The Online MBA from the University of California, DavisThe Online MBA from the University of California, DavisThe Online MBA from the University of California, Davis

Top 20 Nationally Ranked Program by Poets&Quants1Ranked among the Top 50 Business Schools by U.S. News & World Report for 25 Years1Ranked among the Top 50 Business Schools by U.S. News & World Report for 25 Years1

The Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Davis, is more than a business school—it’s a transformational experience where you will develop new ways of thinking about business and innovation.

Our online MBA program, MBA@UCDavis, offers you an interactive virtual campus that brings our culture of collaboration to you, wherever you are. Here, you will find an energetic network of enterprising professionals and globally recognized faculty eager to work with you to change the world.

Scholarships Available for Qualified Applicants

Qualified students who enroll in an upcoming cohort are eligible to receive a scholarship. Please reach out to your Admissions Counselor for information on how to apply.

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Accolades for the Graduate School of Management

Top 20

Best Online MBA Programs

Ranked by Poets&Quants1 in 2023

Top 30

U.S. Part-Time MBA Programs

Ranked by U.S. News & World Report2 in 2022

Join the UC Davis Network

Are you ready to take the next step in your career? The final deadline for the September 2023 cohort is July 26, 2023. Request information today to learn more about MBA@UCDavis and how we can help you acquire the skills and connections to thrive.

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Accessible, Top-Ranked Faculty

Our trailblazing research faculty and industry experts from Silicon Valley, San Francisco and beyond will know your name and help expand your perspective on business, both inside and outside of the online classroom.

Our faculty are international leaders in their fields and stay on the cutting edge of the business world through pioneering research, knowledge sharing and developing best practices.

Meet some of the Graduate School of Management faculty members who teach in the online MBA program.

Professor Kimberly Elsbach

An internationally renowned expert in organizational behavior and reputation, Professor Elsbach teaches negotiation skills and individual and group dynamics. She holds the Stephen G. Newberry Endowed Chair in Leadership and is an International Research Fellow at the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation.

Professor Andrew Hargadon

One of the world’s top scholars on innovation, Professor Hargadon is at the forefront of teaching, research and practice in cross-disciplinary entrepreneurship, and he is the founding director of the UC Davis Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He is the author of Sustainable Innovation: Build Your Company’s Capacity to Change the World.

Professor Victor Stango

A leading economist, Professor Stango teaches finance courses on the interaction of consumers, firms and government. His research focuses on banking markets, behavioral economics and industrial organization. He has helped shape policy as an economist at the Federal Reserve Banks of Chicago and New York.

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MBA@UCDavis Online Learning Experience

Through a close-knit community online and in person, we empower you to collaborate with a group of diverse, caring professionals who will challenge you to be your best.

The centerpiece of the MBA@UCDavis online experience is the live online classes, where you will participate in spirited, face-to-face conversations on our technology platform.

Live Online Classes

Discuss ideas and industry best practices in real time with your classmates and professors. You’ll feel the same energy and camaraderie in our online classes, held via webcam, as you would on campus.

Self-Paced Coursework

Dive into interactive assignments that you can complete on your own time. You might join a message board discussion or record a video response to a thought-provoking lecture.

In-Person Residentials

Join classmates, professors and business leaders for multiday, in-person experiences. Planned for Silicon Valley, Davis and Napa Valley, these residentials allow you to network and sharpen your skills.

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Online MBA Curriculum

Our online MBA curriculum has the same standards, will be taught by the same faculty and requires the same credit hours (72 units) as our nationally ranked MBA programs on campus.

Core courses provide you with a foundation in the functional areas of business, such as accounting, economics, finance, marketing and strategy. Electives allow you to expand or narrow your interests and go deeper into a subject area, depending on your post-MBA career goals.

Sample Courses

Providing a strategic mix of business fundamentals and a variety of electives, MBA@UCDavis courses include:

  • Markets and the Firm
  • The Individual and Group Dynamics
  • Negotiation in Organizations
  • Financial Accounting
  • Data Analysis for Managers
  • Management of Innovation
  • Marketing Analytics
  • Management Information Systems
  • Digital Marketing
  • New and Small Business Ventures

Skills and Learning Outcomes

You will build a broad foundation of business knowledge and skills:

  • Sharpen your writing, speaking and critical thinking abilities.
  • Develop your management and leadership skills.
  • Deepen your expertise through electives in areas of your choice, including analytics, entrepreneurship, marketing, organizational behavior or technology management.

