Santa Clara University, Leavey School of Business make the most of their links with Silicon Valley companies to provide unparalleled job and internship opportunities to students. Here are five things to know about their master’s programs.
There’s little doubt that one of Santa Clara University’s main selling points is its unbeatable Silicon Valley location. Toby McChesney, Senior Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs at the university’s Leavey School of Business, explains why that’s so important for students.
“We’re located in Silicon Valley, which is in the heart of innovation here in the Bay Area in California,” he says. “Not only are jobs readily available for our students, but we also have a vibrant community as a whole.” (01:04)
Whether you want to connect with Silicon Valley businesses, check out downtown San José, or escape to the surrounding mountains or beaches, there’s something for everyone in the Bay Area.
“You’re 45 minutes from San Francisco, you’re 45 minutes from the beaches in Santa Cruz, you’re 20 minutes from a lot of mountains where you can hike, and of course we’re located 5 minutes from downtown San José,” Toby says. (01:20)
Being close to Silicon Valley doesn’t guarantee you a job. Whether you’re able to get an internship depends a lot on the connections your university has – and luckily, Leavey has close links with businesses in the Bay Area. Practicums (internships) are a mandatory part of their MSc programs.
“You learn a lot, you connect with other companies and if you do a great job you could potentially get a job from that practicum. And we’ve seen that [happen] time and time again,” says Toby. “We have large companies – the well-known companies – but we also have small startups [that] you can do a practicum with. You will definitely learn a lot [and] be challenged, but you will love our practicums.” (02:16)
By securing internships and job opportunities for their students, Santa Clara is also building an extensive alumni network in the Bay Area.
“We have over 100,000 alumni from the university and from the business school graduate level, we have 15,000 alums, most of them in the Bay Area,” Toby explains. (02:57)
So how does this benefit Santa Clara students? One advantage is the name recognition of the university. For their alumni that have progressed to senior positions in Bay Area businesses, seeing Santa Clara on your resumé gives you a huge headstart over other candidates.
Besides that, Santa Clara alumni stay connected to the university and regularly go back to help out current students in the form of talks and workshops.
Thanks to the work of Santa Clara’s careers team, students have the chance to attend events throughout the year, aimed at connecting current students to employers in the local area.
But you’re not limited to Bay Area companies. The Santa Clara careers team also provides practical support to help you connect with employers from further afield, as well as teaching you skills that will benefit you throughout your career.
“They work on your resumé, interviewing techniques, LinkedIn profile, they help you navigate the job market, negotiate your salaries…they really push you to stay engaged throughout your journey here,” Toby tells us. (03:53)
Santa Clara University has an office dedicated to diversity and inclusion, and their commitment to diversity is an important part of the Jesuit traditions upon which the university was founded. Toby explains how highly they value their international students at Santa Clara:
“We love our diverse students, our international students, our students of all backgrounds – that’s something the Jesuits really pride themselves on. Seventy percent of our Master of Science students are on a sort of F-1 visa from all different countries.” (05:09)
“So yes – we love all types of students here at Santa Clara University!” (05:34)
