What Berkeley-Haas Is Known For
“Public Ivy” prestige. The Haas School of Business is one of several top-ranked programs at the University of California, Berkeley. UC Berkeley (often referred to as “Cal”) is noted for its prestigious engineering, natural science, and social science programs, as well as for its top-10 graduate programs in law and education—and, of course, business. As one of the nation’s top public universities, UC Berkeley is a leader in areas of national importance, such as social responsibility, clean energy, and technology. Berkeley-Haas has had five Nobel Prize–winning economists on its faculty, including the 2009 winner Oliver Williamson. (Only Chicago Booth has more Nobel Laureates at a business school, with six.)
Innovation and social responsibility. Innovation and social responsibility are core values at Haas. In keeping with the school’s position in the Bay Area and just north of Silicon Valley, Leading Through Innovation is the school’s mission statement, and this concept permeates the program, with even more emphasis today on developing “innovative leaders,” as reinforced through recent changes to the curriculum. Haas has a tremendous emphasis on technology management—including new thinking in cleantech and sustainability—though students interested in many other areas, including consulting and finance, are also set up for success after going through its program.
Regional reputation. Partly because of geography, and partly because of the state’s resident population mix, Berkeley-Haas (along with its fellow University of California school UCLA Anderson) has somewhat more of an emphasis on Asia and the Pacific Rim than you might find at other top-tier MBA programs. At the same time, Haas is more of a regional MBA than most top-10 schools: The vast majority of students (often 70% or more) settle locally or in the western U.S.
