Hey there,
You're right, neither of those schools is really going to get loads of recognition internationally. In fact, I've never heard of Whitewater, but I know of Cal State East Bay from my time in California. Think it used to be called Cal State Hayward when I was there. And my hunch is that the Bay Area is probably more interesting than northwestern Michigan in many ways, including professionally. (But again, I could be wrong - sorry to any folks from that part of Michigan! No offense) Don't know how important the setting is for you, but if you can afford to live in northern California, I think I'd go west. Sorry I can't be more informative about the programs themselves. Good luck. Evan

The University of Wiisconsin- Whitewater is actually the largest MBA program in Wisconsin -- bigger than the flagship UW-Madison. It's been AACSB accredited since the 1970's, and it offers specializations in many different areas too. Lots of awards as well. A really good program, especially if you're thinking of online.

On the basis of the GMAT score and staff-student ratio, East Bay looks much better. http://business-schools.findthebest.com/compare/379-409/California-State-University-East-Bay-CA-vs-University-of-Wisconsin-Whitewater-WI

Based on pricing, especially for out-of-state and online, Whitewater's a pretty good value. Out-of-state and in-state tuition are the same for the online classes at $600 per credit.
Does a higher GMAT admission score average really mean a school is better?

Well, I think it means the students are better, and so the teachers can teach at a higher level and move faster. A 480 average GMAT is *really* low...

To quote "Poets and Quants:" In the fictional town of Lake Wobegone, the creation of National Public Radio personality Garrison Keillor, all the children are ?above-average? because no one can ever admit to being merely average.

The average score of the Graduate Admission Management Test (GMAT) is about 540 on a scale of 200 to 800.

Perhaps it isn't clear to US-based students that international students who lend a lot to the classroom experience and content usually don't get "average" GMAT scores. Including international students is a good reason for using criteria outside GMAT scores for admission. Improved diversity can lead to a more interesting experience for everyone enrolled.

Well, many people who take the GMAT fail to get admittance. If the average GMAT is 540 then the average GMAT of admitted students will be higher. What's interesting is that 480 puts Whitewater's average GMAT in the bottom third of all test-takers.

International students don't always bring a more into the classroom experience. I was an international student and, in my experience as an interviewer of MBA applicants, people with low verbal scores can struggle with the written and oral element of the course; and low quant skills make the maths hard -- regardless of nationality. For Whitewater to teach to students who, generally will be below average on both must be challenging.

Elsewhere in the UW system, at UW Oshkosh, is an MBA with substantially lower fees and a much higher GMAT scores, yet an even higher admissions rate that Whitewater. I think that's worth looking at. http://business-schools.findthebest.com/compare/81-84-89-409-413-416/University-of-Wisconsin-Oshkosh-WI-vs-University-of-Wisconsin-Milwaukee-Lubar-WI-vs-University-of-Wisconsin-Madison-WI-vs-University-of-Wisconsin-Whitewater-WI-vs-University-of-Wisconsin-La-Crosse-WI-vs-University-of-Wisconsin-Eau-Claire-WI

Oshkosh also has this compelling video... but don't let that count against them http://www.youtube.com/user/uwoadmissions#p/a/u/2/UomnmbMA438