The Fastest MBA You Can Earn in Los Angeles
Los Angeles may not be typically associated with the break-neck pace of life like New York or Washington DC, that doesn’t mean your business school career has to be slow there. A fast MBA is becoming an increasingly large priority for new MBA students throughout the U.S., and, luckily, Los Angeles has plenty of fast options.
With businesses constantly growing in the city (LA added 6,400 new jobs just last April), the faster MBA students can get their degree in hand means the faster they can get to work. Not to mention that accelerated or shortened MBA programs usually mean spending less money on tuition and living expenses while in school—minimizing the amount of time students will have to forego an income.
We looked at some of the fastest MBAs you can earn in Los Angeles, with some unique programs taking as little as 12 months to complete. These MBAs will allow you to get quickly down to business without sacrificing the quality or integrity of the program.
Finding a Fast MBA in Los Angeles
Marshall School of Business – USC
The USC Marshall MBA is one of the top ranked programs in the country, and with the One-Year International MBA for Mid-Career Professionals (IBEAR MBA), you can have that degree in your hand in just 12 months. The program, which is designed for mid-career professionals looking to expand their leadership opportunities in global business, provides career development opportunities, personalized career plans, and plenty of chances to explore the world.
The program is truly global and the average class size of 55 can represent anywhere from 12-15 countries. Participants, with an average of 11 years of professional experience, come from a wide range of academic backgrounds, including those with undergraduate majors in computer science, science & engineering, and even the humanities. These mid-level professionals can seriously minimize the amount of time they must take away from work, and in the process gaining an IBEAR alumni network of 1800 across 60 countries.
Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles
The Mount Saint Mary’s MBA program is designed to create effective global leaders who are trained in value-based decision making to bring real and impactful change to the businesses they lead. And the best part? The program takes just 18 months to complete. One of these semesters consists of “Foundations” courses for business leaders just starting out, and may be waived for candidates that have taken similar courses during their undergraduate studies, which may even further reduce the program’s length.
The Mount Saint Mary’s fast MBA is a unique program that centers itself around theme-based models, combining business disciplines like marketing, law, or finance, to give students a broader view of the interdisciplinary nature of business. The 18-month program also includes a final project that will require teams of students to partner with a “real world” organization to solve their business problems.
Argyros School of Business – Chapman University
The Professional MBA program at Chapman University’s Argyros School of Business allows students to customize their degree and move through the program at their own pace. For dedicated students, the program can be completed in as little as 21 months. The class schedule is flexible, which allows students the chance to move at their own pace throughout the program, choosing between both evening and daytime courses. Students may also choose a specialization in which to focus their degree, such as marketing analytics, entertainment, and global business, among others.
Even though the Chapman Professional MBA is flexible and at times fast-paced, the university does not compromise in quality and students will have the same benefits available to them as those in more traditional programs. Students in the Chapman MBA program will be taught by professional and renowned faculty, have access to the university’s career services department, and even have opportunities to travel around the world.
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California State University, Long Beach College of Business Administration
The Accelerated MBA program at California State University, Long Beach is designed for young professionals with little experience in the business world. Focusing on entrepreneurship and innovation, the program will train these up-and-coming business leaders in how to bring new products to the market, identify business opportunities, and manage small business ventures.
The Accelerated program at CSULB can be completed in as little as 13 months, allowing students to jump back into work with an MBA on their resume just over a year after they start. The program is also heavily centered around internship experience, which will allow students to gain crucial hands-on experience while earning their degree, and get closer to the school’s objective of ensuring every student has a job offer by graduation.
Anderson School of Management – UCLA
The UCLA-NUS Executive MBA, offered jointly through UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and the National University of Singapore Business School, can be completed in just fifteen months and results in two fast MBA degrees from two of the world’s top business schools.
If you are looking for a truly global degree—and the international experience to back it up—this could be the perfect degree for you. Every three months, your cohort of students from around the world will gather for two weeks at locations from Los Angeles to Shanghai and anywhere in between.
