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California Institute of Advanced Management

The California Institute of Advanced Management (CIAM), a nonprofit private university, is conveniently located in Southern California, close to Los Angeles. It is just an hour's drive from LAX, offering superb convenience.

CIAM's MBA program features a Day 1 CPT option, requiring on-site attendance only once per semester. As a smaller business school, CIAM prides itself on offering personalized attention to each of its students.

📍 Alhambra, CA

📚 MBA

About & Highlights

 

 

School Type: Private Non-Profit

Regional Accreditation: WASC

CPT Programs: MBA 

Tuition: $13,000 / Year *Scholarships available 

Intakes: 6 / Year - Jan | Feb | May | Jul | Aug | Oct

On-Site Campuses: Alhambra, CA 

On-Site Frequency: 2  / Semester

Using CPT At CIAM

Who can apply for Day 1 CPT at CIAM?

✓  Transfer F1 students can use CPT on Day 1 
➤  Initial F1 student have to be enrolled for at least 9 month before applying for CPT

How long can I use CPT at CIAM?

Throughout the whole program. However, If you use full-time CPT more than 11 months, you will not be eligible for OPT post graduation.

Do I have to take a CPT course? 

CIAM's MBA program integrates work experience directly into its curriculum, requiring all students to complete at least two semesters of CPT courses to qualify for graduation.

On-Site Requirement

➢ 2 / Semester: one day each time (Saturday or Sunday), from 9 AM to 5 PM.
➢ F1 students are required to attend all on-site sessions, failure to attend will result in expel. 
➢ Students who cannot attend an onsite class must request leave in advance and receive approval from the professor.
➢ Leave from onsite courses is limited to no more than two instances per semester.
 

CPT Authorization Fee 

The first two semesters will be free, but starting from the third semester, there will be a charge of $500 for each semester's CPT authorization. Assuming a student needs CPT for all six semesters, this results in an additional cost of 4 * $500. This will also add 4 credits upon graduation, but these cannot be used to substitute for other required courses.

Application Process

The CPT course is a zero-credit hour course, meaning there is no additional tuition fee for registering for it. Each semester, students have the opportunity to enroll in an Experiential Internship Course for their CPT, authorizing them to engage in CPT work.

  • INT501 Experiential Internship Course: Available for the first three semesters, with a maximum of three enrollments. This course is designed to support students in applying time management skills and health and stress management techniques to effectively balance work, school, and life for optimal success.
  • INT599 Experiential Internship Course: Available for the last three semesters, with a maximum of three enrollments. This course focuses on integrating the work environment with the academic environment of the MBA program.

Students who have been in F1 status for more than one year are eligible to apply for Day 1 CPT, allowing them to choose INT501 from the first semester. Otherwise, students must wait until the third semester to apply for CPT (choosing INT501).

To apply for CPT, a student must have an Employment Letter from a company, and the start date cannot be in the past. CPT must be renewed each semester. 

CPT Renewal Frequency 

CPT authorization requires to be renewed every semester. 

MBA

At CIAM, MBA programs have 3 concentrations: 

MBA - Executive Management

Core Courses 

  • ACC501: Accounting For Decision Making
  • BUS501: Quantitative Analysis For Decision Making
  • DRU502: Innovation And Entrepreneurship Based On Drucker’s Principles
  • DRU505: Ethical Leadership
  • FIN501: Corporate Finance
  • IS501: Management Of Information Systems
  • MGT501: Management And Organizational Behavior
  • MKT501: Marketing Management
  • OPS501: Operations Management

Concentration Courses: 

  • DRU503: Managing One's Self And One's Career Based On Drucker’s Principles 
  • GB501: Global Business Concepts
  • MGT511: Strategic Management
MBA - Project Management

