Top Silicon Valley MBA programs

Silicon Valley, a place beyond your wildest tech dreams, is renowned for its tech companies and a place where Microsoft, Apple, Google, Oracle, Yahoo!, Facebook, and a dozen other worldwide companies are headquartered. In addition, Silicon Valley is a hub of venture-backed tech startups providing several opportunities for early career MBA students seeking a sure path to success. While the Valley is a known hub for tech giants and rising technopreneurs, at the same time, it’s also considered as one of the best places for MBA programs.

Silicon Valley is home to some of the top B-schools, including both Haas School of Business as well as Stanford Graduate School of Business. Let us look in-depth at what these top MBA programs in the Valley have to offer. 

Why Is an MBA Necessary for Your Tech Career

• With the 21st century recognized as the prime era of technology and entrepreneurship, modern organizations would need people with both technical & analytical skills as well as managerial and business skills, thus making the relevance of an MBA far more significant than ever for your tech career. 

• Moreover, some of the top recruiters for MBA in the Silicon Valley are usually tech giants like Microsoft, Apple, Google, Oracle, Yahoo!, Facebook, etc. another thing to note is that besides developing relevant business and analytical skills, an MBA ensures high annual salaries and a good position in a reputed company that can be pretty difficult to achieve if you have a plain tech degree. 
• Furthermore, an MBA degree from a top B-school aids you to find relevant exposure to profitable business opportunities and helps provide access to extensive business networks. Unfortunately, such a vast network is not accessible to tech graduates within their course period. Suggested Reading: Top Tech MBA Programs

Top Business Schools in the Silicon Valley

Here is a list of top business schools in the Silicon Valley

• Santa Clara University, Leavey School of Business 
• Craig School of Business 
• Sofia University, Palo Alto
• Golden Gate University, Edward S. Ageno School of Business, (GGU ASOB)
• Stanford Graduate School of Business
• Haas School of Business at University of California—Berkeley

1. California State University Monterey Bay 

The College of Business at California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) is a graduate school of management accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Apart from its renowned online MBA program, it is also known for allowing students without the GMAT.  The college has a tight-knit community with only 48 students enrolled under the full-time MBA program, and the program is also STEM-designated. 

Apart from typical MBA courses, students can also opt for,

• Biotechnology, 
• Sustainable Energy or Technology Finance, 
• Food, Agriculture, etc. 

The online program offered is 48-credit and is a selective, fixed-curriculum graduate degree program. The curriculum is a mix of soft skills like leadership, networking, teamwork, ethics, and hard business skills such as finance, economics, marketing, and management to enable graduates to thrive in diverse workplaces.

 Moreover, being an online program, it delivers convenient flexibility, allowing students to attend interactive sessions, lessons and benefit from real-time case discussions related to business news and issues and at the same time receive personalized & prompt help from instructors.

2. Santa Clara University, Leavey School of Business 

Santa Clara University is home to one of the top-ranked Leavey School of Business, which offers MBA programs that can be done entirely online as well as offline choices. The MBA program is designed as a two-year program keeping in mind the mindset and requirements of Silicon Valley. 

The curriculum offers unparalleled networking opportunities, and the students can expect to learn from core about doing Business in the Valley. Apart from the core business program, the courses also offer design, analysis, and Management of Enterprise Platforms. Moreover, unique elective options such as tech marketing, including Strategies for effective messaging, Data Science with Python, game theory and strategic behavior, and Strategic Talent Management, are offered.

Moreover, for the online course, students are able to track their progress with the “Silicon Valley Professional” dashboard, which helps to coordinate their elective courses and co-curricular experiences with their personal and professional goals and helps them to reflect on their professional development by providing insights during the entire program. 

In addition, the SVP dashboard can be used by students to interact with teachers, instructors, classmates, and mentors, in a way acting as a networking resource for them to ask and collect feedback on their current progress.

3. Craig School of Business

Craig School of Business at Fresno State University offers an MBA program known for its flexible blended format. This means that the entire program is almost completed online except for orientation, some selected exams, and the final culmination presentation. Well, there is a summer study abroad program, but it is optional for you to choose.

