U N I V E R S I T Y O F C A L I F O R N I A , Riverside
Journey to Success
School of Business Administration
Begin your journey at the largest business
program in the UC system, where all the
tools are right at your fingertips.
University of California, Riverside
• 1st in nation in Student Service Participation
by Washington Monthly
• Best Value School by US News and World
Report for three consecutive years
• 2nd in nation contributing to Public Good by
Washington Monthly
• 8th Most Diverse university by US News and
World Report
• AACSB-accreditation puts SoBA in the top
5% of all business schools in the world
Let SoBA be your guide.
Message From the Dean
JOURNEY TO
SUCCESS
For the past 40 years, the School of Business Administration
(SoBA) at the University of California, Riverside has given
students a nationally-ranked and internationally-recognized
research based education in the field of business. With 6 areas
of concentration available—management, marketing, finance,
accounting and auditing, operations and supply chain
management, and information systems—students will
have the resources available to achieve and experience
academic success.
SoBA strives to groom students to become world-class
professionals with all of the requisite knowledge and skills
required in today’s business world, as well as contributing
citizens and valuable members of society. SoBA’s focus on
diversity, holistic advising, and long-term success ensures
that students will have an enriching experience which will
empower them to thrive in any environment.
With its broad selection of academic programs and guided
support, SoBA equips its students with a world recognized
University of California degree and confidently ushers them
into successful careers.
Yunzeng Wang, Ph.D.
Dean, UCR School of Business Administration
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SoBA is the largest business school in the University of California system and
offers a comprehensive curriculum that promotes success. The large variety of
classes and concentration areas ensures that students have the knowledge, skills,
and tools to become world class leaders and scholars.
As an AACSB-accredited school, SoBA is among the top 5% of all business programs in
the world. In addition to this distinction, SoBA has been ranked a top business school by
Bloomberg BusinessWeek, US News & World Report, and The Princeton Review. UCR
as a whole was ranked 2nd in the nation by Washington Monthly in contributing
to the public good, 1st in the nation in student service participation, and has
also been named a “Best Value School” by US News & World Report,
while simultaneously being commended for its diversity.
Admissions Criteria/
Curriculum
Formal acceptance into the undergraduate business program
is contingent upon successful completion of the pre-business
curriculum as well as a competitive GPA. The pre-business
curriculum is designed to give students the fundamental
knowledge required to successfully complete their business
degree. Upon completing all prerequisites, submission of an
application for acceptance into the Business Administration
program, and final approval from SoBA, students take
coursework towards their business degree.
In addition to choosing a concentration, our program requires
our students to obtain a working knowledge in the other areas of
concentration. This is designed to provide some level of breadth
as well as depth in the discipline. Armed with this special set
of skills, our students are very competitive in an increasingly
selective job market. Students who graduate from our program
will have a working knowledge in all areas of business.
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Ambassador Program
The SoBA Ambassador Program provides students with an opportunity to acquire
public relations skills while contributing to the campus community.
Our Ambassadors represent SoBA at
internal and external campus events,
SoBA offers many organizations and clubs
and are often given the opportunity to
tailored to the specific interests and career
network with important business leaders
goals of our students. There are currently
and constituents. The ambassador role
fourteen student groups and professional
allows students to improve their leadership,
organizations for Business Administration
teamwork and communication skills. In
students. Nationally recognized organiza-
addition to the professional development
received as an ambassador, students
may receive priority registration, special
recognition at Commencement, and
letters of recommendation from the
Dean of the business school.
Business Clubs
and Organizations
tions such as American Marketing Association, Future Business Leaders of America
(Phi Beta Lambda), and Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA) have chapters at UCR. The
Accounting Society, Alpha Kappa Psi,
Hylander Financial Group, and Delta
Sigma Pi are other SoBA-sanctioned
business organizations that students
may join while at UCR. Each year a new
group of competitive students is also initiated to Beta Gamma Sigma, the only student
organization recognized by the AACSB.
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Opportunities and Success
“UCR is a wonderful environment to
“UCR not only provides a strong
engage intellectually with many different
business foundation while allowing
types of people whether they are on the
me to personalize my education, but
faculty or fellow classmates. The courses
because of its location, you can easily
are applied and practical and reflect real
ski and surf on the same day!”
– Matthew Ward
world situations.”
­– Kassandra Taira
“I like the fact that UCR offers you
“UCR has made me more astute to the
so many ways to get involved and get
business functions going on around me.
ahead. Because it is so diverse you
Because of SoBA’s curriculum, it was
can literally just pick and choose what
easier to understand the bigger picture
opportunities to take.“
of my employer’s strategic decisions.”
– Julian Calderon
–Jacqueline Saucedo
student insight
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Areas of
Concentration
“A fundamental understanding of financial principles is absolutely
essential to success no matter what job function you may have in
the future. It helps keep a balanced perspective on the overarching
goals of a business.”
­— Anisha Bhasin
“Learning about management is about learning
to put the other areas of business together in
the most optimal way possible. The curriculum
has been invaluable to me not only in my career,
but in social settings as well.” ­
Management –
FinancE –
focuses on important financial policy and
strategy decisions, corporate governance and control, merger
and acquisition, and risk management.
focuses on the roles of managers in organizations, including: employee behavior and motivation, bargaining, negotiating, team
development, managing diversity, strategic change, organization learning, top management team, managing competitive environments, corporate strategy
and strategic alliances, and strategy formulation and implementation.
