MBA with Day 1 CPT
Our most sought-after program: a 12-month Executive MBA with CPT from your first term, OPT eligibility when you graduate, and a $6,000 grant on an interest-free payment plan.
Work in the U.S. while you earn the degree - not after it.
Hybrid, 2 campus visits every 8 weeks in Los Angeles or San Diego · Six start dates a year
The #1 program our students choose
The Executive MBA is our most sought-after program, and the reason is simple: it is the fastest, most flexible way for an international professional to earn a respected U.S. business degree without pressing pause on a career. One year of study. Real work authorization from the very first term. A credential that opens doors in every industry.
Delivered through EduConnect USA's partnership with Alliant University, the program combines hybrid class schedules with real-world experience. You are eligible to work off campus through CPT while you study and OPT after you graduate - so your resume grows at the same speed as your transcript.
And if you are already in the United States on a J-1, B-1/B-2, or F-1 visa, this MBA is one of the clearest paths to stay: continue with your current employer or transition to a new one, with your status handled for you.
Talk to an advisor
Tell us where you are in your journey and we'll walk you through your options, your start date, and exactly what your cost looks like after the $6,000 grant.
No obligation. We never share your information, and you can opt out at any time.
Six reasons this is the program students pick first
Most MBA programs ask you to stop earning for two years and pay for the privilege. This one was designed the other way around.
Day 1 CPT and OPT
You are eligible for Curricular Practical Training from your first term, so you can work off campus in your field immediately rather than waiting out an academic year. When you graduate, OPT extends your time working in the United States. Study and career progress, running in parallel from day one.
12-month completed MBA
A full U.S. master's degree in one year, not two - on an executive schedule built for working professionals.
Hybrid class schedule
Classes are built around a working week. Two in-person requirements every 8-week term at the Los Angeles or San Diego campus; the rest online, on your schedule.
Work & internship placement
Already employed? We help you keep that role. Not yet? Our placement team helps you find a paid position aligned with your degree so your CPT is put to work right away.
$6,000 grant available
Eligible students receive a $6,000 grant applied directly to tuition - money off the top, not a loan you repay later.
Interest-free payment plan
The balance after your grant is spread across bi-weekly, interest-free installments. No loans, no financing charges - payments designed to be covered by the income you earn while you study.
A clear path to stay - whatever visa you hold today
This is the part most students don't realize is possible. If you are currently in the U.S. on a J-1, B-1/B-2, or F-1 visa, enrolling in the MBA gives you a defined route to continue with your current employer or transition to a new one, without leaving the country to do it.
Change of status from J-1
Finishing an exchange or training program? A change of status into F-1 student status lets you stay, start the MBA, and keep building your U.S. career. See the J-1 change of status process.
Visitor to student
Already in the U.S. as a visitor and want to turn the trip into a degree and a career? We handle the change of status into F-1 so you can enroll and begin working on CPT from your first term.
SEVIS transfer from another school
Already on an F-1 at another institution, or coming to the end of OPT? A SEVIS transfer moves your record over with no gap in status, and your CPT eligibility begins with your first term here.
Everything students ask about, in one place
The details that decide whether a program actually fits your status, your budget, and your schedule; without digging through a course catalog.
Built around a full-time job, not against it
Each term runs eight weeks. You are on campus at the beginning and the end - the rest is online, on your schedule, while you keep working on CPT.
On campus
Open the term in person with faculty and your cohort in Los Angeles or San Diego.
Online & working
Complete coursework online around your job. This is where the executive format earns its keep: what you study on a Tuesday night is something you can apply at work on Wednesday morning, and your CPT employment is part of the education, not a distraction from it.
On campus
Close the term in person with presentations, assessments, and cohort sessions.
You do not have to move to California
This is the detail that changes everything for students who already have a job, a lease, or a family somewhere else. The hybrid schedule means you can live and work in any U.S. state. The only requirement is that you attend the two in-person sessions each 8-week term at a California campus - Los Angeles or San Diego, whichever is easier for you. See campus locations.
Four concentrations, one 12-month MBA
Every concentration carries the same Day 1 CPT eligibility, the same hybrid schedule, and the same one-year timeline. What changes is the specialty you graduate with - and the roles it puts in reach.
Management & Decision Sciences
Gain the ability to understand the functions of a business and how they connect. Advance your managerial studies and develop the judgment behind executive-level decisions.
- Core business functions and how they interact
- Advanced managerial studies
- Executive decision making
Information & Technology
Develop the skills to align technology with strategy: how modern enterprises are built, how their processes fit together, and how the data behind them is managed.
- Enterprise business models
- Process integration
- System analysis
- Data management
Marketing & Digital Trends
Learn how brands are built, measured, and grown in a digital-first market - from positioning through to the analytics that prove what is working.
- Branding and brand management
- Market research
- Data analysis
- Building marketing plans
Hospitality Management
Prepare for leadership in one of the most international industries there is, with a focus on strategy, operations, and the relationships that drive the business.
