Almost by definition, anyone pursuing an MBA degree has drive and ambition. You know that the most elite graduate business degree is the credential you need to get the career you want. You know you have the motivation to do the work, to pay the costs, to meet the right people and make the most valuable connections.
Chances are, you also wish you could do it all tomorrow, and then get on with your career.
There’s no such thing as a one-day MBA just yet, but the next best thing does get you through the program and back into the business world in just about 12 months and change. The one-year MBA is an intensive but incredible way to harness your drive and get your ambition on track faster than ever.
One-Year MBA Programs Produce Business Leaders in Half the Time
A typical two-year, full-time MBA degree at most American business schools are packed with lectures, seminars, class projects, coursework, and all kinds of events and opportunities that build executive skills. However, they are also paced so that students have time to absorb, integrate, and contemplate the material along the way.
The one-year MBA degree, also known as an accelerated, specialized, professional, or intensive MBA, cuts that timeline in half. That can have positive impacts on costs as well as freeing up precious time that you could be spending out in the workforce earning a living.
There is no standardized meaning for the word accelerated in MBA programs; some schools use it for one-year MBAs, while others use it to refer to combined BBA/MBA degree tracks.
Not all one-year MBAs actually take one calendar year to complete, but it’s the thought that counts; in any case, they are a faster track than the alternative. Some, particularly professional MBAs, are aimed at a certain class of students, with more experience and less time on their hands. But others can be found that cater to students just starting out in business.
California is a fast-paced state, on the cutting edge of trade, technology, entertainment, and plenty of other time-sensitive industries. Impatient people come here from around the world to make a mark.
So you will find California business schools offering up a strong roster of MBAs in one-year formats, including from some of the most elite programs in the nation.
Why You Might Consider a One-Year MBA Program Even if You Aren’t in a Hurry
There’s a reason that one-year MBAs aren’t always called one-year MBAs… they can have a broader appeal than just to students who are moving on a fast-track to management.
One example is found at the CSU San Marcos Specialized MBA Program. Although you can complete the specialized MBA on an accelerated pace, it’s designed particularly for recent graduates, who can devote themselves to full-time study. The same specializations are available to working professionals on a part-time basis with a 24-month completion.
There’s also IBEAR, the USC Marshall one-year MBA. IBEAR stands for International Business Education and Research, and it’s aimed at mid-career professionals with a focus on international business. That’s a valuable specialization, and with real-world global consulting projects undertaken as the capstone, it’s one that you might have trouble finding even in a full two-year program. Similarly, Point Loma Nazarene University offers only four concentrations in their early-career one-year MBA, but one of those, Sport Management, is both rare and in-demand.
Completing an MBA in One Year Isn’t Your Only Fast Track to Business Leadership
If speed is as much of a motivator as a first-rate business education, then the letters MBA on your resume may not be a driving factor. That can open up other one-year options that might fly under the radar if you have only been searching out a 1-year online MBA.
It can also open up some elite schools that don’t even offer either standard or online MBAs in one year, like Stanford. The MSx degree is a Master of Science in Management that can be completed in one year, aimed at experienced mid-career professionals and offering real flexibility in curriculum plans to tailor your studies toward your goals.
The University of West Los Angeles School of Business offers something similar, an MS in Leadership Management and Technology that is more specific to tech execs, but also can be completed in around a year.
Depending on your field and interests, there are a number of different opportunities in fast-tracked management and leadership training that aren’t necessarily MBAs. But the unique master’s degrees in business that California can offer in various other specialties may get you the knowledge and contacts you need, and get you back into the business world even faster.
Finally, there are a number of California universities that offer flexible MBA programs that aren’t expressly marketed as one-year MBAs, but which you can almost certainly complete in less than two. Sacramento State’s Flex MBA offers night courses and can be finished in three semesters. At Point Loma Nazarene, the standard MBA program can be completed in as little as 12 months, either online or face-to-face.
This is the kind of variety you will find for fast-track MBA programs in a big business state like California, and it gives you plenty of options to strike the right balance between speed and course options.
When Time is Money, You Can Measure Cost Savings in Reduced Time Even if Tuition Rates Are the Same
It’s axiomatic that a single year of college is going to cost less than a full two-years of school, but maybe not as much as you think. A number of California business schools have the same number of credits in their one-year option as in the traditional program, which totals up the same way when the bills come due.
Even in those programs, however, you can save on a year of housing costs, additional school fees, and opportunity costs. If you’re attending full-time, for example, you’re probably not working—which means a year of income you don’t have to miss out on with a one-year program.
When calculating the cost savings of a one-year MBA in California, it’s important to consider opportunity cost as well as tuition.
