CSUMB MBA Blog

Responsible business is a core concept at the College of Business at CSUMB and describes how the next generation (and...

Discover the key MBA requirements for 2025, from academic background to professional experience. Learn how to stand out to top business schools!

Looking to advance your career? Discover the top MBA skills employers demand, backed by real success stories from CSUMB graduates.

Join Rudy Ruano on a transformative journey from local government to NASA as he shares how an Online MBA program from California State Monterey Bay opened new doors for his career. Discover how practical learning, strong support, and flexibility prepared him for success in the professional world.

Graduate degrees such as a master’s in organizational leadership or a Master of Business Administration (MBA) are crucial stepping stones for professionals aiming to advance into positions of leadership. The decision to pursue either degree can significantly affect one's career directions and opportunities.

Business leaders face a web of challenges, from keeping pace with market demands to inspiring a broad range of employees. These obstacles require not just keen insight but also the ability to adapt and guide with confidence. Effective leadership development is vital in equipping tomorrow’s executives with the skills they need to succeed.

Excellent organizational leadership is critical for long-term success in business. It's about more than just the bottom line; it's about being responsible and making decisions that benefit not only the business but also the employees, the community, and the environment.

As the business landscape evolves, the demand for MBA professionals is driven by the need for strategic thinkers and influential leaders who can navigate the complexities of today’s global market.

Understanding how to dress for different professional environments is crucial for shaping your personal brand and ensuring career success.

This blog will explore the pathways to earning an MBA without a business degree, the different types of MBA programs, common myths about MBA admissions, and ways to prepare for an MBA application when your undergraduate degree is in a non-business field.

Entrepreneurship takes many forms and plays a crucial role in driving innovation, economic growth, and social change. Entrepreneurs shape the future with new ideas, products, and services.

A strong MBA curriculum provides the essential knowledge and skills needed to start, manage, and grow successful businesses.

While business entrepreneurs can and do come from a variety of backgrounds, they have many things in common, including the challenges they face, the strategies they apply to solving them, and skills and characteristics that can help them succeed.

Recent surveys have delivered good news: Employers value your professional development, it’s likely that there’s employer tuition assistance available, and almost no one is asking for it.

A Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree is one of the most sought-after degrees available for those looking to break into the business world. It prepares you to move up the career ladder into some of the best jobs you can get in today’s competitive market.

For professionals at any level of business, success can be measured and even determined by how well a company solves its customers’ problems.

The bottom line is more than just profit. Of course, business professionals need their companies to be financially strong and to have economic value—a term that can mean the value that people place on a product or service based on a) the benefit they get from it, and/or b) its ability to generate income. For many people today, both definitions will work.

When applying for a Master's in Business Administration (MBA) program, the short-term and long-term goals essay is an essential element of your application. Effective creation of this essay requires a clear strategy, covering all the subtle nuances of a successful response.

You may consider furthering your education beyond an MBA with a doctorate degree in a business-related field. This is a big decision. Here are a few key questions to ask in order to help with the MBA to PhD decision process.

Learn how impactful letters of recommendation should be written and how to obtain a top letter of recommendation for your online MBA program application.

MBA goals are the short-term and long-term goals you have for your career that an MBA degree will help you achieve. Learn how to decide what your MBA goals are and how to best share these goals in a winning MBA goals essay.

What exactly was on Luke’s Online MBA expectation list prior to joining the program? Luke cites three specifics he was seeking and how CSUMB’s Responsible Business Online MBA is fulfilling them.

When reviewing candidates’ work experiences, MBA admissions officials are keeping a keen eye out for professional instances of growth, discipline, and leadership. MBA officers also tend to look for the quality of an applicant’s work over the sheer quantity of the jobs and positions held.

We recently had the pleasure of talking with Armando Placheta, MBA ’21, USAF, and the recipient of CSUMB’s 2021 Outstanding MBA Student Award. Armando grew up in the Philippines, and he generously shared insights into his background, his experience in the Responsible Business Online MBA program, and his thoughts for students who follow in his footsteps.

Monterey One Water (M1W) is a public wastewater treatment provider in northern Monterey County established in 1972 in order to meet the requirements of the Federal Clean Water Act. The company is driven by its mission to turn the area’s wastewaters into safe...

Jennifer Salinas, MBA ’21 Candidate Director of Information Technology, Superior Foods International Superior Foods International (SFI) is a global supplier of fruits, vegetables and grains with offices in the US, Europe, China, and South America, and a supply base across 25 countries. The co...

Edwin Galindo, MBA ’21 Candidate Accounting Specialist, Martinelli's Edwin Galindo, MBA ’21 Candidate Accounting Specialist, Martinelli's Martinelli's is a premium apple juice and cider producer located in Watsonville, near Monterey, CA. It has been family-owned and operated since 1868.1 Martinelli's demonstrates a strong commitment to the principles of respons...