— Janice Tang
Accounting and Auditing –
focuses on the development, interpretation and
communication of financial and operational information
for effective decision-making.
“The faculty’s passion for the field coupled with their
experience came through in the classroom. I was
given a strong marketing and business foundation
before I even entered the workforce.”
­— Timothy Lay
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Marketing –
focuses on understanding the roles of customers and
“No matter what area of
accounting you’re learning
about, rest assured that you’ll
always be taught by the best.”
— Jasmine Sima
Information Systems –
“The Information Systems concentration
lies at the perfect crossroads for students
to acquire technical management skills
coupled with business principles that are
applicable in the workplace.”
focuses on helping organizations leverage
technology in order to create or sustain a
competitive advantage.
— Rushabh Sheth
“UCR is located so close to several major operations
and logistics hubs that I felt compelled to learn
more. At the end of the day, without operations and
supply chain management, most of our favorite
online retailers would cease to exist.” ­
Operations and Supply Chain Management –
competitors, design of products, promotion, pricing, and distribution strategies
focuses on the efficient integration of information and processes across suppliers/
that meet the needs and wants of the customer within a competitive marketplace.
vendors, manufacturers, and distributors.
— Gurmeet Kharbanda
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Broadening
Horizons
“Traveling to India, China, and England as part of
the Global Programs was certainly one of the best
decisions I’ve ever made. It was great to see and
learn about other countries on a first hand basis!”
— Jacqueline Ott, Global Programs
UC Riverside offers undergraduate students an excellent opportunity to
study business in an international environment through several different
programs including the Education Abroad Program (EAP), Global
Programs, Opportunities Abroad Program (OAP) or UCDC Program.
For more common international travels such as France, Italy, or Japan,
“Studying abroad was unlike any
adventure I had gone on before;
and I can truly say that it was the
best decision I had made in my life!”
– Sally Salloum, EAP, Barcelona, Spain
the EAP or Global Programs should be considered. For those that would
like to customize their journey, the OAP is designed to support such
aspirations. For those wanting to travel to Washington, D.C. and learn more
about the US, the UCDC Program is designed to do just that. No matter
what program is chosen, students can increase their understanding of
the global economy by directly experiencing how other nations conduct
business. Students can investigate how local differences in culture,
politics, and financial systems impact international business and trade.
Ultimately, the knowledge, skills, and cross-cultural perspectives students
gain will help succeed in an increasingly diverse and fast-paced world.
“I spent the quarter interning in Washington, D.C.
in the Office of Congressman Ed Royce (R-CA).
I led tours of the capitol and learned first-hand
about public policy and U.S. politics. I hope to
visit there again in the near future!”
— Matthew Sallis, UCDC, Washington, D.C.
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Financial Aid / Fellowships /
Grants / Scholarships
Internships
Internships provide students with real-life workplace experience, building skills that
businesses look for in potential hires. They also offer a great way to acquire a basic
understanding of how businesses operate on a daily basis. UCR’s undergraduate
business students have interned for a number of profit and not-for-profit
organizations, including:
UC Riverside’s Financial Aid Office is committed to making a
world-class education at UCR possible for all admitted students,
regardless of income. From grants and scholarships to loans and
work-study, 83% of UCR undergraduate students receive financial aid. Of
those that receive financial aid, 70% have their full fees covered by grants
and/or scholarships. For more information, visit: http://finaid.ucr.edu
In addition to the financial aid that may be offered to students
from UCR, SoBA awards over $30,000 in
scholarships to business students
every year. SoBA is committed
to providing a high-value,
world-class education.
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Holistic Advising
Although SoBA is the largest business program in the UC system, we are committed to the
success of each and every student. SoBA’s student-to-advisor ratio is 300:1; that is 50% smaller
than the average ratio at large universities across the country. Business Administration students
will receive individualized counseling while in the program. Regular meetings with academic
advisors can help students tailor their academic experience and help students achieve the
level of success that they strive for.
Community Service
UCR students are given many opportunities to serve the community at large. While community service is not a requirement, student’s inherent
passion to help others has aided in UCR being named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction by
the U.S. Department of Education. Working with such organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross, and many other local
groups, is especially helpful in becoming a more well-rounded individual, creating a positive impact locally, and providing great intrinsic value.
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City of Riverside
Universal Appeal
The city of Riverside is the capital of the Inland Empire and was
recently named the most intelligent city in the world by the Intelligent
Community Forum. Centrally located less than an hour to all the
major attractions including the mountains, beach, Los Angeles,
and San Diego, Riverside offers cultural diversity and a wide array
of attractions rivaled by few other locales. Whether it’s the UCR
Arts Block for the budding artist inside of you, the beautiful getaway
of the botanical gardens, or taking-in a piece of history at the
Mission Inn, the city of Riverside has something to offer for everyone.
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The next step
Visit Us...
• Learn more about UCR and SoBA by going on a campus tour
or taking a virtual tour at admissions.ucr.edu/VisitUCR
• Meet one-on-one with a SoBA Academic Advisor to address your
specific needs or e-mail SoBA at undergradbusiness.ucr.edu
• Find out more about SoBA’s offerings by visiting
soba.ucr.edu
School of Business
Administration