Sonoma MBA-Programme

The School of Business and Economics at California State University, Sonoma (Sonoma State University) offers four AACSB-accredited MBA program options:

• Sonoma Executive MBA
• Sonoma Executive MBA in Wine Business
• Sonoma MBA
• Sonoma MBA in Wine Business

The Sonoma MBAs are delivered on a flexible schedule designed for working professionals. Our programs have a 50-50 male-to-female ratio. Students represent various industries, including accounting, energy, government, transportation, alcoholic beverage, consumer packaging, retail consulting, financial services, nonprofit, technology, entertainment, and healthcare, among other sectors.

Return on education:

• 2017 and 2018 graduates of our Sonoma Executive MBA programs reported an average 25% salary increase.
• 45% of 2018 graduates of our Sonoma MBA programs reported receiving a promotion while attending the programs.

More Information: http://web.sonoma.edu/mba

Sonoma Executive MBA

Spanning 17 months, the cohort-style Executive MBA offers a transformative experience that incorporates integrated leadership development and strategic thinking, equipping students with the skills necessary to analyze business situations, and chart and execute strategic initiatives to lead their organization forward. The program’s foci in strategic decision-making, business intelligence, and communication skills, offers students the skillset and confidence to converse and lead on an executive level with all functional areas of a business. Students have the opportunity to embark on a two-week international business consulting trip to improve understanding of how to conduct business successfully in a different culture and economy.

“ The complexity of healthcare requires depth of understanding in business, leadership, and innovation. The Sonoma MBA for Executives equipped me with the essentials to succeed as a nurse leader ." - Surani Hayre-Kwan ’14, Director of the Office of Patient Experience at Sutter Health

Sonoma Executive MBA in Wine Business

In 2012, the Wine Business Institute in the School of Business and Economics (SBE) at Sonoma State University in collaboration with the wine industry launched the United States’ first Executive MBA focused on the business of wine. The Sonoma Executive MBA in Wine Business program is offered in two formats: low-residency and campus-based.

• The 17-month campus-based program offers an experience unmatched by any other institution of higher learning. Students have prime access to a world-class wine business education located at the intersection of Napa, Sonoma, and San Francisco. Courses are held in the Wine Spectator Learning Center, an innovative learning space gilded with advanced technology and flexible learning classrooms.
• The low-residency format, known as our Global Executive MBA in Wine Business, comprises four “leadership intensives” in California, Australia, and France, and three-month segments of an online case and project-based learning and faculty mentoring. Students have the rare opportunity to study with our distinguished wine business faculty from across the U.S. and the world.

Students in the Sonoma Executive MBA in Wine Business have the opportunity to embark on a two-week international business consulting trip to improve understanding of how to conduct business successfully in a different culture and economy. They also participate in a weekend leadership sailing training in San Diego Bay with America’s Cup veterans.

“ The Sonoma Executive MBA in Wine Business fit my education, career, and family needs. I was living in New York City with my husband and toddler while starting a winery in Napa. Thanks to the expert knowledge of my professors, and the diverse perspectives of my cohort, I graduated with entrepreneurial know-how, greater confidence as a leader, and clarity on how to positively impact our regional wine industry ." - Aimee Chang ’15, Owner of Nine Suns Winery

Sonoma MBA

The Sonoma MBA is designed with a flexible schedule for working professionals. Evening courses nurture students’ potential as they gain practical knowledge and technical skills that can be applied to their business right away. Enrolled students have the option of completing the program on a one-year, full-time, or two-year, part-time basis.

“ The Sonoma MBA has a flexible schedule that allowed me to pursue my master’s while working full-time. The program provided dynamic projects that emphasized efficient communication and an understanding of creating and sustaining a business. The best takeaway is the connections that will last a lifetime ." – Ranjot “Ricky” Sidhu ’15, Accounting Manager at Green Toys, Inc.

Sonoma MBA in Wine Business

The Sonoma MBA in Wine Business is the only of its kind in the U.S. and equips students with wine business knowledge and industry-specific tools to deliver results in today's competitive global wine market. Weekday evening courses nurture students’ potential as they gain knowledge and experience to construct and present quantitative analysis. Students also develop leadership and communication skills to manage people ethically and effectively in order to accomplish goals and advance initiatives on behalf of any organization.

“ I was making a career change from entertainment into the wine industry, and never had formal business education. The skills that I gained in the program and the numerous connections I made through networking have helped me start my own successful wine business. " - Palmer Emmitt’13, Co-Owner & Winemaker at Emmitt-Scorsone Wines

Sonoma State University is a campus of the California State University System.

Located in California's premier wine country one hour north of San Francisco, Sonoma State is a small campus with big ideas. With a tradition of promoting intellectual and personal growth, leadership opportunities and technological proficiency, SSU offers its students a friendly, safe and informal atmosphere on a beautiful campus setting. Currently, campus housing accommodates students in both apartment and residential suite style facilities.

