University of San Diego - Knauss School of Business

For more than 40 years, University of San Diego School of Business has provided a rigorous, values-based education that accelerates the personal and professional growth of our students and helps develop high-performing, responsible leaders.

Founded in 1972 with the visionary belief that global partnerships were the key to the future of business, the School of Business at the University of San Diego dedicated itself to creating a learning environment that prioritized small class sizes and a commitment to global business, with dual emphases on high-quality teaching and robust research. 

The school began with six faculty and 238 undergraduates majoring in business administration, accounting or economics. In its first decade, the school underwent major expansion, launching a master’s of business administration (MBA) program and growing to 30 faculty and nearly 1,200 students by the early 1980s. By then, both the undergraduate business program and the MBA had been accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Accreditation was soon followed by the need for a new building. Through a grant from the Olin Foundation, San Diego School of Business primary home, Olin Hall, opened in 1984.