Sac State Looks To Asia For Expansion, New Revenue Stream

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Sacramento State is heading to Asia. The university is opening an international Master's of Business Administration program next fall in Singapore.

They're just one of a handful of universities in the United States to offer degrees overseas. One of the school's colors is green, and the decision to head to Singapore has a lot to do with money.

"We are increasingly coming under pressure to find new revenue streams," said Sanjay Varshney, dean of the College of Business Administration.

For a degree that teaches dollars and cents, it makes sense that the university would be looking for new ways to make a buck. And the big money idea is bringing Sac State to Singapore.

"There are not too many state universities like ours, our size or comparable to the Cal State University system that have actually made the effort," Varshney said.

Though it will be located on the other side of the planet, the program will carry more than just the Sac State name.

"The degree is ours, the professors are all ours, they're actually going to fly down to Singapore and teach those classes," Varshney said.

The dean says he chose Singapore because it's an English-speaking country and because of the increasing demand for degrees in Asia.

"There are students who want the U.S. MBA on their resume compared to an MBA from let's say an Australian university," he said.

Varshney says the program will be lucrative, costing students more than out-of-state tuition. And he says the financial benefits could be felt across the region with a new group of international business students making contacts in Sacramento.

"Suddenly you might find that a company in Singapore would find it beneficial with us here in Sacramento and do some business here," he said.

Those students will be coming to Sacramento as well. Varshney says he expects them all to march during graduation.