Early Career MBA Program Details

Learn more about Seattle University’s one-year, Early Career MBA and what makes it unique.

student listening to an Albers executive speaker

Change the Trajectory of Your Career

Seattle University has long been a leader in business education. Our Early Career Master’s in Business Administration program provides a solid business foundation and teaches students essential career building skills that they will need to be successful in the business world.

What sets our program apart?

  • Join Your Cohort: Build your network with 25 young professionals seeking to advance their careers through our Early Career MBA.
  • Maximize Your Time: Our one-year program is designed for young professionals with less than three years of work experience to prepare you for career growth by adding an MBA to your skillset.
  • Hands on Experience: Our coursework and co-curricular activities are designed to build community while gaining valuable career building skills. Our mentor program, internship and career readiness series are a few ways our students explore career options and prepare you for your next steps!

Candidates are encouraged to apply by the Priority Review deadline to be given first consideration for the upcoming cohort. See How to Apply for more information.

Program Overview

Learn what a typical Early Career MBA cohort looks like, explore the wide range of educational backgrounds of our students, and discover what a year in the program will look like.

Wondering what an Early Career MBA cohort looks like?

Category Number
Average Age 24
Age Range 21-27
Gender Ratio 65% Female, 35% male
International Students 20%
Start right after undergrad 33%
Years of Work Experience 0-3
Average Years of Work Experience 1.1
Average GPA 3.4
Students per Cohort 20-25

Curious about the educational background of our students?

Undergraduate Degrees Percent
Science and Technology 16%
Health Sciences 15%
Psychology 16%
Social Sciences and Humanities 15%
Political Science and Government 10%
Economics 8%
Engineering 6%
Arts 6%
Other 8%

Interested in what your schedule will look like as an Early Career MBA student?

Our curriculum has been carefully crafted to provide students with a broad academic foundation in business.

Quarter Courses Days of the Week Time
Fall
  • Business Economics
  • Accounting for Business
  • Project Management
  • Organizational Behavior
M/T/W/Th 9 – 11:40 a.m.
Winter
  • Information Systems in the Digital Enterprise
  • Financial Management
  • Marketing Strategy
  • Ethics in Business
M/T/W/Th 9 – 11:40 a.m.
Spring
  • Business Analytics and Data Modeling
  • Legal Aspects of Business
  • Operations and Supply Chain Management
  • Collaborative Problem Solving, Negotiation, and Conflict Resolution
M/T/W/Th 9 – 11:40 a.m.
Summer
  • Business Practicum (Internship)
  • Business Elective
  • Business Strategy (6 credit capstone)
M/T/W/Th 5:30 – 9 p.m.

The Early Career MBA class schedule allows for part-time internships in the afternoons or on Fridays during the academic year, or full-time during summer quarter.

For course descriptions, see our course catalog.

Prepare to be a Leader

At the Albers School of Business and Economics, we know the curriculum is only one part of a successful graduate program. To support emerging leaders like you, who may be looking for guidance around selecting a career path, we have carefully crafted a year’s worth of integrated, co-curricular activities to support your professional growth and development, as well as included an internship component in the program design

Career Readiness Series

You will participate in a series of career guidance seminars and activities, including resume preparation, LinkedIn readiness, and career coaching that are specifically designed to help you explore, prepare for, and select a career path.

Student Speaking at ECMBA 10th Anniversary

Executive Speaker Series

As you contemplate your future, you can learn from leaders from PNW companies as you partake in the Albers’ Executive Speaker Series. Listen as they share their stories, insights, and thoughts about leadership; learn about their career paths, the challenges they have faced over the course of their careers, and their visions for the future.

Costco Executive Speaker Series 2025

Mentorship Program

You will have the unique opportunity to be paired with an upper-level business executive from a leading Puget Sound company or organization. Through monthly meetings, you'll forge a valuable connection with an experienced professional who will provide insights, guidance, and the chance to develop essential business contacts.

Albers Career Night Networking

Internships

To gain skills and experience in a real-world business environment, you will participate in an internship during the program. Recent positions have included roles in digital marketing, financial planning, cyber security, human resources and business development, and our students have been successful in obtaining positions in a wide range of organizations.

ECMBA 10th Anniversary

Career Outcomes

Are you wondering where this program might lead you?

Our graduates have found career success at organizations ranging from small startups to influential, global companies in a wide range of sectors, including technology, manufacturing, aerospace, healthcare, biotech, finance and government. Some choose to stay in Seattle, and others venture farther afield.

Here are a few of the internships and fulltime roles recent Early Career MBA graduates have accepted.

Organization Title
Accolade Consulting Intern
Amazon Investor Coalition Rainforest Markets Intern
Key Bank Banking Intern
McKinstry Business Operations Intern
Nordstrom Logistics Processor
PACCAR HR Intern, Product Marketing Intern, Marketing Communications Intern
Port of Seattle Graduate Intern – Aviation Business Development
Seattle Kraken Street Team Member
Smartsheets People Strategy & Operations Intern
T-Mobile  U of Magenta Intern
Trident Seafoods HR Intern
Wasserman Media Group Marketing Intern
Organization Title
Amazon Program Manager; Recruiter
Benaroya Research Institute Clinical Research Coordinator
ConvergeOne Conversational AI Business Consultant
Costco IT Audit
Empirical Wealth Management Associate Financial Advisor
Gates Ventures Research Community & Data Administrator
Holland America HR Analyst
KOMO TV Marketing Consultant
McKinstry Business Operations Analyst
Nestlé Field Sales Representative
Oracle Program Manager
PACCAR Inside Sales Analyst; Marketing Specialist

Hear From Our Alumni

Emily Cancian, ECMBA Alumni

Emily Cancian—AI Business Consultant, ConvergeOne

"The Early Career MBA program opened a lot of doors for me just by providing exposure to fields and career paths that I otherwise would never have considered. One unit in an information systems class introduced me to the process of building chatbots and ultimately led me to designing them for a living. I love what I do, but as someone with a non-technical background, this career path was unexpected, and one that I would not have found without the Early Career MBA program."

BA Humanities 2021, Seattle University; Bridge (Early Career) MBA 2022

Annie Wright, ECMBA Alumni

Annie Wright—Business Operations Analyst, McKinstry

"The Early Career MBA program helped me leverage my diverse skills and background in political science and legal operations as I pivoted to a career in business. I learned crucial lessons about business essentials, relationship management and personal development, and made lifelong connections. I extend my gratitude to the program for the invaluable opportunities it offered, the dedication of its exceptional professors in shaping future leaders, and a comprehensive, values-driven education.”

BA Policial Science ’19, University of Washington; Early Career MBA ‘23

David Capune, ECMBA Alumni

David Capune—Operations Manager, Seattle Shirt Company

"Through the program, I was able to transition into an entirely new career path with my current organization. Starting as a part-time cashier during undergrad, I have worked my way up. Classes in operations, project management and business strategy prepared me to help a small business grow. In my new role, I am leveling up the company’s processes to match their growth. I never would have had the confidence to propose this new role if not for the lessons I learned in the program.”

BA Philosophy 2021, Seattle University; Early Career MBA 2024

Get In Touch

Get in-depth, personalized program information from an expert. Share your career goals and decide on next steps with our specialized admissions team.

Carolyn Auvil Cubillos

Senior Graduate Student Recruitment Specialist

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