Humboldt State University

Part of the California State University system, Humboldt State is the most remote of CSU campuses, located on the Redwood Coast south of the Oregon border.  Its geographic location and climate are more “Northwest” than “California,” which is why we’ve included it in our review.  For many residents of southern Oregon, Humboldt State is closer to home than UO or OSU.  The Humboldt State MBA is presented with an emphasis on “strategic sustainability.”  Princeton Review calls HSU one of the most “green” colleges in the nation, and it has also won a Silver Star award for sustainability in education.
  The MBA curriculum is designed to be completed in one year of full-time study.  California residents will pay approximately $18,000 for a HSU MBA.  All students who are admitted receive a scholarship of $1000 to $3000, which brings out-of-state costs down to a very reasonable $27,000 for the program.

The Life:  Humboldt State is the only school in our review where students can leave class and be at the beach surfing 20 minutes later.  Scuba diving, deep sea fishing, and hiking in the Redwood Forest are available activities.  It’s a popular destination for many California residents, because its climate and ecology are very different from the rest of the state.  Like Eugene, Arcata has a proud tradition of respecting counter culture and this contributes to the character of the Humboldt experience.

Drawbacks:  Humboldt State lacks AACSB and ACBSP accreditation.  It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, but this is not a specific business school rating.  Many large corporations do not recruit from non-accredited business schools.  Balancing this shortcoming, Humboldt State (formerly California State University at Humboldt) is a member of the CSU system.  Many CSU business schools are AACSB accredited (Long Beach State, Sacramento State, San Francisco State, Cal State Hayward, San Jose State, San Diego State, Cal State LA, San Diego State, etc.).  The CSU pedigree gives the Humboldt MBA additional clout.