Haas School of Business

What Is the Haas School of Business?

The Haas School of Business is the business school of the University of California at Berkeley. Founded in 1898 and located in Berkeley, California, the school offers both undergraduate and graduate programs.

The Haas School of Business has the distinction of being the oldest American business school to be founded at a public university. It is also known for its high quality of instruction; it is frequently ranked as among the top 10 best business schools in the world.

Understanding the Haas School of Business

Previously known as the University of California’s College of Commerce, the Haas School of Business received its current name in 1989, following a nearly-$25 million gift by the businessman and philanthropist, Walter A. Haas Jr. Today, Haas School of Business is home to about 2,500 students spread across their undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as over 240 faculty members.

The Haas School of Business’s programs includes undergraduate majors in core business school subjects such as finance, accounting, and marketing; as well as specialized undergraduate programs in entrepreneurship, international business, and even the intersection of business and biology. In this respect, the Haas School of Business is able to leverage its affiliation with the University of California at Berkeley—a world-famous research university that has produced 37 Nobel prizes, of which 7 are held by current faculty.

At the graduate level, the Haas School of Business offers a range of MBA and postgraduate programs. The school’s class of 2022 full-time MBA cohort is made up of 331 students, 39% of whom are female. In addition to the full-time MBA program, which lasts 21 months, the school also offers a variety of MBA programs designed for students who wish to study on a part-time basis while continuing to work in their careers. This includes a three-year evening and weekend MBA option, as well as an Executive MBA program (which lasts 19 months).

Example of the Haas School of Business

For 2021, the Haas School of Business’s full-time MBA program was rated as the 7th-best program in the United States by US News and The Economist, and it was rated as the country's 8th (12th globally) by the Financial Times.

With annual tuition of roughly $60,000, Haas School of Business MBA grads saw a median starting salary of approximately $140,000 in 2020, of which just under 90% received their offers within 3 months of graduation. In recent years, these grads have found employment principally in the technology, management consulting, and financial services sectors.