Of course, there are some one-year options that shed twenty or more credits, which is twenty fewer credits you have to pay for—a real savings. At San Francisco State University, for instance, a fast-track MBA can be just half the cost of other MBA programs at the school.
It’s also true that there’s some career value in completing your MBA studies sooner. While you may be making valuable contacts in your MBA program, you’re also out of the job market for any opportunities that come up during that second full year. The faster you are out in the world, the fewer chances pass you by.
What You Need To Know Before Applying to One-Year MBA Degrees in California
One-year MBA programs are generally aimed at people who already have at least some experience or an undergraduate degree in business. But not always.
At Pepperdine, for example, the recommendation for applicants to the full-time two-year MBA is to have at least two years of full-time professional work experience before applying.
For their one-year program, the recommendation is three years.
They also expect you to have an undergraduate degree in business, so they are counting on you to have at least some of the basics before you apply.
It’s fair to say that one-year MBAs expect applicants to be on their toes in business terms, but they don’t always require extensive experience or education in order to demonstrate it. At Cal State East Bay, for example, you can get into the one-year MBA with no relevant work experience, as long as you submit a GMAT score—just like the regular MBA program.
Completing Your MBA in One Year Comes With a Compromise or Two
Earning an MBA in one year clearly compresses the typical two-year MBA course of study quite a lot. While some of that is made up for with more coursework in less time, it’s inevitable that you won’t fit everything in from a longer program. Even programs that work to squeeze in as much as possible often end up shaving twenty semester credits or more off the total requirements.
Frequently, concentration options are one of the things that get the axe. In some cases, schools opt to concentrate the entire program, like Marshall’s One-Year MBA in International Business Education and Research (IBEAR). In others, the curriculum is shaved down to the most essential general MBA studies, giving you a core of financial, communication, leadership, and organizational acumen.
It’s generally true that if there are any concentrations available in a one-year MBA, they will be fewer in number than a two-year program.
It’s also the case that much of what is cut out of a one-year MBA program isn’t the coursework itself, but the extras that other MBA students take for granted.
One of the major items on the chopping block is typically the structured internship that is a part of most traditional programs. While this is often seen as a highlight of the MBA, for the real-world expertise and the connections you can make, it isn’t something that every student needs. For mid-career professionals, an internship may be old hat; for other students, objectives may be more entrepreneurial.
The Hyper-Efficiency of California’s One-Year Online MBA Programs
Obviously, if speed is of the essence, efficiency is a prize. So you will find no shortage of one-year MBA programs online.
Online MBAs of every kind are popular for three obvious reasons:
- An online one-year MBA doesn’t require you to relocate to attend schools, offering more choices to find a better fit
- A one-year online MBA program comes with flexibility in attendance that allows keeping up with business or personal obligations
- Completing your MBA online in one year comes with lower costs than comparable two-year programs
Since two out of three of those are the same reasons that one-year MBAs are popular in general, it’s easy to see why one-year MBA online programs provide an ideal fit for most students interested in these programs.
The entire point of online MBAs is that you aren’t restricted to only those in your state. But California has some excellent options for students anywhere in the country. Sac State’s online iMBA program is a cohort-based one-year degree, with no GMAT/GRE requirement. California Baptist University also has a one-year online MBA with a management specialization available.
Hybrid One-Year MBA Programs Combine the Best of Both Worlds for Many Students
While an MBA one-year online might fit the needs of some students, others might enjoy the flexibility but fear missing out on the important face-to-face and in-person contact that comes with traditional classes.
So there are also schools that split the difference, like Cal State East Bay, by offering hybrid one-year MBAs that combine online and on-site classes. East Bay does about 60 percent of the curriculum in traditional in-person classes; the other 40 percent are online.
This reduces some of the flexibility that comes with online education, but it can deliver more of the standard benefits of a traditional MBA without dramatically increasing the time to completion. If that is one of your concerns with completing an online MBA in one year, then you should definitely put hybrid options on your shopping list.
What the Curriculum Plan Looks Like for One-Year MBA Degrees at California Business Schools
For the most part, you’ll find that the best one-year MBA programs have a core curriculum that doesn’t differ that much from the required classes for any MBA. That’s a heavy helping in finance, accounting, corporate management and HR, and quantitative reasoning.
You will inevitably find differences from school to school as well. For example, the Sac State iMBA packs in a lot of internationally-focused coursework in line with the theme, while at Pepperdine, you will go through the same 34 credit core curriculum as the two-year program, but have a reduced set of concentrations and electives to round out your studies.
In other cases, such as in professional MBAs completed in one year, schools tend to drop the most elementary kinds of classes and various business prerequisite courses.
Even when the curriculum is the same, you may not have quite the same amount of time to let it sink in and digest.
