Stanford GSB MBA News

Published: November 7, 2013

Stanford GSB to Host Second Innovation and Entrepreneurship Certificate Program in India

Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) held an inaugural certificate program in innovation and entrepreneurship for technical professionals earlier this year in India and was so pleased with the results that it is already accepting applications for a second session next spring. Applications for Stanford Ignite - Bangalore 2014 will be accepted through November 22, 2013. Classes will meet on extended weekends from April 4th thought June 8th. Exceptional, self-sponsored applicants who demonstrate need may be eligible for fellowships to cover the program’s cost. Read more

Published: October 22, 2013

Stanford Graduate School of Business Welcomes Largest Entering Class Ever

Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) welcomed 406 students this year, the largest class in the school’s history, according to Class of 2015 profile statistics the school shared earlier this month. “Not only are there more students in the class, but also greater diversity of experience and background,” read a post on the Stanford MBA Admissions blog. As far as greater diversity goes, the incoming class includes students from a record number of international and U.S. schools, as well as more organizations than ever before. With 300 different organizations represented, more than 67 percent of students are the sole classmate joining Stanford directly from their organization. The Class of 2015 also includes greater representation of both women (36 percent) and U.S. minorities (21 percent) than in previous years. Additionally, international students make up 41 percent of the class. Read more

Published: October 8, 2013

Stanford Graduate School of Business Returns to Number One Spot in Forbes 2013 MBA Rankings

Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) reclaimed the top spot in the Forbes 2013 biennial ranking of MBA programs, released today. The University of Chicago Booth School of Business took second, bumping Harvard Business School (HBS), which topped the list in 2011, to third place. The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School followed up the lead in fourth. Forbes, which ranks full-time MBA programs every two years based on return on investment, found that at the top 25 programs in the United States, the degree still pays off, although it takes longer to do so. For the Class of 2008, the class surveyed for this year’s ranking, the average payback period was 3.7 years, as compared to 2.7 years a decade ago, Forbes reports. Read more

Published: September 5, 2013

Wharton Start-Up Expands to Lend to MBA Students at 20 Top Schools

A company launched last fall by students at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School experienced success in its pilot phase, during which it served as a lender to Wharton MBA students and recent graduates, and so this fall will launch nationally to lend to MBA students at 20 top MBA programs in the United States, the Financial Times reports. Wharton student David Klien is chief executive and co-founder of CommonBond, which last year lent $2.5 million to 40 MBA students and recent graduates from Wharton using funds raised primarily through crowdsourcing. Now, the start-up has raised more than $100 million through debt financing and selling equity. It will expand to offer low-interest loans to MBA students at business schools throughout the country, including Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, Columbia Business School and others. Read more

Published: August 20, 2013

New Online Education Company Offers Free Stanford GSB Courses for Entrepreneurs

A new online education company founded by a Stanford University professor has launched a suite of entrepreneurial-focused courses from a range of U.S. business schools – many available for free – including several from Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), the Financial Times reports. Founded by Stanford professor of management and engineering Amin Saberi, NovoEd launched in April 2013, based on an innovative platform that supports both massive open online courses (Moocs) and collaborative, small group teaching. Between 70 and 80 percent of NovoEd’s courses are available free of charge, with the remainder offered at fees ranging from $150 to $1000. Read more

Published: August 13, 2013

Registration Now Open for Three Fall Events for Prospective Applicants to Stanford Graduate School of Business

Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) will host three special events in October for prospective applicants to its MBA program. Participants will have an opportunity to visit the Knight Management Center, learn more about the MBA admissions process and sit in on class, among other things. Registration is open to any prospective student, although the events will be most helpful to candidates considering submitting an application in January 2014 or later, the school notes. The first event, “Many Voices: Perspectives on Diversity,” will take place on October 12th from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will be hosted by the Stanford MBA Admissions Office with participation from the Black Business Students Association (BBSA), Hispanic Business Students Association (HBSA) and GSB Pride, the student club for LGBT students and allies. Read more

Published: July 23, 2013

Stanford Graduate School of Business Webinar Offers Tips for Applicants to New MS Computer Science/MBA Joint Degree

The Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) announced this past spring that it will offer a new MS Computer Science (MSCS)/MBA joint degree program, and a recent webinar provides tips for prospective applicants looking to learn more about the program and its application requirements. The webinar begins with Mary Oleksy, who oversees the joint and dual degree programs for the GSB, outlining some basics. “The purpose of this degree program is going to be to provide an opportunity for computer scientists to develop necessary skills to be managers and entrepreneurs, and for technologically inclined business students to gain a solid background in Computer Science by combining these two degrees into a really focused and intentional approach,” she says. Read more

Published: June 12, 2013

Top Business Schools Help Students Who Head into Lower Paying Fields

Taking on debt to finance an MBA program only to take a job at a low-paying nonprofit organization after business school doesn’t add up to graduates being able to repay their loans. Fortunately, many top business schools have created programs to help ease the financial burden for those who go into nonprofit or other low-paying fields, according to a recent report in Bloomberg BusinessWeek. In addition to Harvard Business School, which this year gave 19 students grants of $50,000 to supplement their first-year salaries, schools including Columbia Business School (CBS), Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, UMichigan’s Ross School of Business, Stanford Graduate School of Business and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School all also offer financial assistance in one form or another to help graduates repay student loans, Bloomberg BW reports. And while many business school students don’t seem to know about these programs, they should: The benefits can extend for multiple years adding up to as much as $100,000 for some, Bloomberg BW adds. Read more

Published: May 21, 2013

Stanford Graduate School of Business Extends Executive Program for Entrepreneurs to India, France

Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) plans later this year to expand its Ignite program – an executive program designed to provide scientists, engineers, and graduate students with the business skills they need to launch successful entrepreneurial ventures – to Bangalore and Paris, the Financial Times reports. Stanford Ignite debuted in California in 2006, where it is offered both full and part time. In France and India, it will be taught as part of a part-time, nine-week program, according to the FT. Yossi Feinberg, a Stanford economics professor and the Stanford Ignite faculty professor, told the FT that the program is designed for professionals in their fields who lack managerial experience. “It’s remarkable how much innovation there is and how much is lost through the lack of business skills,” he said. Read more

Published: May 7, 2013

Interest in Social Entrepreneurship Rises Among MBAs, Creating Some Challenges for Business Schools

As interest in social entrepreneurship has swelled among MBA students in recent years, top business schools have responded by developing new programs, centers and scholarships for students pursuing a field that was relatively unheard of a few decades ago. But as the Financial Times reported in a recent article, the trend toward social entrepreneurship, as well as shifts in the structure of organizations social entrepreneurs seek to join upon graduation, presents a new set of challenges for top MBA programs. “In the 1980s there was almost no talk at all in business schools about anything that we might now call social entrepreneurship,” Peter Tufano, dean of Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, told the FT. “I think we’ve seen an explosive growth in demand for social entrepreneurship in the last 10 years,” he added. Read more

Published: April 25, 2013

Stanford Graduate School of Business Announces New Africa MBA Fellowship Program

Citizens of African countries who are admitted to the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) MBA program and can demonstrate financial need are now eligible for a new $140,000 fellowship, the school announced earlier this month. The Stanford Africa MBA Fellowship Program is part of an effort by the school to contribute to Africa’s human and economic development by educating leaders who are committed to making an impact on the continent, according to a recent post on the Stanford MBA Admissions blog. “This fellowship program is a critical step toward removing any financial barrier,” wrote admissions blogger Victoria Hendel de la O. Read more

Published: July 29, 2012

Clear Admit Featured in Financial Times Article on Changing MBA Admissions

Clear Admit’s own Graham Richmond was featured as part of an article this week in the Financial Times about changes taking place this admissions season at several top business schools. The article, entitled “The Creative Route to an MBA,” highlighted the shift at several top MBA programs toward requiring fewer essays from applicants, among other changes. Several top schools, including Harvard Business School (HBS), Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, will require applicants to submit fewer essays as part of the application process than in years past. Clear Admit’s Richmond told the FT that he believes this is part of a trend by top programs to shift emphasis away from the essays and toward the interview portion of the application process. Read more