The MBA curriculum offered at Craig follows the same basic structure and coursework as that of traditional MBA, being approximately two years long but being an online course, allowing students the flexibility to learn remotely. Moreover, the program is the highest-rated AACSB-accredited program in between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The MBA program at Craig is generally renowned for preparing students for a range of careers, and the school ensures that the graduates receive an MBA that will build a solid foundation for future career growth in any line of work.

The courses in the program include:

• Financial Management, 
• Leadership & Organizational Behavior, 
• management of Information Systems, 
• Global Environment of Business and Production,
• Operations Management. 

Moreover, Students also need to choose from electives such as:-

• Business Policy and Strategy, 
• managing Human Capital, 
• Investments & Portfolio Management, and many others. 

4. Sofia University, Palo Alto

The Sofia University is centered in the heart of the Valley and connected worldwide through strings of networks. The University offers an MBA program that can be completed either entirely online, onsite, or a combination of the two. Sofia University is renowned for its faculty as the roster encompasses seasoned technologists, venture capitalists, and business entrepreneurs committed to helping students to reach their peak in their chosen specialty. 

The MBA program at Sofia University is built on three pillars of business management fundamentals, data-driven decision-making in an organizational setting, and exceptional interpersonal skills. 

The rigorous course at the university is responsible for incorporating traditional core business courses along with project work and the unique three pillars of the program. The curriculum also allows students to gain experience at workshops and provide the opportunity to attend several on-campus events.

Being said that, let us look at some significant areas of concentration at Sofia University. These include Entrepreneurship, 

• Business Analytics & Data-Driven Decision Making,
• Human Resource Management, Global Business Leadership,
• Management of Technology and Innovation, and
• Marketing Management.

Apart from the MBA Core courses, students also have an opportunity to choose from a wide range of electives that are designed to enhance the degree. These include 

• Data Visualization,
• Management of Technology and Innovation,
• Managing Creativity and Innovation,
• Organizational Behavior and Wellbeing, and
• Value Elicitation and Modeling Workshop.

Flexibility is something that is highly regarded at the university. Therefore, students enrolled in the program can schedule the required 48 quarter-units of coursework however they like. 

 As such, the students are allowed up to six years to finish the program, and at the same time, an exceptional student having waived courses in business fundamentals, and is able to complete more than nine units per quarter, could surely finish the entire program in as little as one year.

5. Golden Gate University, Edward S. Ageno School of Business, (GGU ASOB)

The Golden Gate University (GGU), established in 1901, is ranked highly as a place perfect for adult learners.  The school offers different UG and graduate programs in business & management, law, taxation, accounting, taxation and has a fully Online MBA program with 11 formal concentrations in addition to the option to design your own. Several different options include 

Accounting, Business Analytics, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Global Supply Chain Management, Human Resource Management, International Business, IT Management, Marketing, Project Management, and Public Administration.

The Golden Gate University is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) and allows students without GMAT/GRE for applicants with five years of professional work experience. In addition, GGU ASOB has two different Online MBA options, namely, 

• The EMBA 
• The MBA/Juris Doctor Joint Degree. 

Apart from this, the school also offers a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) online program. 

The courses conducted are made exciting using new methodologies, such as flipped classrooms, activity-based learning, competency development, and online learning activities.

Students enrolled in the program are expected to take courses such as 

• Business Planning,
• Communications & Presentations,
• Information Technology Management,
• Management & Leadership, and
• Strategic Analysis & Design.

Apart from the core courses, concentration courses vary by option, and students can select two or more specializations in the program. 

Offered by the GGU ASOB, the online MBA program boasts a diverse student population from the San Francisco Bay Area, the U.S, and more than 45-50 countries around the globe. In addition, the school provides unparalleled networking opportunities with a distinguished community of more than 70,000 alumni along with other school’s connections.

6. Stanford Graduate School of Business

Stanford Graduate School of Business is among the trio of top-notch Business schools, namely the Harvard-Wharton-Stanford, HWS in the USA, known for their quality education, reputation, academic brilliance, and high pay scale opportunities. Moreover, Stanford is regularly ranked as the number one MBA school in America (Silicon Valley) by several US news channels. 