The Fastest MBAs You Can Earn in Washington DC
There’s no doubt that earning an MBA is a serious commitment. Not only do you have to be willing to take time away from your friends, family, and work, but you also have to set aside a decent chunk of change. When time is money, and you want to give up as little as possible, many individuals decide that an MBA isn’t for them. However, that doesn’t have to be the case.
If you don’t have 24 months to earn an MBA, don’t worry. One-year MBAs and similar shortened programs have been cropping up more and more often lately. In fact, there are many MBA programs throughout the Washington DC area that will help you earn your MBA in less than two years.
Fast Washington DC MBA Programs
What Are the Fastest MBAs You Can Earn in Houston?
Even if you’ve just started the process of choosing an MBA program, you’re probably already aware at the extreme variety in programs throughout the country. Just within one school, you might find MBAs that can be pursued full-time, part-time, online, on the weekends, in the evenings, and maybe even more.
What’s clear is that business schools understand the diversity of their students, and know that their program is a stepping stone to future career growth and success. And if students are willing to put in the work, schools are willing to cater to their goals and get that degree in hand as quickly as possible.
In Houston, Texas—as in metros across the country—it’s possible to earn a quality business education much faster than the typical, two-year full-time degree.
Finding the Fastest Houston MBA
Rice University – Jones Graduate School of Business
If you are an experienced professional who has already spent several years in the workforce, Executive MBAs—designed for professionals at the executive level—tend to be quicker degrees to earn than most. At the the Rice University Jones School of Business, the EMBA can be earned in just 22 months on alternating weekends. This also includes four week-long executive forums and a mandatory international forum. Given the low commitment during the week, this degree is perfect for working professionals who want to keep their jobs while still earning their degree quickly overall.
The Jones EMBA focuses on three main skills: leadership, strategy, and decision-making. Focusing on these three skills as crucial to executive success, the degree will build from a solid foundation of business knowledge and place all learning in a global context. EMBA students also have access to the Career Development Office at Jones, with works alongside students and alumni to meet their professional development goals.
Cameron School of Business – University of St. Thomas Houston
The MBA at St. Thomas Houston’s Cameron School of Business offers students the unique opportunity to design their own MBA program from the ground up, including how long they wish to be enrolled. While availability of various courses may ultimately determine how long a program takes, students with the drive can complete their degree in as little as one year (a fall, spring, and summer semester). To get an idea of how the required courses would break down for each semester, students can explore using Cameron’s interactive MBABuilder tool.
Overall, the Cameron MBA will require 36 hours of graduate level courses, which breaks down to 27 hours of core business classes, and nine hours of electives. Cameron offers nine concentrations for students to choose from if they decide to focus their degree, including one in Health Care Administration as a partnership through Texas Woman’s University. Find out more about the Cameron MBA here.
Mays Business School – Texas A&M University
The Texas A&M Mays Business School full-time MBA program takes just 18 months to complete, beginning each year in August. Since the program is just three semesters (fall and spring in year one, no required classes during summer, and a third and final semester the following fall), students can complete their degree in a year-and-a-half, with an open summer to pursue internships or other professional development opportunities. Students who wish to continue their program also have the option of a fourth semester in spring of year two, but this is entirely optional.
The full-time MBA at Mays is a rigorous program that offers students a unique and demanding educational environment, providing small cohorts and individualized attention for students, both from faculty and the school’s Career Management Center. The MBA program places an emphasis on preparing students for the workforce through experiential learning, offering students the chance to customize their degree through special certifications, electives, and study abroad opportunities.
University of Houston – Downtown
The Marilyn Davies College of Business at the University of Houston-Downtown offers students the chance to complete their degree in one, two, or three years. The focus of the Marilyn Davies MBA is for students to not put their professional careers on hold while earning their degree, and this is aided in UHD’s One Year program by allowing students to pursue the degree in a hybrid structure, both online and face-to-face. Students will complete their degree in one calendar year, taking classes three nights a week in this blended structure. Depending on the concentration, students may be required to complete 34-39 semester hours for their degree.
Students choose the UHD MBA for a number of reasons, including one of the lowest tuition rates in Texas, the flexibility of evening classes, and a modern and corporate driven curriculum. The school also offers a number of diverse concentrations for the degree, such as project management & process improvement, supply chain management, and investment management, among others.
