Top MBA Programs in Southern California - Extended University

Article By David Nusbaum
Contributing reporter and research consultant to LA Times Studios

An In-depth Look at MBA Schools and Their Programs

LA Times Studios presents the 25 largest MBA programs in Southern California ranked by number of graduates in 2025. As a group, the 25 largest MBA programs in Southern California awarded more than 3,100 degrees in 2025 and have more than 12,000 students enrolled in graduate level programs.

Programs are adapting to new technologies by offering coursework and degrees focused on data. For example, University of Redlands has a new concentration launching in Fall 2026 for AI and business analytics. The California State University, San Marcos MBA program has enhanced its curriculum to emphasize business analytics, real-world consulting projects, and flexible delivery formats designed for working professionals. Meanwhile, at Peppedine University’s Graziadio Business School, there is an importance being placed on digital information.

“Across MBA education, we are seeing several notable shifts that are shaping program design and student demand. There is a growing emphasis on data literacy and technology fluency within MBA curricula, as employers increasingly expect graduates to make data-informed decisions and work comfortably alongside emerging technologies,” said Deborah Crown, dean of the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School.

The list includes colleges and universities that operate graduate business schools with campuses in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego counties. Information was provided by representatives of the programs. Several programs, including University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business declined to provide information.

In addition to these programs, we feature detailed profiles of some of the best MBA offerings in Southern California. These select colleges have a myriad of curriculums to suit anyone seeking their MBA and are ready to help students reach the next level in their education.

Table with 7 columns and 25 rows. (column headers with buttons are sortable)

1	University of California, Los Angeles	Los Angeles	678	2,110	1935	Margaret Shih
2	Westcliff University	Irvine	500	4,246	1993	Bill Lightfoot
3	California State University, Long Beach	Long Beach	258	862	1949	Mark Suazo
4	Pepperdine University	Malibu	241	887	1969	Deborah Crown
5	San Diego State University	San Diego	158	537	1897	Dan Moshavi
6	University of San Diego	San Diego	154	284	1949	Brian C. Tietje, Ph.D.
7	Sofia University	Costa Mesa	131	1,074	1975	Dr. Simone DiMatteo
8	California State Polytechnic University, Pomona	Pomona	126	320	1972	Dr. Sandeep Krishnamurthy
9	University of California San Diego	La Jolla	124	715	2003	Lisa Ordóñez, Ph.D.
10	Cal State Fullerton	Fullerton	113	698	1961	Dr. Sridhar (Sri) Sundaram
11	University of Michigan	Los Angeles	111	201	2012	Sharon F. Matusik
12	University of Redlands	Redlands	108	291	1907	Dr. Jennifer Madden
13	California Lutheran University	Thousand Oaks	104	366	1959	Dr. Gerhard Apfelthaler
14	University of California, Riverside	Riverside	104	246	1970	Yunzeng Wang
15	California State University, Channel Islands	Camarillo	86	30	2002	David Vera, Interim Dean
16	California State University, San Marcos	San Marcos	62	98	1989	Ronald Ramirez
17	California State University, Bakersfield	Bakersfield	44	264	1970	Deborah Cours, Ph.D.
18	California State University, Northridge	Northridge	44	203	1958	Chandra Subramaniam, Ph.D.
19	Loyola Marymount University	Los Angeles	37	240	1911	Dayle M. Smith, Ph.D.
20	Biola University	La Mirada	36	60	1908	Dr. Michael Arena
21	Claremont Graduate University	Claremont	32	150	1971	David Sprott
22	Mount Saint Mary's University	Los Angeles	31	540	1925	Dr. Lester Reams
23	Concordia University Irvine	Irvine	23	107	1999	Karl Hoenecke
24	California Miramar University	San Diego	22	81	2005	Dr. Rupali Vora
25	University of West Los Angeles (UWLA)	Los Angeles	20	84	1966	Talon Brown

Top 25 MBA Programs in Southern California