The Pepperdine Graziadio Business School was founded in 1969[4] by Dr. Donald Sime, who also served as the school's first Dean. The first full-time MBA program was launched in 1972.[5]
Deborah Crown serves as the school’s current dean,[6] succeeding Deryck van Rensburg, who served as Dean from 2020-2022. [7]
Campuses
The Pepperdine Graziadio Business School is headquartered in West Los Angeles at the Howard Hughes Center next to Interstate 405. The West Los Angeles campus, along with campuses in Encino, Irvine, San Jose, and Calabasas, host the school's part-time programs. Full-time programs are headquartered at the main Pepperdine University campus in Malibu. International programs take place at various international universities each trimester.[8]
In 2024, Pitchbook: Top 100 colleges ranked by startup founders, ranked Pepperdine's MBA program at 33rd in the world.[13]
U.S. News and World Report ranked the school 89th in Best Business Schools and 42th for MBA Part-time.[14]
In its 2023 edition of The Best 294 Business Schools, The Princeton Review ranked the Graziadio School among the nation's top business programs. The school was also among the top business schools in the West and the top 50 for Online MBA Programs. Pepperdine Graziadio was ranked #5 for “Best MBA for Nonprofit” and #6 for the “Most Competitive Students".[15]
Pepperdine Graziadio was ranked #7 on the “Most Competitive Students” list and #8 Most Beautiful Campus.[16]
The Center for Applied Research supports the mission of the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School to advance responsible business practice and support knowledge and education that has direct application and relevance for working professionals and their organizations.[18]
Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence
The Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence at the Graziadio School was established with the mission of promoting innovation in business education. The center provides faculty with training and development opportunities, collects data on learning assurances, and conducts research.[19]
Graziadio Business Review
The Graziadio Business Review is an online peer-reviewed journal of applied business research published by the Graziadio School since 1998.[20]