools, budget cuts have affected San Jose State and there has been “an increase in tuition” in response. Core classes are offered on a cyclical schedule to ensure all students meet their requirements. Despite limitations, “the administration has been wonderful and very responsive to all concerns,” and students say the program runs efficiently.

The business school at San Jose State University is propitiously located “right in the middle of Silicon Valley, with access to all [the] big-shot companies, and their execu- tives.” In addition, “the majority of students in the program come from great high-tech companies,” which makes networking as easy as attending class. The Career Center at SJSU helps the undergraduate and graduate student community make connections in the local job market through recruiting events and job fairs. While most SJSU grads score great post-grad positions, some full-time students would like to see Career Services provide “better help finding jobs after graduation,” through the addition of new events like “job fairs specifically designed for MBA students.” The Lucas School does employ a career advisor dedicated to working with all MBA students on skills such as resume writing, interviewing techniques, business etiquette and networking. Many students in the part-time program receive tuition assistance from their current companies and therefore aren’t looking for new jobs after graduation. Currently, you’ll find recent SJSU business school graduates working at diverse companies like Charles Schwab, City Bank, Apple, Applied Materials, Chevron Corporation, Cisco Systems, Ebay, E*TRADE, HSBC Group Holdings, IBM, Lockheed Martin, Intel Corporation, Hewlett-Packard, Sprint, Nortel, Genentech, Microsoft, Pepsico, Google, Starbucks Coffee, NASA, Texas Instruments, and Xerox.

Students in SJSU’s Early Career MBA program love life on their well-equipped urban campus. The school is located right in the middle of downtown San Jose, and “food at the Student Union is great and the campus is gorgeous.” Diversity is a trademark of this large public school, and within the business program, “a lot of the students speak more than one language and have lived abroad.” Despite cultural, ethnic, professional, and political diversity, “everybody makes an effort to get along, get to know each other. The teamwork required for projects is very good as it encourages intercultural interaction.”

In the MBA for Professionals program, “classes are taught off campus” so many part-tim- ers “feel very disconnected from the SJSU student body.” Fortunately, the auxiliary facility is “centrally-located and well-equipped,” and there is plenty of parking for com- muters. While full-time cohorts are tight, socializing is more limited among part-timers, who are “very busy outside of class (since we are in an evening program, almost all of my classmates also have full-time jobs).” For most, that means a “get-in and get-out” attitude about school, and “class work outside of class is usually handled via teleconferences or face-to-face meetings when possible.”