Located next to top technology centers like Palo Alto and Santa Clara, you are within finger-touching distance from major tech companies around the globe. However, right to its reputation, the standards at Stanford are level high with exceptional undergrad GPA along with a GMAT score of 720+ is necessary to help make the admission process a lot smoother.  Furthermore, the acceptance rates are much more rigorous, having even less than a 14% acceptance rate; hence, an excellent profile is recommended to have any enrollment chances. 

But wait! That’s not all. The program deems you to have a heck lot of intellectual ability and analytical skills alongside exception scores. Your contribution to the MBA class and your curiosity to expand your knowledge are prerequisites of the program.  

The Stanford MBA program is designed in a way to emphasize global business, and students are required to follow a Global Management Immersion Experience during their studies providing your post-MBA Career an unimaginable boost in terms of prosperity and workmanship.

Finally, the good news! At the end of the program, approximately 90%-91% of the graduating MBA students receive an offer within just three months, with more than 34% of the graduates heading into finance and 28% into technology, making these two the most significant sectors as per recruitment.

7. Haas School of Business at University of California—Berkeley

Berkeley Haas is renowned for building fluency in business fundamentals among that helps in confident leadership decisions. The school hones all the relevant values as well as your skill-set that would add depth to your decisions in a larger context.

 Moreover, you learn how to move teams and organizations from vision to reality. As a result, upon graduating with a Berkeley MBA degree, the world would see you as a global leader who sees not just what is but what could be.

Haas School of Business offers a rigorous and interdisciplinary MBA curriculum to help you develop as someone who can turn innovation to impact. The rigorous curriculum is structured to make students understand the business fundamentals and enables you to build intelligence and perspective so that one can move seamlessly from “what is” to “what could be.”  

The core curriculum comprises 14 required courses built to foster mastery of analytics and analytical tools while building an essential knowledge base to lead successfully. Beyond core studies, the program is designed in such a way to provide enough freedom to achieve your goals and passions.

All in all, after graduating from the Haas School of Business, you would develop different ways of thinking and develop multiple perspectives with experiential learning. 

Acceptance Rate for MBA in Silicon Valley

Sl No.	Business School	Acceptance Rate
1.	California State University Monterey Bay	Approx. 86%
2.	Santa Clara University, Leavey School of Business	46.44% (2017)
3.	Craig School of Business	30%
4.	Sofia University, Palo Alto	Data Unavailable
5.	Golden Gate University, Edward S. Ageno School of Business, (GGU ASOB)	Data Unavailable
6.	Stanford Graduate School of Business	Approx. 7% (poets and quants)
7.	Haas School of Business at University of California—Berkeley	23% (sourced from P&Q article: Acceptance Rates At The Top 25 U.S. MBA Programs)

Job Opportunities Post-MBA from Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley, a place renowned for its tech companies, and if you dream of working with one of the top 25 tech firms in the Valley, an MBA degree from the top business school is a must, but the question arises which B-school should you go in order to live your dream. 

Well, to be honest, it’s a pretty good question that is being more frequently asked than ever by prospective B-school candidates. 

It’s no surprise that top firms target MBA graduates based on the ranking of the school. Still, as far as Silicon Valley is concerned, the largest share of MBA graduates are hired by top tech firms in the valley, including companies like Google, Apple, Oracle, eBay, Facebook, etc., which are worldwide tech giants. But, apart from the technological role, the companies also compete head-to-head for MBA graduates in the more traditional and mainstream areas like Consulting, Investment Banking, and Venture capitalist as well.  

List of Top Tech Firm Recruiters in Silicon Valley

Sl No.	Name of Company	Average Salary for MBA
1.	Apple	$130,000
2.	Google	$120,516 – $123,333
3.	Facebook	$137,500
4.	Amazon	$120,667- $126,971
5.	Microsoft	$117,130
6.	Adobe	$91,900 – $141,900
7.	Intel	$126,762
8.	Dell	$101,000
9.	Cisco	$83,800 – $134,700
10.	Oracle	$71,400 – $126,400
11.	e-Bay	$88,900 – $136,000