Haas School of Business

The Walter A. Haas School of Business, also known as the Haas School of Business or simply Haas, is one of 14 schools and colleges at the University of California, Berkeley. The school runs a range of programs and is consistently ranked among the best in the country. Known for its small class size, academic rigor, and application selectivity, Haas is one of the most prestigious business schools in the world. Its programs include:

Full-time Master of Business Administration (MBA) program Evening & Weekend MBA program MBA for Executives Ph.D. program Master of Financial Engineering Program Undergraduate program Executive Education

The school is situated in three connected buildings surrounding a central courtyard on the southeastern corner of the Berkeley campus. The final design of architect Charles Moore, the mini-campus was completed in 1995. The school is planning to expand its facilities with a new commons building shared with the Berkeley School of Law. It consistently ranks as one of the top ten business schools in worldwide rankings published by The Economist, Financial Times, US News & World Report, and Bloomberg Businessweek. Full-time MBA Program The Berkeley MBA Program is a two-year curriculum designed to prepare students for the business world in an experience that Haas calls "Leading Through Innovation."[12] The process of "Leading Through Innovation" includes the core MBA curriculum and specialization in an area of interest, which may be one of seven areas of general management fundamentals, or a certification in one of five different areas of study.[13] Another important part of the Haas MBA is the combination of executive skills seminars, such as the Leadership Development Series, and experiential programs, such as "Haas@Work," an applied innovation program that sends teams of Berkeley MBA students to work at large firms.[14] Evening & Weekend MBA Program The three-year, part-time Berkeley Evening & Weekend MBA Program emphasizes the delivery of growth and innovation to organizations, and allows participants to continue working full-time while pursuing the MBA. Like the full-time MBA, the part-time MBA program is built around "Leadership Through Innovation," and like full-time students, parttime MBA students can specialize in one of seven areas of general management fundamentals.[18] However, the certificate programs available to full-time MBA students are not available to those on the part-time track. Berkeley-Columbia Executive MBA Program The Haas School of Business offered an Executive MBA Program in partnership with the Columbia Business School. One session per term was held at the Columbia University campus in New York City, the other four on campus at the Haas School of Business in Berkeley, CA. Courses were taught by the full-time faculty of both schools. The core curriculum was taught during the first three terms, and the last two terms offer elective courses. Students may opt to
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spend one term studying exclusively in the NY-EMBA program at Columbia or in the other MBA programs offered at Berkeley. Upon completion of the program, students earn two MBAs, one from UC Berkeley and one from Columbia University, the same degrees awarded in the schools' full-time MBA programs.[20] The Berkeley-Columbia Executive MBA partnership program will end after the class admitted in 2012 graduates. Berkeley MBA for Executives Program The Haas School of Business offers an Executive MBA Program. The program is 19 months long and will begin with the entering class of 2013. Courses are taught by the full-time faculty of Berkeley-Haas. The core curriculum is taught during the first three terms, and the last two terms offer elective courses. Upon completion of the program, students earn a Berkeley MBA, the same degree awarded in the school's full-time MBA programs.[21] Master of Financial Engineering Program The Berkeley Master of Financial Engineering Program provides graduates with the knowledge and skills necessary for a career in the finance industry. Students in the MFE program take an integrated set of courses for a period of one year, and must also complete a ten-week internship or on-site project and an applied finance project that builds on skills learned in the internship.[24] One hundred percent of the Haas MFE class of 2009 graduated directly into jobs with companies including Goldman Sachs, Novellus, Allstate Insurance, and Deutsche Bank.[25] Undergraduate program The Haas School of Business, in conjunction with the main UC Berkeley campus, offers an undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree intended to provide the knowledge and technical skills necessary for success in the modern business world.[26] Students take core courses in Business Communication, Micro- and Macroeconomics, Managerial and Financial Accounting, Finance, Spreadsheet Decision-Making, Organizational Behavior, Marketing, and Ethics, as well as elective courses in these and other areas. Students often explore their field of interest in electives and can take more advanced courses such as Corporate Valuation, Financial Engineering, and Competetive Strategy. Undergraduates enter Haas at the beginning of their junior year, and graduate within two years. The program ranked 2nd in the nation according to U.S. News College ranking in 2010,[27] and 3rd from 2011 to present, with numerous top 10 sub-specializations: 11th in Accounting, 7th in Entrepreneurship, 3rd in Finance, 6th in International Business, 3rd in Management, 10th in Management Information Systems, 3rd in Marketing, 8th in Production/ Operations Management, 4th in Quantitative Analysis, 3rd in Real Estate, and 11th in Supply Chain Management/Logistics.[28] For the entering class of 2012, the average GPA for UC Berkeley students was 3.70 with a 25th to 75th percent range of 3.50 to 3.92, while the average GPA for transfer students was higher at 3.85.[29] The application is broken down as follows: 50% Grades & Coursework, 35% Essays, and 15% Resume/extra-curricular activities.[30] In addition to reviewing applications for completion of minimum eligibility requirements and academic achievement and promise, the Admission Committee will review many factors, including performance in key prerequisites (business, math, economics, statistics), grade trends, course load, consistency of academic
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performance, leadership skills, interest in being an active member of the Haas community, knowledge of contemporary business issues, accomplishments as demonstrated by extracurricular activities, as well as communication and analytical skills as demonstrated by responses to essay questions.[30] Because of the highly competitive application process, Haas students within the Berkeley community are typically placed in the apex of the businessrelated hierarchy of majors, above economics (3.0 minimum GPA[31]) and political economy. Within Haas, classes are known to be notoriously cut-throat, with the application of the "Haas curve" to a B for a student body that has already undergone a rigorous process of weeding. This challenging intellectual climate has given rise to the term "Haashole," a hasty generalization used to describe the overly competitive nature of students, who in the pursuit of topping exams may exhibit certain negative characteristics. Substantiated by global rankings, application selectivity, and a small student body, Haas is regarded as the most prestigious undergraduate business school in the West Coast, regularly propelling students to leading investment banks such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and JP Morgan, the Big Four, and top-notch tech firms such as Google and Facebook, who all have On-Campus-Recruiting (OCR). The afforementioned firms designate Haas as a high-priority school for recruiting, and as a result have places in the school's top 10 employers list, according to the offical 2011 survey.[32] The average salary for graduates was $63,000 while the Median was $65,000, with a $9000 average bonus. Its geographical proximity to Silicon Valley also grants it comparative advantage in the start-up industry, primarily in IT, and technology-related investment banking or consulting. Haas sponsors a wide variety of student organizations, including ethnic groups, case competition clubs, and organizations for a wide variety of business-related pursuits including finance, real estate, marketing, consulting, and others. Consulting organizations like International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), The Berkeley Group (TBG), and Berkeley Consulting (BC) recruit and train undergraduate students to work on consulting engagements with real-world clients. Ethnic-based organizations, notably the Asian Business Association, unite only students of similar ethnicity exclusively for professional development and networking.