University of San Diego, School of Business Administration Admission
University of San Diego, School of Business Administration Undergraduate Program
University of San Diego, School of Business Administration Application

The Facts

The University of San Diego is a rather moderately-sized, private institution located in the appropriately titled town of San Diego, California, and is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. The university has a combined graduate and undergraduate population of over 7,125 students, however, the graduate School of Business Administration is significantly smaller, with approximately 300 graduate business students. Just over 90% of currently enrolled students have had an average of 7 years full-time professional experience, which is a factor taken into serious consideration by the admissions committee when reviewing applications. Perhaps as a result of this fact, the average age of enrollment is around 30, however, ages range from 21 all the way up to 54. Approximately 7% of currently enrolled students entered directly from undergraduate school, while about 12% of students already have a graduate degree of some sort. The graduate School of Business Administration is perhaps best known for its emphasis on practical application of theory in order to make students as successful as possible in the rapidly expanding global marketplace. The school offers graduate business degrees in the Master of Business Administration (MBA), International Master of Business Administration (IMBA), Master of Science in Executive Leadership (MSEL), Master of Science in Global Leadership (MSGL), Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT), as well as joint degrees in law and business (JD/MBA), nursing and business (MSN/MBA), as well as business and information technology (MBA/MSIT). The school also has extensive cross-registration programs well as foreign exchange possibilities in five countries. Some of the most popular programs of study include courses in the areas of finance, international business, entrepreneurship, procurement, as well as information technology.

Admission to USD's graduate School of Business Administration is quite competitive among the relatively few students who apply; last year, over 280 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 220 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 128 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming semester. The admitted students had an average undergraduate GPA of about a 3.1, as well as an average GMAT score of about 541. The admissions committee requires all applicants to have a minimum undergraduate GPA of at least a 3.0, as well as a minimum GMAT score of at least 500.

The graduate business school has 56 full-time faculty members, of whom 93% hold doctorate degrees. The school is also home to 6 part-time faculty members, of whom 83% hold a doctorate. An average graduate business class usually numbers around 20 students, and most faculty members teach an average of 5 courses at any given time.

Placement Services

The school's placement services are quite limited, however, last year, 10 companies were actively recruiting on campus, 25% of which were national corporations. The majors most in demand by these companies included finance, procurement, international business, as well as real estate. The average starting salary of the most recent graduating class was around $66,430, however, it ranged from $30,000 to $125,000. Last year, an impressive 80% of the graduating class were able to find jobs within three months of receiving their graduate degrees.

What's Good

"I really appreciate the global perspective the school has; I think it makes you a more savvy business person."

"The classes are all the perfect size in my opinion. There are enough people to do group projects, but few enough to have great discussions."

"The faculty is terrific here, and I find them to be very encouraging in all circumstances."

What's Bad

"There are some nice career development services, but not nearly as many as I'd like."

"It gets very expensive going here, and you're so busy it can be tricky to earn sufficient income while you're studying."

"It can be very competitive, so it's very important to just focus on what you need to do personally to excel."

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