hybrid

Early Career Hybrid MBA

Master of Business Administration (AACSB Accredited)

The Early Career Hybrid MBA offers professionals the fundamentals of management framed by our core values:

  • Purpose-driven leadership: because organizations are the foundation of a better society.
  • A human-centered approach to management because people are the most important resource in any organization.
  • Flexibility because goals and needs change for busy professionals.
  • Transdisciplinary approach because the best solutions are often found by talking to people with different viewpoints.
  • Hybrid format You can complete the Early Career Hybrid MBA in a hybrid format mixing online and in-person coursework, build a program that fits into your life.

 

AACSB Accredited Logo

EFMD Global Member Logo

PRME - Principles for Responsible Management Education - Logo

WASC Logo

 

Program Highlights
  • You can complete the degree in as few as 21 months and speed up or slow down when your work or personal commitments change, shift from full-time or part-time as you need to.
  • You will learn in small classes averaging 15 students with faculty who are accessible and care about your success.
  • You can select from in-person, online, and hybrid options each semester based on what’s best for you at that time.
  • You will work with our Career & Professional Development Office before you start your studies to develop a personalized plan and enjoy lifetime access to our career services!
  • You can earn up to three certificates (Analysis & Decision-Making, People & Strategy, and an optional concentration) along the way to your degree. You can also take classes outside of the department or even add a dual degree.
  • Your MBA is AACSB accredited—the highest standard for business education.
  • US News & World Report ranked our MBA among the top 10 full-time MBA programs in Southern California.

Program At-a-glance

  • 48 units

    required units

  • Master of Business Administration (AACSB Accredited)

    degree awarded

  • Hybrid

    modality

  • Spring, Summer, Fall

    program start

Areas of Concentration

  • Marketing (certificate)

    Develop a critical understanding of key marketing concepts and gain analytical and evaluative skills to inform strategic marketing decision making.

  • Finance (certificate)

    Explore finance management concepts that teach you how to invest, where to obtain funds, and how capital markets work.

  • Supply Chain Management (certificate)

    Explore concepts of supply chain management while learning to leverage technologies like big data, analytics, optimization, and geospatial systems.

  • Entrepreneurship (certificate)

    Study the art of entrepreneurship and innovation from launching a business to startups and corporate entrepreneurship.

  • Human Resources Management

    Develop the analytical skills to work on HR strategy, processes, and human capital needs.

  • Information Technology Management

    Study cutting-edge scholarship on the latest in IT functions, IT consulting and development management, and working in technology-related startups.

Where You Can Find Our Alumni

Curriculum

Drucker Signature Platform: 8 units
Drucker Philosophy
Leadership Practicum
The Future Imagined
Capstone

Analysis & Decision Making: 12 units
Business Analytics
Corporate Finance
Operations Management
Supply Chain

People & Strategy: 12 units
Economics of Strategy
Organizational Behavior
Marketing
Strategy
Emerging Technologies

Elective Courses: 16 units

Students must demonstrate fluency with financial accounting by the end of their first semester in the program.

Application Guidelines

University Requirements
Application Fee

$80 (fee is non-refundable)

Official Transcripts

Undergraduate/graduate

Applicants must submit a sealed, official transcript from every undergraduate and graduate institution that has granted the applicant a degree. Electronic transcripts sent to admissions@cgu.edu are also accepted. For undergraduate coursework, applicants are required to submit proof of a completed bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university. Unofficial copies of transcripts are accepted for review purposes, but official copies will be required upon admission.

Applicants currently earning a degree that will be completed prior to attending CGU are required to submit a transcript showing work in progress for evaluation purposes. Once the degree has been granted, a final official transcript documenting the degree conferred must be submitted to CGU.

International applicants are advised to review the International Transcript Guidelines for additional information on submitting international transcripts.

English Proficiency Exam

Required (international applicants only)

A valid score on one of the following examinations TOEFL, IELTS, Pearson PTE, Duolingo English Test is required of all non-native English-speaking applicants. The examination is not required for the following applicants:

  • Citizens or permanent residents of countries where English is the sole official language of instruction, e.g., Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada (except Quebec), England, Ghana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, New Zealand, Nigeria, Scotland, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad, Tobago, Uganda, and Wales (see the CGU Bulletin for a complete list of accepted countries).
  • Applicants who hold an undergraduate or advanced degree, or will have earned such a degree prior to enrolling at CGU, from an institution in the US or in countries where English is the sole official language of instruction (see above).
  • Applicants who have successfully completed an academic English pre-master’s or intensive graduate bridge program from a nationally recognized, regionally accredited four-year college or university in the United States in the last two years, with submitted evidence of successful completion, and subject to curriculum approval.
  • CGU allows for an English proficiency waiver if the applicant has received, or will receive prior to enrollment at CGU, an undergraduate or advanced degree from an institution where English is one of the primary languages of instruction for the majority of courses in the student’s program. To receive the waiver, documentation must be provided by the applicant to show that English is the language of instruction at their university/college.