- International hospitality strategy
- Operations and service leadership
- Industry relationship building
An MBA is the degree. We handle everything around it.
Choosing a program is the easy part. Status, paperwork, employers, and cost are what actually stand between you and a U.S. degree - so those are the parts we take on.
Work study programs
Programs specifically structured so you can work while you study, with CPT available from your first term rather than after a year of waiting. Explore work study programs.
U.S. visa support
Change of status, SEVIS transfers, I-20 issuance, and keeping your F-1 status intact throughout. We have done this thousands of times; you have to do it once. See our visa support.
Work placement support
CareerConnect helps you find and secure a paid role aligned with your degree - resume help, employer introductions, and placement support. Meet CareerConnect.
A degree that carries the same accreditation as USC, UCLA and UCSD
EduConnect USA is an official enrollment partner of Alliant University, a private university with campuses in Los Angeles and San Diego known for hands-on, practice-oriented teaching and multicultural business degrees. Accreditation is not a detail to gloss over - it is what makes your degree recognized by employers, by other universities, and by immigration authorities.
WASC Senior College and University Commission
Alliant University is accredited by WSCUC - the same regional accreditor that accredits USC, UCLA, and UC San Diego. This is the top tier of U.S. institutional accreditation.
ACBSP-accredited business programs
All business programs additionally hold accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs, a specialized standard focused on teaching quality and student outcomes.
What actually surprised him about studying in the U.S.
Every prospective student asks the same question in some form: is it really like that? Rather than answer it ourselves, we let students answer it. Here is one of ours on what the move was actually like.
Real-world experience, not just coursework
The Executive MBA pairs hybrid class schedules with genuine work experience. That combination is the whole point - and these are the pieces that make it work.
Small classes, hands-on faculty
Alliant University is known for a hands-on, practice-oriented approach and multicultural business degrees. You learn from faculty who have run the functions they teach, alongside a cohort drawn from around the world.
Your job is part of the curriculum
Because CPT is available from your first term, your employment is curricular - it connects back to what you are studying. Twelve months later you graduate with both a U.S. master's degree and a year of U.S. work history on your resume.
Affordability built into the structure
Between the $6,000 grant and the interest-free bi-weekly payment plan, the program is priced to be paid for out of what you earn while you study - rather than out of savings or a loan.
An MBA opens doors in every industry
The MBA is the most portable business credential there is - and here you earn it alongside a year of U.S. work experience rather than instead of it. Your concentration decides where you aim it.
Management & strategy
Leadership tracks where the MBA is the standard entry ticket: general management, operations, strategy, and consulting.
Marketing & technology
Brand, digital, and analytics roles, or the technology side - enterprise systems, process integration, and data management.
Hospitality & entrepreneurship
International hospitality leadership, or using the degree and the network behind it to build something of your own.
Priced so you can pay it while you work
Cost is the reason most international students hesitate on a U.S. degree. The MBA is structured so you are never asked for a large lump sum, and so the income you earn on CPT can cover the payments as they come.
- A $6,000 grant is available to eligible students and applied directly to your tuition.
- Interest-free installments - no loans and no financing charges, ever.
- Bi-weekly payments, on a schedule designed to be covered while you work on CPT.
- You earn while you study, because CPT starts in your first term rather than after a year.
- Twelve months, not twenty-four, which halves the time you spend paying tuition at all.
Contact us now to secure your $6,000 grant and tailor your degree. An advisor will show you exactly what your bi-weekly payment looks like once the grant is applied.
Get My Cost BreakdownFive steps from first question to first day of class
You won't do any of it alone - an EduConnect advisor stays with you from the first conversation through your first term.
Free consultation
We review your background, your current status, and your goals, and confirm grant eligibility.
Prepare documents
Transcripts, passport, visa records, and financials; we tell you exactly what is needed.
Submit application
We review everything before it is filed so nothing comes back for a missing item.
Admission & I-20
Receive your acceptance, complete enrollment, and get your I-20 issued.
Start & work
Begin classes and, with CPT authorization, keep or begin paid employment from your first term.
On a J-1, B-1/B-2 or F-1 right now? Start 3–6 months early.
Whether you need a change of status or a SEVIS transfer, the process runs smoothest when it begins three to six months before your current status or OPT ends. Start early and your student status continues with no gap - which means you can keep the same job without a single week of interruption.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the Executive MBA take?
Can I work while I study?
I'm already in the U.S. on a J-1, B-1/B-2 or F-1 visa. Can I move into this MBA?
Do I have to live in California?
Which concentrations can I choose from?
What does the MBA cost?
When can I start?
Is the degree properly accredited?
What if I don't have a job lined up yet?
Secure your $6,000 grant and tailor your degree
One short conversation tells you your start date, your bi-weekly payment after the grant, and exactly what your CPT timeline looks like. No pressure, no obligation.