academics
Change Lives. Change Organizations. Change the World.
At the Stanford Graduate School of Business, we believe management is a noble calling—one that can change lives, change organizations, and change the world.
Our culture and academic environment produce a global community of leaders that possess the skills and knowledge to embrace challenge and change.
Your Curriculum
- Curriculum tailored to each student—your background, your work experience, your career aspirations
- A variety of learning methods including traditional case studies, global study trips, immersion internships, and research opportunities at one of our Centers
- One-on-one support from faculty advisors, leadership coaches, career advisors, and student life advisors
- Access to Stanford University joint programs, classes, and resources
Your Community and Culture
- Highly selective admission to ensure an unparalleled standard of academic excellence and quality peer-to-peer learning
- Smaller than other MBA programs, with about 370 students per class, to foster collaboration and lifelong relationships
- A close, active community of more than 25,000 Stanford GSB alumni around the world
- World-class faculty and advisors at the forefront of new business ideas and practices in business
- A culture of innovation and risk-taking, born from Stanford University's legacy of path-breaking advancements
- Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, one of the world's leading innovation centers
- Forward-looking focus on meeting the known and unknown challenges of a dynamic global economy
- Learn more about how the Stanford Graduate School of Business can prepare you to lead teams and organizations that change the world
» First Year Courses
» Second Year Electives
» Classes at Stanford University
campus scenic
Courtyard at the Schwab Residential Center
welcome from the dean
Leadership Is A Noble Calling
Managed institutions support every imaginable area of human endeavor—private, nonprofit, and government—delivering nearly all of the world's goods and services.
Regardless of the type of organization, its leaders must take responsibility for achieving the organization's mission today, while changing to do it even better tomorrow. They must execute strategies, allocate resources, organize people, invest wisely, and manage daily operational and human issues.
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Robert L. Joss, MBA 1967, PhD 1970
Philip H. Knight Professor and Dean
stanford gsb voices
"The great thing about being a faculty member at the Stanford GSB is the opportunity to get to know our extraordinary students personally.
Whether it is through being a formal faculty advisor, accompanying students on a global study trip, listening to new business ideas, or discussing career options more generally, the size of the GSB makes this kind of one-on-one relationship possible."
Garth Saloner, AM 1981, MS 1982, PhD 1982
Jeffrey S. Skoll Professor of Electronic Commerce, Strategic Management, & Economics;
Faculty Director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
joint and dual degree programs
JOINT DEGREE—single course may count toward multiple degrees:
—School of Earth Sciences, Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Environment and Resources (IPER)
» MS in Environment and Resources/MBA
—School of Education
» MA Education/MBA
—School of Humanities & Sciences
» Master of Public Policy/MBA
—Stanford Law School
» JD/MBA
DUAL DEGREE—credit from a course counts only towards one degree:
—Stanford School of Medicine
» MD/MBA
—You also have the option to apply for an MBA with a dual degree in another field from Stanford or another university.
academic certificates
Academic options within the MBA Program:
» Certificate in Global Management
» Certificate in Public Management
"As a student at the Business School, I had access to the amazing students and scholars at Stanford's other esteemed Schools of Earth Sciences, Education, Engineering, Humanities & Sciences, Law, and Medicine.
I leveraged Stanford's broad resources by taking classes 'across the street' and pursuing a joint degree. Such multidisciplinary studies greatly enriched my MBA education."
Mika Takagi,
MBA 2008
Tokyo, Japan
Deputy Director, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
world-changing faculty
Mary Barth holds the only US academic seat on the International Accounting Standards Board.
Hau Lee and Seungjin Whang pioneered the teaching of supply chain management in business schools, now a standard in MBA programs around the world.
James Patell facilitated a groundbreaking partnership between Stanford and the nonprofit Light Up the World Foundation to bring safe, affordable lighting to people in China, India, and Mexico.
Paul Romer is one of the pioneers of new growth theory, which provides a foundation for business and government thinking about the dynamics of wealth creation.
Myron Scholes received the Nobel Memorial Prize for the creation of the Black-Scholes options pricing model, a benchmark formula for the valuation of stock options.
William Sharpe received the Nobel Memorial Prize for his development of the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAP-M), an economic model that weighs the potential gain from an investment against its potential risk.
Kathryn Shaw served on the Council of Economic Advisors under President Clinton and has been among the leading researchers developing the new subfield of "insider economics," which examines the impact of human resource practices.
Michael Spence received the Nobel Memorial Prize for his work on signaling theory, which is recognized as one of the key ideas of modern information economics.