Academics And Programs
Stanford’s incoming MBA class numbers have hovered around 420 students for the last five years, and this year they welcomed 424 students to the class of 2025.
The first year of the two-year MBA builds students’ general management knowledge and global exposure, mostly consisting of core courses potentially with room for one to two electives in winter and spring. Stanford offers practical experiences, leadership coaches, and courses with methods designed to enhance leadership skills.
As one might expect, many of the required courses can be calibrated to the student’s skills, experience, and future goals. The global experience requirement is also completed in the first year and offers various exciting programs for students to explore and engage in worldwide issues in order to fully appreciate the complexities involved in global management.
The second-year curriculum can be tailored through electives, seminars, a joint or dual degree, and courses at other Stanford schools, designed to help broaden experiences and perspectives, strengthen areas of development, allow students to explore new subjects, and ensure a well-rounded general management education. Stanford GSB adds new electives or substantially revises existing topics every year to respond to changes in the business environment, the social sector, and students’ interests.
From participatory teaching methods to student clubs to on-campus living, Stanford GSB’s collaborative culture is designed to reduce competition between students and deepen relationships.
Post-graduation, Stanford MBAs typically land among the highest first -year pay packages in the world. Total average compensation for Stanford MBA graduates jumped more than 11% to a new school record $257,563 in 2022. The sum includes base salary, sign-on bonus, and expected performance bonus, the latter two adjusted in the total comp number to account for the percentage of graduates receiving those elements of pay. MBA startups at Stanford have been at near-record levels over the years, making the school the place to incubate a business from scratch, search for capital from angel investors and VCs, and launch. In fact, 19% of the Class of 2022 pursued their own ventures, nearly four times more than the more typical 5% level across most MBA programs.