Nationally Ranked Part-Time Program Prepares Collaborative Leaders for San Francisco Region
by Tim Akin
In fall 2005, the Graduate School of Management welcomed its first Bay Area cohort for its Bay Area Part-Time M.B.A. program to weekend classes at the San Ramon Valley Conference Center, strategically located along the Interstate 680 and 580 corridor. (Courtesy photo)
When the UC Davis Graduate School of Management launched its Bay Area Part-Time M.B.A. program two decades ago, it was a decisive step rooted in demand, alumni strength and a clear-eyed view of where business leadership was headed.
In fall 2005, the school welcomed its first Bay Area cohort to weekend classes at the San Ramon Valley Conference Center, strategically located along the Interstate 680 and 580 corridor.
The prime East Bay location was at the center of a fast-growing region known for software, telecommunications, finance and advanced manufacturing — and near Silicon Valley and San Francisco.
Nicole Woolsey Biggart, then-dean of the Graduate School of Management (Courtesy)
For Nicole Woolsey Biggart, then-dean of the Graduate School of Management, the case for launching the M.B.A. by the Bay was already well established.
“Our market research found significant demand among both employers and working professionals for a high-quality M.B.A. program in the East Bay. We had been asked repeatedly to provide an M.B.A. education in the area.”
— Nicole Woolsey Biggart, then-dean of the Graduate School of Management
Growth in demand for part-time M.B.A. programs
The Bay Area Part-Time M.B.A. was designed specifically for experienced professionals seeking top-tier management education without stepping away from their careers. Weekend classes, a cohort-based structure, and a rigorous curriculum made the program both demanding and doable.
The Bay Area program cloned the Sacramento Part-Time M.B.A. program, which by then had a track record of more than 10 years providing management talent to help fuel the capital region's growth.
GSM alumni — already shaping the San Francisco region’s economy — also accounted for the demand.
More than half of the Graduate School of Management’s alumni and a large percentage of campus graduates lived and worked in the Bay Area at the time of the program’s launch. Biggart and the school’s leadership viewed that as a strategic advantage rather than a coincidence.
“We had over 51,000 UC Davis alumni across the nine Bay Area counties. These alumni are our ambassadors,” Biggart said at the time. “They connect us to employers, research opportunities and the commercialization of UC Davis technologies.”
That alumni presence helped accelerate the program’s visibility and relevance from day one.
The Bay Area Part-Time M.B.A. was designed specifically for experienced professionals seeking top-tier management education without stepping away from their careers. (Courtesy photo)
Building visibility and lasting relationships
Biggart also emphasized that the M.B.A. by the Bay would strengthen the school’s ties to the region’s business community while raising the profile of UC Davis management education.
“This program increases the visibility of the Graduate School of Management in the Bay Area and cements our growing relationship with the business community and alumni already in the region,” she said at the time.
Top Bay Area employers of UC Davis M.B.A.s at the time included large tech firms and finance leaders. Since then, the program moved to the Bishop Ranch Office Park in San Ramon and attracted more diverse students as the Bay Area region's growth exploded into the global hub for the internet economy, social media and AI.
Confidence, community and career momentum
A member of the inaugural class and student leader, Bay Area M.B.A. alumna Megan Conway Bley has earned several promotions at PwC since graduating in 2008. Today, she is managing director of signature events and experiences at PwC.
Megan Conway Bley (Courtesy)
“The Bay Area M.B.A. gave me the confidence to pursue bigger opportunities in my career. Before, I was hesitant to apply for roles or bring forward provocative ideas. After earning the M.B.A., I felt confident stepping into nearly any management role.”
— Megan Conway Bley, M.B.A. ’08
She points to courses such as Pricing Strategies, New Product Development, Business and the Law, and Organizational Structure & Strategy that continue to shape her work today. In particular, the strategy curriculum, which helped her chart a new professional path even before graduation.
The most enduring impact, she said, came from her cohort.
“A few of my classmates serve as my ‘advisory board,’” Bley said. “We celebrate each other’s successes and lean in when help is needed.”
First cohort sets the tone
For Chris Bush, M.B.A. ’08, now executive director of the Institute for Business Innovation and the Clausen Center for International Business at UC Berkeley, being part of the first class meant building something new — together.
“As the first Bay Area cohort, we formed tight bonds navigating a new program together,” said Bush, who stays in touch with Bley as part of her post-graduation advisory council. “Those relationships have lasted for decades.”
Bush credits the program’s faculty with helping him uncover strengths he hadn’t previously recognized.
“Thanks to their teaching, I discovered an aptitude for finance and statistics that otherwise would have gone untapped,” he said. “I use skills from classes like Managerial Accounting and Corporate Finance all the time.”
Since graduating, Bush has led digital marketing teams in Silicon Valley, founded and exited an education technology startup, and taught entrepreneurship. His career path, he said, was directly shaped by the Bay Area M.B.A. experience.
Chris Bush (Courtesy)
"It's still one of the most formative experiences of my professional and academic career. But more importantly, I can't be grateful enough for my amazing classmates, many of whom have been close friends for 20 years as well."
— Chris Bush, M.B.A. ’08
Looking ahead after 20 years
Now 20 years in, the Bay Area M.B.A. is consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the top 20 part-time programs at public universities. Over 1,000 Bay Area M.B.A. graduates, most of whom live and work in the region, are top managers, business leaders and trailblazing entrepreneurs making a positive impact and driving economic growth.
What began as a strategic expansion has matured into a lasting commitment — to working professionals, to the Bay Area business community, and to alumni who continue to mentor, hire and collaborate with new generations of Aggies.
As the Graduate School of Management marks 20 years of the M.B.A. by the Bay, the vision articulated by Biggart has proven durable: Meet professionals where they are, deliver education that matters and build a collaborative community that lasts long after graduation.
