Business School Overview

The Graduate School of Business at Stanford University offers these departments and concentrations: accounting, e-commerce, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, general management, health care administration, human resources management, leadership, manufacturing and technology management, marketing, not-for-profit management, production/operations management, organizational behavior, portfolio management, public administration, public policy, real estate, sports business, supply chain management/logistics, quantitative analysis/statistics and operations research, and technology. Its tuition is full-time: $61,875 per year. At graduation, 73.6 percent of graduates of the full-time program are employed.

Leadership is one focus of graduate business programs on Stanford’s sunny campus. Students grapple with simulations of tough management cases, like having to lay off employees. Each simulation is filmed, too, so students can critique themselves and learn from each other. The GSB also hosts the The View From the Top speaker series, which brings in leaders of major corporations across the country to speak to students about effective management.

Students at GSB can earn an MBA, or a Ph.D. in seven areas. Seasoned managers can enroll in the MSx Program and will earn a Master of Science degree in management in 12 months. There are no part-time, online or evening degree options offered. MBA students can opt for joint or dual degree programs through Stanford’s Law School, School of Engineering, School of Medicine,School of Education, School of Humanities and Sciences, and School of Earth Sciences. For students who want to explore a subject without committing to a degree, there are more than 30 cross-school elective courses to choose from. There are also specialty programs, like the summer Stanford Ignite certificate program, open to graduate non-business students.

When not studying, students can get involved in more than 70 organizations, which range from the studious Finance and Investment Club to the relaxed Wine Circle. There are also ongoing campus initiatives like the Center for Social Innovation and the Center for Leadership Development and Research.

The business school is located on the eastern end of the Stanford campus, and GSB students may live nearby in university housing. Most on-campus residents are first year MBA students who all live in the same housing complex. To get around campus and downtown Palo Alto, Calif., students can hop on the school’s free bus, called the Marguerite Shuttle. Notable alumni of the school include Richard Kovacevich, former chairman and CEO of Wells Fargo & Co.; John Donahoe, president and CEO of eBay; and Ellen Siminoff, founding executive of Yahoo!