As controller for Pride Conveyance in Hollister, California, Martha Walters manages the finances and cash flow for the local entity of a multinational company, overseeing payroll, accounts payable and receivable, and some administrative duties. She has five direct reports and works closely with th...

Everyone who pursues an MBA has personal reasons for taking on those challenges. Many are spurred by a strong sense of ethics and social responsibility, while visions of executive careers and salaries drive others. The importance of community is at the heart of Daisy Yepez’s goals. For this...

The term ‘capitalism’ best describes the economic system in the United States. If you ask Americans the definition of capitalism, you may hear responses that include private ownership, competitive markets, profit-driven, and allowing for capital accumulation.

While the global pandemic has had a huge impact in shutting down globalization, the international movement of goods, service, materials, and people...

This article will be published in Wu, Amy. From Farms to Incubators: Telling the stories of women innovators in agtech in the Salinas Valley and beyond. New York: Linden Publishing, 2021.

The appeal of an online degree program is flexibility and price, but for most people, cost is the primary concern. Can I afford the tuition? Will I have to stop working to earn my degree? Is an online MBA degree actually cheaper than the cost of going to school on campus? The answers to the firs...

Congratulations! You’ve submitted your MBA application to California State University, Monterey Bay. The next step on the road to graduate school may be an in-person interview. In it, you’ll meet members of the admissions staff and help them get to know you. A successful interview can make you s...

Recent reports suggest that agriculture industry leaders have found common ground for addressing farm labor shortages through immigration policy.

Online education is having a moment. Now more than ever, virtual classrooms are in high demand. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing schools across the country to close their buildings, many institutions are rushing to convert their classes to an online-only format. Our MBA program has long embrac...

We are facing the most profound and threatening world public health crisis in 100 years. The last similar event was the Spanish Flu of 1918, which lasted through 1920. That flu infected 500 million people worldwide, which was estimated to be one fourth of the world’s populati...

Money.com released its Most Transformative Colleges list with California State University, Monterey Bay ranking #16.1 The list ranks institutions based on their “value add” scores. According to Money.com, they’re not surprised when elite schools report high graduation rates or alumni success and...

Things can get complicated incredibly quickly when you’re leading a group, and this is the crux of decision-making strategies in business. Decision-making strategies are the methods by which we use information to make a choice, and they can apply from everything...

The WASC accreditation process is voluntary, non-governmental, institutional accreditation. Through its review process, WSCUC looks for confirmation that an institution has extensively met the Commissions Core Commitments and Standards of Accreditation as well...

The MBA experience can be daunting, and when you’re completing this program online, it can be hard to know what to expect. MBA advice is a google search away, and a lot of it is generally useful. Keep up with your reading, schedule out your coursework so you have a dedicated time to do...

A blockchain is a digital transaction ledger that is "append-only," meaning information can only be added to it, not edited or changed once posted.3 A blockchain's immutability is ensured by the complex set of steps required to add a "block" containing new information to...

Technology changes almost overnight, and this also holds true for new technology for business as well. Things evolve at such a quick pace that even the most tech-savvy individuals can be overwhelmed at times. New hires who are freshly out of college tend to be more...

Former CSUMB Online MBA student Allison Bradley always knew that she was going to pursue a graduate degree. She said "I already knew when I was in my undergraduate program. I knew that I was going to go further and I thought, 'Oh, I can do way more than thi...

If you’re currently in the pre-MBA program stage, getting into your program of choice will not be the hardest part of your journey. The hard part comes once you’re enrolled and you’re working to stay on top of your coursework, your job, and your personal obligations all at once. Having a pre-MBA...

A business school admissions consultant is like a coach. Their job is to ensure you achieve your personal best performance throughout the admissions process. Depending on your strengths, this can take different forms. You may need help expressing yourself in their writing, so consultants...

Writing an MBA personal statement can seem daunting—within a relatively limited space of about three pages, you are asked to effectively communicate your professional goals and experiences, a touch of your personality, and a sense of your work ethic and drive. And with the expectation that...

If you were asked how many business executives and managers would pass a basic financial literacy test, what would be your guess? 100 percent? 90 percent? Surely not less than 75 percent? Get ready to be surprised: According to the Business Literacy Institute, a mere 38 percent...

Student Spotlight: Bryan Neal, MBA '16. Understanding basic financial concepts is important for all professionals, not just those working in the finance department. Let the experts in CSU Monterey Bay’s Online MBA program show you why.

Whether it’s your online MBA program or your full-time job (or both) that has you working from home, you’ll need to be fluent with some common tools for digital engagement. Depending on if communication is written, verbal or conducted across a variety of...