While SSU generally accepts all qualified students who apply from high schools in its service area, 80 percent of the freshmen and 55 percent of the junior transfer students come from outside the North Bay region. With 34 percent of the student body living on campus, it is one of the most residential campuses within the California State University system.

Academic Profile

The SSU educational experience fosters intellectual, cognitive, social and personal growth. The faculty and staff provide collaborative relationships with students and an education that fosters ethical exploration, civic engagement, social responsibility, and global awareness combined with a solid foundation in an academic discipline. Many classes average fewer than 40 students, allowing close interaction between students and faculty.

SSU has a commitment to graduating students who have the ability to think critically and ethically and can effectively use information technology. There is a strong move to develop a global perspective in much of the curriculum to prepare students for the needs of the 21st-century workplace.

Accreditation

Sonoma State University is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the California State Board of Education. The School of Education is accredited at the state and national levels by CCTC and NCATE. The School of Business and Economics is accredited by AACSB-International, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Many departments and programs are individually accredited.

Alumni Association

SSU has an active Alumni Association that maintains a continuing connection between University and its 53,000 alumni, by sponsoring educational projects, programs, and activities to continue the relationship students have with their university.

Awards and Honors

One of the most requested campuses in the CSU system and regularly named a “Best Regional University” by U.S. News & World Report. SSU has also been named one of the “most wired” campuses in the nation by Princeton Review. SSU is the only California university invited to be a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges, a prestigious group of 25 universities and colleges across the nation committed to providing superior liberal arts and sciences education to their students.

Buildings and Learning Centers

The Jean and Charles Schulz Information Center is named after Peanuts cartoon creator Charles Schulz and his wife. It holds one of the largest libraries in the CSU system and the state of California with more than 400,000 volumes. A unique 750,000-volume automated-retrieval system is one of only four in the country. It also houses a valued collection of Jack London’s writings, original letters, and memorabilia.

The 59,000 square foot Recreation Center, designed with high standards for sustainable building methods, houses state-of-the-art aerobic equipment, a climbing wall, exercise and dance studios, two gyms, a large weight lifting and machine area, locker rooms, and a spa. Known as a "building that teaches,” the Environmental Technology Center is a demonstration of sustainable architecture and energy efficiency that consumes only 50% of the energy of similar structures.

Our brand new, 130,000 sq ft student center opened in November of 2013. It houses areas and programs for students such as the living room; food venues including the Kitchens, Weyden + Brewster, The Café, and Lobo's as well as the University store, the HUB, Student Activities Office, meeting and activity rooms, the Copy Center and the campus post office on the first two floors. The third floor is home to the ballroom, meeting and activity rooms, Overlook restaurant, Conference and Event Services, Housing, and Culinary Services office spaces.

The Green Music Center was designed to become one of the great concert halls of the world and is modeled after Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood in Massachusetts (the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra).

The Cerent Engineering Science Laboratories houses state-of-the-art equipment for research and teaching in computer and engineering sciences. Students have unique opportunities to work with high tech companies in the area.

The university also owns and operates the 450-acre Fairfield Osborn Preserve nearby and the 3,200 acre Galbreath Wildland Preserve in Mendocino County. Both offer major opportunities for research in the natural sciences rare for students.

Degree/Program Offerings

The University offers nine credential programs and eight undergraduate and graduate certificate programs. Basic teaching credential programs in education include multiple subject, multiple subject BCLAD, single subject, administrative services, reading/language arts (certificate or specialist), special education (mild/moderate or moderate/severe), and pupil personnel services (via the Counseling Department).

The university is comprised of six schools: Arts and Humanities, Business and Economics, Education, Extended & International Education, Science and Technology and Social Sciences. Degrees are offered in 46 majors and 47 minors at the bachelor's level and 15 at the master's level. The university offers a joint master’s degree in mathematics with San Francisco State University. It also offers nine credential programs and eight undergraduate and graduate certificate programs. Sonoma State offers one of the only wine business programs in the country.

Student Life

Residential Life department and the Center for Student Leadership, Involvement & Service organize a wide variety of social and educational activities to ensure their activities for students. This can run the gamut from karaoke, community service events, video game contests, live music shows, comedy contests, lectures, trips to local Bay Area theatres, sporting events, museums, and much more. The alcohol and drug education program has become a model for other CSU campuses. The campus has a student newspaper, The Star, and a student-run radio station, KSUN Radio. For more information on events, visit the Seawolf Calendar.

More than 100 clubs and organizations are available to accommodate a wide range of interests from ethnic and international to special hobbies and pursuits.

A community service program supported by the Associated Students, JUMP (Join Us Making Progress) offers students the opportunity to serve in numerous volunteer programs and gain experiences relevant to their education. Some of the many JUMP projects are Adopt-a-Grandparent, Study Buddies, Bodega Bay Homework Project, and Serving Our Unfed People.