Philly’s Fastest MBA Programs
You’re education is important—but so is your time. And for those looking to earn an MBA to accelerate their job growth or fast track their careers, the faster you can earn that degree the faster you can get back to earning money and making an impact in your field.
Most business schools offer a variety of MBA programs for students to choose from, allowing everyone from recent graduates to experienced executives the flexibility to choose a program that best fits into their life and schedule. For driven students who just can’t wait to reap the benefits of their MBA, many schools offer accelerated or One Year MBA programs that shortens the traditional length of time it would take to earn an MBA. While the curriculum can be rigorous, the programs give students the chance to quickly earn their degree, both minimizing the amount of money spent on classes and the income lost from not working full time.
In Philadelphia, there are a number of programs that allow you to go from applicant to degree holder in as little as twelve months. And since a 2017 study ranked Philadelphia as one of the five most-improved economic cities in the U.S., you won’t want to miss your chance to reap the benefits of this economic boom with your degree in hand.
The Fastest Philadelphia MBA Programs
Fox School of Business – Temple University
The Temple University Fox School of Business Executive MBA is one of Philadelphia’s quickest and most flexible MBA degrees. The program takes place over the course of 16 months, with classes delivered on one three-day weekend per month. The program is designed for experienced professionals who want to pursue their degree without giving up their career, and is constructed to accommodate a full-time work schedule.
For those looking for a quick MBA without the ten or more years of work experience an EMBA requires, Temple Fox’s Online MBA can be earned in just 20 months. Outside of one week-long residency at the start of the program, the digital aspect of this degree gives students not just time flexibility but also location. After the residency, this program can be pursued from pretty much anywhere!
LaSalle University School of Business
The School of Business at LaSalle University offers a One-Year MBA program for students with undergraduate experience in business. Knowing that important business pre-requisites for the degree are already out of the way, students can jump right in and earn their MBA in as little as 12 months.
The AACSB accredited One-Year program is an intensive degree program that requires students to take a full course load for the fall and spring semester as well as working through a winter intersession and summer semester. Students in this program also have the opportunity to specialize their degrees in the fields of accounting or finance, and will help prepare graduates to take the CPA and CFA exams by the end of the year. Students will also be paired with an academic adviser throughout the year who will help plan for their future careers. And the success of past graduates of the One-Year MBA program seems pretty clear, joining major companies like Deloitte LP, KPMG, PwC, and JP Morgan Chase, among others.
The La Salle One-Year MBA is among the fastest MBAs you can earn in any major East Coast city.
Haub School of Business – Saint Joseph’s University
The MBA at Saint Joseph University’s Haub School of Business can be completed in as little as one year for students who meet certain undergraduate requirements. Students can pursue this degree in a variety of ways, whether on campus or online, and whether full or part-time. Regardless of format, the MBA at Haub gives students the option to choose major for their degree, among high-demand disciplines like marketing, data intelligence, finance, international business and more.
The overall data which shows that those with an MBA earn more and have more career opportunities most certainly rings true for graduates of Haub’s MBA program. Nearly 76 percent of graduates said their SJU MBA helped their career advance, and 73 percent reported a salary increase as a result of their graduation. With the chance to limit the time of an SJU MBA to just 12 months, students can work their way to these benefits even faster.
Lehigh University College of Business and Economics
The 1-MBA at the Lehigh University College of Business and Economics is a full-time, one year MBA program designed for professionals looking to either accelerate their career or looking to change careers and move towards a business-related field. The rigorous program, which is located all on campus, cuts the time it takes to pursue a traditional Lehigh MBA in half.
Unique benefits of the 1-MBA at Lehigh include a team of mentors and coaches assigned to students even before they arrive on campus, including a faculty adviser, industry mentor and career coach who will help guide students through their year-long program. The program is also centered around a consulting practicum, which both trains students in practical skills for consulting and provides hands-on experience in the field. The 1-MBA program also focuses intensely on the professional development of every student in the program, offering personalized coaching and global immersion study opportunities that can help shape and prepare students for future business success.