CGU’s school code for the TOEFL exam is 4053.

International applicants are encouraged to visit our International Applicants page for more information, including score requirements.

Resume

Applicants must submit an up-to-date copy of their resume.

Program Requirements
Applicant Questionnaire

For each of the questions below, please provide a separate response of no more than 100 words maximum. You will be able to upload your responses to your applicant status page following the submission of your online application.

1. What is motivating you to pursue a graduate management degree or certificate at this point in your life?

2. Describe your goals and how our program will help you reach them.

3. How do the Drucker School and Peter Drucker’s ideals align with your personal brand?

4. How might you contribute to the program? What qualities do you possess that would benefit the program and/or your fellow students?

5. What might be the biggest challenge you will face at if you enroll in this program?

Academic Prerequisites

You must hold a U.S. equivalent bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.

Three years of work experience is recommended but not required. The Admission Committee weighs the quality of work experience more heavily than the quantity. Direct management experience is preferred, but not required.

Letter of Recommendation

Optional

Applicants are not required to submit letters of recommendation for this program. If you do wish to provide a recommendation letter(s) to be included in your application materials, please request that your recommendation writer email their letter to the Office of Admissions at admissions@cgu.edu. Please ensure that they include your full name in their letter.

Standardized Test Scores

GRE or GMAT required (waivers available)

GMAT or GRE examination scores are required. Scores must be dated within the past five years. Request that an official GMAT or GRE score be sent to admissions directly from Educational Testing Service (ETS). Information on examination waivers can be found below.

Scores must be sent directly to CGU by the testing agency.
CGU’s school codes:

GMAT DZK-QS-08
ETS (GRE and TOEFL) 4053

Waiver Information

For this program, an applicant may request a waiver for the GMAT/GRE exam based on any of the following qualifications:

Academic Work

  • A bachelor degree in a business subject from an AACSB or EQUIS accredited school
  • A bachelor of science degree in finance, accounting, business analytics, or STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)
  • The equivalent of 4 units of undergraduate or graduate courses in statistics or calculus with a grade of B+ or better at an accredited institution
  • An official score in the 50th percentile or higher on a test that assesses quantitative skills such as MCAT, PCAT, DAT, or OAT
  • Students or alumni who graduated in the past five years from a partner institution (the Claremont Colleges, Southwestern Law School, Art Center College of Design)

Professional Work

  • Five years or more of professional work experience with a strong quantitative component
  • A licensed CPA, CFA, CMA, or Professional Engineer designation

To request a waiver, please send the applicable information to admissions@cgu.edu at the time you have begun an application for admission.

Interview

Required

Upon review of your application, you may be invited for an interview, which is required for admission. An admission decision will not be issued until the interview is complete.

Key Dates & Deadlines

CGU operates on a priority deadline cycle. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit complete applications by the priority dates in order to assure maximum consideration for both admission and fellowships.

Once the priority deadlines have passed, the University will continue to review applications for qualified candidates on a competitive, space-available basis. The final deadlines listed are the last date the University can accept an application in order to allow sufficient time to complete the admissions, financial aid, and other enrollment processes.

Spring 2025
Priority Deadline (Domestic) – November 1, 2024
Final Deadline (International) – November 15, 2024
Final Deadline (Domestic) – January 1, 2025
Classes Begin – January 21, 2025

Summer 2025
Priority Deadline (Domestic) – February 1, 2025
Final Deadline (International) – April 1, 2025
Final Deadline (Domestic) – May 1, 2025
Classes Begin – May 19, 2025

Fall 2025
Round 1 Early Action – December 1, 2024*
Round 2 Priority Deadline – February 1, 2025
Round 3 – April 1, 2025
Round 4 – June 1, 2025
Final Deadline (International applicants) – July 5, 2025
Final Deadline (Domestic applicants) – August 1, 2025
Classes Begin – August 25, 2025

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Cost & Aid

Tuition and Fees

ESTIMATED TUITION (CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS, NON-RESIDENTS, INTERNATIONAL)
Program 48 units
Tuition per unit* $2,020

*Based on 2024-2025 tuition rates.

 

STUDENT FEES (PER SEMESTER)
$245 Student Fee
$150 Technology Fee
International Student Services Fee*: $661 fall semester, $776 spring semester
**Applies to all international students (F-1 visa only) who are registered in coursework, doctoral study, or continuous registration. The fee is assessed each fall and spring semester for annual ISO accident and sickness plans and administrative fees. Subject to change.

For estimates of room & board, books, etc., please download CGU’s Cost of Attendance 2024-2025.

Review General Costs

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