Decision Sciences Department

Photograph of a student on the Embarcadero along the waterfront in San Francisco.

Decision Sciences programs focus on powerful quantitative methodologies such as forecasting, data mining, machine learning, optimization, and simulation, and their application to business problems to support managers' decisions. Degrees and minors include:

MBA
MS in Business Analytcis (MSBA)
BS in Business Administration, Concentration in Decision Sciences
Minor in Decision Sciences

Faculty Spotlight

Susan Cholette, Ph.D.

Professor of Decision Sciences
Director, Center for Ethical & Sustainable Business
Lam-Larsen Distinguished Teaching Professor 2021-2023

Decision Sciences Professor Susan Cholette’s early career was industry-focused - her research background in building large scale economic models that tracked greenhouse gas emissions and her desire to stay rooted in the Bay Area led to positions in supply chain consulting and project management. Through a stroke of luck, Cholette was presented with an opportunity to work in academia. Today, after two decades as a professor, she still brings her industry experiences into the classroom as a powerful tool for teaching students to build skills in forecasting, inventory management, and more.

Click here to read the full story.

AACSB Accredited

Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International since 1964, the Lam Family College of Business at San Francisco State University provides a high quality business education to a diverse learning community through innovative teaching, research, and support. We are one of just five percent of all business schools worldwide that meet the rigorous standards for this accreditation.

COVID-19 and Our Campus Comeback

Health & Safety Commitments

Your health and safety are our paramount concern at San Francisco State University. We ask every member of our campus community to join a pledge to make and follow plans to keep fellow students, faculty, and staff safe and well. Feeling confident, safe and well will help you focus on your academic success. To participate in in-person classes, all students are asked and expected to:

stay informed on the most up-to-date information related to SF State’s COVID-19 response and Campus Comeback plan.
plan ahead for possible class disruptions due to COVID-19 or other unexpected events, such as unhealthy air quality caused by smoke.
take care of yourself and others by staying home when you aren’t feeling well or believe you have been exposed to COVID-19, and
follow all required health and safety guidelines, including verifying your proof of vaccination or exemption status before coming to class; and wearing a multilayered mask over your nose and mouth at all times when indoors on campus; and wash your hands as often as possible (i.e. soap and water, hand sanitizer).

Campus Comeback

For the fall 2021 semester, classes will be offered in a variety of learning modes. There will be in-person courses, hybrid courses (some meetings in person on campus and some online), and fully online.

For up-to-date information about SF State’s response to COVID-19 and how you can keep yourself and others safe and well, visit the Campus Comeback website. For students to plan how you will maintain your academic success when unexpected events disrupt regular teaching and learning activities, follow the information on the course syllabus and consult the Keep Learning Student Planning Guide.

For our faculty: to help our faculty adapt and respond to a variety of unexpected events so that you can keep teaching, a curated list of resources is available at the Keep Teaching: Instructor Planning Guide | Instructional Continuity website.