Core Courses 

  • ACC501: Accounting For Decision Making
  • BUS501: Quantitative Analysis For Decision Making
  • DRU502: Innovation And Entrepreneurship Based On Drucker’s Principles
  • DRU505: Ethical Leadership
  • FIN501: Corporate Finance
  • IS501: Management Of Information Systems
  • MGT501: Management And Organizational Behavior
  • MKT501: Marketing Management
  • OPS501: Operations Management

Concentration Courses: 

  • PM501: Project Management Fundamentals
  • PM502: Project Management In Practice
  • PM503: Organizational Project Management
MBA - Business Analytics

Core Courses 

  • ACC501: Accounting For Decision Making
  • BUS501: Quantitative Analysis For Decision Making
  • DRU502: Innovation And Entrepreneurship Based On Drucker’s Principles
  • DRU505: Ethical Leadership
  • FIN501: Corporate Finance
  • IS501: Management Of Information Systems
  • MGT501: Management And Organizational Behavior
  • MKT501: Marketing Management
  • OPS501: Operations Management

Concentration Courses: 

  • BA501: Database For Business Analytics
  • BA502: Applied Probability And Statistics In Data Analytics
  • BA503: Advanced Analytics For Business

Tuition & Fees

Program Tuition 

$ 26,000 / Program (24 months)

Other Fees:

  • Application Fee (Non-Refundable) - $75 (contact CPTDog to waive the application fee)
  • STRF Fee (Non-Refundable) - $60
  • Estimated Total Textbook Cost - No Additional Cost
  • Estimated Parking Fee - No Additional Cost
  • INT/CPT Registration Fee - First two semesters are free, starting the third semester $500/CPT course

Scholarships

For the 2023-2024 academic year, the California Institute of Advanced Management (CIAM) offers a variety of scholarship options for students. Students with an undergraduate or graduate GPA above 3.8, those with outstanding community service experience, or those with entrepreneurial experience can seek assistance from CPTDog to apply for scholarships of up to $3,000.

The scholarship opportunities for international students include:

President's Scholarship/Women in Leadership Scholarship Open to female students with work experience. Applicants must complete an essay of 300-500 words.
Management as a Liberal Art Scholarship Available to all students. Requires the completion of an essay of 300-500 words.
Joseph A. Maciarello First Generation Scholarship First-generation college students are eligible to apply and must complete an essay of 300-500 words.
Academic Excellence Scholarship Students maintaining a GPA of 3.8 or above can apply and must submit their transcripts.
Entrepreneurship Scholarship Entrepreneurs are eligible to apply and must provide relevant proof.
International Scholarship New international students in the United States can apply and must submit relevant proof.

Academic Calendar

  • Program Start Date
  • Application Deadline
  • Tuition Due Date

Program Start Date

2024 Summer II : 6/15/2024
2024 Fall I : 8/31/2024
2024 Fall II : 10/12/2024
2025 Spring I : 1/4/2025
2025 Spring II : 2/15/2025
2025 Fall I: 8/30/2025
2025 Fall II: 10/11/2025

Every term is open for enrollment.




 
 

Application Deadline

➢ F1 transfer students (F1/OPT/CPT): 4 weeks before the first day of the term.

Others: 3 months before the first day of the term.

 

Tuition Due Date

5 working days before the program start date.

Application Guide

Step 1: Gather All Materials

  • Undergraduate diploma, degree certificate, official transcript.
  • Application fee of $75 
  • Personal statement (300-500 words).
  • Resume/CV.
  • Passport.
  • Proof of funds (minimum amount of $30,618; must be issued within 6 months. An additional $4,000 is required for a spouse applying for an F-2 visa, and $3,000 for each child on an F-2 visa. Note: Paystubs cannot replace the proof of funds).


Step 2: Submit Application Online

Use CPTDog's CIAM application portal to upload all your application materials. By using this portal to apply, your $75 will be waived automatically.  

 

Step 3: Admission Interview

Once your application is processed, CIAM's admission officer will arrange a brief interview with you via Zoom. If you have any questions regarding this interview or wish to reschedule, you are welcome to contact us by filling out the form below. 

Waive Application Fee Now!