San Francisco State University, Graduate School of Business Admission
San Francisco State University, Graduate School of Business Undergraduate Program
San Francisco State University, Graduate School of Business Application

The Facts

San Francisco State University is a rather large, public institution located in the city of San Francisco, California, and has a combined graduate and undergraduate population of over 28,378 students. The university's Graduate School of Business, however, is significantly smaller, and is home to approximately 900 graduate business students. About 88% of the currently enrolled students have had an average of 5 years of full-time professional experience, a factor the admissions committee takes into serious consideration when reviewing applications. As a result of this fact, the average age of enrollment is around 28, however, ages range from 24 all the way up to 50. Approximately 12% of the currently enrolled students entered directly from undergraduate school, and about 6% of students already have a graduate degree of some sort. SFSU's Graduate School of Business is perhaps best known for its emphasis on mixing case methods with theoretical applications in order to prepare students for roles in management. The school offers graduate degrees in the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Science in Business Administration (MSBA), Master of Science in Taxation (MSTX), as well as several foreign exchange programs and internships with business and government offices throughout the Bay area. Some of the most popular programs of study include courses in the areas of computer information systems, international business, as well as accounting.

Admission to San Francisco State University's Graduate School of Business is extremely competitive among those who apply; last year, over 950 students applied for admission to the school and approximately 485 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 235 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming semester. The admitted students had an average undergraduate GPA of about a 3.3 and an average GMAT score of about 535. The admissions committee requires that applicants have a minimum undergraduate GPA of at least a 2.7 as well as a minimum GMAT score of at least a 470. Students are able to begin graduate course work in either the fall or the spring, and admissions status is given out on a rolling basis.

The Graduate School of Business has 128 full-time faculty members, of whom 98% hold a doctorate degree. The school is also home to 25 part-time faculty members, of whom 40% hold a doctorate. The average graduate business class has around 25 students, and the average faculty member teaches about 4 courses at a time.

Placement Services

The Graduate School of Business has rather extensive placement services, that are also available to alumni for an unlimited number of years after they obtain their degree. These services include networking events, online job postings, and access to the university placement office as well as the Graduate Career Planning center.

What's Good

"I really love how small the classes are; you really get a chance to interact with your professors and get your voice heard."

"The career development services are wonderful; the people there really know what they're talking about."

"The administration is surprisingly accommodating, and very helpful."

What's Bad

"The program is pretty large for a graduate business school; it would be nice if it were a little more intimate."

"There can be a lot of what I deem unhealthy competition here; people can get pretty ruthless."

"I wish we had more interesting guest speakers come to talk to us."

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