Stanford Graduate School of Business, long considered among the most elite MBA programs in the world, is facing a storm of internal criticism from students who say the academic experience has fallen far short of expectations. In a series of interviews with Poets&Quants, current MBA students voiced concerns about outdated course content, a disengaged faculty culture, and a broken curriculum structure that they say leaves them unprepared for post-MBA careers — and worse, dilutes the reputation and long-term value of a Stanford degree by producing scores of grads unprepared for the modern world of work.
“We’re coming to the best business school on Earth, and the professors can’t teach,” says a rising second-year MBA student and elected member of the school’s Student Association. “We’re not learning anything. The brand is strong, but there’s nothing here to help you build discernible skills.”
The student and their peers have been sounding the alarm to administrators, they say, but they’ve been met with resistance, delays, or indifference. At the core of their frustration is a belief that the school’s curriculum has not adapted to the realities of a rapidly evolving business world. While some faculty members have been receptive and collaborative when students raise concerns, they say, others see teaching as a secondary priority, and administrators have been slow or reluctant to act. In speaking candidly to Poets&Quants, the students asked for anonymity to avoid repercussions in their student experience and employment prospects.
Meanwhile, a senior member of the GSB’s leadership team tells P&Q that they “hear the students’ concerns,” and new Dean Sarah Soule, who began her tenure in June, adds that “This is an extremely important set of issues, which I take very seriously.”