There's a huge gap between all of these various programs, and whether the ones on the bottom are worth it depends on your expectations.

Obviously Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA and Irvine are ranked and will have better career support and a wider alumni network (translating most likely into a better salary over the long-term and a bigger range of possibilities in terms of geography), while the others have more of an impact for students who live, or want to work, locally.

Personally, I like the SFSU program if you're looking at the unranked programs, especially if you're interested in CSR or Sustainable Business.

I think academics and research only matter if you want a PhD. Focus on salaries.

Got it - looking at the salaries, it looks as if I can't get into or afford a top-5 school (statewide), it's probably not worth it - right?

Well that depends on your current salary. The top 4 are clearly UCB, Stanford, UCLA, USC and then Merage and Rady are pretty close. But in terms of salary, CPSU, SCU and SFSU outperform those last two. Any school that leaves you an a higher salary in three years time than you would have otherwise will have a positive NPV.

I'd agree with most of this. Since you are coming from out of state (and I'm imagining, don't want to stay in California after graduation?) - I'd guess that you would want to get into the best school you can, because in general, the better reputation a business school has, the more weight it will carry outside of California.

The main strengths of of those unranked schools - in particular, some of the CSU's, like Northridge, Sacramento, etc. - is that they have great reputations in their community for their part-time and flexible MBA programs. These programs are fantastic for local students who want a cost effective and flexible way to get an MBA - but have fewer career support facilities, especially for out-of-state students.

I do have to say that the full-time program at Fullerton is quite interesting. While I'm not entirely sure about what it would offer an out-of-state student, they have substantially built up their career support offerings, and it's not bad budget wise ($45k for the 16-month program.)

Thanks. It sounds my best bet is to aim at the ranked MBA programs. So my next step is obviously taking the GMAT, and see how high I can score.

I'm also wondering what the best way to secure scholarships at these schools would be. It looks like the tuition at Stanford is about $60,000 per year, ouch!

Take a look at this post on scholarships http://www.find-mba.com/board/37055

Thanks. It sounds my best bet is to aim at the ranked MBA programs. So my next step is obviously taking the GMAT, and see how high I can score.

I'm also wondering what the best way to secure scholarships at these schools would be. It looks like the tuition at Stanford is about $60,000 per year, ouch!

Stanford fees is very big as comparing to other colleges but it will be refunded very quickly after you finish mba as it refundbackk period is very fast

I'm also wondering what the best way to secure scholarships at these schools would be. It looks like the tuition at Stanford is about $60,000 per year, ouch!

Yes, it seems expensive, but a large majority of Stanford students get some kind of financial aid to help - and Businessweek says that the average package is close to $25k.

As to how to go about getting scholarships, play to your strengths. Stanford has a number of fellowships and other funding sources you can apply for, depending on your profile, background, and career aspirations.

Good point.

I will look at the financial aid support from these business schools. I fear that even with an average scholarship package, Stanford is still out of reach - but maybe UCLA or one of the others might be more doable.

As you have already listed the schools, Thus you may compare and check & compare the Business schools in the below following link
http://business-schools.findthebest.com/saved_search/Top-Business-Schools-in-California

Hi calibound,

Just seeing if you have any updates - where you able to get into Stanford? I am also very interested in this school, but my work experience is low and I don't know if I'll be able to get in.

Hi all,

I have a BA in Political Science (with accents in Sociology), Master in Gender and Minorities, both in Europe. This year i will finish a distance learning BA in law. I have 5 years working experience, from which i spend the last 3 doing debt collection (insolvencies, enforcement). I am bilingual in both English and Spanish (i was an Erasmus student in Spain).

I would like to find an MBA or MSc in a business related field to add value to my current knowledge and experience.
Any suggestions?

How about one of these? http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-ranking-2014

I would like to find an MBA or MSc in a business related field to add value to my current knowledge and experience.
Any suggestions?

In California? Generically I'd suggest looking at these to start with:

Haas
UCLA
USC Marshall
Stanford
UC Irvine

However, your choice will ultimately depend on what you plan to do after graduation; your GMAT score will help to determine where you are competitive.