You need to be quick on the uptake and fully prepared to burn the candle at both ends to be successful in the typical one-year MBA.
A One-Year Executive MBA Can Pack In the Knowledge but Not the Experience
The speed and format of one-year MBAs packs in the essentials, but leaves out some of the features that many people love about the Master of Business Administration. The team-building and camaraderie don’t have as long to develop, even in cohort-based one-year MBAs. Internships that get you out in the workforce and build real-world skills and important industry connections are often off the menu.
The extras that a one-year MBA leaves out often includes the traditional recruiting cycle, which runs on a seasonal clock that a fast-track MBA probably doesn’t follow.
Of course, it’s an individual decision to make regarding the MBA degree features you think are most essential to boost your career. When mingling with the rest of the class and aiming for an entry-level job in an MBB consulting gig aren’t your target, you might find the pared-down, fast-paced one-year alternative a much better option.
Supportive Business Schools in California Help Make a Fast-Paced Program a Smooth One
You can help make up for some of those career deficits by picking a California business school that has the right advantages to make up for them. For example, Cal State East Bay’s Career Empowerment Center coordinates directly with digital job posting platforms like Handshake to make sure that accelerated program students get the word on hot jobs they may qualify for.
It’s also essential to find a business school that has comprehensive academic and technical supports you can tap into at any time. When you only have 12 months to cram in a complete set of coursework and projects, the last thing you want to do is hang around waiting for a call back from the Writing Center or technical support team.
California Business Schools Offering One-Year MBAs
You’ll have no difficulty finding a school that hits all the marks for your needs somewhere in the Golden State. We’ve built a list for you to go over all your options.
We’ve included programs that sometimes take a bit longer than 12 months, depending on how the school describes them. On the other hand, programs that are described as professional or accelerated that take 18 months or longer don’t make the grade.
Public
California State University - East Bay
College of Business and Economics
Hayward, CA
One-Year Intensive Master of Business Administration
California Polytechnic State University
Orfalea College of Business
San Luis Obispo, CA
Intensive Master of Business Administration
California State University - Sacramento | Sacramento State
College of Business
Sacramento, CA
Master of Business Administration Online iMBA
Flexible Master of Business Administration
California State Polytechnic University - Humboldt
School of Business
Humboldt, CA
Master of Business Administration
University of Massachusetts Global
School of Business and Professional Studies
Aliso Viejo, CA
Online Master of Business Administration
San Francisco State University
Lam Family College of Business
San Francisco, CA
Master of Business Administration Flexible
Master of Business Administration Fast-Track
Private
University of Southern California
Marshall School of Business
Los Angeles, CA
One-Year Master of Business Administration (IBEAR - International Business Education and Research MBA)
Pepperdine University
Graziadio Business School
Malibu, CA
One-Year Master of Business Administration
Biola University
Crowell School of Business
La Mirada, CA
Adaptive Master of Business Administration
DeVry University
Keller Graduate School of Management
Various locations
Master of Business Administration
Chapman University
Argyros College of Business and Economics
Orange, CA
Integrated Master of Business Administration (5+1)
Fremont University
College of Business
San Diego, CA
Master of Business Administration
University of San Diego
Knauss School of Business
San Diego, CA
Master of Business Administration
Saint Mary’s College of California
School of Economics and Business Administration
Moraga, CA
Professional Master of Business Administration
Woodbury University
School of Business
Los Angeles, CA
Master of Business Administration
Mount Saint Mary’s University
Department of Business Administration
Los Angeles, CA
Master of Business Administration
Dominican University of California
Barowsky School of Business
San Rafael, CA
Master of Business Administration
University of Phoenix - California
College of Business and Information Technology
Costa Mesa, CA
Master of Business Administration
The Master’s University
School of Business and Communication
Santa Clarita, CA
Online Master of Business Administration
Haven University
School of Business
Los Angeles, CA
Accelerated Master of Business Administration
Azusa Pacific University
School of Business and Management
Azusa, CA
Master of Business Administration
United States University
School of Business and Management
San Diego, CA
Master of Business Administration
Touro University Worldwide
College of Business and Technology
Los Angeles, CA
Online Master of Business Administration
California Baptist University
Dr. Robert K. Jabs School of Business
Riverside, CA
Online Master of Business Administration
Point Loma Nazarene University
Fermanian School of Business
San Diego, CA
Early Career Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
University of the People
Pasadena, CA
Master of Business Administration
West Coast University
Los Angeles, CA
Accelerated Online Master of Business Administration
We have also excluded MBA programs that can be completed in a year if they are described as Executive MBA programs. You may also find other schools where normal MBA program can be completed in around 12 months with diligent planning and scheduling, but unless the school specifically designs and markets the program as a one-year MBA. It won’t be listed here.