The University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business is the oldest school of business in Southern California. Founded in 1920, the school offers a traditional full-time, two-year MBA program and several other programs specifically geared toward applicants who have already invested time working within the industry of their choice. The school's IBEAR MBA program, executive MBA program and MBA.pm (for professionals and managers) all cater to potential students who want to change careers midstream.

According to Vault's surveys, the key to getting the most out of your time working on the Marshall MBA is to 'have a good goal for what you want to get out of the program and eventually do afterwards.' If you do 'begin with the end in mind, it'll show through on the application and interviews,' students say. And the school appears to cater its program to goal-oriented students throughout. The curriculum is 'flexible yet challenging' and 'you can structure it however you like after your first year of core classes.' Furthermore, gainful employment seems to be a given--students report receiving multiple job offers before graduating from 'prestigious companies,' and cite the school's alumni network as a 'dynamic' resource in helping students land jobs. 'Marshall is widely considered to have a fine set of graduates that can excel at any position,' confirms one satisfied alumnus.