University of California - Davis - Graduate School of Management

The “stellar faculty” is “very well-informed” and offers “a variety of interesting current world topics.” They “are willing to talk to you about anything and will spend as much time as you want discussing how to use things from class at work,” and even “sit with the students at meals and will join in at happy hours.” The school is also “doing a really good job bringing in experienced business people to teach electives”; the curriculum is a “great mix of classes” that also provides multiple opportunities to apply theoretical knowledge in practical setting, including “study trips, projects with actual companies, individual and group studies, internships and much more.” Additionally, classes are up-to-date and provide both historical and recent cases and business examples that allow students to gain a better understanding of the concepts and curriculum.

The administration is similarly “student-oriented.” It “works very hard to listen to and communicate with the students,” and the Dean’s Student Advisory Board meets once a quarter (“The Dean is impressive and obviously on a diehard mission to put our school in the top ten”). However, given the unique nature of the part-time schedule (i.e. Friday/ Saturday classes), scheduling of classes can be messy, and “it is often difficult to pair core classes with popular electives.”

For those who can carve time our of their academics, life, and extracurriculars, it is worth noting that the city of Davis “is an amazing jewel in the Central Valley…there is an amaz- ing offering of athletics and healthy living businesses, and boasts a very large proportion of small businesses, as opposed to chains.”