Best Online MBA Programs in Santa Monica, CA (2026)

Santa Monica, California has 5 accredited schools offering mba programs, with tuition ranging from $15,203 to $49,403 per year for indexed programs. Santa Monica has a population of about 91,535. Median household income is $109,739 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 68.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning mba-related role is Financial Manager at a median $175,310 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest MBA Schools to Santa Monica

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer mba programs near Santa Monica, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Santa Monica city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Santa Monica. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Santa Monica College

Santa Monica, CA 0.7 miles from Santa Monica BOC Score 63.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,193
Avg net price $2,779/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 46

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California mba page.


MBA Wages Near Santa Monica

Santa Monica is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (BLS area code 31080). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
General and Operations Manager$125,830Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$110,766
Financial Manager$175,310Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$154,322
Marketing Manager$171,900Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$151,320
Management Analyst$104,930Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$92,368

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Santa Monica at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population91,535Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$109,739Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+68.9%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)113.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Santa Monica-Area Cities With MBA Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited mba schools are near Santa Monica, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering mba programs near Santa Monica. The closest is Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, CA (0.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is West Los Angeles College (5.6 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying mba roles near Santa Monica?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying mba-related roles near Santa Monica are: Financial Manager ($175,310), Marketing Manager ($171,900), General and Operations Manager ($125,830). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Culver City instead of Santa Monica?

Culver City, CA is 5.0 miles from Santa Monica and has its own set of local mba programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Santa Monica an affordable place to study mba?

Santa Monica’s median household income of $109,739 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Monica while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About MBA Programs

Other Programs Available in Santa Monica

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Santa Monica:

Data verified: July 30, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.