STEM-Designated

UC Davis’ STEM-designated MBA reflects our university’s nationally recognized leadership in the STEM fields. Our rigorous curriculum emphasizes quantitative analysis and data-driven decision making to teach our students how to apply data analysis to innovate and inform business decisions.

“The UC Davis MBA program gave me access to brilliant faculty and brilliant classmates while I was still working full time. Applying what I learned to my job each day accelerated my business acumen and strategic thinking skills. As a result, I have had a distinct advantage ever since in being able to articulate the business value of Google Cloud’s learning programs.”

Ramak Siadatan MBA 06
Customer Team Enablement and Training Google Cloud

Take a Closer Look at MBA@UCDavis

Request information today to learn more about how this collaborative online program can help you advance your career—and change the world.

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AACSB Accreditation

The Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Davis, is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International, which means the school meets internationally recognized standards for excellence in business education.

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UC Davis Career Resources and Networking

The Graduate School of Management’s career development team provides online resources and career coaching to guide you through exploring career options, preparing for interviews, advancing your professional development and building diverse networks.

Corporate Connections

Our prime locations and reputation have fostered strong corporate connections in Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley—the world hub of innovation. We identify companies where you are uniquely positioned to succeed and promote you directly to them.

Alumni Network

You’ll be able to tap into the Graduate School of Management’s network of more than 4,800 alumni and UC Davis’ global network of more than 260,000 alumni for mentoring, informational interviews, company tours and career assistance.

Proven Track Record

We have a proven track record of success, with 100% job placement3 six months after graduation and an average starting salary of $99,7314 for our Full-Time MBA program on campus.

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Online MBA Admissions

MBA@UCDavis accepts applications on a rolling basis and offers four start dates per year: January, April, June and September. The program takes approximately 24–36 months to complete.

To apply, you will need to submit an online application, letters of recommendation, an essay, a personal introduction, an official transcript and GMAT or GRE scores.

GMAT waivers are available for qualified applicants.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is an online MBA degree worth it?

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The value of an online MBA depends on factors like program reputation, network strength, and curriculum and faculty quality. Graduate outcomes matter, too: The UC Davis full-time MBA class of 2021, for instance, reported a 100% job placement rate5 and an average starting salary of $99,731.6

Learn more about the student experience.

How long does it take to get an MBA online?

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Most MBA programs take 2-3 years to complete, depending on whether they’re full- or part-time. The 72-credit MBA@UCDavis program—which is specifically designed to accommodate working professionals—can be completed in as few as 24 months or as many as 36.

Learn more about curriculum and pacing.

What are the MBA admission requirements?

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You must hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution to be eligible for admission to MBA@UCDavis. We also strongly recommend at least two years of professional work experience and previous coursework in accounting, calculus, microeconomics and statistics.

Learn more about admission requirements.

Can you get an MBA without taking the GMAT?

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Yes. Many MBA programs now accept other standardized test scores, like the GRE, or simply waive the GMAT for qualified applicants. MBA@UCDavis accepts the GRE and offers GMAT/GRE waivers to candidates who meet certain academic and professional criteria.

Learn more about GMAT waiver details.

Do employers care if you earn an MBA online?

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Every organization is different, but our students say their employers appreciate the real-time value that comes with an online program. Because MBA@UCDavis students don’t have to relocate or leave their jobs, they’re able to directly apply their classroom learnings to workplace scenarios and experience the value of their education firsthand.

Learn more about our students.

Join the UC Davis Network

Are you ready to take the next step in your career? Request information today to learn more about MBA@UCDavis and how we can help you acquire the skills and connections to thrive.

1 Poets&Quants, US Online 2023 Rankings, (visited Dec 2022).arrow_upwardReturn to footnote reference

2 U.S. News & World ReportBest Part-time MBA Programs (2023). Ranked in 2022.arrow_upwardReturn to footnote reference

3 Class of 2021, U.S. eligible graduates with job offers six months after graduation.arrow_upwardReturn to footnote reference

4 School-reported data, per the MBA Career Services and Employer Alliance Standards for Reporting Full-Time MBA Employment Statistics (visited May 13, 2022).arrow_upwardReturn to footnote reference

5 Class of 2021, U.S. eligible graduates with job offers six months after graduation.arrow_upwardReturn to footnote reference

6 School-reported data, per the MBA Career Services and Employer Alliance Standards for Reporting Full-Time MBA Employment Statistics (visited May 13, 2022).arrow_upwardReturn to footnote reference

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